The Wabash College Little Giants basketball team will start the toughest three-game regular-season stretch of its season Saturday when it takes on Washington University of St. Louis. As of Dec. 15, 2024, D3hoops.com rankings had the Bears ranked as the number-two team in the country.
WashU boasts an overall record of 9-1, with its only loss coming to Illinois Wesleyan University, the ninth-ranked team in the country. Throughout the Bears’ first 10 games of the season, they have proved to be a potent offensive team by averaging 81.6 points per game. They have also demonstrated how they can lock down their opponents on the defensive end of the floor by holding other teams to score an average of 65.1 points per game. They also tend to play some of the cleanest games in the country, as they only commit an average of 11.7 fouls per game, the lowest average in the country.
The Bears are led in scoring by senior guard Hayden Doyle, who averages 15.8 points per game by shooting just over 54% from the field. Doyle is followed up by two forwards, Drake Kindsvater and Connor May, who average 14.7 and 10.4 points per game, respectively. Kindsvater also leads the team in rebounds with 79 total thus far this season
The Little Giants come into Saturday’s game with an overall record of 7-4 and are riding a six-game winning streak. This Wabash team does not necessarily pride themselves on making tons of shots to outscore opponents to win games, even though Vinny Buccilla and Nate Matelic both average double digits in points per game. Instead, it prides itself on taking care of the basketball and playing physical games. The Little Giants are third in the country in fewest turnovers at 9.0 per contest, and their newly installed zone defense has been a force to be reckoned with.
In the first five games of the season, where Wabash started 1-4, it allowed opponents to score 73.8 points per game and struggled to stop the momentum of other offenses. In their last six games, the Little Giants have only given up 55.2 points per game, and not a single team has scored over 60 points.
WashU will be a formidable opponent, but Head Coach Kyle Brumett’s squad is ready for the challenge. Tipoff is 2 p.m. Saturday at Chadwick Court.
