George Washington University Athletics
Men's Basketball to Whiteout VCU
2/6/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| George Washington (12-11, 4-6 A-10) vs. VCU (18-5, 8-2 A-10) | |
| Date, Time | Wednesday, February 8 | 9:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | Charles E. Smith Center | Washington, DC |
| Coverage | CBSSN | AM 1050, TuneIn |
| Additional Information | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Notes |
TIPPING OFF: The GW men's basketball team looks to get back in the win column in front of its home fans on Wednesday evening vs. VCU in the Charles E. Smith Center, where it is 9-2 this season and 51-8 since 2013. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a free t-shirt as GW looks to "Whiteout" the Rams, and the fan with the best sign will receive a free #12 men's basketball jersey.
MONUMENTAL HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: The Colonials will be going for their third straight home victory, and 10th of the season, in what is one of the best home court advantages in the Atlantic 10. In front of its home crowd, GW has an .864 winning percentage since the 2013-14 season which is the third best in the league behind only VCU and Dayton.
TURNING IT UP A NOTCH: Tyler Cavanaugh has led GW in scoring (16.6 ppg) and rebounding (7.3 rpb) throughout the season but the graduate student has turned it up a notch over the last four games. In that span, he has three 20-point outings (20 vs. George Mason, 21 at Rhode Island, 23 at Richmond) and is averaging 20.5 points overall. He also double-doubled with 10 rebounds to go along with his 23 points at Richmond. For the year, he has nine 20-point games and seven double-doubles.
SUPER STEEVES: Graduate student Patrick Steeves has found his form after missing seven games (all of December) with a knee injury. Steeves is averaging 10.5 points per game over the last four, and earned a starting role at Richmond where he finished with 12 points. The forward also had double-figure outings with 11 at George Mason and a season-high 13 vs. Saint Louis.
BUCKETS FROM THE BENCH: GW has received a big lift from its reserves in each of the last four games, getting an average of 28.5 points per game. Against George Mason the bench contributed a season-high 40 points as Jordan Roland scored 20 and Steeves had 11. Against Saint Louis, GW's reserves outscores the Billikens' 28-5, while the Colonials held a 25-12 advantage at URI and a 21-6 margin at Richmond.
THREE POINT BARRAGE: Despite an uncharacteristic 7-of-29 effort from long range at Richmond, GW ranks second in the A-10 in league games in three-point field goals made per game (8.5) and is third in three-point field goal percentage (.395). The Colonials have hit double-digit threes five times in conference play.
LAST TIME OUT: GW battled back from a 16-point deficit to get it to six on multiple occasions, but was unable to complete the comeback in an 84-75 loss at Richmond on Saturday. Cavanaugh led GW with 23 points and 10 boards while Steeves added 12, and Yuta Watanabe and Arnaldo Toro chipped in 11 each. The Colonials were undone by 26 points from Richmond's T.J. Cline along with 24 from Khwan Fore.
ABOUT VCU: The Rams are 18-5 overall and tied for first place in the Atlantic 10 standings at 8-2 after an 83-77 win overtime win at St. Bonaventure, their fourth straight victory. Point guard JeQuan Lewis (14.7 ppg) leads a VCU offense which is averaging 76.0 points per game and leads the A-10 in field goal percentage (.477), while the Rams are surrendering just 66.3 points per game (third in the league). Justin Tillman (12.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg) and Mo Alie-Cox (10.3 ppg, league-best 50 blocks) also key the Rams.
SERIES HISTORY: VCU owns a 10-2 lead in the series including an 85-55 win in Richmond on Jan. 11. GW is looking for its second win in the Smith Center, with the other coming on Jan. 14, 2014, while its last win came in the Siegel Center last season.
