Massachusetts Minutemen (Game 2)
Date: Saturday February 22nd, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM ET
Venue: Charles E. Smith Center (Washington, DC)
TV: ESPN+
Analytic Ranks: 194th (KenPom), 193rd (Bart Torvik), 183rd (Haslametrics), 160th (EvanMiya)
NET Ranking: 199th
2024-25 Projected Record: 12-19, 7-11 (T-11th in A10)

Game 1 Result: UMASS 74, GW 71 (Castro 23 points, Jones 10 points)
Team Preview: Link
UMass Record Since Last Matchup: 2-5 (Wins @ Duquesne, @ La Salle; Losses @ URI, vs. SLU, vs. Davidson, vs. St. Bona, @ VCU)

Offensive Efficiency: 246th (KenPom), 257th (Bart Torvik), 228th (Haslametrics), 216th (EvanMiya)
Defensive Efficiency: 140th (KenPom), 132nd (Bart Torvik), 132nd (Haslametrics), 126th (EvanMiya)
Pace: 28th (KenPom), 28th (Bart Torvik), 46th (Haslametrics), 38th (EvanMiya)

Projected Starting Lineup:
#7 G Rahsool Diggins (Senior; Philadelphia, PA) - 16.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1 spg; 37% FG, 32% 3-PT, 83% FT per 34.4 mpg/27 GP
      Game 1 @ UMass: 19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 1 block; 7-15 FG, 4-7 3-PT, 1-1 FT in 33 minutes.

#3 G Marqui Worthy (Sophomore; Anaheim, CA) - 5.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.8 apg; 41% FG, 15% 3-PT, 72% FT per 17.7 mpg/26 GP
      Game 1 @ UMass: 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal; 2-3 FG, 1-2 FT in 17 minutes.

#11 G Jayden Ndjigue (Sophomore; Ayer, MA) - 4.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.1 spg; 40% FG, 22% 3-PT, 59% FT per 25 mpg/26 GP
      Game 1 @ UMass: 4 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block; 1-2 FG, 2-3 FT in 28 minutes.

#5 F Daniel Rivera (Senior; San Juan, Puerto Rico) - 11.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.2 spg, 1.4 bpg; 44% FG, 19% 3-PT, 57% FT per 28.7 mpg/27 GP
      Game 1 @ UMass: 7 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block; 3-9 FG, 1-3 FT in 24 minutes.

#1 F Daniel Hankins-Sanford (Junior; Charlotte, NC) - 8.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.2 spg; 49% FG, 17% 3-PT, 59% FT per 23.8 mpg/22 GP
      Game 1 @ UMass: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal; 5-7 FG, 0-1 3-PT in 20 minutes.

Projected Bench:
#0 G Jaylen Curry (Sophomore; Charlotte, NC) - 12.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.2 spg; 37% FG, 35% 3-PT, 64% FT per 29.8 mpg/25 GP** (Questionable - wrist injury)
      Game 1 @ UMass: 19 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists; 7-15 FG, 2-3 3-PT, 3-3 FT in 31 minutes.

#25 F/C Malek Abdelgowad (Senior; Cairo, Egypt) - 4.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg; 46% FG, 23% 3-PT, 72% FT per 14.6 mpg/24 GP
      Game 1 @ UMass: 6 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks; 3-6 FG, 0-1 3-PT, 0-1 FT in 27 minutes.

#4 F/C Shahid Muhammad (Junior; Queens, NY) - 3.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.7 bpg; 69% FG, 71% FT per 12.7 mpg/26 GP
      Game 1 @ UMass: 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block; 2-3 FG in 9 minutes.

#12 F Tarique Foster (Sophomore; Bronx, NY) - 2.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg; 59% FG, 38% 3-PT, 44% FT per 9.8 mpg/15 GP
      Game 1 @ UMass: DNP

#2 G Nate Guerengomba (Freshman; Washington, DC) - 3 ppg, 1.3 rpg; 27% FG, 19% 3-PT, 90% FT per 11.1 mpg/24 GP
      Game 1 @ UMass: 1 assist; 0-2 FG, 0-1 3-PT in 11 minutes.

#23 F Akil Watson (Sophomore; Middletown, NY) - 3.6 ppg, 2 rpg; 42% FG, 26% 3-PT, 58% FT per 10.7 mpg/23 GP
      Game 1 @ UMass: DNP

Conference Marks (A10 play only):
Combined Team Rebounds: 40.6 RPG (1st)
Scoring Offense: 73.5 PPG (2nd)
Team Offensive Rebounds: 14.6 ORPG (2nd)
Blocked Shots Per Game: 4.6 BPG (4th)
Opponent FT Percentage: 70.4% (4th)
Rebound Margin: +2.3 RPG (4th)
Steals Per Game: 7.6 SPG (4th)
Team Defensive Rebounds: 25.9 DRPG (4th)
Opponent FG Percentage: 41.7% (5th)
Opponent Turnovers Per Game: 12.6 TO/G (5th)
Opponent 3-Point FG Percentage: 31.3% (6th)
Scoring Margin: -0.8 PPG (9th)
Turnovers Per Game: 12 TO/G (9th)
Team FT Percentage: 69.8% (10th)
Assists Per Game: 12.1 APG (11th)
Assist Turnover Ratio: 1.01 AST/TO (12th)
Scoring Defense: 74.3 PPG (12th)
Combined Opponent Rebounds: 38.3 RPG (14th)
Team 3-Point FG Percentage: 29.4% (14th)
Team FG Percentage: 40.5% (14th)
3-Point FGs Made: 5.7 3PM/G (15th)

Individual Leaders (A10 play only):
Scoring:
Rahsool Diggins - 21.6 PPG (2nd)
Daniel Rivera - 13 PPG (25th)

Rebounding:
Daniel Rivera - 7.4 RPG (6th)
Daniel Hankins-Sanford - 6.4 RPG (9th)
Malek Abdelgowad - 5.2 RPG (25th)

3-PT Field Goal Percentage:
Jaylen Curry - 36.5% (20th)
Rahsool Diggins - 35.2% (25th)

Free Throw Percentage:
Rahsool Diggins - 83.6% (10th)

3-PT Field Goals Per Game:
Rahsool Diggins - 3.2 3PM/G (1st)

Assists Per Game:
Jaylen Curry - 3.1 APG (13th)

Assist/Turnover Ratio:
Jaylen Curry - 2.6 AST/TO (5th)

Blocks Per Game:
Daniel Rivera - 1.1 BPG (13th)
Shahid Muhammad - 1.1 BPG (15th)
Jayden Ndjigue - 0.9 BPG (19th)

Steals Per Game:
Daniel Rivera - 1.3 SPG (16th)

Minutes Per Game:
Rahsool Diggins - 36.9 MPG (5th)

Keys/Trends:
- UMass has never been a proficient three point shooting team this season, but they are especially struggling lately. They've knocked down three total triples in the last two games combined. The only game they shot the 3 well out of the ordinary lately was an away game at La Salle, when they knocked down 11 threes at a 39% clip.

- The Minutemen have fared better on the road in their last seven compared to at home. Both their victories came away from the Mullins Center.

- Due to injuries, UMass has scored below their conference scoring average the last three games. In the last week, they failed to hit 60 against both St. Bonaventure and VCU. During these last two games, they've also finished with just 13 assists combined as a team.

- Unsurprisingly, the struggles on offense have extended to the FT line, where the Minutemen have finished those shots at a 70% or better clip just twice since the GW game.

- As we saw in the last matchup, Massachusetts is very good on the boards. They lead the conference in overall rebounding, but during their recent three game losing streak they have lost the rebounding battle in all three games against Davidson, St. Bonaventure, and VCU. While it's possible to outlast the Minutemen without winning on the rebounding margin, GW has a good chance at a W if they do.

- UMass has taken care of the basketball a bit better lately compared to their conference average. They have finished with fewer than 12 turnovers in four of their last five contests. That includes just eight turnovers against VCU, a team that is very proficient with regards to turning teams over. GW will have the advantage of playing at home, but turnovers may be tougher to come by than expected.

- The Minutemen have dealt with a lot of injuries since the first meeting. Most notably, Jaylen Curry has been sidelined with a wrist injury the last two games and is questionable for tomorrow. That's a problem for them, given he's the only player over 32% from 3 for the season that's attempted at least ten on the year. In the last seven games that Curry has played, he's knocked down multiple threes in six of them. The one game he didn't was the lone game he didn't hit double figures in this recent stretch (@ Duquesne).

- With Curry unavailable, the offense has become the Rahsool Diggins show even more. Diggins has seen his efficiency tumble the last five games in which UMass went 1-4. In the one win he shot 65% from the floor against La Salle. In the four losses, he was under 40% from the field. He actually made more FGs (13) against the Explorers than he has in the last three games combined (12). Against SLU, Diggins finished with fewer than 10 points for the first time since mid-December. He will get his points but GW would like him to have more shot attempts than points tomorrow.

- Marqui Worthy has attempted just 13 threes in conference play. Ten of those tries came in the first four games in conference play, so really in the last month he's taken just three from deep and missed all of them. GW should not need to overplay along the perimeter when he has the ball, as he's trying to get to the hoop. The VCU game marked the first time UMass lost when Worthy attempted at least 10 shots from the field.

- Jayden Ndjigue has trended in the opposite direction. He's attempted 16 total threes in conference play, and 13 have come in the last six games he's suited up for (although his only makes came against Davidson, so I wouldn't call him a threat as of now). Ndjigue missed the St. Bonaventure game due to illness but returned against VCU. If Curry remains out tomorrow the only starting guy in the backcourt that needs monitoring from behind the arc is Diggins on paper.

- Following a loss at home to SLU, Daniel Hankins-Sanford entered the starting lineup. UMass is 4-2 in A10 play when he scores in double figures, although he's failed to do so in the last three games. Hankins-Sanford can be prone to fouling out, as he's been disqualified five times in conference games. He's pulled down at least five rebounds in nine straight games.

- Since the last matchup in Amherst, the Minutemen have strangely lost all of their games in which Daniel Rivera had a good performance. In their five losses, he scored double figures in all of them, while making at least five field goals. In the two wins against La Salle and Duquesne, he put up 10 total points. That trend actually extends to nine games if you include the GW and La Salle wins. Rivera remains very impactful defensively though, as he's finished with at least one steal and one block in all but four A10 matches.

- Malek Abdelgowad scored 11 total points on 5/7 shooting last week (to go with 5 rpg). Prior to that, he had not made a shot from the field since the GW game. Abdelgowad missed the February La Salle contest, and began coming off the bench after that point. Given the depth UMass has in the front court, he's only played roughly 10 mpg or so lately.

- Shahid Muhammad barely played last week (eight total minutes), but is one of the few guys that has appeared in every game since the last meeting for the Minutemen. He's more of a paint-bound big compared to Abdelgowad, but the two players see similar minutes.

- Partly due to injuries, Tarique Foster has seen quite a bit of run in the past week. He's played 58 total minutes in the last two games, which makes up roughly 40% of the minutes he's played on the year. He had 14 against St. Bonaventure, which easily marked a career high.

- DC native Nate Guerengomba may be a candidate to play more minutes than usual playing back in his hometown. He's 3/19 (16%) from the field in conference play, but certainly has the talent to be a lot better down the road.

- Akil Watson did not play in the last matchup between the two teams, but has scored in six of the past seven games that he's appeared in.

- In general, it's anybody's guess what the Minutemen rotation will look like tomorrow. I didn't even include Amadou Doumbia and Luka Damjanac, but I don't figure either will be key parts of the rotation even if they play spot minutes. 13 players have appeared in their last seven games, and only five have appeared in every game during that time. The big key for GW will be to prevent Diggins from having an efficient game again in what may very well be the last matchup against UMass for quite some time.

Projected Score: GW 76, UMass 68. 76% chance to win (KenPom). Bart Torvik predicts a 79% GW victory. ESPN gives the Revs a 72.5% chance at a W.
 

We can beat anyone in the A10 when shooting 50% from three. Hopefully we can keep it up.

Hail to the Buff! Hail to the Blue!!!

Very happy to see those turncoat Umassholes leave DC one last time with a conference loss. Then again, with all their injuries, that they made it to the end of the 2nd half with 5 players on the court could be taken as an umASS victory.
When the outside shots drop, this GW is very dangerous, We saw that tonight in the 2nd. And so, we saw a GW win.

Fun game. The last two home games kinda bummed me out. This game brought happiness.

I'm sorta sad to see Umass go, but at least they are leaving with the L. (Unless we play them in the conference tourney, no jinx.)  I'm sure someone has pointed this out, but when they leave, GW will be the only continuous founding member in the A-10. (The Dukes left for a couple of years.) 

 

Watching UMass yesterday it was hard to believe GW not only lost in Amherst, but had one of their worst performances in A10 play against them. They are a rough watch offensively, although Curry being out definitely hurt them. Still, the fact that they only have one player shooting better than 34% from deep on the season is troubling for them (and it is Curry at 35%, who was out). I actually thought GW probably guarded UMass too closely in the first half along the perimeter, but it was a very good defensive effort nonetheless. The Minutemen are now the worst three point shooting team in league play following yesterday's game, taking that title from GW.

Despite being up 8 at halftime, I can't exactly say the team played as well as they could have. Some really good play designs/looks but way too many missed layups that could have been made. GW probably conceded a few too many second chance opportunities to UMass, but that was probably to be expected. They seemed to fare better there in the second half, but they will need to improve in that area in these final few games. The Revs are dead last in defensive rebound % in league play. The other thing is finishing in transition, where they seem to lose the one on one matchup against the other team more than they win. That's been an issue all season though.

Another great double-double performance from Rafael. Happy to see Tricky get the most shot attempts of the guards. Perhaps the most in control performance from CJ in quite some time, although hopefully CC can find a way for him to be a bit more consistent from the FT line like he's been doing with Slim and Jun. When he is good from 3, this team is so much more lethal offensively.

Sean has become very reliable when it comes to backing down his man and finishing inside lately which I'm going to start referring to as the Hansen Hook. That's been a real asset to the offense. Gerald was once again the only player with significant minutes again to finish with more turnovers than assists. He had a couple of good looks from deep but really needs to start making them. Honestly think CC is making the right decision to cut his minutes. Good minutes from Jun as a passer (that transition play to Autry was well executed), but I'm surprised he only played 17 minutes. DBJ was solid overall, but there's always a play or two when he has a good take to the basket that he doesn't finish that he should. Oh well.

Really happy to see Jacoi make back to back open threes at the end. In the first half, he had a play in transition where he turned down a wide open layup to slow things down. The end of that possession ended with Hutch taking his patented fadeaway three that he misses more than not. Still, a good game from him overall. Moss had perhaps his best defensive game of the season. Kept his hands up when Diggins tried to back him down near the hoop. Also made some nice passes on offense, but left his one shot attempt way short. Perhaps nervous that he will be pulled if he makes a mistake. Surprised to see Ty not more involved yesterday, but some really good minutes from Dayan. Love his attacking mentality - in fact, I think that was exactly what was needed against UMass yesterday.

Free Quebec wrote:

KenPom up to 104 with that win. Chance to crack the top 100 with an upset at Loyola.

Based on the adjusted efficiency, it would seem that GW would probably need to win the Loyola game by 3+ possessions in order to hit the top 100. That seems unlikely but I definitely think there's a chance to hit the top 100 by the end of the season.

GW Alum Abroad wrote:

Very happy to see those turncoat Umassholes leave DC one last time with a conference loss.

They're gonna love mid season road trips to Muncie, Indiana and Bowling Green, Ohio.

The “Hansen Hook” (perfect name dmv)
And I finally know who Christian Jones reminds me of…another old soul of the old NBA…the one and only Dick Barnett.  Spitting image and similar playing style.