NEWPORT, R.I. (WLNE) — University of Rhode Island basketball fans gathered in Newport on Tuesday night to celebrate a hot start to the season. The Rams, 8-0 for the first time in 77 years, collaborated with Newport Craft Brewing for a fundraising event. “It’s that camaraderie of a program, school, and our town and community,” URI Men’s Basketball Head Coach Archie Miller said. The brewery created two unique beers co-branded with URI Athletics: the Rhody Ruckus Lager and the Rhody Ram IPA. All proceeds went to the university’s NIL program, which helps college athletes profit off their name, image and likeness. “It’s obviously for a great cause moving forward with NIL,” Miller said. “But it’s always fun to be with the people that watch you play.” Fans looked ahead to a big matchup against rival Providence College on Saturday. “We’re gonna keep it going Saturday when we beat Providence,” Ray Degidio said. “Hopefully they just follow in the steps of the football team and just keep going into the playoffs.” Categories: College Sports, Newport, News, Rhode Island, Sports