Game Notes & Preview: (23) Providence (7-1) vs. Rhode Island (5-2) 12/5/15

Where: Ryan Center – Kingston, RI

When: 7:00pm EST

How: ESPNU (Kevin Fitzgerald & Tim Welsh)/WEEI 103.7 FM and Friars.com (John Rooke and Joe Hassett)/FriarTV

Game Notes

• Providence and Rhode Island will meet for the 126th time with the Friars leading, 71-54. The Friars and Rams have played 6 games at the Ryan Center, which opened in 2002. Providence’s record in games at the Ryan Center is 2-4 with both wins coming in their last 2 trips down to Kingston. The Rams are 1 of 3 teams that Providence has played more than 100 times in school history. Providence and Rhode Island have played at least once every
• Providence is 144-106 all time against the Atlantic 10 conference. The last game Providence played against a team from the Atlantic 10 was on March 20, 2015 when the Friars were defeated by Dayton, 66-53, in the NCAA Tournament.
• Rhode Island is 5-2 on the season. They have won their last two games, including an 18 point win over Holy Cross on Wednesday night. The Rams are led in scoring by graduate transfer Four McGlynn, who averages 13.3 points/game and is shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc. Junior Kuran Iverson is the leading rebounder, averaging 5.9 rebounds/game. The Rams lost their top returning player in E.C. Matthews when the start guard went down with a torn ACL 10 minutes into the season opener.
• Providence rebounded from their first loss of the season against Michigan State in the championship game of the Wooden Legacy Tournament by defeating Hartford behind Kris Dunn’s second career triple-double. Ben Bentil led the Friars with 21 points on the night — marking his 4th straight game with 20 or more points scored.
• The Friars made their season debut in the top 25 of both polls this week. Providence is ranked 23rd in the AP Poll and 24th in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
• Opening Line: (23) Providence +4 at Rhode Island 12/5/15

Game Preview

Despite Ed Cooley saying this game isn’t a rivalry game to him, Providence vs. Rhode Island certainly is for the fans. The atmosphere at the Ryan Center promises to be rowdy and it will be Providence’s first true road game of the season. Cooley will look to keep his 4-0 record clean against Dan Hurley and the Rams on Saturday night. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU and Tim Welsh will be doing color analysis for the game.

The probable starters according to the game notes and prior box scores are:

Providence

• Kris Dunn – #3 – Junior
• Junior Lomomba – #32 – Junior
• Ryan Fazekas – #35 – Freshman
• Rodney Bullock – #5 – Sophomore
• Ben Bentil – #0 – Sophomore

Rhode Island

• Jarvis Garrett – #1 – Sophomore
• Four McGlynn – #4 – Senior
• Jared Terrell – #32 – Sophomore
• Hassan Martin – #12 – Junior
• Kuran Iverson – #23 – Junior

All rivalry talk aside, this game will really be a matchup of Providence’s offense vs. Rhode Island’s defense. The Friars are top-50 in Offensive Efficiency and the Rams are top-15 in Defensive Efficiency — stats courtesy of Kenpom.com. Rhode Island has struggled to score so the advantage on that end of the floor will be Providence’s. Providence needs to make their offense an advantage to get the win. Four McGlynn is a real shooter for Rhode Island and keeping track of him around the perimeter will be critical for Providence. I expect to see Junior Lomomba draw that assignment from the tip. Kuran Iverson had his first collegiate double-double last time out against Holy Cross with 19 points and 10 boards. The Memphis transfer has been solid for the Rams. I expect Providence to be able to score enough and suffocate Rhode Island’s lackluster offense and get a close road win over the Rams.

Prediction: Providence 64 Rhode Island 59

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Mike Hopkins

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