Men’s Basketball to Host Manhattan on Saturday

Saturday, November 24

Washington, D.C.

4:00 p.m.

George Washington University

Manhattan

11/21/2018 1:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

The Colonials and Jaspers are set for a 4 p.m. tip in Smith Center

TIPPING OFF: After playing its last three games away from home, all against teams from the Power Five conferences and two of which are ranked in the top 25, the GW men's basketball team returns home to face Manhattan on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the Smith Center.

STRONG SCHEDULE: To date, GW has played the most difficult schedule of any team in the Atlantic 10 and the 42nd most difficult in the country, according to KenPom.com. Among league schools, only two other members rank in the top-100 nationally in SOS: La Salle, which has played the 78th most difficult slate, and Saint Joseph's at 95th. The Colonials have played three games against teams from the top six RPI leagues (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12, SEC).

THE ROAD AHEAD: GW's last five opponents have a combined record of 19-6 thus far while the next five are 10-13. The Colonials will play six of their final eight non-conference games at home, where they have accumulated a 71-16 record (.816 winning percentage) since the 2013-14 season.

GO-TO GUYS: Through five games, GW has had four different players lead the team in scoring. Redshirt junior transfer Armel Potter scored 21 in his GW debut on Nov. 6 vs. Stony Brook; sophomore Justin Mazzulla had a career-high 18 against Siena on Nov. 8; redshirt junior transfer DJ Williams tallied a career-high 17 at Virginia on Nov. 11 and had a team-high 16 vs. Michigan on Nov. 17. Sophomore Terry Nolan Jr. then scored a team-high 13 vs. South Carolina on Nov. 18. Williams currently paces the team with 13.3 points per game, just ahead of Nolan (12.0).

"AT" IT AGAIN: After averaging 10.8 ppg and 9.5 rpg in the last 10 games of his sophomore season, junior forward Arnaldo Toro has picked up right where he left off. The Puerto Rico native opened the year with a 13-point, 11-rebound performance and is averaging 9.2 ppg and 8.2 rpg. He's accounted for nearly 26 percent of GW's total rebounds (41 of 159) and has also made his presence felt defensively, leading the squad with eight steals and four blocks.

ABOUT MANHATTAN: The Jaspers come into Saturday with a 2-3 record, having picked up wins over Coastal Carolina and UNC Asheville while dropping games to Elon, UMBC and Northern Kentucky. Ten different players have made a start in the early going with Thomas Capuano pacing the team in scoring at 8.2 points per game. The Jaspers are forcing opponents into 17.8 turnovers per game and allowing just 57.4 points per game, but have averaged just 54.0 points themselves.

SERIES HISTORY: GW owns a 4-2 lead in a series that originated in the 1948-49 season. The last meeting came on Nov. 16, 2013, when GW erased a nine-point halftime deficit behind 59 combined points from Maurice Creek, Isaiah Armwood and Kevin Larsen for an 80-74 comeback victory on the road. Saturday's game will be the first at home for GW, as four of the previous meetings have taken place at Manhattan and two on neutral sites.