George Washington University Athletics
Friday, February 27
Washington, DC
7 p.m.
George Washington University
vs
Dayton
Photo by: Greg Fiume
Men's Basketball Hosts Dayton for Blue Out on Friday Night
2/26/2026 12:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
WASHINGTON - George Washington men's basketball makes its #FridA10 debut as it welcomes Dayton to the Smith Center for a 7 p.m. tip on ESPN2.
The first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a blue t-shirt as part of the annual Blue Out. Additionally, the GW residence hall with the most students in attendance will receive a free pizza party courtesy of GW Athletics. Fans can also stick around postgame for an autograph session with the team.
WELCOME BACK, SLIM
Rafael Castro returned on Tuesday after missing six games with a foot injury and didn't miss a beat, scoring 16 points (6-8 FG) with seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in 24:15 of action. He enters Friday's contest 26 points shy of 1,000 for his career, having scored 827 in 56 games at GW (14.8 ppg) in addition to 147 in 60 games in two years at Providence (2.5 ppg).
Castro is one of just two players nationally averaging at least 15.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg while playing less than 26.0 mpg. Despite missing nearly a month, Castro is one of just eight players nationally this year with 40+ steals, 30+ assists and 30+ blocks.
HUNGER GAMES
The first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a blue t-shirt as part of the annual Blue Out. Additionally, the GW residence hall with the most students in attendance will receive a free pizza party courtesy of GW Athletics. Fans can also stick around postgame for an autograph session with the team.
WELCOME BACK, SLIM
Rafael Castro returned on Tuesday after missing six games with a foot injury and didn't miss a beat, scoring 16 points (6-8 FG) with seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in 24:15 of action. He enters Friday's contest 26 points shy of 1,000 for his career, having scored 827 in 56 games at GW (14.8 ppg) in addition to 147 in 60 games in two years at Providence (2.5 ppg).
Castro is one of just two players nationally averaging at least 15.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg while playing less than 26.0 mpg. Despite missing nearly a month, Castro is one of just eight players nationally this year with 40+ steals, 30+ assists and 30+ blocks.
HUNGER GAMES
During the month of February, Luke Hunger leads the A-10 in scoring (20.7 ppg) and offensive rebounding (5.0 rpg) while ranking second in rebounds (9.1 rpg) and sixth in FG% (60.6%). Tuesday's 20-point effort was his fourth-straight game with at least 20 points and sixth-straight double-digit performance.
3-POINT BARRAGE
GW enters Friday's contest having made 285 triples, just three shy of breaking the school record of 287 set in 32 games two years ago. The Buff & Blue are second in the A-10 with 10.2 made 3s per game (31st nationally) and rank sixth in the league (74th nationally) shooting 35.9% from beyond the arc.
GW has hit 10 or more threes in 14 of its 28 games and has attempted 30 or more 12 times.
A LOOK AT THE FLYERS
Dayton has righted the ship entering Friday night, having won four-straight, all by double digits, to vault into a double-bye position with a 10-5 record in league play. The Flyers most recently knocked off #23 Saint Louis, 77-62, on Tuesday night behind a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds from Amael L'Etang, and 17 points from Javon Bennett.
L'Etang, who did not play in the first matchup, has tallied back-to-back double-doubles and is averaging 12.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg. Bennett is the team's leading scorer at 15.9 ppg and had a team-high 20 vs. GW in January despite making just 4-of-20 field goals.
Dayton is seventh nationally in forcing turnovers on 21.9% of opponents possessions, including 22 against GW in the first matchup. UD forces 15.3 turnovers per game (10th NCAA) and holds a +3.4 turnover margin (21st NCAA).
3-POINT BARRAGE
GW enters Friday's contest having made 285 triples, just three shy of breaking the school record of 287 set in 32 games two years ago. The Buff & Blue are second in the A-10 with 10.2 made 3s per game (31st nationally) and rank sixth in the league (74th nationally) shooting 35.9% from beyond the arc.
GW has hit 10 or more threes in 14 of its 28 games and has attempted 30 or more 12 times.
A LOOK AT THE FLYERS
Dayton has righted the ship entering Friday night, having won four-straight, all by double digits, to vault into a double-bye position with a 10-5 record in league play. The Flyers most recently knocked off #23 Saint Louis, 77-62, on Tuesday night behind a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds from Amael L'Etang, and 17 points from Javon Bennett.
L'Etang, who did not play in the first matchup, has tallied back-to-back double-doubles and is averaging 12.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg. Bennett is the team's leading scorer at 15.9 ppg and had a team-high 20 vs. GW in January despite making just 4-of-20 field goals.
Dayton is seventh nationally in forcing turnovers on 21.9% of opponents possessions, including 22 against GW in the first matchup. UD forces 15.3 turnovers per game (10th NCAA) and holds a +3.4 turnover margin (21st NCAA).
Players Mentioned
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