Positives:
- The Rhode Island men’s basketball team’s win over Rider University was a great way to come back from an all-around ugly performance against the University of Maryland. Clearly Maryland is a superior team, but the alleged postgame remarks from head coach Dan Hurley don’t put the Rams in a positive light. This performance helps make people forget about that game and brings to light the potential of a team without its best player. This also helped build some confidence for newcomers Christion Thompson and Nicola Akele, should they be pressed into duty later in the season.
- The URI women’s basketball team’s win against University of Massachusetts-Lowell was extremely important for the team after their struggles out of the gate. No one is going to say the win was against a superior team or that URI even played their best, but they can finally feel good after a win. The key is to get Charise Wilson back to form as she has struggled with efficiency out of the gate.
Negatives:
- The Rhody men’s basketball team’s Maryland game was disappointing for a team that wanted to prove it could play with the big boys. The loss also compounded what people have been saying that Rhode Island struggles against good teams. Putting the remarks aside, this was a beat down in which URI’s best player, Hassan Martin, had very little impact and fouled out. And its best guard, Jared Terrell, had zero points.
Players of the Week:
Samantha Tabakman (72-64 win vs UMass Lowell) – Tabakman has had a strong start to the new season and has given the Rams a lift when Wilson has struggled. She finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, two steals and a block on the day.
Four McGlynn (82-57 win vs Rider) – McGlynn was on fire early on in the game, making his first five 3-pointers and finishing 6-of-10 on the day from beyond the arc. McGlynn finished with 27 points, five rebounds, two assists and no turnovers.
Team of the Week: URI men’s basketball (82-57 win vs Rider) – The URI men’s team is once again the team of the week as they pummeled Rider and showed off this year’s biggest improvement, which is their newfound three point stroke. Six different players made at least one 3-pointer, leading to the high output of points.
Off the Record: Â Despite 25 different offensive line combinations, losing their starting running back, left tackle\ and top receiver, the Patriots are one of just three teams to score over 300 points to this point in the season. They also are first in the NFL in points per game allowed at 18.2 points per game.