Where: Dunkin’ Donuts Center – Providence, RI
When: 4:30pm EST
How: FSN (John Fanta & Andy Katz)/Fox Sports GO (Where Available)/WPRO 99.7 FM & 630AM, TuneIn and Friars.com (John Rooke and Joe Hassett)/FriarTV
Game Notes
- Providence and NJIT will meet for the 3rd time ever on Saturday. The Friars hold the advantage in the all-time series, 2-0, with both previous contests played at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The last time these two teams squared off was November 23, 2015 with the Friars beating the Highlanders, 83-76.
- Providence is 61-4 all-time in non-conference home games under Ed Cooley.
- NJIT is coming off a 22-13 (8-8) season that ended with a loss to Hampton in the CIT. Their best win a season ago was in their season opener against Colgate. The Highlanders opened the 2019-20 season against the Raiders, but this time they fell, 80-75. The Highlanders return leading scorer Zach Cooks but lost their 2nd and 3rd leading scorers.
- Providence won their season opener against Sacred Heart in very convincing fashion, 106-60, on Tuesday night behind a double-double from Alpha Diallo (19 pts, 14 rbs) and double figure scoring from 6 other Friars.
- Providence was picked 4th in the preseason Big East Coaches’ Poll. Senior Alpha Diallo was named to the Preseason First Team All-Big East for the second straight season. Diallo and junior Nate Watson were named to watch lists ahead of the 2019-20 season. Diallo is on the 2020 Julius Erving Award watch list for the top small forward in Division 1 and he was also named to the 2020 Naismith Trophy and 2020 Wooden Award which are awarded to the National Player of the Year in college basketball. Watson was named to the 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award watch list for the top center in Division 1.
- The Friars played two exhibition games leading up to the 2019-20 season. Providence beat Stonehill, 87-68, on October 19th at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, and then defeated Purdue, 60-53, on October 27th in a closed scrimmage in Indianapolis.
- Opening Line: Providence -16 vs NJIT 11/9/2019
Game Preview
Providence and NJIT meet for the 3rd time ever on Saturday afternoon at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The previous two meetings also occured at the Dunk. The Friars crushed Sacred Heart in the season opener, 106-60. Providence had 7 players in double figures, including all 5 starters. Most impressively, Providence assisted on 31 of their 39 made field goals, two helpers shy of a school record. NJIT is coming off a season opening loss to Colgate. The Highlanders got 23 points from leading returning scorer Zach Cooks, who figures to be at the top of Ed Cooley’s scouting report for this game.
The probable starters according to the game notes are:
Providence
- Luwane Pipkins – #12 – Graduate
- David Duke – #3 – Sophomore
- A.J. Reeves – #10 – Sophomore
- Alpha Diallo – #11 – Junior
- Kalif Young – #13 – Senior
NJIT
- Zach Cooks – #4 – Junior
- Shyquan Gibbs – #11 – Senior
- Reilly Walsh – #14 – Graduate
- San Antonio Brinson – #2 – Junior
- Souleymane Diakite – #21 – Sophomore
The keys to victory for Providence are to stop Zach Cooks and continue their faster paced and assist-happy offense from the season opener. The Friars have more firepower, on paper, than NJIT so stopping Cooks and continuing to have an unselfish and uptempo offense should overpower the Highlanders in this one.
Prediction: Providence 84 NJIT 69
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