Friar Basketball Newsletter: Fans Pack the AMP as Providence Starts 2-0; A Big Test Awaits at Mohegan Sun
In a sign of how far Providence has come as a program, the Friars packed in over 12,000 fans for their game against Northeastern on Saturday night. There was a huge crowd of students waiting at the front gates two hours prior to tip off against the Huskies.
Their Friars responded with a pair of victories in the season’s opening week — a 66-65 nail-biter against Rider in the opener, followed by a decisive 89-65 win on Saturday.
The season’s second week brings potentially critical games at the Hall of Fame Tip-off at Mohegan Sun. On Saturday, they will play a Miami team that won 26 games last year, reaching the Elite Eight in the process. The Canes have one of the best backcourt duos in the country in Isaiah Wong and Nijel Pack.
Sunday will bring either St. Louis or Maryland. The Billikens have won 23 games in three of the past four seasons under Travis Ford and have the talent to be an NCAA Tournament team this season. Maryland is in its first season under new head coach Kevin Willard.
In our “Week Ahead” article, we break down all three opponents, and take a look at three Big East games to watch this week. Prior to heading to Mohegan Sun, the Friars will host Ed Cooley’s alma mater, Stonehill, on Tuesday.
If you missed any of the action this week, Friar Basketball has highlights from the Rider game, as well as from PC’s win over Northeastern.
You can also read some of Ed Cooley’s notable quotes from the victory against Rider.
Providence received big-time efforts from Jared Bynum and Clifton Moore against Northeastern. Bynum was all but flawless in a second half in which PC outscored the visitors, 51-29, and Moore was very good in scoring 15 points in a variety of ways. We take a deeper look here.
Finally, our News and Notes column is back, with early impressions of Noah Locke, a look at some old faces in new places, PC’s struggles in stopping opponents from deep, Dan Hurley talking national championship at UConn, and much more.
Thank you, as always, for reading!