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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.

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”.

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 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.

Hurricanes Dose the Friars with a Reality Check – Providence Loses 74-64

Providence did not start off in Mohegan the way they envisioned, slogging their way through a game that was never really in doubt for the Miami Hurricanes. Miami controlled throughout the entire game and never gave the Friars much of a chance to get back into the game in the second half. With the loss yesterday, Providence takes on St. Louis, who were walloped by Maryland 95-67.

We break down what went wrong in this game, what needs to be fixed, and what are some concerning themes emerging for the Friars 4 games into the season.

Miami – Providence Preview: Friars Looking to Start 4-0

Providence takes on a familiar face in the Jim Larranaga led Miami Hurricanes. Miami is also 3-0 and has similarly yet to be tested this season with wins over Lafayette, UNC-Greensboro, and FAMU. This game will certainly be a litmus test for both programs and will reveal (both good and bad) a lot about the Friars.

Below, we break down what (and who) to know about the Hurricanes and what PC must do to leave Mohegan Saturday 4-0 heading into the championship game.

Time to Empty the Benches – Providence vs. Stonehill Preview

Providence, fresh off a 2-0 start, hosts 1-2 Stonehill at 5PM EST as the Friars look to remain undefeated heading into the crucial weekend at Mohegan Sun. Providence is favored by 24 points, and we are hoping to see an almost entire second half of PC’s bench getting minutes.

Below, we break down keys to the game and what to watch for.

Second Half Surge – Friars Use Electric Second Half to Beat Northeastern 89-65

If Ed Cooley had the abilities to trick his Friar squad into thinking the entirety of the game is played in the second half, he may have a juggernaut on his hands. In two games this season, the Friars have outscored their opponent by a total of 33 points in the second half compared to being outscored by 8 points in the first half. Somewhat similarly to the Rider game, Providence started off slow in the first half before turning the corner in the second half. The silver lining is that Providence continued to grow its lead against Northeastern on the way to a 24 point victory rather than almost relinquish it like it did against Rider.

We will revisit the keys to the game for the Friars and identify a few positive developments that will be vital to a successful season.

New Year, Same Heart Attack – Friars Survive to Beat Rider 66-65 in Season Opener

Providence was pushed to the limit in the season opener of the 2022-2023 season. The game will likely be a microcosm for the season – the lows are low, the highs are high, and we’ll likely experience both versions of that squad in the same game. The Broncs gave Providence everything they could handle, and it was a great opening test for the Friars. It is much easier to improve after a win, and Providence is able to walk out of the AMP 1-0.

With this being the first game of the season, there were a few things that caught our eye that we think will be themes for the duration of the season.