Takeaways from URI vs. Davidson
As expected, URI men's basketball has now won fifteen straight games and they possess a stellar 20-3 overall record and a 12-0 record in Atlantic 10 play. After a dominating 72-59 win over the Davidson Wildcats, here are some takeaways from the Friday night victory.
1. URI is LOADED.
The Rams' depth shined through vs. Davidson. While E.C. Matthews and Jared Terrell struggled mightily shooting the ball, Cyril Langevine (14 points), Jarvis Garrett (17 points), and Daron "Fatts" Russell (10 points) all scored in double digits off the bench. Not only did Langevine, Garrett, and Russell provide a spark off the bench but they were all efficient with their shooting. They all shot at least 50% from the field.
2. E.C. Matthews struggles from beyond the arc are concerning.
#0 is shooting just 30.6% from behind the three-point line this season and that number looks like it will continue to decrease. Last night, he went 0 for 6 from three and most of the misses were not close. More than any other previous season with Rhode Island MBB, Matthews has shot an abundance of air balls from beyond the arc. The air balls are depriving his teammates the chance to even grab an offensive rebound off of the miss. Whether it is a mental issue or his left wrist is still bothering him, Matthews needs to reverse the negative trend soon.
3. Cyril Langevine is emerging as a reliable powerhouse off of the bench.
Last week's 12 points and 18 rebounds at VCU was impressive. This week's 14 points and 8 rebounds were just as nice. Langevine scored his 14 points on an efficient 5-6 FG and a surprising 4-5 FT. In addition, he added 2 blocks and only picked up 2 fouls within his 22 minutes of playing time. Moreover, Cyril Langevine put on a show that kept the home crowd in the game - his blocks were massive and his dunks were highlight-level plays.
4. Davidson look liked the first team in Atlantic 10 play to rattle Jeff Dowtin.
Jeff Dowtin put up a modest stat line of 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in 32 minutes. However, he shot 2 of 7 from the field, 1 of 3 from three, and he had 4 turnovers. A 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio for Rhode Island's #11 is low, in comparison to his season average of a 4.3 A/TO. The rising sophomore can learn from the game film that he watches of himself vs. Davidson.
5. If you want to shoot three-pointers, don't play against Rhode Island.
Just like I had hoped and anticipated, the Rhody Rams blasted through Davidson's ball screens and motion offense. On a consistent basis, Dan Hurley's team disrupted the offensive sets that Bob McKillop wanted to run. Consequently, Davidson were successful on 4 of their 17 three-point attempts, good for just 23.5%.
6. Andre Berry played just 12 minutes last night.
Within the past six games, Berry has played under 20 minutes in four of the contests. Last night, he played 12 minutes vs. Davidson. After picking up his third foul, Berry never returned on to the basketball court. In fact, when Cyril Langevine needed a breather with six minutes of game time remaining, Nicola Akele got put in the game and not #34. One cannot make any argument while Rhode Island continues to win but Andre Berry's playing time is a number to keep an eye on.
7. Alley-oops might not be Rhody MBB's forte this season.
URI made two attempts at alley-oops and both of them failed miserably. On two occasions, Jeff Dowtin tried to link up with E.C. Matthews on an alley-oop and both went awry. Going forward, the Rams need to value each offensive possession more since the Atlantic 10 tournament and the NCAA tournament are approaching.
