W&M News and Notes
- While UNCW leads the all-time series at 47-32, W&M has won 13 of the last 20 meetings between the teams. Last season, the Tribe took the Seahawks to overtime in Wilmington, before falling 80-73.
- Saturday's game at UNCW is the first of a three-games-in-six-days road trip for the Tribe. W&M is one of only four CAA teams with a three-game road trip in league play this season and the only program that must do it in a six-day stretch.
- In short order, sophomore
Gabe Dorsey has established himself as one of the top shooters in the country. He ranks 16th nationally in 3-point % (45.2), 27th in 3's per game (3.1) and 37th in effective FG% (63.7). He leads the CAA in 3-point % and is second in triples per game. He has been even better in league play, hitting at a 53.3% clip and making four per game. Dorsey set a career-high with seven 3-pointers against Hofstra, which ranked seventh on W&M's single-season list.
- In CAA play, the Tribe leads the league in 3-point % defense, limiting opponents to 26.8% (22-of-82) and just 5.5 per game. The defense is an improvement from the non-conference season when Tribe opponents shot 36% (100-of-278) from 3 and averaged 7.7 triples per game.
- The Tribe shot 58.7% from the field in its win over Hampton on Wednesday night. It marked the program's best shooting effort vs. D1 opponent since Jan. 2, 2020 when it shot 62.5% in a win at Hofstra. W&M's 81 points vs. Hampton were also its most against a D1 opponent this season.
- W&M leads the CAA and 56th nationally in 3-point % (37.1). The Tribe is averaging 7.5 triples made per game. In CAA play, W&M has been better, shooting 40.7% from 3 and averaging 8.3 triples 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.
- Junior
Noah Collier nearly averages a double-double on the season at 9.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. He owns five double-doubles on the year, which leads the CAA and 47th nationally. He posted a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double in the win over Hampton. Collier's numbers have increased in CAA play to 10.3 points per game and a league-best 9.7 rebounds per contest. Overall, he is third in the CAA and 50th nationally in rebounding.
- In CAA play, four W&M players are scoring in double figures. Dorsey has been the Tribe's top CAA scorer at 14 points per game, which ranks 12th in the league. Nelson is averaging 11.8 points per game followed by Collier (10.3) and junior
Ben Wight (10.0).
- The Tribe bench has started to come on strong in league action. W&M has outscored its opponents off the bench in four of the last five games, including three of its four in CAA contests. The Tribe held an 18-2 advantage in its most recent win over Hampton. Sophomore
Matteus Case is leading the charge, averaging six points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game over the last six games, while freshman
Chase Lowe checks in at nearly six points and four rebounds during that stretch.
- The Tribe has dominated the boards in the last two games, outrebounding its last two foes by 15 per game. W&M outrebounded Hofstra by 13 (45-32) and Hampton by 17 (38-21). Collier has 22 rebounds over the last two games with double-digit efforts in both contests. On the year, the Tribe ranks fifth in the CAA in rebounding margin (+2.9) and third in offensive rebounding. The Tribe's 12.1 offensive rebounds per game are its most since 2006 and rank 57th nationally.
- W&M is averaging just 12 turnovers per game in 2022-23, which is a significant improvement from a season ago. The Green and Gold averaged 16.2 turnovers per game in 2021-22, the sixth-worst mark in the country. The Tribe ranks 90th nationally in fewest turnovers per game. After not having a single game of 10 or fewer turnovers last season, W&M has seven such games this season.
- Graduate guard
Anders Nelson has been a catalyst for W&M's offense. He leads the CAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2) and ranks second in assists (4.7). He ranks 91st and 63rd nationally in those categories, respectively. Nelson is 12th in the country in assist rate (36.6), 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.
- 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.
