The Providence Crier

Providence Beats Up on the Jaspers, Defeating Manhattan 99-59

In the preview of this game (https://theprovidencecrier.com/2022/12/07/friars-return-to-the-amp-to-face-manhattan/#more-5415), we wrote about how we wanted to see this game be out of reach by start of the second half. Mission Accomplished. Providence scored 53 points in the first half on the way to a 21 point halftime lead. They then extended that lead to just miss the century mark by game’s end.

Hey KenPom and NET??? You want a blow out?!?! pic.twitter.com/mPlQD2P3dj
— TheProvidenceCrier (@ProvidenceCrier) December 8, 2022

Five players scored in double digits, with 44 points being generated from the bench. Bryce Hopkins continues to be on a tear, scoring 22 points on 8-12 with 11 rebounds and 3 assists. Sorry, Kentucky.

I’d like to imagine that there are Kentucky basketball group chats seeing Bryce Hopkins averaging 15 and 9 with the general sentiment, “Cal let it happen again”.
— BOC Friars (@BOCallday) December 8, 2022

Below we recap the Friar victory and discuss what we saw as relevant takeaways as Big East play creeps up on us.

Friars Return to the AMP to Face Manhattan

After playing the last two games on the road, the Friars return to the Amica Mutual Pavilion tonight, as they face the Manhattan Jaspers. Manhattan parted ways with head coach Steve Masiello two weeks prior to the season, which was a very curious move. That led to star guard and preseason MAAC player of the year, Jose Perez, to transfer to West Virginia.

Under interim coach RaShawn Sores the Jaspers are off to a 3-4 start. They’re a guard heavy team with senior guard Ant Nelson leading the way with 14.6 ppg.

For the Friars the mission is quite simple: finish off the non-conference slate with two wins. Let’s see what to look for in this one.

Providence College Dominates University of Rhode Island In Battle of Ocean State – Friars Win 88 – 74

Providence, coming off a humbling loss against TCU, asserted its will against the Rhode Island Rams to the tune of 88-74. There were six players who scored in double figures, with Bryce Hopkins leading the way at 14 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 assists. Providence jumped out to a 16 point halftime lead and maintained a comfortable lead throughout the duration of the second half.

We recap how the Friars secured their 6th win of the season and reclaimed the title of “Kings of Rhode Island”.

Rivalry Renewed: PC visit URI

To say that this year’s Battle of the Ocean State has lost some sizzle would be an understatement. URI is off to a 2-5 start under new head coach Archie Miller in what appears to be a rebuild for the Rams. PC, on the other hand, is off to a 5-3 start without any noteworthy wins on the resume. It also didn’t help the build up that the Friars had a big game at TCU this week and fell flat on their face to the tune of a 75-62 loss.

The game may lack the hype of usual rivalry games, but this is Providence’s first trip to Kingston since 2019. PC nixed the 2021 game in Kingston due to the lack of games with the pandemic, and URI fans sadly claimed the Friars were ducking them. So while on paper the game lacks sizzle it’s a game that both teams really want to win.

Offensive Drought Dooms Providence in Loss to TCU

The Providence Friar’s trip to Fort Worth certainly didn’t go like their last, as the Friars lost to TCU 75-62 at Schollmaier Arena. Providence couldn’t overcome slow starts to both halves and dropped to 5-3 on the season. PC had over a ten minute span where they didn’t hit a field goal between the end of the first and into the second half. Here’s our thoughts from the game.

Big East – Big XII Battle Preview – TCU vs. Providence

Providence, riding a 2 game winning streak, heads into Fort Worth, TX to try and upend the Horned Frogs and their college football playoff bid. Oh, wrong sport? Too much time watching college football over Thanksgiving weekend, apparently.

5-2 PC hits the road Wednesday to match-up against 5-1 TCU. TCU is coming off an impressive win over Iowa 79-66. We break down what you need to know about the Horned Frogs and how PC can secure a resume building win before heading into Big East play.

We also discuss the game in the pod below:

Providence Beats Columbia 78-64 Ahead of Big Match-Up with TCU

Providence is 5-2 on the season, with the season best defined to date as “Status Quo”. There have been no surprise wins and no bad losses. With 4 games remaining in out of conference, with 3 of those games likely having Providence favored by double digits, Providence has a chance to enter Big East play at a respectable 8-3. Steal a win against TCU on the road to get to 9-2, and they honestly may be ahead of schedule relative to expectations. 8-3 or 9-2 still puts PC on the right path to attain an NCAA tournament bid.

That isn’t to say it’s been an easy road thus far. Every win seems to be a struggle, and the team is still finding their footing. Rotations are still a bit all over the place, but the past two games have provided some more clarity on where this team is headed.

Below, we break down how Providence went about securing the victory against Columbia and what we can expect from this team moving forward. I’ll also give my opinion on where I think this team should head in terms of personnel on the court as well.

Providence Hosts Columbia

The Friars will look to build off their 71-57 victory over Merrimack, as they host Columbia Saturday afternoon. This game will be Providence’s final tune up before playing their first true road game of the season at TCU on Wednesday.

Columbia at Providence
4pm FS2/WPRO
Amica Mutual Pavilion
PC -22.5 O/U 145.5

Do the Friars Get Right? Defeat Merrimack 71-57

The Friars returned from their trip to Mohegan Sun and defeated the Merrimack Warriors 71-57 at the AMP Wednesday night. It was Ed Croswell, who led the Friars with 17 points, but PC showed their balanced attack with three others in double figures. While some (like the Crier) expected a larger margin of victory after this past weekend’s trip to Mohegan Sun, the Friars should be happy with the end result.

Providence Looks to Right the Ship: Merrimack Warriors Game Preview

Providence had a weekend to forget this past weekend. We broke down the weekend in the podcast below:

In all failures, though, there are learning experiences. I’m certain Cooley learned a lot about his Friar roster and what he has (or doesn’t have). This Merrimack game is going to be telling on what knowledge was gained, as Cooley even mentioned the team that shows up to this game will be vastly different from the one from Mohegan Sun.

While going 0-2 isn’t ideal, I believe both Miami and St. Louis will make the NCAA tournament. If the Friars win the remaining out of conference games that they should, they’ll still be on track for a potential NCAA bid. Given the roster turnover, that’s all you can ask for.

Below, we’ll break down what we expect heading into the Merrimack game and provide our game predictions.