Fordham MBB: 2024 Atlantic 10 Tournament Preview

With a 58-50 loss to Rhode Island on Saturday, the Fordham Rams finished the 2023-24 Regular Season with a  6-12 record in Atlantic 10 play, 12-19 overall. With the 2024 Atlantic 10 Tournament bracket finalized early Saturday evening, the Rams have earned the 12th seed, opening up their tournament run against the 13-seed Davidson Wildcats.

Where have the Rams struggled this year, and where can the Rams look to find success in the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship?

Patented Fordham Intensity

Since taking over as head coach of the Rams in 2022, Coach Urgo has made maintaining Fordham’s physical, defensive identity a top priority. This mentality has shown up for the Rams statistically this season. According to Basketball Reference, Fordham Ranks 1st in blocks per game and 2nd in steals per game in Atlantic 10 play. Aside from physical play in the post, Fordham’s defense also focuses on limiting their opponent’s shot selection, especially from three. In conference play, Fordham ranks 1st in opposing 3-point attempts per game, 2nd in opposing overall field goal attempts per game. According to Rhode Island Coach Archie Miller, Fordham’s tendency to slow down offenses is a key hurdle to climb when facing the Rams.

“Offensively, it was a very ugly game,” Miller recounted. “I think Fordham does that to a lot of teams. They change defenses, they give you different looks, there’s not a lot of rhythm.”

In the 58-50 Rhody victory, the visiting Rams were held to just 27.3% from the field.

Fordham’s most successful deployment of this defensive style can be seen in their 61-60 home win over George Mason in late February in which the Patriots were held to 15 attempts from deep, tied for their 3rd-lowest of the season. Despite Fordham’s own slow start that saw them shoot 19-59 from the field (12-30 from three) in the game, Coach Urgo still felt like his team was playing to their strengths.

“They [Fordham] really just focused on getting stops,” Urgo explained after beating Mason. “As a result, they didn’t let their offense, early on, dictate their effort.”

Avoiding Exploited Gameplans

When Fordham’s physical, defensive focus works, it can produce big wins such as against George Mason, or their 67-65 February win in Saint Louis. However, when teams can flip the script on Fordham and use their physicality against them, it can produce devastating results.

The obvious downside of physical defense is the tendency to draw fouls, and as a result, excess opponent free throws. According to Kenpom.com as of March 10th, 23.9% of points allowed by Fordham have come from the free throw line. This is the highest percentage in the A-10, as well as the 15th highest percentage nationally. Following Davidson’s 79-69 win over the Rams in mid-January, Wildcats Head Coach Matt McKillop talked about how crucial Davidson’s 34 free throw attempts were in getting their first A-10 win of the year:

“Statistically, Fordham puts people on the free throw line. They play so aggressively, and they’ve got loads of talent [so] that they can go deep in their bench and not really concern themselves with fouls as much as other teams do. To beat them, you’ve got to be able to convert, and thankfully we did.”

Despite the third most total free throw attempts in the Atlantic 10 this season, the Rams are second to last (ahead of only Rhode Island) in 3-point percentage (.659).

Along with fouls, turnovers have been an issue for the Rams. In 12 wins overall, the average turnover margin has been +4 in favor of Fordham. In 19 losses overall, this average dips all the way down to -1.15. Throughout conference play, Coach Urgo has made it clear how turnovers can bring any built up Fordham momentum to a screeching halt. Against La Salle in early January, Coach Urgo attributed several big Explorers buckets to Fordham’s 12 turnovers

“If we can get shots, we’re gonna score points. When we give live ball turnovers to opposing teams, especially to guards like [Jhamir Brickus]…he hit two [three-pointers], both of them were in transition. We’ve got to take care of the basketball. On the flip side, that’s what we try to do. We try to create turnovers.”

In that 81-76 loss to La Salle, the Explorers scored 12 points off 13 Rams turnovers. On the other end, Fordham scored 19 points off 14 La Salle turnovers.

Adjustments and Depth

While Fordham’s losses have followed very similar patterns throughout the season, Coach Urgo and his Rams have not shied away from experimentation and changes in the lineup to right the ship. Out of 11 Rams to play at least 20 games this season, 8 have started at least 5 times.

Sophomore forward Romad Dean has been a prime example of a successful roster adjustment for the Rams. Aside from the senior day lineup against Rhode Island, Dean has started every game since January 20th. From non-conference play to conference play, Dean has seen improvements in his offensive rebounding, field goal efficiency, and his turnover %. Along with Freshman guard Jahmere Tripp, who started four consecutive games towards the end of the regular season, Dean has helped set the bar for making what Coach Urgo describes as “attitude plays.” When asked about Tripp’s start in a 79-67 win over Duquesne, Urgo gave more detail in his lineup philosophy.

“Of the five guys that started, [they] started not just because we decided that was what was best for the team, but we looked at the statistics that we take pride in. [We looked at] all of what we call ‘the attitude plays’ [that have] nothing to do with points; the dives, the charges, the rebounds, the paint touches. All of the little things that help a team win.”

Along with players like Will Richardson and Elijah Gray, Dean and Tripp make up a young core this season that Coach Urgo has described as getting more experienced and more comfortable in their roles as the season has progressed.

Final Thoughts

While Fordham heads into Tuesday’s matchup with Davidson 6-12 in conference play, Coach Urgo emphasized on Saturday that when it comes to tournament play, everyone is back to 0-0. When looking at the Rams rotation, their previous success in Brooklyn this year, and the hometown crowd behind them, it’s impossible for Coach Urgo to rule out one final run for his Rams this season.