In this corner, hailing from Mandeville, LA, 6'10" and 235 pounds, wearing the navy blue trunks, Hunter Dean.

And in this corner, from our nation's capital, they stand at a combined 13' 7" and weigh in at a combined weight of 475 pounds, wearing white, here are Makhi and Makhel Mitchell.  The Mitchells!

Doesn't sound like a fair fight to me.  URI is 8-0 at home, 12-4 overall, 3-1 in the A10 with the loss coming by just 4 points at undefeated Davidson.  Oh, and if that wasn't enough (and don't you think it ought to be..shoutout to Letterman), we kicked their asses in DC last season.

Just 9 more days until Fordham.

Neither Brown or Lindo will be playing.

2twooed wrote:

Neither Brown or Lindo will be playing.

Any update on their long-term status? Are they still "day-to-day"?

Rhode Island Rams

Date/Time: Saturday January 22nd @ 12:30 PM ET at Ryan Center in Kingston, RI. The arena seats 8,000 people.
TV: USA Network
Preseason Ranks: 100th (KenPom), 90th (Bart Torvik), 93rd (CBS), 118th (SI)
2020-21 Record: 10-15, 7-10 (10th in A10)
2021-22 Projected Record: 20-10, 11-7 (T-4th in A10)

Coach: David Cox, 49-38 in three seasons at URI. Cox played college ball at William & Mary, where he finished his career eighth all time in assists. He is a DC native who began his career as an assistant at Archbishop Carroll and spent three seasons as an assistant at Georgetown. Cox also spent time at Pittsburgh (1 season) and Rutgers (4 seasons) as an assistant. He temporarily took over as interim head coach at Rutgers (going 3-0) while Mike Rice Jr. was suspended. Cox has been at URI since 2014, taking over the program after four seasons as an assistant under Dan Hurley.

Head-to-Head: 32-30. We ended a four game losing streak to the Rams last season, 78-70, which was arguably our best performance of the season. The first thing that sticks out is that we went +6 after halftime, something that we have done very rarely in the JC era. Three players finished in double figures, with Bishop/Jamison accounting for nearly 70% of the points. Bishop had 28 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists, Jamison had 26 points and 3 rebounds, and Ricky had 11 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Seeing that Lindo will be out is tough - that statline sums up what he can give us when he is fully healthy and motivated. We shot 51% from the field, 42% from distance, and 76% from the line (while also finishing with 18 assists for the game). The team shot 21 free throws for the game - a number I hope we can approach. We are averaging under 14 attempts per game on the season, and with offense being hard to come by we need all the points we can get (even if we shoot a pretty poor 65% from there). We have shot 9 free throws in three of four A10 games so far - that simply isn't enough and tells me we have been too jump shot reliant. Even 16 FTs against VCU feels low given that they tend to foul more in the havoc scheme.

Offensive Efficiency: 126th (KenPom), 148th (Bart Torvik)
Defensive Efficiency: 53rd (KenPom), 44th (Bart Torvik)
Pace: 286th (KenPom), 279th (Bart Torvik)
Returning Minutes: 74.1% (105th in country)

Key Returning Players:
Jeremy Sheppard (RS Senior; Richmond, VA) 11.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.2 SPG; 47% FG, 39% 3-PT, 77% FT
       2020-21 season vs. GW: 10 points; 4-14 FG, 1-6 3-PT, 1-1 FT in 32 minutes.

Makhel Mitchell (Sophomore; Baltimore, MD) 9.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.7 BPG; 52% FG, 47% FT
       2020-21 season vs. GW: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks; 6-15 FG, 2-5 FT in 30 minutes.

Antwan Walker (RS Junior; Washington, DC) 9.1 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.1 APG; 59% FG, 26% 3-PT, 70% FT
       2020-21 season vs. GW: 6 points, 5 rebounds; 2-3 FG, 2-3 FT in 22 minutes.

Ishmael Leggett (Freshman; Washington, DC) 6.6 PPG, 2.6 RPG; 46% FG, 42% 3-PT, 75% FT
       2020-21 season vs. GW: 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals; 6-12 FG, 3-6 3-PT, 1-1 FT in 38 minutes.

Makhi Mitchell (Sophomore; Baltimore, MD) 5.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG; 46% FG, 61% FT
       2020-21 season vs. GW: DNP (Knee Injury)

Malik Martin (Junior; Staten Island, NY) 5.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG; 42% FG, 30% 3-PT, 71% FT
       2020-21 season vs. GW: 6 points, 3 rebounds; 3-4 FG, 0-1 3-PT in 20 minutes.

Key Losses:
Fatts Russell (Transferred to Maryland; Philadelphia, PA) 14.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.9 SPG; 34% FG, 24% 3-PT, 80% FT

Comments:
Rhode Island fans weren't too happy with David Cox by the end of the 2020-21 season. The Rams went 10-15, which was their lowest winning percentage since Hurley's inaugural season as coach eight years ago. There was some speculation that Cox may even find himself on the hot seat should Rhody finish under .500 again.

URI was one of the "luckier" teams when it came to COVID last year - they only had three games canceled (they have actually had more games canceled/postponed this season incredibly). Unfortunately, two of those cancelations came at the worst time of the year for them - the last month of the season. That certainly did not help when the team finished the year losing seven of their final eight contests (their one win was a double overtime thriller against Dayton). Despite losing 60% of their games last season, the Rams weren't really embarrassed in any games, and their worst loss at any point in the season was by 12 points. Still, there was enough talent on the roster that Ram fans couldn't help but feel underwhelmed by the final result.

Despite the 10th place finish in the league, URI was picked 7th in the preseason. The Rams brought back a good chunk of their production from last season, but the obvious loss of Fatts Russell has to be mentioned. The fact the Rams were picked 7th tells me that others saw Fatts as not too big of a loss in the grand scheme of things. That's not to say that he didn't give the Rams a lot as a scorer, passer, and on-ball defender. The big problem with Russell has always been consistency and efficiency. There was some hope he had turned the corner his sophomore year where he hit 36% of his tries from downtown, but he pretty much flatlined as a player last season and ultimately I think him moving on from URI was the right decision for both him and URI. His career 36% shooting from the field (and 28% from three) show that he has always been a volume scorer and I think the Terrapins have seen this season that his transfer looked better on paper than in reality. Rhode Island totally won the trade with the Mitchell twins if Fatts was the player to be named later.

Rhode Island started strong to begin the year - going 9-3 OOC, including a 7-1 record against foes in the New England region (the one loss was to rival Providence and included two wins against a Boston College team they lost to last season - they faced the Eagles twice in four days earlier in the year). There were a couple of head-scratching losses, including a Tulsa team that isn't particularly good (or fun to watch) and a Florida Gulf Coast team that has stumbled of late after starting the year relatively strong (how they got Kevin Samuel to transfer there remains a mystery - the guy was a legitimate factor in the Big 12 with TCU; I guess the beach might have swayed him). The negative momentum did not seem to hurt St. Joe's on Wednesday, but I'll just mention that URI has won eight of their past ten contests (including three in a row in conference play). In terms of common opponents, they have defeated St. Joe's by 11 and Boston U by 9.

While Fatts departed in the offseason, the Rams do have a veteran returning in the backcourt in senior Jeremy Sheppard. Sheppard began his career at East Carolina and also spent a year in the JUCO ranks. He is a career 36% three point shooter and is shooting roughly that well in his final season of eligibility (although he does not finish nearly as well from inside the arc). Sheppard has taken over primary facilitation duties as well with Russell out of the picture and is a sticky defender on the other side of the ball.

URI goes with three guards in the starting lineup. A pair of Ishmaels in Ball State transfer Ishmael El-Amin and sophomore Ishmael Leggett support Sheppard along the perimeter. It's not too common of a name, so I checked on sports-reference and there have only been 11 D1 players ever with that first name (with the above pair being the only ones active with the name). A real coincidence! El-Amin is a Minnesota native that is the strongest shooter on the team (49% from distance and 93% from the line). I don't know what it is about that part of the country, but I feel like many players from the midwest (and especially Minnesota) are so strong shooting the ball. We should recruit there more often (wish we had more Jamisons on the team - I believe Battle and El-Amin both played AAU ball for D1 Minnesota). Leggett, a former GW target, is another good shooter - he shot 42% from three last season and is 37% this season although like Sheppard is less efficient in the paint and 64% from the line. He is one of the better defenders on the team and expect him to handle point duties when Sheppard is on the bench. It will be tough to cover this guard trio because they are capable of playing on and off the ball and all three are strong shooters.

Backing up the above trio from off the bench will be Charlotte transfer Malik Martin (Hassan's younger bro), Syracuse transfer Jalen Carry, and freshman Sebastian Thomas. Martin is one of the better rebounders on the team and is a strong slasher to the rim. He isn't the defender his brother was but can play multiple positions on the floor. Carry was an afterthought for the Orange but is enjoying his most efficient campaign in college basketball (over 55% shooting from the field). He doesn't shoot much from outside, but is 4-5 on the year. Thomas is in training to be the point guard of the future for the Rams. He has shown some real potential shooting the ball when he's seen action thus far.

Up front, expect to see the Mitchell twins, Makhel Mitchell and Makhi Mitchell, to see the majority of minutes with Georgetown transfer Antwan Walker giving them a breather from off the pine. Despite Makhi being the more well-regarded prospect out of HS, Makhel has had the more productive college career. Both players are similar in many ways - strong scorers in the post, above-average rebounders, capable playmakers, and stout rim protectors down low. Since it seems we'll be missing Noel and Ricky for another game, perhaps fouling is off the table but both Mitchells are shooting just 60% from the line. Makhi has on occasion ventured out beyond the three point line but for the most part expect both players to remain paint bound (not sure that's optimal for spacing, but URI's guards are strong enough shooters to combat this and the team is 37% overall from three). Walker is more of a stretch forward, shooting a career best 48% from distance and 64% from the field (although he's strangely just 59% from the FT line). Walker's ability to score and rebound means that URI doesn't lose a beat when either Mitchell is off the floor. Now that's the kind of production you need for a team to be successful in the A10.

This is a tough game, and one where it isn't likely realistic to expect a competitive game. I hope we continue to build off our improved shot making from the St. Joe's game but more importantly get to the line (definitely more than 9 times). The closer we get to 70 points, the better chance we have at making it a game. A consistent effort defensively would also help as well.

Projected Score: Rhode Island 73, GW 58. 7% chance to win (Bart Torvik). ESPN gives us a 4.7% chance at a W. The Rams open as a 16 point home favorite.
 

Normally, a match-up with GW would be the biggest (if not only) thing for people to talk about on the campus of a school like URI that does not get much national attention. Not today, though...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/22/rudy-giuliani-michael-flynn-honorary-university-degrees-revoked

Come on Hunter...

O/U 10 points given up before we score?

I use to look forward to these Saturday TV games. But now I just expect to lose.  Sad

On pace to challenge the SLU game at Smith Center

We need more turnovers. Let this team set the school record.