After a very successful nonconference campaign, the 8-3 URI Rams begin their Atlantic 10 season on December 30th vs a much improved George Mason team at the Ryan Center. The game is at 4:00pm, and can be seen on Yurview New England, Channel 4 or 1004, for customers of Cox Communications.
Not a Cox customer? Don’t despair; YurView will stream the game live at this link.
Rhody will have a target on its back, after winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament last March in Pittsburgh and being the clear favorite entering this season. Through the first two months of the 2017-18 season, Rhody has done nothing to change the belief that they are the cream of the A-10 crop. And head coach Dan Hurley knows it.
Dan Hurley on entering #A10MBB play — ‘We’ve got a big target on us. For the next 18 games, we’re going to get everybody’s best shot.’ #URI #Rams
— Bill Koch (@BillKoch25) December 28, 2017
The Rams went 8-3 in November and December, playing only one opponent with a losing record. For a team with postseason aspirations again, beating Seton Hall in the NIT Season Tip-Off was critical; not only did they get a win against a now-Top 25 team, but they advanced to play now-Top 10 Virginia which boosted their RPI.
They also took care of business at home, winning all seven games played in Kingston, which is where they’ll play their first two conference games. So far this season, the Ryan Center crowd has been a huge boon to the Rams, and they’ve been energized by it on numerous occasions. There’s no denying the impact it can have, as anybody in the building for the Providence game can attest to.
Thanks again to our Rhody fans and students for bringing it tonite! We don’t win that game without you. We need you there-like that-every time we play @TheRyanCenter See you on Thursday!!!
— Dan Hurley (@dhurley15) December 17, 2017
For as well as the nonconference slate has gone, now comes the most important part of the basketball season, conference play. Every game from now will impact the standings, and a quick losing streak can dash the hopes of any team and have them playing catch up for the next two months. This is no time to get complacent, and Hurley doesn’t seem like the type to let his players lose focus. After all the program building he’s done, this is the type of team many envisioned and hoped for when he took over. Hurley and his coaches have recruited and developed talent, won an A-10 Tournament Title and NCAA Tournament game, and now the Rams are in an envious spot heading into conference play. All that’s left to do is win, or more accurately, continue winning.
