George Washington Colonials
Atlantic 10 (24-8, 11-5)
Who would have thought that George Washington would be the best basketball team in the D.C. area entering the 2013-2014 season? Not many. Last season left a little something to be desired for the Colonials. After finishing with 13 wins last season, Coach Mike Lonergan must have been thinking about baby steps. Instead, he got over 20 wins. This is a young team that has matured on the fly and played very soundly down the stretch this season.
Big Wins: 12/1 vs Creighton (60-53), 1/14 VCU (76-66), 3/5 St. Joseph’s (76-71)
Bad Losses: 11/29 vs Marquette (60-76), 1/9 at La Salle (72-76), 2/1 at Dayton (65-75)
Coach: Mike Lonergan (3 seasons at George Washington)
Why They Can Surprise:
George Washington is the essence of a team. They play really well together despite being greener than a lot of other teams in college basketball. Defensively, they will do anything they can to try and slow teams down. In their impressive win against Creighton, they held likely Player of the Year Doug McDermott to only four points for the entire game. He averages 26. They will play lockdown defense and hope secondary players do not beat them. It has paid off in a lot of games this year. This team also has a lot of talent, which should not be overlooked. They are relying a lot on transfers from bigger programs to contribute. Maurice Creek, a transfer from Indiana, is the team’s leading scorer and has hit some big shots late for the Colonials. Isaiah Armwood transferred from Villanova. He is leading the team in rebounds and blocks. No team in this tournament can look at George Washington and expect an easy victory.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Despite their talents, the Colonials are missing one of their best players right now in Kethan Savage. He is the team’s second leading scorer and had been starting in recent games before he broke a bone in his foot. He could be back in time for the big tournament, but what kind of shape he is in remains to be seen. The Colonials have been hit by the injury bug all season, with valuable players missing time for certain stretches of the season. Without a fully healthy squad, they may have a tough time competing athletically with some of these up-and-down-the-court teams. Since they are a younger squad (only three seniors and two juniors), they may also have some difficulty navigating the postseason. After all, as a program George Washington has not been to the dance since 2007. This has been a big season, but they might not be ready for primetime just yet.
Probable Starters:
Joe McDonald, Sophomore, Guard, 8.3 ppg, 4.1 apg, 4.6 rpg
Maurice Creek, Senior, Guard, 14.3 ppg, 1.8 apg
Patricio Garino, Sophomore, Guard, 12.2 ppg, 1.9 apg, 4.3 rpg
Kevin Larsen, Sophomore, Forward, 11.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg
Isaiah Armwood, Senior, Forward, 12.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
John Kopriva, Junior, Forward, 1.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg
Nemanja Mikic, Senior, Forward, 4.9 ppg
Kethan Savage, Sophomore, Guard, 12.7 ppg, 2.6 apg, 4.3 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 73.6 (91st in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 66.3 (77, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.3 (73, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.1 (66, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.7 (225, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.5 (82, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 65.7 (300, 12)
Rebound Margin: 4.1 (51, 2)
Assists Per Game: 14.1 (76, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.8 (223. 9)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2010 CBI First Round loss to Virginia Commonwealth
2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Vanderbilt
2006 NCAA Round of 64 win over North Carolina-Wilmington
2006 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Duke
2005 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Georgia Tech
2004 NIT First Round loss to Virginia
*all team stats through 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
