George Washington University Athletics
GW Men's Hoops Duels With DePaul on Thursday
12/10/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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GW vs. DePaul Notes (12/11/14) 
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WHO: George Washington Colonials Men's Basketball (5-2)
WHAT: 2014-15 Game #8 vs. DePaul Blue Demons (6-1)
WHERE: Charles E. Smith Center (4,338), 600 22nd Street NW
Directions to Smith Center | Parking Options | Public Transportation
WHEN: Thursday, December 11 at 7:00 p.m.
HOW: Buy Tickets | Gameday Info | Tickets Policy
TV: CSN Mid-Atlantic Plus, SNY, CSN Chicago Plus (Byron Kerr, Glenn Consor, Megan Nipe) | CSNMA+ Channel Finder, SNY Channel Finder, CSN Chicago Channel Finder
VIDEO: FREE on RaiseHigh Live & A-10 Mobile App
AUDIO: FederalNewsRadio.com, 1050 AM, GW IMG Sports Network via TuneIn (George Wallace) | WRGW Sports
STATS:
TWITTER: @GW_MBB | @GWGeorge | #RaiseHigh
INSTAGRAM: GW_MBB | GW_GEORGE
FACEBOOK: GWMensBasketball
WASHINGTON - GW men's basketball starts a home-and-home series against DePaul when the Colonials host the Blue Demons at the Charles E. Smith Center on Thursday. The contest will be broadcast on CSN Mid-Atlantic Plus and SNY, and streamed for free on RaiseHigh Live and the Atlantic 10 mobile app.
GW (5-2), which will complete the home-and-home series next season with its first game in Chicago in more than 45 years, will look for its third straight win overall and to avenge an earlier loss to a Big East Conference opponent when DePaul visits the district on Thursday. The Colonials topped UMBC, 83-60, last Thursday, then Charlotte, 78-70, at Sunday's BB&T Classic after dropping a 58-54 decision at Seton Hall on Nov. 29.
Junior Patricio Garino has exploded offensively with 16.5 points on 62 percent shooting in GW's past four games to pace the team in scoring at 14.6 points per contest. Garino averaged 22.0 points on 63 percent shooting, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in last week's wins over the Retrievers and 49ers to earn a quartet of weekly awards - GWsports.com's Colonial of the Week, College Sports Madness' Atlantic 10 and National High-Major Player of the Week and NetScouts Basketball's International Player of the Week. He enters Thursday's game just four steals shy of entering GW's career top 10 in the category.
Junior Kethan Savage has reached double figures in 6-of-7 games and is second on the team in scoring at 13.7 points per game. Classmate Joe McDonald provides 8.9 points, 1.4 steals and a team-best 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. He's the only player in the A-10 in the top 10 in assists (T-1st), rebounds (9th) and steals (T-9th).
GW's starting frontcourt duo of junior Kevin Larsen (9.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and senior John Kopriva (7.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg) combines for nearly 17 points and 10 rebounds per outing, with Larsen netting 10.8 points on 48 percent shooting and Kopriva providing 10.3 points at 58 percent shooting over the last four games.
GW has won its three home games this season by an average of 33.0 points to improve to 18-1 in its last 19 contests at Smith Center and 17-1 on the #MonumentalHomeCourtAdvantage. Since being installed prior to the 2013-14 athletics season, GW's teams that compete on the district-themed court have compiled an .803 win percentage (61-15 across MBB, WBB, VB and GYM).
Thursday's meeting will be the fifth all-time between GW and DePaul, but the first between the teams at Smith Center in a series dating to the 1931-32 season. The teams have split four previous meetings, with GW wins in the district in 1931-32 (W, 35-28) and at the 1997 Maui Invitational (W, 60-46), while DePaul posted victories in the 1975 Motor City Classic in Detroit (73-57) and in the 1998 BB&T Classic (87-79).
DePaul (6-1) will venture outside the Windy City for the first time this season when it travels to the district. The Blue Demons have gone 5-1 in its Allstate Arena home, including an impressive 87-72 victory over Stanford on Nov. 30, and defeated city rival Chicago State, 84-60, in its lone road game last Thursday.
DePaul enters Thursday among the most efficient scoring teams in the nation, ranking 19th nationally in free throw percentage (75.6%), 20th in field goal percentage (49.5%), 26th in scoring offense (79.7 ppg) and 29th in three-point percentage (41.0%). GW will attempt to combat that with the nation's 35th ranked scoring defense (58.0 ppg allowed), 28th ranked three-point defense (27.5%) and 36th fewest fouls per game (15.9).
Four of the Blue Demons' five starters are averaging double-digit scoring on better than 46 percent shooting led by forward Myke Henry's 17.0 points per game at 55.3 percent from the field. Center Tommy Hamilton is second on the team at 15.0 points per game and leads the squad at 7.1 rebounds per game. Guard Billy Garrett, the reigning Big East Rookie of the Year, and forward Jamee Crockett chip in 13.6 and 11.7 points per game, respectively.
