By PAUL GOTHAM
Winter weather in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions has impacted this weekend’s Atlantic 10 basketball schedule. Five game dates/times have been changed. VCU puts an undefeated conference record on the line. Dayton tries to keep a modest streak alive as they stay on the road, and it’s never too early for seeding concerns. Here’s the rundown:
Friday
Rhode Island (11-7/3-2) at George Washington (14-4/3-2) 3 p.m.
A pair of rested teams meet for a Friday matinee. GW fell to Dayton last Friday while Rhode Island has had off since Saturday when the Rams defeated La Salle. Originally scheduled as a nationally televised event later in the evening, George Washington and the Rhode Island Rams sit in the middle of the A-10 standings. URI big man Hassan Martin leads the conference and is tied for 13th in the nation with 2.6 blocks per game. He will have his work cut out for him against GW’s Kevin Larsen who is averaging 17 points over his last four games. Tyler Cavanaugh leads the Colonials with 17.2 points a game.
Sunday
St. Bonaventure (12-5/4-2) at VCU (14-5/6-0) 3 p.m. NBCSN
A battle of the top two offenses in the Atlantic 10, VCU hasn’t lost since December 19th – a six-point setback to then No. 23 Cincinnati. The Rams have won nine straight over that stretch with a defense ranked 26th (Per BBState) in the nation holding opponents to .92574 points per possession. They face a hungry St. Bonaventure team coming off two straight losses including a six-point setback to Dayton in which the Bonnies scored 41 points (not a typo) in the final 8:24. Bona freshmen Derrick Woods and Jordan Tyson figure to split time trying slow VCU’s Mo Alie-Cox in the post. Marcus Posley netted 31 in Bona’s loss to Dayton. SBU’s senior guard is averaging 21 points a game in A-10 play. Melvin Johnson scores 18.2 a game for VCU. The Rams score 83.8 points while Bonaventure tallies 83 a game. Posley scored at the buzzer as Bona beat VCU the last time these two met.
Dayton (15-3/5-1) at Fordham (11-6/3-3) 4 p.m. CBS Sports Network
Winners of three straight and eight of nine, Dayton heads to the Bronx where they face a Fordham team boasting a 10-2 mark on its home court. UD shot a blistering 65.4 percent (17 for 26) including 5 for 7 behind the arc in first half of their win over St. Bonaventure on Tuesday. The Flyers, though, fell victim to the Bona full-court press late in the game as the Bonnies cut a 31-point deficit to five. Fordham ranks seventh in the nation forcing 16.4 turnovers a game. Charles Cooke leads Dayton with 16 points a game. Fordham’s Ryan Rhoomes scores 13.7 a game and is 12th in the nation with a field goal percentage of 67.4.
Monday
Davidson (11-6/3-3) at Richmond (10-7/2-3) 7 p.m. CSN Mid-Atlantic Plus
Davidson’s Jack Gibbs has scored 40 or more points in three games this season. The last Division I collegian to reach the 40-point plateau in four games is a guy named Jimmer Fredette. Gibbs may get that number Monday against a Richmond team which has struggled to stop opposing shooters all season. The Spiders rank 288th in the country allowing opponents to shoot 46.5 percent from the floor. Terry Allen (20 ppg) leads a Richmond offense which is eighth in the nation hitting 49.7 percent from the floor. First one to 100 wins.
OTHER GAMES
Duquesne (12-7/2-4) at George Mason (7-12/1-5) 2 p.m. Friday
Saint Louis (7-11/2-4) at UMass (8-9/1-4) Noon Saturday
Saint Joseph’s (15-3/4-1) at La Salle (5-11/1-4) 5 p.m. Sunday ASN
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