Rhode Island basketball opens conference play against Saint Joseph's; what you need to know
SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Wednesday night marks the 14th game of the season for the University of Rhode Island men's basketball team.
That’s what the schedule tells us. The Rams host Saint Joseph’s in their Atlantic 10 opener at the Ryan Center. They’ve snapped a five-game losing skid just in time to welcome one of the league’s real hopefuls for an elusive NCAA Tournament berth.
Internally, URI might be performing a bit of a different calculation. David Green, David Fuchs and Josaphat Bilau were all in uniform for Saturday’s victory over Northeastern. It was the first time in 2023-24 the Rams felt something close to whole, and what followed was a needed jolt of confidence over 40 minutes.
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“We’ve pretty much got the whole roster,” Fuchs said. “I think now we can really build and do what we were supposed to do in the first place.”
Green debuted after a blanket federal court ruling granted immediate eligibility to two-time transfers. He collected 15 points off the bench in 21 minutes and played a key role in a defense that forced a season-high 16 turnovers. Fuchs returned with a double-double after three games in concussion protocol and Bilau logged some key minutes in the second half while playing through lingering knee troubles.
That frontcourt combination might have been something URI envisioned while rebuilding its roster over the spring and summer months. Home defeats against Brown and New Hampshire certainly weren’t expected and those two results were rightful sources of frustration for Rams fans entering the afternoon tip with the Huskies. What followed was at least one reason to think that that downward trend could be reversed, a solid 82-71 triumph.
“The amount of minutes they played the other day, it was Game 1,” URI coach Archie Miller said. “I think as we approach conference play, we’re looking at almost kind of a new team — how we can tweak it, how we can play with it.”
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What took place during a 6-7 start — no matter how difficult to endure at times — is done. URI was never likely to be an at-large postseason contender this season. Losses against Northwestern and Washington State at Mohegan Sun and another on the road at Providence scuttled just about any chance to build something resembling a resumé.
The Hawks represent the first of at least 19 opportunities — 18 league games, one more guaranteed at the conference tournament in March — to move forward. The Rams were selected 14th in the preseason standings after a 5-13 finish in Miller’s 2022-23 debut. Bettering that mark would also ensure more wins overall than the nine he banked last season.
“Conference play really brings out a higher level of intensity and concentration,” Miller said. “They know you. You know them. The team that doesn’t beat themselves a lot of times is going to be the team that wins.”
What unfolds over the next three months will also determine the strength of Miller’s recruiting pitch into next offseason. Dan Hurley made a real jump entering his third year on the sideline — a 14-18 team transformed into a conference tournament semifinalist and NIT qualifier in 2014-15. David Cox regressed in 2020-21 after core starters Tyrese Martin and Jacob Toppin elected to transfer, helping to bring an end to his tenure just one short year later.
“I would say, if anything, there’s a much different confidence about our group,” Miller said. “We’re a little different right now than we were three weeks ago.”
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island basketball will open Atlantic 10 schedule vs. St. Joseph's
