George Washington University Athletics
Friday, November 22
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
8 p.m.
George Washington University
vs
Kansas State
Men's Basketball Opens U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Friday vs. Kansas State
11/21/2024 9:53:00 AM | Men's Basketball
WASHINGTON -Â GW men's basketball begins its time at the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam with a Friday night showdown against Big 12 foe Kansas State. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (9 p.m. local) with streaming coverage on ESPN+.
PARADISE JAM SCHEDULE
PARADISE JAM SCHEDULE
The winner of Friday night's matchup will advance to Sunday's semifinal to take on the winner of Liberty and Louisiana at 8 p.m. ET (9 p.m. local). The loser will face a quick turnaround to take on the loser of the Flames and Ragin' Cajuns on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. local).Â
A third game will be played on Monday against one of UAB, Longwood, McNeese and Illinois State, depending on results. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.
KEEP SWIPING
GW recorded 10 steals in Monday's victory over NJIT, the fourth-straight game to begin the season with at least nine steals. The Revolutionaries are second in the A-10, and 41st nationally, with 10.0 swipes per contest.
Individually, Darren Buchanan Jr. and Rafael Castro are tied for third in the A-10 with nine steals apiece, accounting for 45% of the team's 40 steals on the campaign. As a result, GW ranks third in the A-10 with 15.0 turnovers forced per game and leads the league in turnover margin at +4.0.
BALANCING THINGS OUT
GW recorded its second game of the season with at least five players in double figures on Monday vs. NJIT, something it did only three times last year. The Buff & Blue saw six different players reach double digits vs. Hampton on Nov. 8, marking the first time for the program to do so since Feb. 21, 2018 vs. Richmond.
Notably, Rafael Castro (four games) has already tallied more double-digit outings in four games at GW than he did in 60 games at Providence (three games). He's also surpassed his previous career-high of 12 at PC twice. Additionally, Trey Autry (two games) is one shy of matching his double-digit efforts from a year ago, and he reset his career-high with 14 points vs. Hampton on Nov. 8.
A LOOK AT THE WILDCATS
Kansas State enters its time at the Paradise Jam at 3-1 following a 76-59 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Monday. The Wildcats were projected to finish eighth in the Big 12 this year following a 19-15 (8-10) season a year ago that finished with a loss to Iowa in the NIT.
Head Coach Jerome Tang is in his third year leading Kansas State, reaching the Elite Eight in his first campaign in 2022-23. K-State overhauled its roster this offseason with 11 transfers (eight from D-I). The most notable is preseason Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Year Coleman Hawkins, who transferred in from Illinois.
Hawkins, who was an All-Big Ten honoree for the Fighting Illini last year, is averaging 6.8 ppg and 7.0 rpg thus far. David N'Guessan, who began his career at Virginia Tech, is the team's leading scorer through four games at 14.8 ppg and is shooting 74.3% from the field.
GW and Kansas State are meeting for the sixth time in program history on Friday night and for the first time since a neutral site clash in Las Vegas in 2017. K-State leads the all-time series, 4-1.Â
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GW fans can get in the game by directly supporting student-athletes through donations to the Buff & Blue Fund. For more information on GW Athletics, fans are encouraged to visit GWsports.com, or follow the Revolutionaries on social media through X (@GWsports) and Instagram (@gwsports).
In addition, single-game and season tickets for the 2024-25 GW men's and women's basketball campaigns are currently on sale through the GW Athletics Ticket Office (202-99-GWTIX or tickets@gwu.edu).
A third game will be played on Monday against one of UAB, Longwood, McNeese and Illinois State, depending on results. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.
KEEP SWIPING
GW recorded 10 steals in Monday's victory over NJIT, the fourth-straight game to begin the season with at least nine steals. The Revolutionaries are second in the A-10, and 41st nationally, with 10.0 swipes per contest.
Individually, Darren Buchanan Jr. and Rafael Castro are tied for third in the A-10 with nine steals apiece, accounting for 45% of the team's 40 steals on the campaign. As a result, GW ranks third in the A-10 with 15.0 turnovers forced per game and leads the league in turnover margin at +4.0.
BALANCING THINGS OUT
GW recorded its second game of the season with at least five players in double figures on Monday vs. NJIT, something it did only three times last year. The Buff & Blue saw six different players reach double digits vs. Hampton on Nov. 8, marking the first time for the program to do so since Feb. 21, 2018 vs. Richmond.
Notably, Rafael Castro (four games) has already tallied more double-digit outings in four games at GW than he did in 60 games at Providence (three games). He's also surpassed his previous career-high of 12 at PC twice. Additionally, Trey Autry (two games) is one shy of matching his double-digit efforts from a year ago, and he reset his career-high with 14 points vs. Hampton on Nov. 8.
A LOOK AT THE WILDCATS
Kansas State enters its time at the Paradise Jam at 3-1 following a 76-59 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Monday. The Wildcats were projected to finish eighth in the Big 12 this year following a 19-15 (8-10) season a year ago that finished with a loss to Iowa in the NIT.
Head Coach Jerome Tang is in his third year leading Kansas State, reaching the Elite Eight in his first campaign in 2022-23. K-State overhauled its roster this offseason with 11 transfers (eight from D-I). The most notable is preseason Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Year Coleman Hawkins, who transferred in from Illinois.
Hawkins, who was an All-Big Ten honoree for the Fighting Illini last year, is averaging 6.8 ppg and 7.0 rpg thus far. David N'Guessan, who began his career at Virginia Tech, is the team's leading scorer through four games at 14.8 ppg and is shooting 74.3% from the field.
GW and Kansas State are meeting for the sixth time in program history on Friday night and for the first time since a neutral site clash in Las Vegas in 2017. K-State leads the all-time series, 4-1.Â
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GW fans can get in the game by directly supporting student-athletes through donations to the Buff & Blue Fund. For more information on GW Athletics, fans are encouraged to visit GWsports.com, or follow the Revolutionaries on social media through X (@GWsports) and Instagram (@gwsports).
In addition, single-game and season tickets for the 2024-25 GW men's and women's basketball campaigns are currently on sale through the GW Athletics Ticket Office (202-99-GWTIX or tickets@gwu.edu).
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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