Wednesday’s game features two of the top defenses in the A-10 and two of only four schools in the country (Stephen F. Austin, Little Rock) to rank in the top-50 nationally in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense, 3-point percentage defense and steals per game.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

GW enters Wednesday having held consecutive opponents to 53 points or fewer for the first time since December 22-23, 2014. Last week’s performances marked the first time in the shot clock era (since 1985-86) that GW limited back-to-back A-10 opponents to 53 points or fewer. The last time it occurred in league play was Feb. 13 and 20, 1982 at Rutgers and West Virginia in the Eastern 8.

The GW Revs are currently among the nation’s top-50 in steals per game (9.2, 24th), 3-point defense (.301, 32nd), field goal defense (.407, 46th) and scoring defense (66.8, 50th). Last year, GW yielded 77.3 ppg, ranking 14th in the A-10 and 310th in the NCAA. Per KenPom, GW ranks 71st in adjusted defensive efficiency, its highest mark since 2014-15. The Buff & Blue are 34th nationally in effective field goal defense, the best for the program since 1997-98.

CASTRO CONTINUES TO ROLL

The New Jersey native leads the A-10 with 10 double-doubles, the most for a GW player since Tyler Cavanaugh had 12 in 2016-17. He is just the fourth GW player to record 10 or more double-doubles in the same season in the last 20 years, joining Tyler Cavanaugh (2015-16 and 2016-17), Kevin Larsen (2015-16) and Isaiah Armwood (2013-14).

In league games, Castro paces the circuit in field goal percentage, total rebounding and offensive rebounding (3.9) while ranking 11th in scoring. He is the only player in the league to rank in the top 11 in both scoring and rebounding. He’s also the only player in the top-25 of the A-10 in scoring to do so without making a 3-point basket.

WEIRD WAYS TO WIN

GW turned the ball over a season-high 20 times on Sunday at St. Bonaventure, yet won the game by double digits. It marked GW’s first double-digit victory with 20+ turnovers since Dec. 5, 2020 vs. Coppin State, first time doing so on the road since Nov. 17, 2009 at Boston University and the first time against an A-10 foe since March 8, 2007 vs. Saint Joseph’s.

Sunday was also the third time in GW’s five A-10 victories that the Buff & Blue shot below 25% from beyond the arc (5-of-21, 23.8%), yet still won the game. Prior to this season, GW had been 3-30 in the last eight campaigns when shooting 25% or worse from beyond the arc in A-10 games.

HISTORY VS. VCU

Wednesday marks the 23rd meeting between George Washington and VCU with the Rams holding an 18-4 edge in the series, including a 7-2 mark at the Smith Center. GW won last year’s meeting in Richmond, 84-82, thanks to a James Bishop IV basket in the final seconds. GW shot 81% (17/21) from the floor in the second half to pull out the win.

GW has dropped three straight home meetings with the Rams and is looking for its first win on its own court since an 80-56 thrashing on Feb. 17, 2018. GW has never defeated VCU on back-to-back occasions, which it is looking to do with a win on Wednesday.

A LOOK AT THE RAMS

Entering the season as the preseason A-10 favorite, VCU has stormed to a 9-2 conference mark and a 19-5 record overall. The Rams are the top team in the A-10 in both the NET (37th) and KenPom (33rd). VCU has won three in a row to start February, most recently coming from behind to win at Dayton, 73-68, on Friday.

The Rams are led by Joe Bamisile, who played at GW in 2021-22 and was a Third Team All-Conference selection while averaging 16.3 ppg. This year, Bamisile, who has also spent a year at Virginia Tech and Oklahoma, is posting a team-high 15.8 ppg. Preseason First Team All-A-10 selection Max Shulga chips in 15.3 ppg and 5.9 rpg while shooting a team-best 39.7% from deep.

Like GW, VCU ranks in the top-50 nationally in scoring defense (11th), field goal defense (14th), 3-point defense (41st) and steals per game (43rd). The Rams are 10th in the country in effective field goal defense, 11th in 2-point defense and 22nd in adjusted defensive efficiency.