2K Classic Game Notes & Preview: Providence (1-1) vs Washington (2-0) 11/16/17

Where: Madison Square Garden – New York, NY

When: 9:30pm EST

How: ESPN2 (Jon Sciambi & Sean Farnham)/WatchESPN (Where Available)/WEEI 103.7 FM and Friars.com (John Rooke and Joe Hassett)/FriarTV

Tickets: SeatGeek

Game Notes

• Providence and Washington will meet for the second time ever on Thursday night with the Huskies holding a 1-0 series lead after defeating the Friars on December 19, 1980 at the Industrial Bank Classic in Providence.
• This game is part of the 2017 2K Classic benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project. Providence played Houston Baptist on November 10th and will play Belmont on November 22nd for the campus site portion of the event. Providence, Washington, Virginia Tech and Saint Louis also play in a bracketed tournament at Madison Square Garden on November 16th and 17th.
• Providence is 93-62 all-time when playing in-season tournaments like the 2K Classic, which includes a 17-8 record under Ed Cooley. The Friars have a 60-59 all-time record at Madison Square Garden that includes two NIT Titles (1961 and 1963) and two Big East Titles (1994 and 2014).
• Last time Providence played a non-conference opponent from the Pac-12 was November 27, 2015 when the Friars defeated 11th-ranked Arizona in the semifinals of the Wooden Legacy Tournament.
• Washington is coming off a 9-22 season that ended with the firing of Lorenzo Romar and the hiring of long-time Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins. The Huskies started the season 2-0 with wins over Belmont and Eastern Washington. The Belmont game was part of the 2K Classic. Washington was picked 10th in the preseason Pac-12 media poll, but the Huskies return 66% of their offense and 65% of their rebounding from last year’s team that lost “one-and-done” Markelle Fultz to the NBA.
• The Friars lost to Minnesota, 86-74, in their last time out this on Monday night. The Friars led at halftime and got off to a hot start in the second half but the Golden Gophers, behind a game-high 23 points from Jordan Murphy, proved too much for Providence as they fell to 1-1 on the season.
• Providence senior guard Kyron Cartwright continues his drive up the all-time assist record list at Providence. Cartwright has 19 assists already through 2 games. He has 469 in his career, which places him 11th all-time 7 ahead of Sharaud Curry and 9 behind Geoff McDermott.
• 2K Classic Opening Line: Providence -7 vs. Washington 11/16/17

Game Preview

Providence and Washington face off in the “semifinals” of the 2017 2K Classic on Thursday night with tip scheduled for 9:30pm, though with the other “semifinal” game going off prior to this game the actual start time may be later than planned. The Friars are coming off a dominant win over Houston Baptist last Friday followed by a tough home loss to Minnesota in the Gavitt Tipoff Games on Monday night to start their season 1-1. The Huskies are 2-0 after defeating Belmont in the opener and then handling Eastern Washington on Sunday.

Rodney Bullock has struggled through both of Providence’s games to find a rhythm, something Brendan McGair and I discussed on the latest podcast episode below. Through 2 games, Bullock is averaging 7.5 points/game, 6.0 rebounds/game and 2.5 turnovers/game. He averaged 12.3 field goal attempts/game last season and he’s averaged 6.5 field goal attempts/game this season. Bullock needs to figure things out quick with the loss of Emmitt Holt looming large in the PC frontcourt.

Washington has had big games from freshman Jaylen Nowell, who broke Markelle Fultz’s record of 30 points scored by a freshman in his first game when Nowell put up 32 points on Belmont in the season opener. He scored 25 of those 32 in the second half. The other player with an eye-popping stat-line for Washington is junior big man Noah Dickerson. Dickerson, who fouled out in 19 minutes in game 1, dropped 28 points and grabbed 22 rebounds against Eastern Washington on Sunday. The Friars should also expect to see the quartet of David Crisp, Matisse Thybulle, Nowell and Dickerson for most of the game as that has been the core group through the first two games for Mike Hopkins’ team. The two key reserves that have played the most minutes off the bench are sophomore Carlos Johnson and junior Dominic Green.

Hopkins brought that Syracuse 2-3 zone with him to Spokane and he’s using it on almost every defensive possession — 88.3% of defensive possessions to be exact. The Friars haven’t seen much zone from Houston Baptist or Minnesota, so this will be a test of their zone offense. It could also mean a slow start for the Friars as they feel out how to attack Washington’s 2-3. Also look for Providence to get out in transition to try to score before the Huskies can get back and settle into the zone.

Give a listen to the latest episode of the podcast that includes a preview of this game:

The probable starters according to the game notes are:

Providence

• Kyron Cartwright – #24 – Senior
• Alpha Diallo – #11 – Sophomore
• Isaiah Jackson – #44 – Junior
• Rodney Bullock – #5 – Senior
• Kalif Young – #13 – Sophomore

Washington

• David Crisp – #1 – Junior
• Jaylen Nowell – #5 – Freshman
• Matisse Thybulle – #4 – Junior
• Noah Dickerson– #15 – Junior
• Sam Timmins – #33 – Sophomore

The keys to victory for Providence are to attack Washington’s defense by getting the ball into the middle of the zone and hitting outside shots after ball movement. The Friars also need keep the Huskies off the free throw line as they’ve scored 30.9% of their points so far this season at the charity stripe. That ranks as the 16th highest percentage of points coming from the foul line in the country. Providence will need to contain Nowell and Dickerson while also getting Bullock going and getting increased contributions from the likes of Jalen Lindsey, Alpha Diallo and Isaiah Jackson.

Prediction: Providence 78 Washington 72

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Mike Hopkins

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