The Friars started their week opening Big East play by defeating the DePaul Blue Demons 70-63 in overtime, but will finish the week with their final non-conference matchup of the season.
PC (7-4, 1-0) will travel down to Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT to take on St. Bonaventure in the Hall of Fame Showcase early evening on Saturday with a 5pm tip time. The Bonnies are off to their best start since 1970 with a record of 9-1 with their lone loss coming at the hands of Utah State in the NIT Season Tip Off tournament. Head Coach Mark Schmidt has got the team rolling despite being projected to finish 10th in a 15-team Atlantic-10. They’re a team full of guys from the portal and are led by Chance Moore, a big guard with bounce who originally started at Arkansas. With their good record and stout defense, the Bonnies are 55th in the NET. Thus, this would be a quad 2 opportunity for the Friars on a neutral site.
The Friars have to win this one for their at large resume considering opportunities squandered thus far, but the Bonnies will also have something to prove with Friars being certainly a jump in the competition they’ve played thus far. We should be in store for a fun game between these two teams.
Before we get to the keys to the game if we could just give ourselves a plug really quick. If you plan on heading to the casino before the game come check us out at our live podcast from 2:30-3:30pm. We will be at the Mohegan Sun FanDuel Sportsbook recording our pod to get ready for the game. So come on by, say hello, perhaps grab a beverage, and make some sports bets! After the podcast we plan on heading to the Bow and Arrow Sports Bar for our final pregame stop and BOC would love if us Friar fans all went from the sportsbook to the bar with #thewalk. Here are our keys to the game.
Guard Play- Games often come down to who has better guards and certainly in this game it will play a major role. The Bonnies are a guard led team, and their guards have pretty good size. What will be key will be the Friars ability for their guards to drive past their big guards to be able to either attack the rim or kick out to shooters. Jayden Pierre and Bensley Joseph need to take advantage of their quickness and be on the attack throughout the night. On the flip side the Friars might have their hands full with Chance Moore. He plays downhill constantly flashing his athleticism attacking the rim and isn’t afraid to take threes either.
BOC: Moore’s size is going to be an issue. I’d expect a litany of bodies trying to slow him down. Cardet and Floyd Jr. likely get the initial ask on defense. It’s a good game for Floyd Jr. to show his worth.
Who Stops Bryce Hopkins?– Bryce Hopkins should have a plus matchup in this game. Thats because I honestly don’t know who on the Bonnies would guard Bryce Hopkins because they don’t have a power forward. I would say their best bet would be to have Chance Moore guard Hopkins. He’s 6-6 and is a good shot blocker, but with that move comes a risk. The risk being he gets tired on the defensive end impacting his offensive game or worse he gets in foul trouble, and the Bonnies don’t have their best player on the floor. I’m not sure how Coach Schmidt will sleep Friday night thinking about a game plan that can be effective against Hop. I think Bryce has a big night.
Foul Game– Part of Providence’s woes offensively is that they are not drawing enough fouls and getting to the free throw line. Even though the Friars free throw shooting percentage this year is nothing to brag about, if they can get to the line more it should be able to help their offense especially when it goes cold. Corey Floyd Jr and Wesley Cardet need to be confident on their drives and seek contact. Bryce Hopkins should be able to find his way to the line in this one. On the flip side however, the Bonnies limit opponents to only 13 FTs a game, and Chance Moore and Iowa transfer Dasante Bowen live at the free throw line.
Center Position– Oswin Erhunmwunse is coming off his best game of his young collegiate career with a 10 point 8 rebound and 3 block performance against DePaul. He definitely deserves to get the starting nod at center in this one for his play. However, don’t be surprised if Christ Essandoko has his breakout game in this one. No, the Crier is not on the sauce while writing this preview. I think it’s a possibility. Christ went for 14 points and 8 rebounds against the Bonnies last year albeit his counterpart Noel Brown only saw 8 minutes of action in that contest. Noel Brown also presents a post presence for the Bonnies so the Friars may play their two centers more in this game than other games. There’s also the possibility that the centers for either team don’t play much of a role because of the matchup.
BOC: The Bonnies only have one true big who gets consistent playing time in Brown. Their other big only plays 8 minutes a game. The staff should get the bigs touches early and often to get Brown in foul trouble. He averages a robust 28 minutes a game.
Prediction
Crier: The Bonnies will present a challenge. They remind me a little bit of Seton Hall this year with their stout defense. I’m also terrified Chance Moore could go off in this game. However, the Bonnies dont have an answer for Bryce Hopkins. The Friars should own a rebound advantage in this game and should leave Mohegan with a win PC 76 ST. Bs 70
BOC: Bet the under. PC wins 70-64 in a defensive battle.