WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – William & Mary men's basketball returns to Kaplan Arena to play its third Patriot League opponent of the season in Army on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. and the game will be televised regionally and in the state of Virginia on Cox YurView.
Doors will open early for Saturday's game at 2:30 p.m. and fans are invited to the Precarious Pavilion to watch the ending of the Tribe football game at Richmond.
The basketball game will also be available online via
FloHoops. Tribe fans can catch the action on the Tribe Sports Network with Andrew Phillips and Bobby Dwyer on the call. Locally in Williamsburg, fans can listen in on The Tide 92.3 FM.
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
- The Tribe and Army meet for the first time since 1992 when the Black Knights travel to Williamsburg on Saturday. It is West Point's third trip to Williamsburg. W&M and Army faced four-straight seasons between 1988-92, splitting the meeting, 2-2. Saturday is the Tribe's third contest against a Patriot League opponent this season.
- Sophomore
Gabe Dorsey has been on fire of late of late, averaging 15 points per game over the last two contests and shooting 73.3% (11-of-15) from the floor and 66.7% (8-of-12) from 3-point range. He has scored in double figures in three of the Tribe's four games. After scoring a career-high 14 points at Virginia Tech on Sunday, he bettered his mark with a team-high 16 at American. He has been dangerous from 3-point range, shooting 52.2% (12-of-23), which ranks second in the CAA and 55th nationally. He is third in the league in 3-pointers per game (3.0) and his 12 triples rank 26th nationally.
- Junior
Noah Collier has made a significant impact, averaging nearly a double-double at 10.5 points and a team-high 8.5 rebounds per game. The Pitt transfer is shooting 62.1% from the field goal and ranks third in the CAA in rebounding and fourth in blocked shots (1.5). After scoring a career-high 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the opening against Navy, he recently posted his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds at American.
- W&M has enjoyed a strong start from 3-point range, leading the CAA and ranking 11th nationally in 3-point % (46.4). The Green and Gold is fourth in the league and 57th in the country at 9.8 triples made per game. The Tribe's numbers this season are a substantial improvement from the last two seasons (49 games), when W&M shot just 30.1% from distance and made 6.4 per game.
- Graduate student
Anders Nelson enjoyed his best game with the Tribe at Virginia Tech on Sunday. He scored a season-high 25 points, hitting 10-of-15 from the floor, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Nelson has also been a key to the Tribe offense as a facilitator, ranking second in the CAA and 62nd nationally at 5.3 assists per contest.
- W&M ranks among the CAA leaders in a number of offensive categories. The Tribe is second in field goal % (49.1), effective field goal % (57.7) and scoring margin (+9.8), while ranking third in assists (14.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.33). Nationally, W&M is 40th bench scoring (35.6), 53rd in effective FG% and 68th in field goal %.
- The Tribe is averaging just 10.5 turnovers per game this season, which is a significant improvement from a season ago. W&M averaged 16.2 turnovers per game in 2021-22, the sixth-worst mark in the country. This season, the Tribe ranks 46th nationally in turnovers per game and 80th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.44). Point guards
Tyler Rice and
Anders Nelson have led the way. Nelson leads the CAA and ranks 37th nationally in assist to turnover ratio (5.3). Rice is 18th in the league at 3.3 assists per game with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.7.
- The Tribe enjoyed a statistically historic night in its win over Mid-Atlantic Christian on Nov. 10. W&M scored the second-most points in school history (116), won by the fourth-largest margin (76) and the largest since 1943, hit the fifth-most 3-pointers (16), shot the eighth-best 3-point % (61.5) and made the ninth most field goals (39).
- Junior
Ben Wight, who has scored in double figures in 15 of his last 20 games dating back to last season, was recognized by the CAA as a preseason all-league honorable mention selection. Wight led the Tribe at 11.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last season. His 61.6% shooting from the floor ranked third in the CAA and was the six-best mark in W&M history.
- While the Tribe was picked eighth in the preseason CAA poll, national basketball analyst Jeff Goodman of Stadium and the Field of 68 noted W&M as the CAA's sleeper team according to a poll of the CAA coaches. The Tribe had an inflex of 10 new players for 2022-23 in the form of five transfers and five freshmen.
- 2020 graduate Nathan Knight, who was the National Mid-Major Player of the Year in 2020, signed a two-year NBA deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the offseason. He spent his first two seasons on two-way deals with the Atlanta Hawks and the Timberwolves. Knight is the third W&M player, joining Marcus Thornton (Cleveland Cavaliers 10-day contract in 2018) and Daniel Dixon (Boston Celtics preseason Exhibit 10 deal in 2017) to sign an NBA deal since 2017.
- A trio of former W&M players are currently on NBA coaching staffs. Jim Moran '01 is in his second season as an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons, while Sean Sheldon '16 joined the Utah Jazz as an assistant coach this offseason. Daniel Dixon '17 is an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Blue, the NBA G-League program of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
