No. 22 Tiger Men's Basketball plays against Washington & Lee and the University of Chicago in the Leslie Robinson Holiday Classic hosted by Trinity University.
The Tigers (9-0) defeated Austin College and the University of Dallas in a pair of blowouts. The Tigers outscored their opponents 176-106 on the weekend. Freshman
Christian Green (San Antonio, Texas / Veterans Memorial) led the Tigers with 22 points against Dallas and
Jacob Harvey (Huffman, Texas / Hargrave) dropped 13 points against Austin College. All in all, the Tigers shot 47.1% (65-138) from the field across the two games.
Preview - Leslie Robinson Holiday Classic
The Tigers will open the Leslie Robinson Holiday Classic against Washington & Lee on Wednesday, December 20th at 2:00 PM, and then they will match up against the University of Chicago on December 21st at 7:00 PM.
On the Washington & Lee Generals: The Generals hold a 5-2 (1-1 ODAC) record this season. The Generals dropped their two games against Bridgewater and Maryville (Tenn.). This will be the first game for the Generals since December 2nd, so there might be some rust to knock off for the squad from Virginia. The Generals offense is carried by senior forward Robert DiSibio. DiSibio is averaging a staggering 27.1 points per game, which is ranked second in the country. The Generals will lean heavily on him offensively to claim victory. All time, the Tigers are 0-1 against the Generals after dropping their 2019 matchup 71-88.
On the Chicago Maroons: Chicago is 7-2 so far this season. Chicago dropped back-to-back games early in the season but have won four straight coming into their game against the Tigers. Before playing in Calgaard Gym, Chicago will play in Georgetown against Southwestern on Tuesday, December 19th. Chicago is led by a duo of sophomore guards that average over 13 points per game. As a team, Chicago is efficient. The Maroons are averaging 76 points per game on 47 percent shooting from the field and nearly 40 percent from three. The Tigers are 2-4 against Chicago all time and have dropped three straight.
Keys To The Game
Green vs DiSibio: With DiSibio drawing major attention with his high scoring and large frame, the Tigers could look to
Christian Green to guard him in a man-to-man situation. Vice versa, Green has been dominant all year, so naturally, you think Generals Head Coach Chris McHugh will want his best player to guard him. Both forwards are athletic and can turn a game around in an instant. Keep an eye on this matchup come game time.
Crashing The Boards: The Tigers only hold a 3.2 rebound margin over opponents this season. In their games against Dallas and Austin, the Tigers allowed 30 total offensive rebounds. Washington & Lee hold the third-best rebound margin in the country and Chicago is averaging 35.6 rebounds per game. For the Tigers to be even more successful, they will need all five players to box out and crash the boards so they can get out and run the offense.
Looking Ahead - D3hoops.com Classic
The Tigers will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada to take on Clark University and Pomona-Pitzer on December 28th and 29th.
