Game #9: @ Providence College - PreGame

seanmc94 · Unread post by **seanmc94** » 11 years ago

Regarding Dunn; be careful what you wish for.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 11 years ago

Dunn will be a great player for you, in time. But this would be a very tough spot for him to make his debut, he will have never seen defense like what we will put on him and will undoubtedly be rusty from such a long absence. Assuming no Cotton we would be able to completely focus our perimeter efforts on giving him headaches, I like our chances if that's the case. After 4-5 games my opinion might be different, but first game back could make for a long night.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:

Awesome to see Luther Clay around! Anybody know what he is up to these days?

neil · Unread post by **neil** » 11 years ago

welcome back Luther...memories of the Kansas game!

RamInLA · Unread post by **RamInLA** » 11 years ago

Luuuuuther! Talk about a guy that developed in his 4 years! People always talk about Wheeler and Mobley in the '98 tournament (who were obviously great), but Luther was a BEAST in those games and huge part of why they went so far.

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 11 years ago

They're being a bit cagey about Dunn and Cotton. I imagine the Rams are preparing as if both are playing.

seanmc94 · Unread post by **seanmc94** » 11 years ago

Dunn has been playing in practice for 2weeks vs Ledo, cotton and fortune. There will be rust, but his strongest attributes are creating off the dribble and passing. Tough debut; but better that the alternative for PC

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 11 years ago

TruePoint wrote:
rodfromcranston wrote:
Awesome to see Luther Clay around! Anybody know what he is up to these days?

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 11 years ago

Billyboy78 wrote:
TruePoint wrote:
rodfromcranston wrote:
Awesome to see Luther Clay around! Anybody know what he is up to these days?
Dan Hurley‏@dhurley15
Great having former #URI star Luther Clay at practice today. Had words of wisdom for the team and Jordan Hare. Love having former Rams here.

I wonder if Luther's words of wisdom to Jordan were.......EAT!

twisted3829 · Unread post by **twisted3829** » 11 years ago

The line opened at PC -9.5 but is already down to -6.5

reef · Unread post by **reef** » 11 years ago

Nice to see Luther talkin to the guys !!

Screw it I'm taking URI plus the pts and throw something small on the money line

I bet with my heart so be it

neil · Unread post by **neil** » 11 years ago

Maybe we should check the PC road record so far? They finally get an away game when they travel that long distance to play against the mighty Eagles in Boston or the Bears in Providence.

PC will improve as the year goes on, but maybe, if they were smart, they should get rid of their cupcakes (Hostess did) next year, and play some tough competition on the road.

seanmc94 · Unread post by **seanmc94** » 11 years ago

PC has played UMass, PSU and UNC-Asheville away from home

rjsuperfly66 · Unread post by **rjsuperfly66** » 11 years ago

You guys make me laugh over here ...

PC has played a pretty soft schedule.

A large part of that is do to the injuries they went to Puerto Rico with -- They played w/o Council and a gimpy yet hot Cotton and almost beat UMASS. If they win that game, they play ranked NC St (overrated a tad to start the year but I bet they will be fine), and then Tennessee. Instead, they got Penn St. (who is much worse with Frazier out), and UNC-Asheville. They played Fairfield due to an arrangement, and they got matched up against a depleted Mississippi St. team in the SEC/BE challenge who was good last year.

Now, maybe URI needs the gauntlet, but PC doesn't. Outside of Joshua Fortune, the key players on PC right now have all played huge minutes in the Big East and have the experience. Sure, maybe it helps them trying to get another neutral or road game against a decent team, but I think the affects are minimal.

If Bryce Cotton plays tonight at even 85% (which he has already done this year twice -- and he exploded for 30+ points against UNC-Asheville), PC will be tough to beat. I hear what you guys say about Kris Dunn, doesn't matter how good you are, it will be a tough game for a freshman. However, whose the next option? Bryce Cotton has done a good job running the O, but he isn't a backup PG. PC doesn't really have another primary ballhandler/playmaker, so Kris Dunn being out there is better than the alternative, and makes the team better by default because now Cotton can go back to #2, Henton back to #4, etc.

PC has been playing out of position and short staffed all season. Having Council, Ledo, Dunn, Harris, Desrosiers, and Johnson all suited up on the bench hurts more than it helps.

The benefit tonight though -- Game seems like it could be a tossup, fun to watch. The best team tonight will win, both teams win longterm.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

seanmc94 wrote:PC has played UMass, PSU and UNC-Asheville away from home

Come on, Sean. Neutral floor does not equal ROAD game.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

rjsuperfly66 wrote:You guys make me laugh over here ...

PC has played a pretty soft schedule.

A large part of that is do to the injuries they went to Puerto Rico with -- They played w/o Council and a gimpy yet hot Cotton and almost beat UMASS. If they win that game, they play ranked NC St (overrated a tad to start the year but I bet they will be fine), and then Tennessee. Instead, they got Penn St. (who is much worse with Frazier out), and UNC-Asheville. They played Fairfield due to an arrangement, and they got matched up against a depleted Mississippi St. team in the SEC/BE challenge who was good last year.

That is fair. It is true that PC did not INTEND to play AS SOFT a schedule as they did so far this season. But the fact is that is who they have played thus far.

rjsuperfly66 · Unread post by **rjsuperfly66** » 11 years ago

PC plays at #5 Louisville, at #15 Gtown, at #4 Syracuse, and throw in Marquette who should be an NCAA team.

After playing 3 games neutral court and two prearranged road games OOC, again, why should PC play the gauntlet?

PC has no advantage with this short-handed roster going 5-7 OOC, especially when entering the semester, they had 7 scholarship players and 1 walkon eligible.

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 11 years ago

bigappleram wrote:Dunn will be a great player for you, in time. But this would be a very tough spot for him to make his debut, he will have never seen defense like what we will put on him and will undoubtedly be rusty from such a long absence. Assuming no Cotton we would be able to completely focus our perimeter efforts on giving him headaches, I like our chances if that's the case. After 4-5 games my opinion might be different, but first game back could make for a long night.

First game back is rough for anyone but Dunn is a talent. Especially when you consider the skeleton roster PC has right now it undoubtedly is a plus for them. Plus, Rhody is #228 in defensive efficiency so I am not sure they are nervous about what type of D Rhody is going to put on him.

skwalk47 · Unread post by **skwalk47** » 11 years ago

So the line originally opened URI +9 then got smashed immediately down to +6.5 where it stayed for a while. I thought about pulling the trigger at +6.5 but hoped there would be some public action on the PC side to bring it up. In the last hour the line moved again and now sits at URI +4.5.

The good news is the sharp money is coming in on Rhody, the bad news is I dont think there is any value left in betting on them.

Too bad there is no total because I would like the under in this game. Hurley really likes to play methodical halfcourt sets and locks down on defense. The fouling/3 chucking at the end of the VT game drove that total up higher than it should have settled so there probably would have been value on the opening under if they only had a total...

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Where is it said, that Dunn is a certainty to play tonight?
Did something happen overnight that I missed?

rjsuperfly66 · Unread post by **rjsuperfly66** » 11 years ago

Still speculation at this point but seems to have more legs than it did a few days ago.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Probably by necessity, I guess.

rjsuperfly66 · Unread post by **rjsuperfly66** » 11 years ago

Seems to be a common thought it could be some gamesmanship by Cooley, leaving it up in the air that both could play or not play.

To be honest, while I would love Dunn Dunn to play, Cooley has made it very clear that he is trying to be patient with his injury and that he doesn't want to rush him back and risk further injury. PC has basically a 2 week break between URI and Colgate, so it wouldn't surprise me if he held him back just for the additional time to heal and get prepared without getting thrown into the inferno.

As for Cotton, still seems to be a gametime decision from all reports I hear. Cotton is a super tough kid so it would not surprise me if he tried to give it a go.

Down against UMASS in Puerto Rico, he played nearly the whole game (and very well) on a rolled ankle, had to sit the next game against Penn St., but was back two days later against UNC-Asheville and put up big numbers. Kid is tough as nails. Knees are tough though.

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 11 years ago

seanmc94 wrote:PC has played UMass, PSU and UNC-Asheville away from home

None of which were on an opponent's home-court as all three games were at a neutral iste in a tournament.

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 11 years ago

I would love for Rhody to win an away game in the series and repay PC for last year's loss at the Ryan Center. No one would have thought this would even be a contest months before the season began. Even when Dunn went down, PC was a big favorite. Without Council, they were still a clear a favorite. Without Cotton, all bets are off as anything could happen. Rhody may now be in a position to steal the game given the Friar's injury situation. I will not shed one tear for PC if that is the case. URI is also not shorthanded given all the player turnover. It doesn't matter. You have to play the game with what you have got. In future years, no one will remember who did or didn't play. All that anyone will be concerned with is who won.

rjsuperfly66 · Unread post by **rjsuperfly66** » 11 years ago

What need does PC have to go get romped on the road in OOC?

Granted, Brown is a joke road game, fine. But they go every other year BC/URI. They drew a home game for the SEC/BE challenge (last year they had a road game at South Carolina). They played 3 neutral court games.

They will play 5 games away from home before the Big East starts, where they will get beat up on the road regardless.

Blue Man · Unread post by **Blue Man** » 11 years ago

twisted3829 · Unread post by **twisted3829** » 11 years ago

here are some previews from everyone's favorite paper

http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ ... w=ZW50aXR5

http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ ... w=ZW50aXR5

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

Thx Twisted! Great to share those with everyone!

twisted3829 · Unread post by **twisted3829** » 11 years ago

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 11 years ago

The way it sounds today, Dunn is more likely to play than Cotton.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

Seems to be some conflicting info on Dunn's status between KMac and others close to the teams.

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 11 years ago

Billyboy78 wrote:The way it sounds today, Dunn is more likely to play than Cotton.

never mind, not according to what Twisted just posted.

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 11 years ago

ATPTourFan wrote:Seems to be some conflicting info on Dunn's status between KMac and others close to the teams.

Yes, and while KMAC says Cotton is questionable, many others are saying he's doubtful.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

I hope KMac isn't being fed misinformation,
to throw Hurley and URI off balance tonght.

Rhody74 · Unread post by **Rhody74** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:I hope KMac isn't being fed misinformation,
to throw Hurley and URI off balance tonght.

I'm fully confident that the coaches will have our guys fully prepared for either situation.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

KMac is saying Cooley told him that "Dunn is not playing tonight".

It's one thing for a coach to dance around the topic, but I don't think Cooley is the type that would feed his top local hoops media contact a direct lie like that.

twisted3829 · Unread post by **twisted3829** » 11 years ago

I think I'd trust what Kmac says over Zags, Kmac is the lead reporter for PC

section(105) · Unread post by **section(105)** » 11 years ago

What I am looking for tonite; 1) the defense to step it up a notch, away from the ball, with more pressure on the ball 2) the defense keeping us within striking distance, and we/ll be able to take a punch or two and we/ll hang around long enough to take the game into the last few possessions 3) free throw % being a season high 4) a couple of getting the pill into the post(such as it is)plays for Hare and Brooks to have an opportunity to get Batts into foul trouble 5) X getting his, and someone else breaking out for big nite..........we cover and win!!

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 11 years ago

If indeed PC has only 6 players, we should be taking the ball to the hoop, drawing fouls, instead of settling for jump shots. Yes, if we have an open 3, take it, but if it's a choice between a contested outside shot or a drive to the basket, please take the drive. That's what I think should always be done, but especially in this case with a team with a short roster.

seanmc94 · Unread post by **seanmc94** » 11 years ago

It's being reported on the PC message board that Cotton intends to play. No one knows whats up with Dunn. I can't believe I'm going to miss this game.

Ben · Unread post by **Ben** » 11 years ago

Looking forward to this game. Go Rhody!

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 11 years ago

Dunn will not play tonight. Have that from unimpeachable source. He will play against Colgate.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 11 years ago

Luther works for a car dealership in Wakefield. He married the owners daughter.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 11 years ago

doesn't make sense to rush Dunn back for this game, he has a long career ahead of him and he has 2 weeks of rest and practice before their next game.

if cotton can walk he will play, and i am betting he plays. still like our chances as he wont be at 100%

runninrams5 · Unread post by **runninrams5** » 11 years ago

Cotton is going to play tonight according to a PC friend in the know

seanmc94 · Unread post by **seanmc94** » 11 years ago

Dunns dad has tweeted he will not play

Ramulous · Unread post by **Ramulous** » 11 years ago

Dunn shouldn't play.....Cotton shouldn't play......the rest of the season, especially conference games, are much more important.

The Big O shouldn't play.....

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 11 years ago

seanmc94 wrote:It's being reported on the PC message board that Cotton intends to play. No one knows whats up with Dunn. I can't believe I'm going to miss this game.

You'll be happy tomorrow that you missed it

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 11 years ago

OK, I've decided I am not believing anything I read about Cotton or Dunn until 7:00 tonight. Their availability seems to change every 10 minutes or so.

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