URI vs. #11/12 Kansas, Game Preview
GoLocalProv Sports Team
URI vs. #11/12 Kansas, Game Preview
URI Rams
The Rams are coming off the biggest win of the Dan Hurley error, beating #21 Nebraska 66-62 in overtime. The win, was the Rams first over a ranked opponent since 1998. The last time URI had consecutive wins over ranked opponents also happens to be 1998.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTFor URI to win, E.C. Matthews is going to have to duplicate his performance from the Nebraska game, in which he posted 26 points and ten rebounds. Matthews got to the free throw line 14 times against Nebraska and got 11 points out of those attempts. The Rams will need Matthews to continue to be aggressive in the game and hope to get a few of the Jayhawks players into some early foul trouble.
Freshman Jared Terrell will be an interesting player to watch in this game for URI as this is his first college game on a national stage against a historic program. Terrell has been playing well for the Rams, having started all three games. In the last game he posted 12 points, which was second best on the team behind Matthews.
#11/12 Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas is led by 6'8" junior forward Perry Ellis who in three games this season is averaging 11.3 points and five rebounds per game. Ellis is coming off his first double-double of he year against UC Santa Barbara, scoring 13 points and pulling down ten rebounds.
Frank Mason III is the point guard that makes the Kansas offense run. For the season, Mason averages 8.7 points and just under two assists per game.
URI vs #11/12 Kansas
The Jayhawks come in averaging 65 points per game while URI comes in averaging 77 points and have yet to give up more then 65 points in a game this season.
Kansas has outscored their opponents 110-83 in the first half but have been outscored 108-86 in the second half.
URI will go into HP Fieldhouse for their fourth ever meeting with the Jayhawks, and their first since 2006, looking to continue their winning ways.
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.
