- With CoVID-19 postponements, the Tribe wraps up a four-game homestand to open CAA play when it welcomes Towson to Kaplan Arena. The contest with the Tigers is the second in a seven-game in 15-day stretch. W&M has won three in a row against the Towson, including a sweep in Maryland last season, and six of the last seven overall in the series.
- Sophomore
Yuri Covington erupted for a career-high 29 points on 9-of-12 from the field and 5-of-7 from 3-point range against JMU. It was the most points for a Tribe reserve since Daniel Dixon had 36 off the bench at ODU in 2016. Covington has picked up his play during the league portion of the schedule. He ranks 12th in the league in scoring (15.0), eighth in field goal % (59.1) and fifth in 3-point % (60.0).
- Defensively, the Tribe has turned up its play in league action. The Green and Gold ranks second in the CAA in defensive efficiency (98.4). W&M limited both Hofstra and Northeastern to less than a point per possession in its first two wins. The Tribe is also holding its conference counterparts to league-low 23.8% shooting from 3-point range.
- The Tribe's opening three CAA games have been decided by a total of six points. W&M recorded last-second, one-point wins over Hofstra and Northeastern before falling in overtime to JMU by four points. In the win over Hofstra, W&M scored the last four points in the final15.5 seconds.
Connor Kochera's steal led to a
Julian Lewis lay-up with 10.9 seconds left for the winner Against NU, W&M scored the game's final three points, all from the free throw line, including Kochera's game-winner with one second left.
- Offensively, W&M has started to find its rhythm in CAA play. The Tribe ranks second in the CAA in scoring at 75 points per game and fourth in goal field goal % (47.0) and effective field goal % (54.2). Those numbers are an improvement from W&M's nonconference numbers of 61.4 points per game, 39.9 field goal % and 45.8 effective field goal %.
- For the second-straight season, W&M ranks as one of the youngest teams in the country according to KenPom.com. After being the 34th youngest team in 2020-21, the Tribe is the 12th youngest team this season, averaging just 0.97 years of experience. W&M has started four freshmen and sophomores in each contest in 2021-22, including all five starters on seven occasions. The two classes have accounted for 78.2% of the team's minutes (2521-of-3225) and 79.7% of its scoring (815-of-1023).
- With its one-point wins over Hofstra and Northeastern, the Tribe started 2-0 in CAA play for the second time in three years under head coach
Dane Fischer. W&M started 2019-20 at 6-0 in the league. It marked the 12th time overall that W&M started 2-0 in the CAA and the fourth time in the last five years.
- Freshman
Julian Lewis was named the CAA Rookie of the Week on Jan. 3 after averaging 12.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assist and 2.0 steals per game in the Tribe's 2-0 CAA start. He had a career-high 14 points to go with eight rebounds, five assists and four steals in the win over Northeastern and scored the game-winning lay-up vs. Hofstra with 10.9 seconds remaining.
- The Tribe's trio of freshmen -
Langdon Hatton,
Tyler Rice and
Julian Lewis - ranks among the top CAA rookies (players without previous college experience) in scoring, rebounding and assists. Lewis is among the league's top six freshmen in all three categories at No. 6 in scoring (6.2) and third in rebounding (4.1) and assists (2.4). Rice leads all rookies in assists (3.7) and is fifth in scoring (6.9), while Hatton is third in scoring (7.1) and second in rebounding (4.3).
- Sophomore
Connor Kochera, who is reigning CAA Rookie of the Year, ranks among the top 22 in the CAA in both scoring and rebounding. He is 22nd in the league at 11.6 points per game and 19th with 5.1 rebounds per contest. He scored a season-high 19 points vs. Fairfield and recorded his second career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Old Dominion. A preseason All-CAA Second Team pick, Kochera is seventh in the CAA in steals (1.5) and eighth in minutes played (32.5).
- Sophomore
Ben Wight has been the Tribe's most improved player in 2021-22. He ranks 30th in the CAA in scoring (10.4), while coming in 12th in the league in rebounding (5.7). Earlier this season, Wight scored 18 points at Wake Forest and posted his first career double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds at Navy. Wight ranks fourth in the CAA in field goal % (61.2) and fifth in offensive rebounding (2.9).
- Four former W&M players are either playing or coaching in the NBA. Nathan Knight '20, who signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the offseason, recently started his first career game on Dec. 27 vs. the Celtics and posted a 20 points and 111 rebounds. In 2020-21, he saw action in 33 games, averaging 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game for the Eastern Conference Finalist Atlanta Hawks. Jim Moran '01 is an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons. Sean Sheldon '16 is the San Antonio Spurs head video coordinator, and Daniel Dixon '17 is the Charlotte Hornets' assistant video coordinator.
