THE BASICS
No. 10 Rhode Island (18-12) vs. No. 15 Fordham (11-20)
Tip-Off: Wednesday, March 12, 2:00 p.m. EST
Coverage: Watch: USA Network | Listen: Varsity Network | Live Stats | Game Notes

RHODE ISLAND VS. FORDHAM - SERIES NOTES

• Rhode Island and Fordham are meeting for the 77th time overall, with Rhody holding a 43-33 lead all time.
• This will be the second time the schools meet in the Atlantic 10 Championship. 
• In 2007, Rhode Island defeated Fordham 73-69 at the league tournament when URI was the No. 4 seed and Fordham was the No. 5 seed.
• It was will be the second game in four days between Rhode Island and Fordham. The teams played each other in the regular-season finale for both sides on Saturday, with Rhode Island winning 86-67.
• URI's Sebastian Thomas had 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the win, while Jaden House added 19 points. Jackie Johnson III led Fordham with 19 points.
• This will be the third meeting overall this season. Fordham won 80-79 on Feb. 2 when Matt Zona scored on a putback of a Japhet Medor missed layup with two seconds to go. 
• In the first meeting, Johnson had a game-high 25 points for Fordham, while Thomas led Rhode Island with 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
• For Rhode Island, Wednesday will be the fifth time in program history it will end the regular season against the same team it faces in its first game of the A-10 tournament. 
• The most recent time was in 2007-08. That year, URI lost to Charlotte 74-64 in the regular-season finale and then again 75-73 at the conference tournament four days later.
• In 2002-03, Rhody beat Duquesne in both the regular-season finale and the opening round.
• Rhode Island and George Washington turned the trick in back-to-back seasons, meeting to end the regular season and open the league tournament in both 1993 and 1994. Rhody won three of the four games in the sequence, with GW winning in the 1993 tournament.
• The winner of Wednesday's game will face George Washington in the second round Thursday at 5 p.m.

USA NETWORK TO CARRY THE GAME 

• The opening round of the Atlantic 10 Championship will be aired on the USA Network.
• Calling play-by-play for the Rhode Island-Fordham game will be Jac Collinsworth, with Dr. John Giannini as the color analyst. Kim Adams will be the sideline reporter.
• USA Network also would carry the second game, should Rhody advance.
• Steve McDonald and Chris DiSano will have the audio call on the Varsity Network.
• The Rams have reached the semifinals 15 times and have been to the championship game seven times.

RHODE ISLAND AT THE ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONSHIP 

• Rhode Island is 30-38 all time at the Atlantic 10 Championship.
• The Rams have reached the semifinals 15 times and have been to the championship game seven times.
• Rhody won the tournament twice, winning the title in 1999 and again in 2017.
• URI has lost its opening game each of the last three seasons.
• The Rams are 1-4 at A-10s since the 2020 tournament was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• From 2017-19 URI was a combined 7-2 at the tournament, winning multiple games in all three years. 
• Rhody made back-to-back finals appearances in 2017 and 2018.