With the basketball season rapidly approaching, the world of sports media has made their feelings about Rhode Island basketball clear. This team is expected to be in the middle of the pack in an uber-talented, deep and competitive Atlantic 10.
The Atlantic 10 preseason poll has Rhode Island at 11th out of 15. It also features five different schools getting first-place votes. From a broader perspective, the A-10 is seen as one of the better mid-major conferences this season, with the potential to have three teams in March Madness for the first time since 2018.
So, can head coach Archie Miller and his Rhode Island Rams make progress as a rebuilding program in this competitive A-10?
First, it’s important to remember where this program finished last season. The Rams finished 6-12 in the A-10 after an improbable 3-0 start to conference play. Rhode Island also featured the worst overall record in the A-10, finishing 12-21. They were one of six programs to not reach the 20-win mark. Thus, we will start with that 20-win mark. Can Rhode Island get to that benchmark?
To start the season, Rhode Island will play an easier non-conference schedule this season compared to last. A year ago, the Rams played three Power Six programs and the top two teams in the Ivy League. The Rams went 1-3 in those games without their eventual leading scorer, David Green. Green wasn’t eligible until December, and the Rams snapped a six-game losing streak following his first game and immediately won four straight.
This season, Green will start from the beginning and won’t have to awkwardly fit into a rotation that has already played together for months.
“It was challenging trying to find my footing and be effective within my role with the team,” Green said. “As time went, I grew with it, and I accepted the challenge.”
Unlike last season, the Rams will have their whole roster for the 2024-25 non-conference schedule. A schedule that only features one school from a Power Six conference, Providence College. The rest of the schedule features teams such as Division II Franklin & Pierce and a Division I opponent in Detroit Mercy that went 1-31 last season. Not to mention, the Rams don’t play a true road game until Brown, a game still in the Ocean State.
On top of all these factors, the Rams have already been given a tough test, playing UConn at Mohegan Sun Arena in front of a hostile crowd. The Rams ultimately lost that exhibition but not before playing an impressive first half that saw them lead for a total of four minutes.
The challenge and opportunity to play the two-time defending national champions are things that Coach Miller is grateful his team got to experience.
“Being able to see that crowd, being able to see those lights, and seeing how we function against that caliber of team is probably the best thing we could do right now,” Miller said. “As difficult as they are to prepare for and play against, they just test you in so many different ways and it’s going to do nothing but make us better going forward… we’re thankful to have the opportunity to be here, it’s early but at the same time it’s really beneficial.”
As good as the A-10 will be this season, ranked as the eighth-best conference in mid-major basketball, according to teamrankings.com, UConn will be the best team the Rams play this season. Their first-half success in that game is a good indicator of what’s to come for the Rams, especially considering that they were without starting their point guard, Sebastian Thomas.
Miller expects that the addition of Thomas will allow the offense to play with a greater pace and allow them to fully utilize the other players.
“We have a team I think that can play with great pace and tempo… we’re going to be able to get fouled, we’re going to be able to play in transition,” Miller said. “He [Javonte Brown] is a big piece to what we’re doing, and we got to get better at using him, he’s got to get the ball more.”
Thomas isn’t the only offseason addition expected to be a focal point of the Rams’ offense.
Much has been made about adding the Western Michigan transfer, Javonte Brown. An inside scoring threat paired with Thomas’s play-making prowess illustrates why this Rhode Island roster can be different than the previous two constructed under Miller. Some players already have defined roles and showcased the talent to play at a high level. Thomas has over 300 career assists in 94 games played, Brown averages over 15.5 rebounds per 100 possessions, and fourth-years Jaden House and David Green averaged over 14 points a game last season.
The Rams will also add the experience of Jamarques Lawrence, who made 35 starts in the Big Ten with Nebraska. His experience adds an element that Miller’s previous teams didn’t have, experience in big-time games.
All of this makes one think that it’s certainly possible that Rhode Island can get to that 20-win mark or at least close to it.
The next part of Rhode Island’s expectations might be a little more difficult to accomplish and that would be to finish towards the top of the A-10.
The A-10 features four schools on the MidMajorbBasketball.com preseason Mid-Major Basketball Top 25 Poll, and three different schools received votes in the nation’s most popular polls. It’s also perceived as deep, with five different schools receiving first-place votes, and even some schools that didn’t get first-place votes are viewed as potential contenders.
With the top four to five in this conference seen as locks, Rhode Island is trying to be better than the next six to seven schools. Certain statistical rankings favor Rhode Island from this standpoint. KenPom currently has Rhode Island at No. 122 in the nation and eighth in the A-10. The annual Sports Illustrated preseason rankings placed the Rams at No. 106 in the nation and sixth in the A-10.
With lots of moving parts for these other A-10 programs, one could make the case that the returning Rams core, with a few big additions, could set them up for success. It’ll be the third season under Miller. Historically, Miller’s team took their biggest leap in that third season. It’ll also be the first time at URI that Miller returns his two top scorers from the previous season. Because Miller likes his teams to play at a fast tempo, continuity between those returning players will be extremely important to this team’s success in conference play.
Last season, one of the worst parts of this team was their defense. They finished 261st in the KemPom defensive rankings. The first year of the Miller era was better but still not good defensively, sitting at 165th in that same ranking. This season, the defense has been bolstered by the additions of the Lawrence, Brown, St. John’s transfer Driss Traore, and first-year Tyonne Farrell. The three transfers bring in experience, size, and length that was missing from last year’s roster.
As for the Baltimore native Farrell, he’s shown impressive defensive chops through the Rams summer tour of the Bahamas and the exhibition against UConn. While just a first-year player, Farrell’s 6-foo-t-6 frame and athleticism allow him to hold his own in space and challenge bigger players at the rim. Don’t expect this defense to be great or even good, but if it can be net-neutral, it could really shift the game in favor of their offense.
Considering everything known about this version of Miller’s Rams, it makes sense why a select group of media members and analytical polls see Rhode Island as a competitive Atlantic 10 team. Of course, none of this means anything once action on the hardwood starts, but it’s always interesting to look around and see what others think of Rhode Island and the A-10 Conference.
