The Best and Worst Games of Rhode Island MBB's 2016-2017 Season
This a list that recaps the best and worst games of Rhode Island MBB's 2016-2017 season (in chronological order), from my viewpoint:
Best games:
1. November 19, 2016 vs. Cincinnati - This was a major comeback that had Dan Hurley's team sitting pretty at 4-0 and they looked like a lock for a NCAA at-large bid.
2. January 2, 2017 vs. Saint Joseph's - Rhode Island got revenge for the 2015-2016 season and they broke the school record for three-pointers in a single game.
3. January 28, 2017 vs. Saint Bonaventure - They limited Jaylen Adams, completely shut down Matt Mobley, and Josh Ayeni kept crying at the end of the game.
4. February 3, 2017 at Davidson - This road win looked like a revival of E.C. Matthews and they finally won a somewhat important road game.
5. February 18, 2017 at George Mason - Stanford Robinson played like the ESPN Top-100 recruit that he was coming out of high school.
6. February 25, 2017 vs. VCU - I knew after this game that URI would make their return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1999.
7. March 1, 2017 at Saint Joseph's - Nothing like destroying Phil Martelli's team twice in the same season
8. March 4, 2017 vs. Davidson - Kuran Iverson and Hassan Martin willed their team to a win on Senior Night. This was an emotional, hard-fought victory on the final home game of the season.
9. March 10, 2017 vs. Saint Bonaventure - Some people picked the Bonnies to upset Rhode Island in the A-10 quarterfinals for some odd reason.
10. March 11, 2017 vs. Davidson - Rhode Island beat Davidson for the third time in as many tries in this single season and I knew they were taking the championship home after this blowout.
11. March 12, 2017 vs. VCU- URI won the Atlantic 10 championship and guaranteed their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1999.
12. March 17, 2017 vs. Creighton - The Rams validated my declaration that they would win their first-round game of the 2017 NCAA tournament against a Creighton team that I knew was awful without Maurice Watson.
Worst games:
1. November 20, 2016 vs. Duke - I had my hopes up and URI had a disappointing offensive performance against the #1 team in the country.
2. December 3, 2016 at Providence - Another close road loss and at the hands of the in-state rivals
3. December 10, 2016 at Houston - E.C. Matthews came through with 31 points and his team could not close out late, again.
4. January 6, 2017 at Dayton - Rhode Island was in control for the entire first half at UD Arena and then came off the rails to end the game.
5. January 12, 2017 vs. La Salle - Hurley's team was playing so poorly that he benched his starters at the beginning of the second half.
6. January 25, 2017 at Richmond - They lost to Richmond.
7. February 10, 2017 vs. Dayton - Kuran Iverson went off and URI still lost by one because of two three-pointers on the deadly left baseline (closest to the bulk of students).
8. February 15, 2017 vs. Fordham - Everyone thought that URI was headed back to the NIT after this horrific loss to a terrible Fordham basketball team.
9. March 19, 2017 vs. Oregon - URI's season was ended in a heartbreaking game that they controlled.
Let's all hope that at the end of the 2017-2018 season, there are no games that I have to list under the "Worst games" section.
