News and Notes
- Drexel leads the all-time series with the Tribe at 21-13, but W&M has won 11 of the last 19 meetings. The Tribe has won four of the last six meetings, but the Dragons have won four the last five contests in Williamsburg.
- Monday's match-up pits the top two tempo teams in the CAA according to KenPom.com. Drexel is 59th nationally followed by the Tribe at No. 60. Both teams average 72.2 possession per 40 minutes. W&M and Drexel both rank among the top five in the CAA at more than 75 points per game.
- The Tribe shot better than 50 percent from the floor in each of the last two games and six of the eight. W&M shot 55.7 percent from the field in the win over CAA leader UNCW on Saturday. The Green and Gold is 9-1 this season when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor.
- Over his last nine games, senior
Daniel Dixon is averaging 22.3 points per game. He has scored in double figures in a career-best 13-straight games and ranks third in the CAA at 20.6 points per game in league action. Dixon has led W&M in scoring in seven of the last 11 games.
- In each of the last two games, the Tribe handed out more than 20 assists. W&M dished out 23 in the win over Delaware and 21 vs. UNCW. The Tribe averages 16.9 assists per game, which leads the CAA and ranks 24th nationally. In its wins this season, the Green and Gold is averaging 20.5 assists per game compared to just 12.3 in its losses.
- The Tribe's game with Drexel will be its third in five days and is part of a homestand that includes four games in eight days.
Scouting Drexel
- The Dragons enter Monday's contest at 8-14 overall, but have dropped eight their last 10 games. Drexel is 2-7 in CAA and are coming off a 90-76 loss to Charleston on Saturday. The Dragons wins in league play both came in Philadelphia over Delaware, 76-60, and Hofstra, 81-80. Zach Spiker is in his first season at DU head coach after leading Army in the previous seven seasons.
- According to KenPom.com, Drexel plays the fastest tempo in the CAA at 72.2 possessions per game, which ranks 59th nationally. They are fifth in the league at 75.6 points per game. The Dragons are 58th nationally in offensive rebounds per game (12.3). DU is third in the CAA in rebounding (37.7) and fifth in 3-point percentage (35.2).
- Defensively, Drexel ranks among the bottom of the league in scoring (78.4), defensive field goal percentage (45.5) and defensive 3-point percentage (35.7). DU has allowed 82.8 points per game in CAA play.
- Senior Rodney Williams leads the Dragons in scoring and ranks fifth in the CAA at 16.1 points per game. He is also eighth in the league in rebounding (6.6) and third in field goal percentage (53.7). Austin Williams is fourth in the CAA at 7.0 rebounds per game.
- Freshman Kurk Lee is one of the top scoring freshman in the CAA and ranks 14th overall in the league at 13.5 points per game. He is also fourth in the CAA and leads DU at five assists per game. Sammy Mojica and MIles Overton round out the Dragon's double-digit scorers at 11.2 and 10 points per game, respectively. Freshman Kari Jonsson is second in the CAA at 44 percent from 3-point range.
- Drexel leads the all-time series with W&M at 21-13, but the Tribe owns victories in 11 of the last 19 meetings. The Dragons took a slim 9-8 advantage in Williamsburg after winning the regular season meeting on the Tribe's home court, 74-69. In fact, DU has won four of the last five in Williamsburg.
Multifaceted Prewitt
- In helping the Tribe to two wins last week over Delaware and UNCW, senior
Omar Prewitt his multidimensional skills on display. Against the Blue Hens, Prewitt dished out a career-high eight assists compared to zero turnovers. Two day later in the victory over the Seahawks, he tallied a season-high 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting and led W&M with seven rebounds.
- Prewitt is currently the only player in the CAA to rank among the top 15 in the league in points, rebounds and assists per game. He is 10th in the league at 14.5 points and 3.0 assists per game, while ranking 12th at 5.8 rebounds per contest.
- The ability to fill the stat sheet is nothing new to Prewitt, who ranks among the Tribe's career leaders in a number of categories. He is seventh in W&M history at 1,650 career points, which is the top active number in the CAA and 22nd nationally among current Division I players. Prewitt also ranks 15th in W&M annals in assists (283) and 22nd in rebounding (570).
- Prewitt became only the second player in W&M history, along with John Lowenhaupt (1975-78), to tally 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 250 assists over his career.
- Earlier this season, Prewitt posted back-to-back double-doubles with 26 points and 13 rebounds at Central Michigan to go along with 21 points and 10 rebounds at Hampton.
Tribe Excels in the Classroom
- Along with its work on the court, the men's hoops program continues to demonstrate why Tribe Athletics personifies the term student-athlete with its efforts in the classroom. The men's basketball team achieved a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.15 during the fall semester at the 'Public Ivy' institution, its best since 2010. Over the last seven years, the Tribe has posted a team GPA of nearly 3.0 (2.99). Currently, 10 of the Tribe's 14 players have GPAs of 3.0 or better.
- The College ranked fifth on America's Top Public Colleges list according to
Forbes in 2016 and sixth among
U.S. News & World Reports' Best Public Schools.
U.S. News & World Report also rated W&M 32nd nationally among all universities in 2017.
- During Shaver's 14 years, W&M leads the CAA with 40 CAA All-Academic Team selection, boasts five CAA Men's Basketball Scholar-Athletes of the Year and five Dean Ehlers Leadership Award winners. The Dean Ehlers Leadership Award is given to the student-athlete who "embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity and sportsmanship in conjunction with his academic athletic achievement."
Elite Shooting
- The Tribe has shot over 50 percent from the field in each of its last two wins and in six of its last eight games overall. After shooting 56.9 percent (29-of-51) in the win over Delaware on Jan. 26, the Green and Gold hit at a 55.7-percent clip (34-of-61) in knocking off CAA leader UNCW on Jan. 28. Over the last eight games, W&M has shot exactly 50 percent (233-of-466) from the field.
- W&M has 10 games of 50 percent or better shooting in 2016-17 and is 9-1 in those contests. Under head coach
Tony Shaver, the Tribe is 89-12 (.881) when shooting 50 percent or better from the field, including an impressive 44-4 (.917) mark over the last four seasons.
- The Tribe has ranked among the national leaders in shooting in recent seasons. According to advanced statistical website KenPom.com, the Green and Gold has ranked among the nation's elite in effective field goal percentage and two-point percentage over the last seven seasons. W&M has also ranked among the country's top shooting teams in traditional field goal percentage in the last five years.
- This season, W&M currently ranks 43rd (47.6 percent). The Tribe ranks among the top 30 nationally each of the previous four seasons. The Green and Gold ranked as high as No. 14 in 2014-15 (48.3), while coming in 21st in 2015-16 (48), 25th in 2013-14 (47.6) and 30th in 2012-13 (46.7).
- W&M ranked among the top 70 nationally in effective field goal percentage in six of the last seven seasons. In 2016-17, the Tribe ranks 49th at 53.9 percent. The Green and Gold ranked sixth in the category in both 2013-14 (55.9) and 2014-15 (56.3) along with coming in at No. 16 (54.8) last season. Effective field goal percentage is the same as regular field goal percentage, but gives teams more credit for made 3-point field goals.
- Like effective field goal percentage, the Tribe ranked among the national leaders in two-point field goal percentage in six of the last seven campaigns. The Green and Gold is currently 48th nationally at 53.3 percent. Each of the previous three campaigns, W&M was among the top 25 nationally, coming in 12th in 2016 (54.7) and eighth in 2015 (54.8).
- Each of the last four years the Tribe led the CAA in adjusted offensive efficiency, effective field goal percentage and two-point field goal percentage.
Dropping Dimes
- In each of the Tribe's last two wins, the Green and Gold dished out more than 20 assists. W&M handed out 23 helpers on its 29 made field goals against Delaware on Jan. 26, before dishing out 21 against UNCW. The Tribe has six games of 20 more or assists this season and is 6-0 in those games.
- W&M dished out a season-high 30 assists on 36 made field goals in its win over Savannah State on Dec. 19. It was the second game of 30 or more assists in Tribe history, trailing the school-record mark of 33 set in 1995 against George Mason.
- The Green and Gold recorded 27 assists on its 32 made field goals in the win over Presbyterian on Nov. 19, before handing out 25 against Milligan on Dec. 16. The Tribe also dished out 23 assists at Hofstra on Jan. 2.
- The 27 assists against Presbyterian rank as the seventh most in W&M history. The 25 assists against the Buffaloes rank 11th in program lore.
- The Tribe had seven games of 20 or more assists last season, which was the most since the 1995 campaign. W&M was 6-1 in those games. Over the last seven seasons, the Green and Gold is 25-1 when dishing out 20 or more assists in a game.
- In its wins this season, the Tribe is averaging 20.5 assists per game compared to just 12.3 in its losses.
Dixon Scoring Tear
- Senior
Daniel Dixon has been on the tear of late, scoring in double figures in a career-best 13-straight games. Dixon, who missed the Tribe's setback at Charleston, ranks second in the league in scoring at 16.9 points per game overall. In CAA games, he is scoring at a 20.6 points per game clip.
- Over his last nine games, Dixon is averaging 22.3 points per game and shooting 53.9 percent (69-of-128) from the field.
- Dixon recorded his first two career 30-point games. He tallied a career-high 36 points at Old Dominion on Dec. 29, before pouring in 32 points on Jan. 5 against Elon. Dixon leads the Tribe with seven 20-point games this season, including six over the last 12 games.
- After struggling and failing to score in 24 minutes at Central Michigan on Nov. 29, Dixon has scored in double figures in 13-straight games. In total, he leads W&M with 16 double-digit scoring games in 2016-17.
- During each of his four seasons at W&M, Dixon's scoring average has increased each season. In 2016-17, he is averaging a career-best 16.9 points per game, which leads the Tribe.
Cohn's Double-Digit Assists
- In W&M's win over CAA leader UNCW, junior guard
David Cohn flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 10 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. To make his assist total even more impressive, he did not turn the ball over once in 34 minutes. It was the first performance in W&M history with double-digit assists and zero turnovers.
- With his effort against the Seahawks, Cohn now has three double-digit assist games this season and five over his career. Both those numbers are W&M school records.
• Cohn's near triple-double against UNCW was his second double-double of the season. At Hofstra on Jan. 2, Cohn dished out a career-high 12 assists and scored a season-high 11 points. The assist total was the third-best in W&M history and the most in the CAA this season. All three of Cohn's career double-doubles have come in CAA play.
• In total, Cohn has five of the Tribe's 26 all-time games of 10 or more assists. Last season, he dished out 11 assists at UNCW and 10 against Delaware. He is one of only five players in program history with multiple double-digit assists games.
• Cohn recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 11 assists at UNCW on Jan. 16, 2016. Making his assist total even more impressive, Cohn only turned the ball over one time. It was the first performance in W&M history with at least 11 assists in a game compared to only one turnover.
