Some serious bragging rights will be on the line Saturday afternoon when Providence and Rhode Island collide in Kingston, R.I.
Momentum in the in-state rivalry is currently the Friars’ to lose, as Providence (6-3) has taken eight of its past 10 games against the Rams.
Because of the Friars’ recent success against Rhode Island, Providence coach Kim English knows that the unbeaten Rams (8-0) — and their fans — are going to be hungry for a win on Saturday.
“There will be more fans than when the (New England) Patriots rolled in there a few years ago,” English said. “I remember watching the Providence-URI game on TV when I was at other schools. It’s great. … We’re excited to play a really, really good team.”
Rhode Island coach Archie Miller, who hasn’t been able to lead his team to victory against Providence in two tries, believes that the Rams and Friars have one of the most underrated rivalries in the country.
“You have to be in it to know that it’s a big-time game,” Miller said. “There’s a lot of intensity.”
Another loss to Providence would prevent Rhode Island from recording its first 9-0 start to a season since the 1947-48 campaign. The Rams most recently beat Yale 84-78 on Monday behind 26 points and nine rebounds from David Green. Sebastian Thomas contributed 20 points, while Jaden House chipped in 10.
Green (17.1 points per game), Thomas (16.4) and House (12.8) have been the Rams’ leading scorers this season.
The Friars coasted to an 83-64 win over BYU on Tuesday to end a three-game losing streak. Jabri Abdur-Rahim came off the bench to supply a game-high 21 points for the Friars, who also got 16 from Bryce Hopkins and 12 from Jayden Pierre.
Hopkins was making his season debut after recovering from a knee injury. Aside from him, Pierre (13.0 points per game) and Bensley Joseph (10.8) have scoring averages in double figures for Providence.
–Field Level Media
