Game one: Men vs. UDC

The Colonials host the University of the District of Columbia at the Smith Center tonight in their only exhibition game of the season. This will mark the first time the freshmen (Xavier Alexander, Miles Beatty, Jabari Edwards, and Joseph Katuka) and transfer Wynton Witherspoon step on the court in a game situation in front of the home crowd. The Colonials have played poorly in exhibition games over the past two years, beating Augusta State, a Division II team, twice by a combined 16 points.

The D-II Firebirds who visit the Smith Center tonight went 20-9 last season after finishing 1-22 in 2006. UDC returns all five starters: 6-2 senior guard Charlie Smallwood (15.6 points per game), 6-7 senior forward Willie Shaw (14.2 points, 9.4 rebounds), 6-5 senior guard Antwon Hawkins (13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds), 6-2 senior guard Frank Petersen (12.1 points), and 6-5 senior guard Justin Walker (9.7 points). Throw in highly touted 6-5 freshman guard/forward Timothy Ellison, who earned the Edison High School (Springfield, VA) Most Valuable Player award after leading the school to its first regular season district championship since 1970, and the Firebirds have a talented core group of players.

UDC is long and athletic. Throw their experience into the mix, and the Firebirds should be able to keep things interesting for most of tonight's contest.

Ben Toder and Jared Fox have the call for WRGW with Jordan Teller and Max Feinblatt handling production duties. You can listen here starting at 7.10 p.m. Our own Greg Shapiro will join Byron Kerr for the 3WT broadcast. You can listen here starting at 7.20 p.m.

Game notes: GW is 9-0 in exhibition games under Karl Hobbs...Maureece Rice will see the majority of time at the point because of Travis King's injury...UDC travels to Fordham for an exhibition game on Saturday.

Starting lineups and other notes to follow from the Smith Center once we get closer to tip-off. I'll be doing live blogging all night (and all season for the men and women), so please check back later.

Update, 7.06 p.m. - We are about 25 minutes from tip-off, and the turnout on this Halloween night is not impressive (happy Halloween, by the way): the lower level of the student section has no more than 40 people in it, and the opposite side has an even smaller attendance. Hopefully more people show up as we get closer to 7.30. On the other hand, a lot of the individuals here are wearing costumes: I see Jesus, a lady bug, and Cedric Benson at first glance. The starting lineups get posted about 15 minutes before the tip, so check back in 10.

Update, 7.15 p.m. - The team came out for the lay-up line sporting new uniforms and warmups. The warmups are similar to the ones worn by the 2004-2005 team: buff with the shoulders and the stripes on the side being blue. As for the uniforms, they are a much different design. I'll get a picture up here in a moment.

Update, 7.20 p.m. - Here is the Firehawks' starting lineup:

UDC
G - Frank Peterson (6-2 senior from Silver Spring, MD)
G - Charlie Smallwood (6-2 senior from Palmer Park, MD)
G - Antwon Hawkins (6-5 senior from Largo, MD)
F - Willie Shaw (6-7 senior from Alexandria, VA)
C - Don Powell (6-11 senior from St. Elizabeth, Jamaica)

Update, 7.29 p.m. - Here is the Colonials' starting lineup (yes, Damian Hollis is officially listed as a guard):

GW
G - Maureece Rice (6-1 senior from Philadelphia, PA)
G - Noel Wilmore (6-4 junior from Philadelphia, PA)
G - Damian Hollis (6-8 sophomore from Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
F - Cheyenne Moore (6-5 junior from Baltimore, MD)
F - Rob Diggs (6-8 junior from Brandywine, MD)

Update, 7.40 p.m. - Posted pictures of the warmups and uniforms above. The design is only slightly different (it's the stripes and the coloring) on the uniforms from what it was last year. I apologize if the pictures aren't the best, but I did what I could with my digital camera from the media corner. The lower level of the student section is almost full now, while UDC has brought a decent contingent.

Two GW turnovers in the first 75 seconds do not bode well.

Update, 7.54 p.m. - It will be "Reece Rice" this year, as that's how it was announced when he checked back into the game. The Colonials played the first six minutes like a team that expected to step out on the court and blow its opponent out of the water: going only for steals on defense, and sticking to outside shots on offense. UDC is also pounding the paint, as they're in the bonus with more than 12 minutes to play in the first half.

Update, 8.01 p.m. - Witherspoon makes GW a completely different team. He's already beaten the Firebirds down the court for easy baskets a couple of times, one of which was an emphatic dunk that brought the crowd back into the game. He has the athleticism that this Colonials squad lacked last season. The same can be said for Moore.

Out of all the freshmen (Edwards hasn't stepped on the court yet), Katuka has looked the most impressive on both ends of the floor.

Update, 8.25 p.m. - Wilmore looks like a completely different player from what we saw in his first two seasons. On the offensive end, he's into the flow of the offense, setting picks and not forcing any shots. On defense, he's glued to his man and helping out on the trap enough to force pressure but not enough to draw a bad foul. Obviously, an exhibition games doesn't make an entire season, but it'll be interesting to see if Hobbs can get consistent contribution from Wilmore throughout the year.

Update, 8.38 p.m. - Interesting to see seldom used Dominic Green get some playing time toward the end of the first half. As the buzzer sounds, GW trails 28-26 heading into intermission; they should probably be down by more. Rice only had one point in the first half, the team shot 33%, and the Firehawks lead in the rebounding department (only by two, but it was by six late in the half). While GW has forced more turnovers than UDC, the majority of the Colonials' mistakes were unforced. Also, Hobbs' players kept running into one another on the offensive end. There is certainly much to discuss in the locker room in the basement of the Smith Center right now.

Update, 8.55 p.m. - Johnny Lee in for Rice. When this happened last season in non-garbage time situations, it was usually to send a message. A slow and sloppy start to the second half by GW. Moore picking up his fourth foul isn't going to help matters. I'm sorry for the lame sports cliche, but right now it just seems like the Firehawks just want it more.

Update, 9.02 p.m. - If you are wondering why UDC doesn't lead by more, look no further than the free throw line: the Firehawks are 10-23 (43.5%) from the charity stripe. That is unacceptable at any level of basketball.

In other news, feel free to post any questions you might have for Hobbs. If they're appropriate and worthy of inclusion, I'll ask as many as I can in the postgame press conference.

Update, 9.11 p.m. - The first GW lead since 2-0 early in the first half comes with just over 12 minutes to play. Diggs has four fouls, so while this game doesn't count in the standings, it'll be interesting to see how Hobbs handles the bench. Very balanced scoring, as 10 players have recorded baskets for the Colonials and no one is in double figures.

Update, 9.25 p.m. - Rice with a nice basket and the foul with just under 8.30 to play. He took the ball hard to Powell, who is 10 inches taller, and was able to maintain his shot while falling off-balance. Can the Colonials ride the momentum from here on in? Interesting to note that Peter Laplante has just checked into the game.

Update, 9.36 p.m. - After an impressive first half, Witherspoon has taken some questionable shots down the stretch. Alexander has gotten a lot of playing time in the second half. Laplante and Lee also have, though, so who knows if it means anything. Down five with 4.30 to play, you can start to see some desperation on the faces of GW's players. Now Moore and Diggs have fouled out. Things aren't looking good for the Colonials.

Update, 9.43 p.m. - Witherspoon's basket and the foul with 3.26 left cuts the deficit to two. It makes him the first GW player in double figures with 12 points, and it knocks Shaw (18 points, 14 rebounds) out of the game.

Update, 9.48 p.m. - I know this game doesn't actually count, but you have to go back to late January 2005 to find the last time the Colonials lost a contest decided by three points or less. That was the Xavier game at the Smith Center when Stanley Burrell made himself known to all GW fans. Speaking of Xavier, Alexander with the big basket and the foul at the other end cuts the deficit to a single possession. I forgot to mention this earlier, but Regis Koundjia is a guest on the Colonials' bench tonight.

Update, 9.53 p.m. - Well, that should do it: the UDC lead is up to seven with less than a minute to play. This will certainly be a bad loss for GW. With 10 days to go before the regular season opener, it is not going to be fun to be on this team. After the near loss to Augusta State in the 2005 exhibition game, Hobbs had the team practicing and running before dawn for most of the following week. They responded by beating Kennesaw State senseless to open in that regular season opener. Only time will tell.

Update, 9.57 p.m. - What a turn of events, and all thanks to Wilmore: he hits the three to cut the deficit to two at one end, and runs down to draw the charge at the other. Is this his coming out party?

Update, 10.00 p.m. - Wilmore responds by missing both of the free throws on the technical, which was assessed to UDC coach Julius L. Smith, Jr. You have to question putting the ball in Wilmore's hands there; is his confidence crushed after such a productive night? A win could solve everything.

Update, 10.05 p.m. - We're going to overtime. Clutch free throws by Witherspoon and then great team defense on the final possession, specifically by Rice who caused the strip, to cut off UDC's penetration. It only took roughly two and a half hours, but it seems like GW has finally woken up.

Update, 10.18 p.m. - I like Hobbs playing Opoku, Beatty, Alexander, and Katuka down the stretch. The team has already played badly, so would losing ultimately make that much of a difference? Why not give the young guys some late-game minutes? This could end up paying dividends down the road when games actually do count for something. Big three for Rice gets him to double figures (11). That's why he's the leader of this team.

Update, 10.21 p.m. - For the record, all of the GW media on press row thought Alexander traveled on the big basket that put the Colonials back on top with under a minute remaining. Regardless, kudos to the freshman for taking the ball to the hoop in that situation. You have to like what you've seen from the new guys: their contributions might not show up in the box score, but each (minus Edwards, who never played) did something positive tonight.

Update, 10.26 p.m. - The Colonials win 74-71 in overtime. Clutch free throws by Witherspoon and good team defense on both of UDC's final two possessions. I'll be back in a little while with postgame audio.

Update, 11.37 p.m. - You can hear the audio from Hobbs' postgame press conference here. He certainly wasn't pleased with the performance, but there didn't seem to be any sense of panic. The bit about taking the team to the movies is entertaining.

Anyhow, tonight was our first attempt at live blogging. We'll be doing this for all men's and women's contests this season. Thanks for stopping by. We'll be back on Friday for the women's exhibition game. Until then, stay well.