Saturday, December 10
Washington, DC
4 p.m.
George Washington University
vs
American
Men's Basketball Takes on American for City Championship Saturday
12/9/2022 1:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Colonials and Eagles square off at 4 p.m. from Smith Center
WASHINGTON - GW men's basketball returns to the Charles E. Smith Center, where it is 5-1 this year, for a crosstown showdown with American on Saturday. Tip is set for 4 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+. As part of the Ruff & Blue theme for the game, Mutts Gone Nuts Frisbee Dogs will be performing at halftime!
BATTLE OF DC
Alongside GW's win over Howard, the Colonials' women's program has already defeated Howard and American this season, leading the Buff & Blue to the best combined mark against the city's other Division I schools:BATTLE OF DC
GW: 3-0 (MBB W vs. Howard, WBB W vs. Howard/American)
AU: 1-2 (MBB W vs. Georgetown, WBB L vs. GW/Howard)
Howard: 1-2 (MBB L vs. GW, WBB W vs. AU, L vs. GW)
Georgetown: 0-1 (MBB L vs. American)
HISTORIC PACE FROM JBIV
James Bishop IV scored 50 points in two games last week - 24 vs. South Carolina and 26 at Radford - to improve his season average to 22.3 points per game, seventh-best in the country. Bishop's season average is currently the sixth-highest in program history and the best since SirValiant Brown averaged 24.6 ppg in 1999-00 en route to scoring a GW single-season record 738 points.
Bishop is on pace to score 714 points this season (based on 32 games), which would be the third-best mark in school history. The Baltimore native has reached double figures in 47 of 55 career games with GW, including 26 20-point games, two 30-point games and one 40-point game.
BOOST FROM BROWN
Noel Brown had one of his best days in the Buff & Blue on Sunday at Radford, scoring 10 points in 12 minutes of action. The junior reached double digits for the first time this season, and third time in his career, hitting 4-of-6 from the floor. In the process, he became the sixth different Colonial to reach double figures in a game this season.
DEFENSE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
GW allowed a season-high 86 points on Sunday at Radford, a far cry from its two best performances of the year in the preceding games against New Hampshire and South Carolina. Against UNH and South Carolina, GW allowed an average of 54.5 points per game and 31.8% shooting.
In wins this season, GW is yielding just 61.2 ppg and allowing opponents to shoot 34.9% from the floor and 28.8% from three compared to 82.0 ppg, 52.6 FG% and 47.5 3pt% in losses. The Buff & Blue are 4-0 when allowing fewer than 70 points this season a year removed from doing it just 11 times in 30 games (8-3 record).
A LOOK AT THE EAGLES
American enters Saturday on a six-game winning streak, the longest for the program since 2013-14. The Eagles dropped their first two games of the season at Marist and George Mason, but have not lost since falling to the Patriots on Nov. 13.
Geoff Sprouse is the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Week after a career-high 25 points against Albany on Nov. 29. He is one of three players averaging double digits, providing 11.6 ppg. Matt Rogers is the team's top scorer at 12.6 ppg and leads the Patriot League in field goal percentage, shooting 63.5%.
AU is the top defensive team in the Patriot League, allowing just 63.9 ppg and topping the circuit with 8.6 steals per game. Offensively, the Eagles are 39th in the country at 48.8% shooting from the floor and 40th nationally in 3-point percentage at 38.3%.
DEFENSE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
GW allowed a season-high 86 points on Sunday at Radford, a far cry from its two best performances of the year in the preceding games against New Hampshire and South Carolina. Against UNH and South Carolina, GW allowed an average of 54.5 points per game and 31.8% shooting.
In wins this season, GW is yielding just 61.2 ppg and allowing opponents to shoot 34.9% from the floor and 28.8% from three compared to 82.0 ppg, 52.6 FG% and 47.5 3pt% in losses. The Buff & Blue are 4-0 when allowing fewer than 70 points this season a year removed from doing it just 11 times in 30 games (8-3 record).
A LOOK AT THE EAGLES
American enters Saturday on a six-game winning streak, the longest for the program since 2013-14. The Eagles dropped their first two games of the season at Marist and George Mason, but have not lost since falling to the Patriots on Nov. 13.
Geoff Sprouse is the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Week after a career-high 25 points against Albany on Nov. 29. He is one of three players averaging double digits, providing 11.6 ppg. Matt Rogers is the team's top scorer at 12.6 ppg and leads the Patriot League in field goal percentage, shooting 63.5%.
AU is the top defensive team in the Patriot League, allowing just 63.9 ppg and topping the circuit with 8.6 steals per game. Offensively, the Eagles are 39th in the country at 48.8% shooting from the floor and 40th nationally in 3-point percentage at 38.3%.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballGW v LaSalle MBB (03/01/25) Post Game Presser
Sunday, March 02
GW v UMASS (2/22/25) Post Game PRESSER GW
Sunday, February 23
GW MBB vs. GMU (02/05/25) Post Game Presser
Saturday, February 22
GW v SJU PRESSER (02/19/25) Players
Thursday, February 20