Game Notes & Preview: Providence (4-1) vs. Boston College (5-1) 11/25/17

Where: Dunkin’ Donuts Center – Providence, RI

When: 8:00pm EST

How: FS1 (Dave Sims & Bill Raftery))/Fox Sports GO (Where Available)/WEEI 103.7 FM and Friars.com (John Rooke and Joe Hassett)/FriarTV

Tickets: SeatGeek

Game Notes

• Providence and Boston College will meet for the 112th time on Saturday. The Eagles are the third most common opponent for Providence behind Rhode Island (127) and Brown (123). The Friars lead the all-time series, 60-51. The first meeting between Providence and Boston College was in 1942. The last time the teams met was December 23, 2016 with Boston College winning, 79-67, on their home floor. Providence won, 66-51, last time the two teams played at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on December 9, 2015.
• Providence is now 96-62 all-time when playing in-season tournaments like the 2K Classic, which includes a 20-8 record under Ed Cooley.
• Boston College is 5-1 this season with their lone loss coming against Texas Tech on a neutral floor at the Hall of Fame Tipoff at Mohegan Sun. They have beaten Maine, South Carolina State, Sacred Heart, LaSalle and Colgate. Boston College is coached by Jim Christian  who is in his 4th season at the helm. The Eagles are led in scoring by junior Jerome Robinson who is averaging 15.3 points/game. They are led in rebounding by graduate student Deontae Hawkins who is averaging 10.0 rebounds/game.
• The Friars beat Belmont, 66-65, in their last time out on Wednesday night at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Providence was saved by the buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Kyron Cartwright. The Friars improved to 4-1 on the season with this win.
• Providence senior guard Kyron Cartwright continues his drive up the all-time assist record list at Providence. Cartwright has 33 assists already through 5 games. He has 483 in his career, which places him 10th all-time at Providence.
• Opening Line: Providence -9 vs. Boston College 11/25/17

Game Preview

Providence and Boston College will meet for the 112th time on Saturday night. The Friars and Eagles both last played games on Wednesday with Providence surviving against Belmont at the buzzer and Boston College recovering from a 14-point halftime deficit against Colgate to earn the victory. The Eagles’ 5-1 start it their best start to a season since 2007-08.

The Eagles are led by guards Jerome Robinson and Ky Bowman. Robinson is the team’s leading scorer at 15.3 points/game and Bowman is right behind him with 14.8 points/game. Boston College has looked improved from a season ago when they put up some fights but fell short. Their only loss was on a neutral court against Texas Tech at Mohegan Sun in the Hall of Fame Tipoff.

Besides Robinson and Bowman, Providence also needs to keep an eye on Jordan Chatman as a shooter and Deontae Hawkins around the basket. The Friars defense will need to be on point in this game, especially against guards. Look for Drew Edwards to see key minutes off the bench to help slow down Bowman and a combination of Isaiah Jackson, Jalen Lindsey and Alpha Diallo being thrown at Robinson.

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

Boston College

• Ky Bowman – #0 – Sophomore
• Jerome Robinson – #1 – Junior
• Jordan Chatman – #25 – Junior
• Deontae Hawkins – #23 – Graduate Student
• Nik Popovic – #21 – Sophomore

The keys to victory for Providence are to slow down Jerome Robinson and be more efficient on offense. Robinson is BC’s leading scorer and they usually go as he goes. Bowman can be dangerous, especially in transition, but this is the junior Robinson’s team. The Friars had a poor shooting night on Wednesday against Belmont and would have lost the game, deservingly so according to Ed Cooley postgame, had it not been for the heroics of Kyron Cartwright. Cartwright needs to have more than 1 assist in this game if Providence is going to avoid a home loss.

Prediction: Providence 76 Boston College 73

Follow me on Twitter @pcbb1917

About Author

Mike Hopkins

See author's posts