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Game Previews & Recaps

Providence Big East Schedule Review: Part II

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This is Part 2 of a 3 part series giving my impressions of Providence’s Big East schedule in 6 game blocks. This second block looks at games 7-12 from 1/22/15 through 2/11/15. My evaluation of each 6 game block will take into account a few factors: road trips/travel, potential fan attendance/games over school breaks, opponent’s schedule around time of PC game and other factors.

Game 7: vs. Xavier

  • Where: Dunkin’ Donuts Center – Providence, RI
  • When: 1/22/15 7:00pm
  • How: Fox Sports 1/WEEI 103.7 FM
  • Last season’s final RPI: 47
  • Last season’s final Kenpom rating: 59

This will be the first home game for the Friars where the students are back from break. Hopefully that means the student section will be full and rocking. What else is there to do on a Thursday night in January? Xavier loses Semaj Christon to the NBA and Justin Martin to transfer but they have an impressive recruiting class coming in including incoming freshman Larry Austin who had Providence as one of his final schools before selecting the Musketeers the weekend he was scheduled to visit Friartown. For Xavier, this game comes in the middle of arguably the toughest stretch of their conference schedule as they will be coming off games at Butler and Villanova with Marquette at home between this game in Providence and that game in Philadelphia. Xavier struggled on the road in the inaugural season in the Big East with a 2-6 record. The Musketeers play on the road in 3 of the 6 games leading to their trip to Providence.

Xavier will likely be somewhere in the 3rd-6th range along with Providence in terms of conference standings by the time March 8th rolls around so this game could make a big difference to both teams in the final league standings. Providence is coming off a trip to Omaha and should be at least 4-2 in league play entering this matchup. Xavier may end up being 4-2 as well based on how their first 6 games look right now.  This game is the beginning of a pretty tough 6 game block which will include a trip to Cincinnati for the rematch on February 7th.

Continue reading Providence Big East Schedule Review: Part II →

Game Previews & Recaps

Providence Big East Schedule Review: Part I

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This is Part 1 of a 3 part series giving my impressions of Providence’s Big East schedule in 6 game blocks. This first block looks at games 1-6 from 12/31/14 through 1/17/15. My evaluation of each 6 game block will take into account a few factors: road trips/travel, potential fan attendance/games over school breaks, opponent’s schedule around time of PC game and other factors.

Game 1: vs. Creighton

  • Where: Dunkin’ Donuts Center – Providence, RI
  • When: 12/31/14 7:30pm
  • How: Fox Sports 1/WEEI 103.7 FM
  • Last season’s final RPI: 10
  • Last season’s final Kenpom rating: 24

This is a cool move by the Big East/Fox to have a primetime rematch of the Big East Tournament Championship game from last March. Some of the key players that made last year’s final game so exciting have graduated, namely Doug McDermott and Bryce Cotton. Having said that, this should be a solid conference opener for the Friars. Creighton is in rebuilding mode as they lost more than just Dougie McBuckets from last season’s team that finished 2nd in both the regular season (behind Villanova) and the Big East Tournament. The Friars will have 9 days between their last non conference game against Miami (FL) on December 22nd at the Barclays Center and this first Big East contest on December 31st. I’m sure there will be time spent with family for Christmas but there is also going to be plenty of time for Ed Cooley and his staff to scout and install a Creighton-specific gameplan. The Bluejays still have some talented players on the roster but they are going to be somewhat young and inexperienced overall and this is a game Providence should be favored in and I would expect them to win. The crowd will be interesting to see as it’s a bit of a late start on New Year’s Eve but I would expect the building to be loud either way because people will probably start the partying early that day.

Providence will get Creighton twice during this first 6 game block with game two coming at the always full CenturyLink Center in Omaha.

Continue reading Providence Big East Schedule Review: Part I →