URI Rams Set to Host Iona in First Round of NIT
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URI Rams Set to Host Iona in First Round of NIT
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be nationally televised on ESPNU.
Last Time Out
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTURI is coming off a 56-52 loss to the Dayton Flyers in the semifinals of A-10 Tournament in which they turned the ball over 21 times, resulting in 22 points for the Flyers.
E.C. Matthews led URI with 16 points in the game.
It's Not the NCAA's But..
The NIT is not the NCAA's, clearly, but for a Rhode Island team that is building and building a championship caliber program, the NIT tournament will be a good thing.
"This was the next logical step for Rhode Island, they did their best to skip this step and for awhile, it was looking pretty good, but they came up just short," said Steve MacDonald, the radio play by play man for the URI Rams.
Look at the Providence College Friars of two seasons ago, they made a deep run in the NIT tournament and the next season, they came back and won the Big East and got themselves into the NCAA's. URI can do the same thing, use this tournament as a springboard into the big dance.
URI was last in the NIT back in 2010 when they made it to the semifinals in New York before losing to North Carolina.
NIT Rule Changes
For the NIT Tournament, the NCAA will be experimenting with rule adjustments for potential changes in the future. The first and biggest change will be the cutting of five seconds off the shot clock. Instead of a 35 second clock there will be a 30 second clock.
The second rule change for the NIT will be the use of a four foot restricted area instead of a three foot restricted area which is what is currently used.
The change to the restricted area may not be all that noticeable or make much of a difference to viewers, however, the shot clock change will be interesting.
The Iona Gaels
The Iona Gaels enter their sixth NIT appearance with an overall record of 26-8 and a conference record of 17-3 good enough for a first place finish in the MAAC.
The Gaels got to their conference championship game before losing 79-69 to Manhattan.
"Iona is a team that can score a lot of points, they can score into the 80's. They love to push the ball up the floor and they really move the ball well," said MacDonald of the Gaels.
The Gaels are led by A.J. English who pours in 20 points, pulls down five rebounds and dishes out five assists per game for Iona. English has reached double figures in scoring in nine straight games coming into this game against URI.
Following closely behind English is David Laury who this season, nearly averaged a double-double for the Gaels. Laury pours in 20 points and pulls down 9.5 rebounds per game for Iona. Laury has 18 double-doubles on the season and is in the middle of a stretch in which he has a double-double in four of Iona's last five games.
Iona is going to look to push the ball up the floor and turn the game into a track meet, knowing that if they can get into the 80's, they have a good chance of winning.
"If Rhode Island can keep the score in the 60's, they can win the game," MacDonald said.
While the Rams enjoy pushing the pace as well, they can not afford to get into track meet with Iona. Getting back on defense in transition and limiting turnovers will be key for Rhode Island.
NIT First Round
The Rams and Gaels tip-off in the first round of the NIT on Tuesday, March 17 at the Ryan Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPNU.
URI Rams 2014-2015 Projected Starting Lineup
Guard- E.C. Matthews
Sophomore E.C. Matthews will lead the Rams back court and scoring this season after having a great freshman year. The 6'5" Matthews averaged 15.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game for the Rams last season and since January of 2014, he has had seven games where he has scored at least 20 points.
Matthews was named to the Bob Cousy Award watch list earlier in the preseason, signifying that he is already one of the best guards in the country.
Guard- Jared Terrell
One of the players to watch for off the bench is 6'3" freshman Jared Terrell who is ranked as one of of the top prospects in America. In high school, at Brewster Academy, Terrell averaged 14.5 points and five rebounds per game. Terell chose URI over several other high level D-I schools, including the rival Providence Friars.
Guard- Biggie Minnis
Biggie Minnis, a 6'3" junior, will be the third guard in the rotation for the Rams this season. Minnis appeared in 21 games last season for the Rams and started in 11 games. He missed eight games due to injury.
In the games he played, Minnis averaged just under five points per game and shot over 50% from the floor. If he can stay healthy, the Rams will be looking forward to more of that.
Forward- Gilvydas Biruta
6'8" Senior Gilvydas Biruta is coming off a year where he was one of the team captains and averaged just over 10 points per game and shot 67% from the floor. Biruta was also a force on the boards pulling down an average of seven rebounds per game for Rhode Island.
URI will look for him to take the next step this year as he helps lead the Rams through the season.
Forward- Hassan Martin
Sophomore Forward Hassan Martin was a first year presence for the Rams last season. The Staten Island bred big man averaged over 6 points and 5 rebounds per game in his freshman season, while also adding 2.5 blocks per game. Along with Biruta, Martin anchor a Rams defense that looks very promising.
The Rams could be in very good shape this season if Martin is able to take big steps towards improving his offensive game.
6th man- T.J. Buchanan
Senior guard T.J. Buchanan was the first man off the bench for the Rams last season. In that role, the 6'4" Buchanan averaged just under six points per game and had a field goal percentage of 65 for the season. Buchanan will look to add to those numbers in the same role this season.
Buchanan will also bring some much needed veteran leadership off the bench.
