Once again we’re going to get a pissed off team coming to the Smith Center.   They hosted Rhode Island and led the entire second half… until they missed the front end of a one and one, and Rhode Island came down and hit a game winner with 3 seconds left.

Hopefully they are despondent, and not focused like Davidson was after their bad loss. 

We need this one to get on confidence back.

Free Quebec wrote:

Once again we’re going to get a pissed off team coming to the Smith Center.   They hosted Rhode Island and led the entire second half… until they missed the front end of a one and one, and Rhode Island came down and hit a game winner with 3 seconds left.

Hopefully they are despondent, and not focused like Davidson was after their bad loss. 

We need this one to get on confidence back.

Under my theory that teams coming off a bad performance, combined with the fact that GW seems unlucky, it feels like a certainty that St Louis will lose at the Bonnie’s tonight and pissed and focused when we play them. 

Really need this win tomorrow.

Richmond Spiders (Game 2)
Date: Saturday January 24th, 2026
Time: 3:00 PM ET
Venue: Charles E. Smith Center (Washington, DC)
TV: USA
Ranks: 116th (KenPom), 131st (Bart Torvik), 135th (Haslametrics), 125th (EvanMiya)
NET Ranking: 123rd (Q3 Game)
2025-26 Projected Record: 18-13, 8-10 (T-7th in A10)

Game 1 Result: GW 99, RICH 85 (Castro 27 points, Autry 24 points, Dinkins 22 points, Jones 12 points)
Team Preview: Link
Richmond Record Since Last Matchup: 3-3 (Wins @ Fordham, @ St. Bonaventure, vs. La Salle; Losses vs. St. Joe's, @ SLU, vs. URI)

Offensive Efficiency: 117th (KenPom), 132nd (Bart Torvik), 134th (Haslametrics), 131st (EvanMiya)
Defensive Efficiency: 135th (KenPom), 155th (Bart Torvik), 128th (Haslametrics), 139th (EvanMiya)
Pace: 133rd (KenPom), 148th (Bart Torvik), 130th (Haslametrics), 167th (EvanMiya)

Projected Starting Lineup:
#4 G Will Johnston (Graduate Student; Sydney, Australia) - 9.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.3 apg; 40% FG, 41% 3-PT, 85% FT per 25.4 mpg/19 GP
      Game 1 @ Richmond: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists; 6-13 FG, 5-10 3-PT, 3-3 FT in 27 minutes.

#1 G Mikkel Tyne (Junior; Toronto, Canada) - 5.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 1.6 apg; 37% FG, 36% 3-PT, 60% FT per 19.6 mpg/19 GP
      Game 1 @ Richmond: 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist; 2-3 FG, 2-3 3-PT in 22 minutes.

#12 G David Thomas (Junior; McDonough, GA) - 5.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg; 46% FG, 48% 3-PT, 88% FT per 15.6 mpg/20 GP
      Game 1 @ Richmond: 3 points, 1 rebound; 1-2 FG, 0-1 3-PT, 1-1 FT in 9 minutes.

#6 G AJ Lopez (Graduate Student; Queens, NY) - 12.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.2 apg; 48% FG, 41% 3-PT, 86% FT per 22.4 mpg/20 GP
      Game 1 @ Richmond: 11 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block; 2-6 FG, 1-3 3-PT, 6-6 FT in 24 minutes.

#21 C Mike Walz (Senior; Berwyn, PA) - 7.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.1 apg; 48% FG, 44% 3-PT, 68% FT per 19.3 mpg/20 GP
      Game 1 @ Richmond: 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal; 0-3 FG, 0-2 3-PT in 19 minutes.

Projected Bench:
#3 G Aiden Argabright (Freshman; Richmond, VA) - 10.6 ppg, 2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.4 spg; 42% FG, 35% 3-PT, 83% FT per 21.5 mpg/20 GP
     Game 1 @ Richmond: 4 points, 3 assists, 1 steal; 2-6 FG, in 19 minutes.

#2 F Jaden Daughtry (Junior; Richmond, VA) - 10.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.1 spg; 55% FG, 50% 3-PT, 65% FT per 17.1 mpg/20 GP
     Game 1 @ Richmond: 23 points, 1 assist, 1 steal; 9-11 FG, 2-2 3-PT, 3-5 FT in 22 minutes.

#9 F Jonathan Beagle (Senior; Hudson Falls, NY) - 6.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.7 apg; 56% FG, 63% FT per 15.4 mpg/20 GP
     Game 1 @ Richmond: 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals; 2-3 FG, 2-4 FT in 14 minutes.

#5 G Collin Tanner (Junior; Creedmoor, NC) - 5.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg; 44% FG, 30% 3-PT, 81% FT per 15.6 mpg/18 GP
     Game 1 @ Richmond: 7 points, 1 rebound; 2-5 FG, 1-3 3-PT, 2-2 FT in 17 minutes.

#11 G Will Harper III (Freshman; Bowie, MD) - 3.7 ppg, 1.6 rpg; 42% FG, 39% 3-PT, 77% FT per 9.9 mpg/10 GP
     Game 1 @ Richmond: 2 points, 1 rebound; 1-1 FG in 5 minutes.

#33 F Apostolos Roumoglou (Senior; Xanthi, Greece) - 3.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.3 apg; 35% FG, 21% 3-PT, 50% FT per 17.5 mpg/20 GP
     Game 1 @ Richmond: 3 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists; 1-4 FG, 1-4 3-PT in 16 minutes.

#24 F Jaylen Robinson (RS Freshman; Jacksonville, FL) - 2.9 ppg, 1.5 rpg; 67% FG, 33% 3-PT, 44% FT per 8.8 mpg/19 GP
     Game 1 @ Richmond: 6 minutes played.

Conference Marks (A10 play only):
Team 3-Point FG Percentage: 42.6% (2nd)
Turnovers Per Game: 8.3 TO/G (2nd)
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 1.72 AST/TO (3rd)
3-Point FGs Made: 9.4 3PM/G (4th)
Opponent 3-Point FG Percentage: 31.7% (4th)
Team FT Percentage: 74.1% (4th)
Turnover Margin: +2.29 TO/G (4th)
Scoring Offense: 75.3 PPG (5th)
Team FG Percentage: 44.6% (5th)
Steals Per Game: 7.1 SPG (6th)
Assists Per Game: 14.3 APG (7th)
Scoring Margin: -0.6 PPG (7th)
Team Defensive Rebounds: 24 DRPG (7th)
Opponent FT Percentage: 72.4% (8th)
Opponent Turnovers Per Game: 10.6 TO/G (8th)
Opponent FG Percentage: 45.2% (9th)
Scoring Defense: 75.9 PPG (9th)
Blocked Shots Per Game: 2.6 BPG (11th)
Combined Team Rebounds: 31.9 RPG (11th)
Team Offensive Rebounds: 7.9 ORPG (13th)
Combined Opponent Rebounds: 38.1 RPG (14th)
Rebound Margin: -6.3 RPG (14th)

Individual Leaders (A10 play only):
Scoring:
AJ Lopez - 13.3 PPG (21st)
Will Johnston - 13.1 PPG (24th)

Rebounding:
Mike Walz - 6.4 RPG (12th)
Will Johnston - 5.4 RPG (18th)

Field Goal Percentage:
Jaden Daughtry - 58.5% (7th)
AJ Lopez - 47.6% (23rd)

3-PT Field Goal Percentage:
Aiden Argabright - 53.8% (2nd)
AJ Lopez - 50% (4th)
Mike Walz - 45% (10th)
Will Johnston - 41.2% (16th)

Free Throw Percentage:
AJ Lopez - 85.2% (12th)
Will Johnston - 84.6% (15th)
Aiden Argabright - 82.8% (18th)

3-PT Field Goals Per Game:
Will Johnston - 2 3PM/G (17th)

Assists Per Game:
Aiden Argabright - 2.7 APG (17th)
Will Johnston - 2.6 APG (20th)

Blocks Per Game:
AJ Lopez - 0.9 BPG (17th)
Mike Walz - 0.9 BPG (18th)

Steals Per Game:
Aiden Argabright - 1.4 SPG (18th)
Jaden Daughtry - 1.1 SPG (24th)

Keys/Trends:
- A major factor that may get overlooked in the upcoming game is rebounding. Since GW and Richmond last met, UR has gone 3-0 in games where they've won the rebound battle and 0-3 in contests where they haven't. Richmond ranks close to the bottom (if not totally dead last in the league) in most rebounding categories. That was an area where GW did not perform so well against Davidson. A bounce-back effort led by Slim on the glass could be key to lead the Revs to victory.

- Richmond has been shooting the 3 ball very well in their last half-dozen games. It turns out the meeting back on New Year's Eve was not an anomaly. The Spiders have shot 36% or better from deep in five of their last six games. In A10 play, they rank only behind SLU in team 3P%. Can GW put up more resistance along the perimeter?

- In their last three conference wins, Richmond went into halftime with the lead. Can GW get off to a good start in the first half? The Revs trailed by eight at halftime in the last two games against Davidson and GMU. The amount of energy needed to mount the comeback in the second half may have led to GW coming up short in both games.

- While GW is currently 3rd in 3P% as a team (behind SLU and Richmond) the Revs were a subpar 29.8% from 3 combined against GMU and Davidson. If this team is more offensively-inclined, they need to be better than that moving forward.

- Obviously, hitting 17 threes again isn't realistic. UR is 4th best in league play in opponent 3P%. Shooting variance always plays a role in that, but they've not really been burned from deep since our last contest. Opponents are a combined 42/153 from deep (27.5%) against UR in the last six games. GW will need to find a way to lock in a bit more on defense compared to the last meeting. Richmond doesn't really cough up the ball at high rates, but the Revs have to force them into taking tougher shots. Perhaps going inside offensively will also be a key given the Spiders don't really have a true rim protector.

- While most coaches look to shorten their bench come conference play, Mooney has actually extended it more and has gone up to 12 guys deep. Will Harper III saw a few minutes in the last contest against GW, but he's since played double digit minutes in three of his last five games. Against SLU, he was one of the lone bright spots, putting up 17 points in just 26 minutes. While Harper is unlikely to suddenly play 30+ minutes (he can rack up fouls), his recent shooting streak (6/12 from the field in last week's games) will be hard for Mooney to ignore.

- In Richmond's two close losses to St. Joe's and URI, leading scorer AJ Lopez played a combined 33 minutes which is below his season average (Lopez was in a bit of foul trouble against Rhody). He also put up just 4.5 ppg in those games. GW did a relatively good job limiting the Maine transfer last time around. Can they do it again?

- Freshman Aiden Argabright doesn't take a ton of threes, but he certainly makes his attempts count. In UR's last four games, Argabright is 6/8 from distance. He's also coming off a career high 20 point performance against URI on Wednesday (to go with four steals).

- Jaden Daughtry put up a season high 23 points the last time GW and Richmond faced off. It took the Richmond native four games to put up 20 more points following that contest. Daughtry's play has been all over the place over the last few weeks. He put up double figures in half of UR's games in January, but also had three games where he combined to score five points. If GW is going to have more success limiting Richmond compared to last time, they will have to find a way to make Daughtry be less of a factor.

- Will Johnston has turned it up in A10 play, averaging 13.1 ppg in conference games compared to just 9.8 ppg overall for the season. The GW game was the start of three consecutive 20 point efforts for the Aussie, but he's struggled in the last two weeks. During that time, Johnston is just 10/38 shooting (26%) and 4/17 (24%) from 3.

- GW managed to keep Mike Walz off the scoreboard last time around - the only time the senior has been held scoreless all season. While that feat is unlikely to repeat, Richmond is not as much of a threat when he's a relative non-factor. In their last three losses, Walz has averaged just 4 ppg. He can shoot the three ball, but there's games where he seems scared to take too many. I watched the end of the St. Joe's game and Walz passed up a wide open 3 that potentially would have won the game in the final seconds. He's shooting under 50% from the field in four straight contests, and went just 1/6 from the field last week.

- Richmond is 5-0 this season when Jonathan Beagle scores in double figures. The NY native generally doesn't get enough attempts up to qualify, but he needs to make his shots count. Beagle went 2/8 from the field in Richmond's last three losses, but in their three wins he was a lot more efficient, going 10/12.

- Collin Tanner has seen his minutes go down recently in favor of Harper. Tanner played a combined eight minutes over the last week. The last time he played fewer than ten minutes in consecutive contests prior to that was February 2025. Tanner has not been a particularly efficient three point shooter over his career (29%), but Richmond is 3-0 this year when he scores in double figures.

- Mikkel Tyne has failed to score in three straight games (0/9 from the field during this time). The 5'10" Canadian doesn't get to the line at all to offset days when his jumper isn't on so I'm surprised Mooney is still giving him 20 minutes a game. Since November, Tyne has incredibly attempted just four free throws (all came against St. Bonaventure).

- David Thomas entered Richmond's starting lineup three games ago following a 10 point outing against St. Joe's, but it hasn't really resulted in more playing time or productivity from the junior. When Thomas is not making shots, he doesn't really impact the game in other areas either.

- Apostolos Roumoglou has done some nice things defensively over the course of the year, but his offense has been predictably rough in conference play. The native of Greece is 4/21 from the field (19%) in A10 games this year. He's recorded at least one assist in every conference game and is a decent connector piece but it's a net win if GW can force him to be more of a shot-taker/maker.

- Jaylen Robinson doesn't play a ton, but he is a perfect 6/6 from the field in conference games thus far. In general, I still fail to understand why Mooney is playing so many guys though. It's hard for anyone to get in a rhythm going 12 deep. Substitution patterns aside, I do think CC has made the right decision not going beyond nine deep in most games.

Crowd support will likely be rough with the upcoming winter storms and below freezing temperatures. To those that are impacted, stay safe. Hopefully the students come out to support the team.

Projected Score: GW 85, Richmond 78. 75% chance to win (KenPom). Bart Torvik forecasts a 79% chance at a W. ESPN predicts an 81.6% chance for GW to move to 13-7.
 

My hope is that, after losing a very winnable game against Mason, the team will somehow bounce back.

Huh?

Thanks H&R..71! After what happened against Dayton without their frontcourt there's no guarantees, but it's worth noting that Beagle is out for the Spiders and Walz is questionable. Hopefully that gives GW the edge in rebounding.

For GW, Garrett and Bubu are questionable. Ty remains out.

First 5 baskets by 5 different guys. Nice.

This team is so fun to watch when the shots are falling….

A10 getting more interesting by the minute

We are being pretty sloppy as well.  Some careless passes and traveling.  4 min up 17 - have seen us collapse before lol