The road has not been favorable to the Rams. They snapped a brief two game skid on Saturday at home against La Salle, but hit the road again on Friday still in search of their first road victory against the closing pointspread.
You can bet the college basketball odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
HOW THE RHODE ISLAND RAMS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The offensive production from Rhode Island hasn’t been overly impressive, but it’s been enough for a team that’s holding its opposition to just 64.4 PPG.
While the offense is averaging just 71.2 PPG, they’re a strong shooting team from the outside, sinking 37.3 percent of their shots from behind the arc.
On the glass, the Rams are outrebounding their opponents by 8.4 per game with Kuran Iverson the team’s leading rebounder.
Iverson is also one of five different Rams players with at least 10.8 PPG as the Rhode Island starting five is a strong, balanced unit. Iverson himself is coming off a double-double, his third of the season with 12-points and 12 rebounds. He’s averaging 6.8 RPG.
Joining Iverson up front is forward Hassan Martin who leads the team in scoring with 12.8 PPG and is shooting over 60 percent from the floor. Meanwhile, the backcourt of Four McGlynn and Jarvis Garrett is a strong tandem as well, combining for 24.5 PPG.
Garrett was the player with the most points in their win over La Salle. He put up 19 as the offense eclipsed their 71.2 PPG average for the fourth time in their last six games. The recent offensive improvement is minimal, but still a reason to be optimistic. They did score at least 77 in three straight a couple weeks ago.
HOW THE GEORGE WASHINGTON COLONIALS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Trends are on the Colonials side. George Washington may have dropped its last game ATS and five of the last eight, but the Rams have been truly awful from a pointspread perspective.
Rhode Island has dropped three straight ATS and seven of its last nine. On the year, the Rams are 5-11 ATS to go along with an 0-5 ATS record on the road.
Statistically, the Colonials are also a stronger offensive club, while their defense is best on the perimeter where the Rams offense has posted a solid shooting percentage.
The Colonials’ production is built primarily around the big-three of Tyler Cavanaugh, Patricio Garino and Kevin Larsen. Garino covers the backcourt along with Joe McDonald who is questionable for this game.
Garino is second on the team in scoring with 12.5 PPG, but first in steals with 24 and will be instrumental to slowing down McGlynn and Garrett.
Inside the paint, the duo of Cavanaugh and Larsen are each shooting better than 53 percent from the floor and will be hard for the Rams to cover.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Rhode Island beat George Washington last time they met back in March, 71-58. Of course, the Rams got 21-points from E.C. Matthews whose been on the sidelines nearly all season. Without him, this game evens out considerably.
Look for a close game with neither offense taking off. Of the returning players from last season’s matchup, the Colonials’ Patricio Garino is the one with the biggest game. His 17 points and 10 rebounds should give him plenty of confidence against the Rams.
The Rams have the more balanced starting five, but without Matthews, George Washington is the team with the better top-end talent as Cavanaugh is averaging 17.2 PPG.
Overall, the Rams’ offensive woes are too big of a concern and their issues on the road too noticeable to ignore. Look for each to continue to plague them and the offense to remain stagnant against a team likely to both outshoot and outrebound them.
George Washington 69, Rhode Island 63
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The Rhode Island Rams and George Washington Colonials square off on Friday, January 22, 2016, at 7 p.m. ET at the Charles E. Smith Center. You can watch the game live on ESPN2.
