WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – William & Mary men's basketball returns to Kaplan Arena to play host to Delaware for a pair of Colonial Athletic Association game over the weekend. Both contests carry a 2 p.m. tip and will be televised on Cox YurView Virginia.
In lieu of a traditional, home‐and‐home round-robin schedule in CAA play, teams will play against the same opponent at the same site on consecutive days for the 2021 slate. The lone exception will be when teams face their designated travel partner, which is Elon for the Tribe.
All CAA contests will be streamed on FloHoops. A
FloHoops subscription is $12.50 per month or $95.88 per year ($7.99 per month). Tribe fans can catch the men's basketball action over the Tribe Sports Network with Jay Colley and
Bobby Dwyer on the call. Locally in Williamsburg, fans can listen in on The Tide 92.3 FM and the audio is also
available over the Web via the Tune-In app.
Catch up with the Tribe through social media. Fans can keep up with W&M men's basketball by following the program on social media as well. Be sure to check out the Tribe on
Twitter (@WMTribeMBB),
Facebook (WMTribeMBB), and
Instagram (WMTribeMBB).
W&M News and Notes
- Since 2016, William & Mary has won nine of the last 11 meetings against Delaware, including a sweep of the season series in 2019-20. The Blue Hens lead the all-time series at 24-16, including a slim 11-10 advantage in games in Williamsburg. The Tribe has won five-straight against UD in Kaplan Arena.
- In the CAA opening weekend at Hofstra, senior
Luke Loewe demonstrated why he is one of the top guards in the league. Loewe, who scored a career-high 27 points in the opener, averaged 25.5 points per game during the weekend, which leads all players in CAA games. He played 77 out of a possible 80 minutes and posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of 10-to-1. Defensively, he limited Jalen Ray, who entered the contest averaging 19.0 points per game, to seven points on 2-of-11 shooting and 0-of-4 from 3 on Saturday.
- As part of its trip to Hofstra, W&M attacked the offensively glass, averaging 13 rebounds per game on that end of the court and posting a 29.9 offensive rebounding %. Both those numbers lead the CAA in league games. The Tribe outscored Hofstra 26-13 over the two games in second chance points. W&M had 15 offensive rebounds on Saturday against the Pride, including seven from junior
Mehkel Harvey.
- Junior
Quinn Blair turned in a strong weekend at Hofstra, averaging 15 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. He scored a career-high 17 points on Sunday, including a career-best 9-of-9 from the free throw line. Blair leads the Tribe and ranks fifth in the CAA in rebounding at 6.9 per game. He is also 23rd in the league in scoring at 10.9 points per game and ninth in free throw % at 80%.
- Freshman
Yuri Covington became the second Tribe player to be named CAA Rookie of the Week this season on Dec. 21. Following a 16-day lay-off, Covington helped the Tribe to a 2-1 week, averaging 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He had a career-high 16 points at George Washington, including 14 in the second half and OT. He joined
Connor Kochera in earning CAA Rookie of the Week honors this season Kochera earned the honor on Nov. 30 after leading the team with 19 points in the opener at Old Dominion.
- Covington and Kochera statistically rank among the top freshmen in the CAA. Kochera is second among league rookies and 25th overall in scoring (9.8), while Covington is fourth among freshmen and 29th overall (9.4). Kochera is second among CAA freshmen in 3-pointer made (1.8), which is also 14th overall, and Covington is third in assists (2.0).
- After playing two years behind
Nathan Knight, who is currently with the Atlanta Hawks, junior
Mehkel Harvey has made an impact in the paint. The 6-9 forward picked up his first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the win at Hampton and recorded a career-high 16 at Hofstra. Harvey leads the CAA and ranks 21st nationally in blocked shots at 2.4 per game. He also ranks third in the CAA in offensive rebounding (2.6) and eighth in rebounds (6.1).
- As the Tribe's lone scholarship senior, Loewe has stepped into a starring role this season. Overall, he ranks fourth in the CAA at 18.4 points per game. He leads the CAA and ranks 35th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.0). Loewe is also second in the league in steals (1.9) and minutes (36.7), fourth in assists (4.0), ninth in 3-point % (40.0) and field goal % (49.5), 11th in free throw % (79.3) and 12th in 3-pointers made (2.0).
- W&M played four of its five nonconference contests on the road and in total will play eight of its first 11 games on the road in 2020-21. Last season, the Tribe played 12 of its first 16 games on the road. Over head coach
Dane Fischer's first two seasons, the Green and Gold has played 13 of its 18 nonconference games on the road. Last season, the Tribe tied a school record with 10 road wins and already have two victories away from home this year.
- The Tribe erased a 19-point first-half deficit in its 85-84 overtime victory at George Washington on Dec. 14. It marked the largest road comeback in school history and the third biggest overall. Senior
Luke Loewe (24 points) and freshman
Yuri Covington (16 points) combined for 31 of W&M's final 44 points in the win. The Tribe shot 59.3% in the second half, while limiting GW to 38.7% and 11 turnovers in the period.
- As a team, the Tribe was picked 10th in the preseason standings. Last season, W&M was picked seventh in the preseason and finished second with a 13-5 league mark. In 2019-20, the Tribe won the fourth-most games in school history (21) and posted program records in conference wins (13) and road wins (10).
- In his first season as a head coach,
Dane Fischer received multiple Coach of the Year award, including VaSID State, CAA and NABC District 10 honors. He was also a finalist for a pair of National Coach of the Year awards, including the Hugh Durham Award Mid-Major Coach of the Year and the Joe B. Hall Award, which is presented annually to first-year D1 head coach. His 21 wins in 2019-20 were the second-most for a rookie head coach in the country last season.
