WASHINGTON — George Washington men’s basketball coach Maurice Joseph said that you want to be playing your best basketball in the final third of the season. His Colonials team might be doing just that, winning four of their last six to end the season heading into the A-10 Tournament in their own backyard this week.
Unfortunately, the late-season spurt wasn’t enough to avoid Wednesday’s play-in game, but at least the Colonials draw a Fordham team they dispatched by 16 points just five days ago.
In his first full season after having the interim tag removed from his name, Joseph knew it would take some time to get his team to believe in what he was preaching. He relied heavily this year on senior forward Yuta Watanabe, and it paid off. Watanabe is stepping up his game, clearing 20 points in four of his last five games, including a career-high 31 in that senior night win over Fordham.
During the second half of the conference season, the Colonials began playing with a ton of confidence and putting together very good stretches of basketball. Over a five-game stretch in the middle of February, the Colonials posted four wins and averaged over 82 points per game. They got contributions from a number of different players, including guard Terry Nolan Jr., who was named A-10 Co-Rookie of the week after averaging 15 points a game over a two-game stretch. He also scored 18 points in a big win over VCU.
In a blowout win over Richmond last week, George Washington shot over 72 percent in the first half and ended up scoring 103 points while dishing out 30 assists.
Sophomore forward Arnaldo Toro has shown signs of greatness in the second half of the season as well, averaging nearly a double-double in February.
George Washington doesn’t have the easiest road to the dance, as the Colonials will need to win five games in five days, including against well-rested Saint Louis and Davidson teams they haven’t beaten yet this year. But anything can happen in conference tournaments, and usually does.
Can the Colonials catch fire and put together a memorable week in their own backyard? If so, they’ll join their counterparts as upset NCAA bids.
