Dayton goes on the road looking for sole possession of first place. Saint Joseph’s is looking to keep pace. Suddenly, VCU is sliding, and a sold out Reilly Center awaits George Washington. A full slate including four nationally televised games tip off Friday. Here’s the guide:
By PAUL GOTHAM
No. 19/17 Dayton (20-3/10-1) at Rhode Island (14-10/6-5) 7 pm Friday ESPN2
Dayton has won eight straight, but the Flyers last loss came on the road. Rhode Island would like nothing better than to exact an ounce of revenge after UD eliminated the Rams in last year’s A-1o semi-finals. URI’s “masked man,” Jarvis Garrett has stepped to the fore this season leading the Rams with 13.3 points and 4.3 assists a game. Charles Cooke nets 16.4 a game for UD. The Flyers rank 16th in the nation holding opponents to .9246 points per possession. Rhode Island has been without Kuran Iverson (10.5 ppg) for three games.
George Washington (18-6/7-4) at St. Bonaventure (16-6/8-3) 4 pm Saturday TWC-NY
Temperatures outside the Reilly Center will hover in the single-digit range. The mood inside will push the mercury. The Bonnies, winners of four straight, are looking to keep their hold on fourth place in the standings and a bye to the quarter-finals next month in Brooklyn. GW is coming off a disappointing loss at home to Saint Joseph’s. Bona’s triple threat of Jaylen Adams, Marcus Posley and Dion Wright averages 53 points a game. Adams hands out 5.2 assists and hits 44.8 percent from behind the arc. Bona is 7-1 when Posley has five or more assists. Patricio Garino scored 27 in GW’s victory over VCU last weekend and is averaging more than 18 a game over the last five while shooting 55.5 percent from the floor during that stretch.
Saint Louis (8-15/3-8) at VCU (17-7/9-2) 6 pm Saturday CBS Sports Network
VCU will need to make a quick turnaround after being victimized by the 3-pointer in a loss to UMass Thursday. A week ago VCU stood alone in first place. Two games later and the Rams are a loss away from dropping into a tie for fourth place. Saint Louis is looking snap a four-game skid. Korey Billbury scored 15 in VCU’s loss to UMass. Ash Yacoubou (12 ppg/5.9 rpg) leads the Billikens.
La Salle (5-17/1-10) at Saint Joseph’s (20-4/9-2) 8 pm Saturday ASN
Saint Joseph’s is coming off an 18-point win at George Washington, Wednesday night. Will their Big 5 rival catch them off guard? The Hawks won the earlier meeting at La Salle by 21. Isaiah Miles leads Saint Joseph’s with 17 points and 8.3 rebounds a game. The Hawks are 7-0 when the senior records a double-double. Jordan Price scores 19.5 a game for La Salle.
Other Games
Davidson (14-8/6-5) at George Mason (8-16/2-9) 4 pm. Saturday MASN
Fordham (12-10/3-8) at Richmond (13-10/5-6) 6 pm Saturday CSN MA-Plus
UMass (10-13/3-8) at Duquesne (15-9/5-6) 3 pm Sunday ASN
Leave a Reply