It was a long trip out to Boulder, Colorado for the 2025-2026 Friars, and the outcome of the game signaled the beginning of the end for Kim English’s tenure as Providence’s head coach. It will be EXACTLY a year to the date on Saturday when Providence got shredded by an incredibly mediocre Colorado team to the tune of 97-88. If you want a trip down memory lane, see below:
Colorado ended up finishing the season at 17-16. After that game, which led to the Friars being 2-2, most fans realized it wasn’t going to work out for the prior coaching staff.
Now, exactly a year later, Providence is 2-1 and hosting Colorado at home under new coach Bryan Hodgson. A lot of the things that ailed the Friars last year, like their matador defensive strategy, no longer exist, and there is optimism in the air even after the tough loss to the nationally ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers. If Providence can come out on top in this one, the Friars will be building momentum as they work towards the Maui Invitational.
We break down the Colorado team and what we are watching for below.
Colorado Team Overview
2-1 on the season, wins against Abilene Christian and San Diego, loss to San Diego State
Averaging 81.0 points per game, 8 steals forced per game, 13 turnovers per game, 49.4% from floor, 42.7% from 3
Barrington Hargress: 6’1 senior, averaging 20 points, 4.7 assists, 50% from three, 92.3% from charity stripe (Hello, Hightower)
Ian Inman: 6’6 Sophomore, averaging 14 and 3 rebounds, 50% from three, 2.3 turnovers per game (Hello, Byrd)
Josiah Sanders: 6’5 Sophomore, averaging 12
Providence – Get Right Game Offensively?
Colorado is middle of the pack in D1 in terms of opponents points per game, allowing 70.3 points per game. That is good for 168th nationally. Providence, on the other hand, is 33rd overall holding opponents to 59.3 points per game.
Let’s throw another stat in there: Colorado is 159th nationally in only attaining 8 steals a game. PC, on the other hand, is 14th nationally at 12.7 steals per game.
One last stat: Providence is 84th nationally in offensive rebounds per game, while Colorado is 170th nationally in defensive rebounds per game. Note these stats are without Page for almost 3 games and Aletan for two games, so I think these rebounding numbers will ascend with a full and able bodied front-court.
I call out all these stats to paint a picture that whatever is ailing Providence offensively, (a combination of new faces in new places, a lack of roster continuity, injuries, and one stellar defensive team in Nebraska) should be remedied on Saturday.
Nice to Have Defensive Stoppers
When revisiting the abomination of last year’s game, two things jumped out to me: Colorado scored 97 in regulation, which is appalling. Even more shocking is they did this on only SIX three point makes. Defense was the nail in the coffin for the English regime, and I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Providence up to this point in the season unquestionably has an upper echelon defensive squad.
I look at the two players that are the tip of the spear for Colorado in Hargress and Inman and see that we have two players who are tailor made to defend them: Hightower on Hargress and Byrd on Inman. If you are able to shut off the water on those two, or at least make life difficult, I think the whole operation for Colorado becomes extremely difficult to execute.
In their loss to San Diego State, Hargress carried the entire team, scoring 33 of their 66 total points. Inman only had 6 points, but attempted 8 total three’s in the game. Hargress and Inman are their go-to guys, and they are assassins from deep. I like our chances with a healthy dose of Hightower and Byrd on Hargress and Inman, respectively.
Health of Providence
Hodgson alluded to Page, Mela, and Aletan being available for the Colorado game, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they held out all three against Bryant as a precaution and because he felt Providence could handle Bryant without them. If the Friars can get all three available for this game, it gives Hodgson the ability to mix and match line-ups.
I do like seeing Saunders at the small ball five, but would prefer that for only 5-10 minutes a game.
It’d be ideal to see a fully healthy Page in this Hodgson system, as there was no player who received more praise this offseason than Arrinten. I’m hopeful he unlocks our offensive potential with him at the five.
Limit Careless Turnovers
As mentioned above, Colorado isn’t exactly a defensive juggernaut. If the Friars can limit the self-inflicted errors with erratic passes and throwing the ball out of bounds, I feel like Providence should win comfortably in this one. PC is turning the ball over WAY too much at 14 turnovers a game, and I would say almost 50-70% of those are on the Friars.
Nebraska was pesky and their size overwhelmed the Friars, but a lot of the turnovers fall squarely on the shoulders of the Friars. Let’s see if they can keep turnovers to single digits in this one.
Prediction
BOC: Saturday home game, guys returning from injury, elite defensive effort. Give me Providence 75-66 in this one.
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