Game Notes & Preview: (11) Providence (18-5, 6-4) vs (3) Villanova (19-3, 9-1) 2/6/16

Where: Dunkin’ Donuts Center – Providence, RI

When: 2:30pm EST

How: FS1 (Gus Johnson & Tarik Turner)/WEEI 103.7 FM and Friars.com (John Rooke and Joe Hassett)/FriarTV

Game Notes

• Providence and Villanova will meet for the 96th time on Saturday with the Wildcats leading the series, 57-38. Providence is 24-18 in games played at home. The Friars snapped Villanova’s 22 game Big East winning streak earlier this season when they defeated the Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center in overtime. Providence is looking for two wins over Villanova in the same season for the first time since 2004.
• Villanova is 19-3 (9-1) on the season. The Wildcats are led by Jay Wright, who is in his 15th season at the helm of the Villanova and is the longest tenured head coach in the Big East. The Wildcats have swept Creighton and Seton Hall and have also beaten Butler, Georgetown, Marquette, St. John’s and Xavier. The Wildcats are led in scoring by junior Josh Hart, who averages 15.5 points/game. Senior Daniel Ochefu is the leading rebounder, averaging 8.3 rebounds/game.
• The Friars fell back out of the top 10 in both polls this week after a 1-1 week with the loss being at home against Xavier and the win being on the road at Georgetown. This is the first time Providence has been ranked in the AP Poll for 10 straight weeks since the 1977-78 season.
• Kris Dunn is closing in on some career milestones. Dunn went over the 1,000 point mark last Saturday against Georgetown on a spectacular finish at the rim. His 1,034 career points ranks t-44th all-time at Providence. Dunn also has 491 assists (5th all-time), 435 rebounds and 192 steals (6th all-time). Should Dunn get to the 1,000 points, 500 assists and 200 steals club, he would become the only player in school history to have accomplished all of those feats. 500 rebounds is also within his grasp. Dunn would have to average 8.1 rebounds/game over the final 8 games to do it in the regular season.
• Opening Line: (11) Providence +5 vs (3) Villanova 2/6/16

Game Preview

Villanova has maintained their position at the top of the Big East standings by winning their last two games after dropping their first league game in 23 tries to this Providence team in Philadelphia on January 24th. This Providence team may not be an accurate statement because Ben Bentil’s status for Saturday’s game is up in the air due to the ankle injury he suffered on Tuesday in Providence’s loss at DePaul. Bentil went for 31 points and 13 rebounds last time these teams met, so it goes without saying that not having Bentil in the lineup would make a massive difference in the outcome against the #3 team in the nation. Villanova’s Daniel Ochefu has been listed as doubtful for this game as he recovers from  concussion suffered in practice on January 29th. Villanova managed to still win and play well without Ochefu in their last two outings. Providence only was without Bentil for 26 of the 40 minutes on Tuesday and they fell against a team with only 1 league win entering that game. Benti is a much bigger loss for Providence than Ochefu is for Villanova.

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

Providence

• Kyron Cartwright – #24 – Sophomore
• Kris Dunn – #3 – Junior
• Junior Lomomba – #32 – Junior
• Rodney Bullock – #5 – Sophomore
• Ben Bentil – #0 – Sophomore

Villanova

• Jalen Brunson  – #1 – Freshman
• Ryan Arcidiacono- #15 – Senior
• Josh Hart – #3 – Junior
• Kris Jenkins – #2 – Junior
• Darryl Reynolds – #45 – Junior

Both teams defend the 3-ball well and also have less than stellar conversion rates on the offensive end from behind that 3-point line. Villanova actually made 1 more 3-pointer than Providence in the last meeting but they shot 29% against Providence’s 36.4%. The Friars have to be cautious not to settle for jumpers in this game, but getting some designed looks for freshman Ryan Fazekas early in the first half could go a long way towards impacting Villanova’s defensive focus and may alleviate some pressure from Kris Dunn’s shoulders. The crowd is expected to be raucous even for an afternoon tip and they could be a factor if this game is close down the stretch.

Prediction: Providence 67 Villanova 69

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Mike Hopkins

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