Rhode Island (4-3) vs. West Virginia (6-3)
TIPOFF: 1 p.m. Sunday (CBS Sports Network) from Uncasville, Conn.
LINE: WVU favored by 7
KNOW THE FOE: Picked fifth in the 14-team Atlantic 10, the Rams have lost to Providence, College of Charleston and Stony Brook — teams with a combined 24-7 record. … Guard Jeff Dowtin (16.6 pts, 3.9 assists) and forward Cyril Langevine (15.7 pts, 11.3 rebs) are mid-major standouts, and don’t forget about Fatts Russell, a 165-pound guard who scores 12.4 per game. … 6-foot-8 freshman Jermaine Harris (4.7 pts, 3.7 rebs) was a four-star recruit last season who chose URI over West Virginia, Georgetown, Maryland and Tennessee. … After winning 51 games the past two seasons and making consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament, Dan Hurley left for UConn and Rhode Island promoted assistant David Cox.
WVU SKINNY: Esa Ahmad (15.1 pts, 6.0 rebs) and Beetle Bolden (12.4 pas) are the only two starters in double figures, at least until center Sagaba Konate (13.6 pts, 8.0 rebs) begins practicing with enough regularity to reclaim his spot in the starting five. Konate showed out with 16 points, nine boards and seven blocks against Pitt last week but remains day-to-day with knee pain. … Speaking of fluctuation, Lamont West (11.1 pts) is 0-for-9 shooting his past two games, robbing WVU of a much-needed perimeter scorer. Brandon Knapper (4.9 pts) appears to be the clear-cut backup at point guard for now. … Wes Harris (7.3 pts, 4.8 rebs) and Logan Routt (3.3 pts, 3.0 rebs) are frontline pieces, while Andrew Gordon (3.3 pts, 1.8 rebs) remains raw but promising.
ALLAN TAYLOR’S PICK: In the latest NET rankings from the NCAA, the Rams rank 123rd and West Virginia is 100th, so each team must ascend in order to become tournament-worthy. Amid the pinging of slot machines at the Mohegan Sun, take WVU 75-66.