Ryan Center, Kingston, RI
Saturday, December 3, 2022
5:00PM
Media
TV: ESPNU
Online: ESPN Online
Radio: Tune In Radio
App: Varsity Network
Previews:
Providence College Fan Forum
Another Providence College Fan Forum
Well, well, well…look what game is up next on the Rams’ schedule. The University of Rhode Island will take on vaunted rivals Providence at home this coming Saturday. Like last year, I have Google alerts set just in case Ed Cooley chickens out of this game again like has in the past because you can never be too safe. So Rhody fans, don’t get your hopes up too high that this game will actually be played. The good news is that Rhody has a week to prepare for this weekend’s tilt while Providence travels to Fort Worth to take on a difficult TCU team Wednesday night.
Providence, who were picked to finish 5th out of 11 in the Big East, are basically a glorified A-10 team, with 3 of their top 6 leading scorers are former A10 players. Both big men Ed Croswell & Clifton Moore are La Salle transfers while starting point guard & assist leader (5.4) Jared Bynum is a St Joe’s transfer. The biggest matchup problem for Rhody is going to be Kentucky transfer Bryce Hopkins. This 6’7” forward is leading the Friars in both points & rebounds. Giving up offensive rebounds has been a problem all season for URI & sadly it will probably continue with Hopkins & Croswell. As I am sure most of us painfully remember, Croswell killed Rhody in last year’s game going for 13 & 15 off the bench. From behind the arc, URI will have to keep tabs on Florida/Louisville transfer Noah Locke. He has hoisted up twice as many as any other player besides Bynum. Rhody wants Bynum to shoot it as he is shooting at the time of this writing at less than 18% on the season. Thankfully Rhody has played solid 3 point defense over the last two games, holding their opponent to 12% shooting.
As for Rhode Island, they are desperate for anyone to step up not named Ish or Bray. Malik has shown some signs, but it seems he is either shooting 4-11 or pulling an 0-fer. Our bigs seemed like they were pushed around a bit against BC & struggle to make any offensive move in the post. This may continue against a bigger team like Providence. I don’t know if Carey will be back for this game, but Rhody could use his athleticism in this matchup. Carey has struggled keeping care of the ball though so he may be a bit rusty if he does play. The Rams must reduce the turnovers if they want to win, especially the unforced ones which just kill this team. What is in Rhody’s favor is that this game is at the Ryan Center. Against Providence, Rhody has won the last 2 home games and are winners of 6 of the last 9 in Kingston. Additionally, it seems like no matter the record of these two teams, it is always a battle. The crowd is the biggest thing going for URI in this game. As hard as this is to believe, no player for either team has played in this match-up at the Ryan Center, so get fucking loud & show them who owns the state!! On a personal note, I am bringing my 11-year-old to his first PC vs URI game. He has been to numerous home & away games but I specifically want him to hear how boisterous it can get in a packed Ryan Center. The game is at 5, so there is plenty of time to get hydrated. On a completely related note, Shaidzon opens at noon, so you know what to do!
Because of Rhody’s struggles, I am guessing Providence will be favored by a few points. I foresee the first half being a bit of a rock fight as the teams feel each other out & the gameday jitters subside & then a bit more scoring in the second half. Final score of this one will be 66-59 with Providence pulling it out. Ugggh, I just threw up in my mouth writing that out. Screw it, Rhody is going to win this one on Saturday for Don Kaull. Let’s win this one for the URI Hall of Famer who you know will be watching from high above courtside. Go Rhody!!
Opponent
Record:
5-2, 0-0 in the Big East
27-6, 14-3 in the Big East (Last Season)
Rankings (URI):
NCAA NET: 24 (142)*
RPI: 255 (274)
KenPom: 75 (169)
BPI: 73 (231)
Sagarin: 93 (177)
Barttovik: 89 (178)
* Denotes last season
Leaders:
Points – Bryce Hopkins 14.3 (Soph., F)
Rebounds – Bryce Hopkins 8.3 (Soph., F)
Assists – Jared Bynum 5.4 (Sr., G) (1.1 TO per game)
Historical
Series: 58-75
H: 40-28, A: 17-44, N: 1-2
Most Recent Matchup: 12/4/21 66-52 L at Providence
Most Recent Win Streak: 1 - PC
Match-up Predictor: 31.0% Chance of URI Winning
Some final notes:
Hey Coach Cooley…who in your heart of hearts do you think will win this weekend’s rivalry game?
Some videos to get you excited for this weekend…
As a reminder, Providence students thought this video was a good idea to get their fellow students ready for the upcoming season...
Unsurprisingly they went 4-14 that year in the Big East that season.