Wednesday, March 5
Bronx, NY
7 p.m.
George Washington University
at
Fordham
Photo by: Greg Fiume
Men's Basketball Concludes Regular Season at Fordham Wednesday
3/4/2025 12:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
WASHINGTON - GW men's basketball wraps up the regular season with a trip to Fordham on Wednesday, tipping off against the Rams at 7 p.m. on ESPN+. The Buff & Blue can clinch a first-round bye in next week's A-10 Championship with a victory on Wednesday and will await their seed, potentially as high as seventh, following Saturday's results.
THE 'SLIM' OF IT
Rafael Castro aka "Slim" is currently third in the country among qualifiers (5 FGM/game) in FG% at 67.7%, which is second-best all-time in GW single-season history (min. 100 attempts). Castro is the first player in the A-10 to shoot 67% or better with 5+ makes per game since Dayton's Chris Daniels in 1995-96 and the first to shoot 67% of better on 200+ attempts in the league since UMass' William Herndon in 1991-92.
Castro is also among the nation's top-25 in offensive rebounding (16th, 3.4 per game) and total rebounding (24th, 9.3 per game). The New Jersey native is just the 13th player in all of college basketball since 2000 to average 9.0 rebounds per game while shooting 67% or better on 200+ attempts in a season.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DOMINANCE
Rafael Castro leads the Atlantic 10 and ranks 11th nationally with 13 double-doubles, tied for 10th all-time at GW for the most in a season since the statistic was made available in 1969-70. Only four other GW student-athletes (Mike Brown, Walt Szczerbiak, Clyde Burwell, Yinka Dare) are on the list, each having done so at least twice. GW's all-time record for double-doubles in a season is Mike Brown with 21 during his 1983-84 All-American year.
Castro is the first GW player to record 13 or more double-doubles in a season since first round NBA pick Yinka Dare's 16 in 1993-94. The late Dare was also the last member of the Buff & Blue prior to Castro to average 9.0 rpg in a full non-COVID season with 10.3 rpg. With his next double-double, Castro will become the first A-10 player with 14 or more in a season since Fordham's Chuba Ohams had 21 in the 2021-22 season.
HISTORY VS. FORDHAM
Wednesday marks the 45th meeting all-time between George Washington and Fordham with the Revolutionaries holding a 31-13 edge in the all-time series. Recent history has favored the Rams though, as Fordham has won each of the last three meetings and seven of the last 10 dating back to the end of the 2018-19 season.
Fordham has won four of the last five on its home floor with GW's lone win coming in the A-10 opener (and the Rams' season opener) during the COVID-affected 2020-21 season. Last season, the teams opened A-10 play with a triple-overtime thriller at the Smith Center, won by Fordham, 119-113. Darren Buchanan Jr. played 51 of a possible 55 minutes in the game and scored a career-high 38 points on 15-of-30 shooting.
A LOOK AT THE RAMS
Fordham enters the final week of A-10 play in last place in the league with a 3-13 mark, having lost its last six games. Two of the Rams' three league wins have come on their home floor over Duquesne (65-63) and Rhode Island (80-79).
Jackie Johnson III is the team's primary catalyst offensively, ranking second in the A-10 with 18.6 ppg on 43% shooting while making (198) and attempting (459) the most shots in the league. Japhet Medor adds 13.3 ppg and Josh Rivera puts in 11.0 per game to give Fordham three averaging double figures. Medor had 24 points in last year's 3OT affair.
Offense hasn't been the issue for Fordham, ranking second in the league in fast break points and bench points and fifth in scoring offense at 74.4 ppg. Defensively, though, the Rams are last in the league allowing 77.5 ppg and rank among the bottom three in most defensive categories.
THE 'SLIM' OF IT
Rafael Castro aka "Slim" is currently third in the country among qualifiers (5 FGM/game) in FG% at 67.7%, which is second-best all-time in GW single-season history (min. 100 attempts). Castro is the first player in the A-10 to shoot 67% or better with 5+ makes per game since Dayton's Chris Daniels in 1995-96 and the first to shoot 67% of better on 200+ attempts in the league since UMass' William Herndon in 1991-92.
Castro is also among the nation's top-25 in offensive rebounding (16th, 3.4 per game) and total rebounding (24th, 9.3 per game). The New Jersey native is just the 13th player in all of college basketball since 2000 to average 9.0 rebounds per game while shooting 67% or better on 200+ attempts in a season.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DOMINANCE
Rafael Castro leads the Atlantic 10 and ranks 11th nationally with 13 double-doubles, tied for 10th all-time at GW for the most in a season since the statistic was made available in 1969-70. Only four other GW student-athletes (Mike Brown, Walt Szczerbiak, Clyde Burwell, Yinka Dare) are on the list, each having done so at least twice. GW's all-time record for double-doubles in a season is Mike Brown with 21 during his 1983-84 All-American year.
Castro is the first GW player to record 13 or more double-doubles in a season since first round NBA pick Yinka Dare's 16 in 1993-94. The late Dare was also the last member of the Buff & Blue prior to Castro to average 9.0 rpg in a full non-COVID season with 10.3 rpg. With his next double-double, Castro will become the first A-10 player with 14 or more in a season since Fordham's Chuba Ohams had 21 in the 2021-22 season.
HISTORY VS. FORDHAM
Wednesday marks the 45th meeting all-time between George Washington and Fordham with the Revolutionaries holding a 31-13 edge in the all-time series. Recent history has favored the Rams though, as Fordham has won each of the last three meetings and seven of the last 10 dating back to the end of the 2018-19 season.
Fordham has won four of the last five on its home floor with GW's lone win coming in the A-10 opener (and the Rams' season opener) during the COVID-affected 2020-21 season. Last season, the teams opened A-10 play with a triple-overtime thriller at the Smith Center, won by Fordham, 119-113. Darren Buchanan Jr. played 51 of a possible 55 minutes in the game and scored a career-high 38 points on 15-of-30 shooting.
A LOOK AT THE RAMS
Fordham enters the final week of A-10 play in last place in the league with a 3-13 mark, having lost its last six games. Two of the Rams' three league wins have come on their home floor over Duquesne (65-63) and Rhode Island (80-79).
Jackie Johnson III is the team's primary catalyst offensively, ranking second in the A-10 with 18.6 ppg on 43% shooting while making (198) and attempting (459) the most shots in the league. Japhet Medor adds 13.3 ppg and Josh Rivera puts in 11.0 per game to give Fordham three averaging double figures. Medor had 24 points in last year's 3OT affair.
Offense hasn't been the issue for Fordham, ranking second in the league in fast break points and bench points and fifth in scoring offense at 74.4 ppg. Defensively, though, the Rams are last in the league allowing 77.5 ppg and rank among the bottom three in most defensive categories.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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