George Washington A-10 Tournament Preview

(Photo courtesy of Fordham Athletics)

WASHINGTON, DC – The George Washington Revolutionaries have been one of the biggest surprises in the Atlantic 10 conference this season. Picked to finish 13th in the official A-10 Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll, the Revolutionaries ended conference play with a 9-9 record, good enough for the No. 7 seed in the A-10 Tournament.

Given the season-ending injury suffered by redshirt sophomore forward Garrett Johnson over the summer and redshirt sophomore forward Darren Buchanan Jr.’s shocking role reduction and drop in production, the fact that this GW team not only earned the No. 7 seed, but won 20 games for the first time since 2016, is quite the accomplishment. 

The emergence of junior center Rafael Castro, who transferred from Providence this offseason and earned a spot on the All-Conference Second Team and the All-Defensive Team, has been the biggest catalyst for GW’s success this season. In conference play, Castro averaged 16.4 points and 9.6 rebounds while shooting 66.5% from the field and leading the A-10 and ranking 18th nationally with 13 double-doubles.

Alongside Castro, redshirt freshman Christian Jones has been another pleasant surprise for GW. In his first season on the court for the Revolutionaries, Jones stepped into a starting role early in conference play and proved to be one of the top perimeter defenders and a more-than adequate playmaker and scorer. Jones tied for the league lead in steals with 1.9 per game and chipped in 9.5 points and 3.4 assists per game. 

Led by Castro and Jones, GW head coach Chris Caputo has been able to orchestrate one of the best defenses in the A-10. They are holding opponents to just 67.0 points per game this season, good for fourth in the A-10 and 45th in the country. GW is currently ranked 18th in the country with 9.8 steals per game and 38th in 3-point defense, holding opponents to just 30.9% from deep.

GW’s first opponent in the A-10 Tournament will be the Fordham Rams, who finished last in the A-10 this season and earned the 15th seed. In what has been the biggest upset of the tournament so far, the last-place Rams blew out No. 10 Rhode Island 88-71 on the backs of their star guard duo, senior Jackie Johnson III and graduate Japhet Medor. Johnson III scored 29 points, Medor scored 26.

In their last game of the regular season on March 5, GW easily dispatched Fordham 81-58 in one of the Revs’ most dominant performances of the year. 

“I think Coach Caputo has done a phenomenal job with this group,” Fordham head coach Keith Urgo said after the first round win on Wednesday. “I think they’re one of the most connected. When you watch them on film and seeing them live… they’re not the most talented in the league, but they’re one of the most connected in the league.” 

“Looking forward to getting another chance, and I think these guys are too,” Urgo continued. “We weren’t ourselves in that game. They got off to a really good start and then in the second half, they went on an explosion and couldn’t miss. We’ve got to be much better in the half court on the defensive end.”

Caputo spoke about what was then a potential matchup against Fordham on the GW Basketball Insiders show at halftime of the Fordham-Rhode Island first round matchup on Wednesday.

“Probably a little bit more familiar here with Fordham because of the recency bias,” Caputo said. 

One of the potential challenges GW is facing is the long layoff since that regular season finale against Fordham on March 5. It will be over a week long layoff for the Revolutionaries, while Fordham played another game on Saturday, March 8 and again on Wednesday, March 12 in the first round of the A-10 Tournament. This is where the eternal rest versus rust debate comes into play. While GW has been resting and practicing and their own pace, Fordham has been playing, 

“We needed the break, we went seven-and-a-half weeks playing,” Caputo said. “For us, we needed it mentally and physically. We took two days off and had someone who comes and works with our team on mental preparation stuff which I think was really helpful. Then we practiced Saturday, did some skill work Sunday, took Monday off and then it’s back to two-day prep plus a shootaround. I thought it was a much needed rest, and in turn I thought we had great energy because of it.”

If GW has indeed been able to stay fresh and comes out strong against Fordham, their second-round opponent should not provide much of a challenge for them barring another offensive explosion from Johnson III and Medor. 

Looking ahead in the bracket, a win against Fordham would set up round three of the Revolutionary Rivalry, a quarterfinal matchup against No. 2 George Mason. George Mason has had an impressive season so far, recording a 15-3 record during conference play and earning a share of the regular season title with No. 1 VCU. Led by Coach of the Year Tony Skinn, senior center and All-Conference First Teamer Jalen Haynes and senior guard and Defensive Player of the Year Jared Billups the Patriots, like GW, have leaned on their defense to carry them. GW is 0-2 against George Mason this season, losing both times in heartbreaking, down-to-the-wire and controversial fashions.

As the No. 7 seed, there are not really any expectations for GW to do more than just win their second round game. But, this team has shown all season that they are able to play up to their opponents, stay competitive against more talented teams and pull off legitimate upsets. Whether that was keeping it close against Kansas State at Paradise Jam in November, blowing out Dayton while being short handed at the start of conference play, handling Saint Louis or narrowly losing to VCU, it is clear that this GW team won’t shy away from anyone. Duquesne won last year’s A-10 Tournament as the No. 6 seed. Truly anything can happen in March.