Game of the Night
Rhode Island Rams vs. Davidson Wildcats
The Wildcats, fresh off a 2 game winning streak, are trying to keep the ball rolling Tuesday night when Rhode Island comes to town. Davidson has been dealing with an illness that has recently sidelined three of their players. Notably, Jack Gibbs and Jordan Barham missed last Tuesday night’s game against Richmond. Both returned to the lineup on Saturday, and Gibbs had a stellar 35 point performance that helped take down St. Joseph’s. Putting up 99 points against the Hawks, the Wildcats have had one of the more explosive offenses as of late. This will be their first meeting with Rhode Island this season.
The Rams are dealing with some recent injuries and haven’t been 100% all year long. That said, they’re still finding a way to grind out a decent record in the conference. Rhode Island is 7-7 in A-10 play and has gotten major contributions from its backcourt in Jared Terrell and Jarvis Garrett. The two combined to score 37 points in the Rams’ most recent win over Duquesne. Though Hassan Martin has been dealing with some tendon issues, he’s still been a force to be reckoned with all year long. His interior presence could be the difference for the Rams if they want to dismantle Davidson’s frontcourt.
If there’s one stat that could really make a difference in this contest, it’s free throw shooting. The Wildcats rank 12th in the nation in free throw shooting at 76.1%. Davidson made 29-38 attempts from the line on Saturday against St. Joe’s. Not only can the Wildcats make free throws, but they get to the stripe often. Rhode Island ranks 306th in the nation as it shoots free throws at a 65.8% rate. If the Rams find themselves unable to make free throws in a tight contest, this game could swing in the favor of Davidson quickly. Rhode Island’s Kuran Iverson has had 21 rebounds in his last 2 contests and certainly crashes the boards with authority. Davidson ranks 307th in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage, so if Rhode Island can get 2nd chance opportunities, it will have a chance to keep up with Jack Gibbs and the sharpshooting Wildcats.
Elsewhere in A-10 Action
Dayton Flyers vs. Saint Louis Billikens
The Flyers, coming off a two-game losing streak, will look to get a rebound win when they visit Saint Louis on Tuesday night. The Billikens are actually riding a two-game winning streak and will look to keep their momentum rolling when the Flyers come to town. Unfortunately for them, things didn’t go so well the last time these two teams met. The Billikens were held to just 37 points all game and couldn’t get anything going on the offensive end of the floor. They shot just 3-24 from three and only made 4-11 from the charity stripe. Dayton will more than likely be playing without its star Kendall Pollard yet again. His absence has definitely hurt this Flyers team that was unable to come away with a home victory against St. Bonaventure the other day. Archie Miller’s squad could certainly use a win to get back on track as the end of the season approaches.
