W&M News and Notes
- W&M and ODU meet for the 50th-straight season dating back to 1974. The Monarchs lead the all-time series at 70-23, but the Tribe has won seven of the last 11 meetings.
- In its win over Richmond, the Tribe closed strong with big plays down the stretch. W&M trailed, 55-49, with 4:22 left, but outscored the Spiders, 9-2, the rest of the way in picking up the win on
Ben Wight's tip-in with 28.3 seconds left. Wight (4) and junior
Noah Collier (5) scored the Tribe's final nine points. Graduate student
Chris Mullins came up with a big defensive stop in the final seconds, forcing 6-7 wing Tyler Burton into a fade-away baseline jumper.
- In its last three wins, the Tribe has turned in strong defensive performances. W&M held Richmond (58) and Radford (51) to fewer than 60 points and held a top-50 scoring offense in Army to just 67 points. Over those three wins, Tribe opponents scores just 58.3 points per game, while shooting 41.2% from the field and 31.3% from 3. W&M ranks fourth in the CAA in scoring defense (68.8).
- In short order, sophomore
Gabe Dorsey has established himself as one of the top shooters in the country. He ranks 21st nationally in 3-point % (48.3) and 26th in 3-pointers made per game (3.2). He has connected on at least two 3-pointers in each game, including a career-high five in the win over Richmond. Dorsey scored a career-high 16 at American and ranks 24th in the CAA in scoring (10.9).
- Rebounding, especially on the offensive end, has been a focus for the Tribe. In its four wins, W&M outrebounded its opponents. Overall, the Tribe ranks third in the CAA in rebounding margin (+3.6) and fifth in offensive rebounds per game. The Tribe's 11.6 offensive rebounds per game are its most since 2006 (12.1).
- Junior
Ben Wight, who was named preseason All-CAA, has been a force for the Tribe this season. He enjoyed a career night at Pitt, scoring a career-best 24 points and pulling down 11 rebounds for his fifth career double-double and his third 20-point, 10-rebound double-double. He also tipped in the game-winner against Richmond with just 28.3 seconds remaining. After leading the Tribe at 11.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last season, he ranks 21st in the CAA in scoring (11.6) and 17th in rebounding (5.3).
- W&M has enjoyed a strong start from 3-point range, leading the CAA and ranking 16th nationally in 3-point % (40.0). The Tribe is averaging 7.8 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 assists per game (5.4) and ranks second in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.3). He ranks 33rd nationally in assists and 32nd 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 seventh in the country in assist rate (43.1), 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.
- Junior
Noah Collier has made a significant impact in his first season at W&M, averaging 9.3 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game. The Pitt transfer is shooting 53.8% from the field and ranks third in the CAA in rebounding and sixth in blocked shots (1.2). 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 11.9 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 79th nationally in fewest turnovers per game.
- 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.
