W&M News and Notes
- Richmond is the Tribe's most played rivalry at 201 games with the Spiders holding a slim 103-98. The teams have not met since 2014 which is the longest gap in a series that dates back to 1912. W&M holds a 59-32 advantage in games in Williamsburg. UR has won five in a row dating back to the Tribe's 78-71 win in Kaplan Arena in 2009.
- In short order, sophomore
Gabe Dorsey has established himself as one of the top shooters in the country. He ranks 20th nationally in 3-point % (50.0) and 43rd in 3-pointers made per game (3.0). He has connected on at least two 3-pointers in each game and over the last five games is shooting 54.1% (20-of-37) from 3. Dorsey scored 14 points at Virginia Tech, before tallying a career-high 16 at American.
- Rebounding, especially on the offensive end, has been a focus for the Tribe. In its three wins, W&M outrebounded its opponents. Overall, the Tribe ranks second in the CAA in rebounding margin (+3.6) and offensive rebounds per game (12.3), while coming in fourth in rebounds overall at 36.3. The Tribe's 12.3 offensive rebounds per game are its most since 2004 (12.8) and rank 79th nationally.
- Junior
Ben Wight enjoyed a career night at Pitt, scoring a career-best 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting. He added 11 rebounds for his fifth career double-double and his third 20-point, 10-rebound double-double. He has a pair of 20-point games this season adding 21 points in a win over Army. Prior to the season, Wight was recognized by the CAA as a preseason all-league honorable mention selection. After leading the Tribe at 11.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last season, he ranks 23rd in the CAA in scoring and 15th in rebounding.
- W&M has enjoyed a strong start from 3-point range, leading the CAA and ranking 24th nationally in 3-point % (39.6). The Tribe is averaging 7.6 triples made per game. The Tribe's numbers this season are a substantial improvement from the last two seasons, when W&M shot just 30.1% from distance and made 6.4 per game.
- Graduate student
Anders Nelson moved into the starting lineup at the point guard position in the win over Army and has been a catalyst for the Tribe offense. He leads the CAA in both assists per game (5.4) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.9). He ranks 41st nationally in assists and 19th in A/T ratio. Nelson enjoyed his best game with the Tribe at Virginia Tech, scoring 25 points and dishing out six assists. He ranks fourth in the country in assist rate (44.3), according to KenPom.com. Assist rate divides the number of assists by the field goals made by the player's teammates while he is on the court.
- In the win over Radford, the Tribe turned in its best defensive performance of the season, limiting the Highlanders to just 51 points, 40% from the floor and 3-of-17 from 3 (17.6%). The 51 points marks the best scoring defensive performance for the Tribe against a Division I opponent since 2020.
- Junior
Noah Collier has made a significant impact in his first season at W&M, averaging 9.3 points and a team-high 7.6 rebounds per game. The Pitt transfer is shooting 52.5% from the field and ranks fourth in the CAA in rebounding and fifth in blocked shots (1.3). After scoring a career-high 17 points in the opener against Navy, he posted his first two double-doubles with 13 points and 11 rebounds at American and 12 points and 11 rebounds at NC State.
- The Tribe is averaging just 11.6 turnovers per game in 2022-23, 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. The Tribe ranks 65th nationally in fewest turnovers per game.
- In its win over Army, the Tribe got the free throw line, hitting 28-of-39 at the charity stripe, including 20-of-29 in the second half. It marked the most made free throws and attempts since 2020. On the year, the Tribe ranks 76th nationally, making 14.6 free throws per game. Individually, graduate student
Chris Mullins ranks 75th nationally in free throws made (32). According to KenPom.com, he leads the country in free throw rate (125.0), which measures a player's ability to get the line relative to how often he attempts to score.
- 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 influx of 10 new players for 2022-23 in the form of five transfers and five freshmen.
- Four former Tribe standouts are in the NBA as either a player or a coach. 2020 graduate Nathan Knight, who was the National Mid-Major Player of the Year in 2020, signed a two-year deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the offseason. He spent last season with the Timberwolves after playing his rookie season with the Atlanta Hawks. 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. Another nine former Tribe players are currently playing professionally in Europe.
