George Washington (11-15) vs VCU (15-11)
When:Saturday , February 17,. 4 p.m.
Where: Charles E. Smith Center , Washington, DC
Radio: 1500 AM
Injuries:
George Washington: None
VCU: None
George Washington -
65.3 Points per game
70.7 Points against
43.1 field goal %
VCU -
76.9 points per game
75.3 points against
45.8 field goals %
Notes -
GW fell to VCU 87-63 in their first meeting on January 20th. Led by senior forward Yuta Watanabe's game high 19 points, the Colonials, who shot 70 percent in the first half, went ice cold in the second half shooting 27 percent before falling to the Rams.
VCU out rebounded GW 34-22 and outscored the Colonials in the paint 44-26 including an 18-0 edge in second chance points.
Keep an eye on:
Justin Tillman. VCU senior forward is the unquestioned leader for the Rams, as he goes they go. Tillman is averaging 19.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, both team highs, on 56 percent shooting from the field, 35 percent shooting from deep and 71 percent shooting from the line. Against GW in their previous match-up, Tillman posted 18 points (7-11 FG) and 8 rebounds. The 6'7 forward is hard player to game plan for due to his ability to do damage inside and out. Put a bigger defender on him, he will take them to the outside. Put a smaller defender on his, Tillman will go to work in the post. Without question, expect GW senior forward Yuta Watanabe to have a close eye on Tillman all afternoon.
GW Ball Movement/ Limit Turnovers: In their battle at VCU, the Colonials had great success in the first half scoring efficiently due to ideal ball movement. GW shot 70 percent in the first half off 10 assist. In the second half, GW shot 27 percent and only dished out 5 assist as a team. Add in their 16 turnovers and you see how the game got away from them. When the Colonials move the ball, they usually end up with good shots. When they feed into the hype of teams going on runs and look to go one on one, thats when they get into trouble. Move the ball, execute, limit turnovers and contain Tillman and GW will have a great shot at being victorious.
