2026-27 Monmouth Men's Basketball Gameday Preview: Game Two
 
Monmouth Hawks (0-1, 0-0 CAA) vs Rhode Island Rams (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
Saturday, November 7, 2026 – 4:00 p.m.
Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT
 
To see the complete set of Monmouth Game Notes, in a PDF form click here. 
 
Watch
Live: NESN
Play-by-Play: Tyler Davey
Analyst: Jess Todd

Listen
Live: Monmouth Digital Network
Play-by-Play: Joe Vasile
Analyst: Steve Bazaz

Quick Bullets

• It's a neutral site match-up as the Hawks take on Rhode Island. Monmouth went 3-2 last year in neutral site contests.
• Monmouth won the second half in it's opener 34-33, but ultimately fell 78-63 at No. 13 St. John's on Monday night.
• Three Hawks scored in double figures at St. John's. Jakai Sanders led the group with 17 points in his Monmouth debut.
• Monmouth blocked five shots in the opener. Last year the Hawks blocked five or more shots in 14 games.
• The Hawks hit eight three-pointers in the opener. Jakai Sanders led the efforts with four.
• Duane Woodward, a Rhode Island assistant, was on King Rice's staff from 2014-2018.
• Five Hawks made their Monmouth debuts on Monday night at St. John's.

A Monmouth win would...

• Give the Hawks their first ever win over Rhode Island in two tries. It would also give the Hawks their first win of the 2026-27 season. 

More Info on the All-Time Series

• This will be the second meeting all-time between the Hawks and Rams and the first since 2008. Rhode Island claimed an 85-62 win in West Long Branch that season. 

Last Time They Met...

• When the two schools met in the 2008, Rhode Island jumped out to a 48-30 at the break and claimed an 85-62 win. Travis Taylor led the Hawks with 14 points in that contest.

Welcome to the Block Party

• The Hawks recorded five blocks in the season opener at St. John's. Stefanos Spartalis led the Hawks with two rejections.
• The Hawks recorded at least five blocks in 14 contests last season and went 7-7 in those contests. 

Nice to See You Again

• The Hawks will see a familiar face when they look over to the Rhode Island bench. Duane Woodward, who is in his fifth season at Rhode Island, served as an assistant coach for King Rice and Monmouth from the 2014-15 season to the 2017-18 season. Woodward, who worked with the guards, was responsible for guiding Micah Seaborn, who was named the MAAC Rookie of the Year.

Pack Your Bags

• The Hawks are opening the season with six straight games away from home. Monmouth will log 2,983 miles round trip. It would be approximately 24,003 laps around the track at the Hackensack Meridian Athletic Center.
• The Hawks shortest trip in this opening trip will be the Princeton (app. 40 miles). The longest trip will be to Wake Forest (app. 553 miles).

Next Up

• The Hawks are back in action when they head to Quinnipiac on Thursday, Nov. 12 for a 7 pm tip.