friarblog on Can the Friars close out their road out of conference schedule by earning a decent 2-2 split? They will have a decent shot playing a similar young team who likes to run. I know the two road losses have been somewhat devastating since they were oh so winnable, but before the season started a 2-2 stretch for the 4 road games seemed pretty fair. A victory tonight could give the Friars some confidence in these hostile territories heading into the belly of the BEAST.
WHAT TO: KNOW
Game Time: 7:00PM
Opponent: George Washington (6-1) of the A-10
Location: Washington, DC
Spread: GW -2
ESPN AccuScore Projection: PC 75, GW 74
CBS Prediction: GW 72, PC 66
This is a big game for GW. Just read what a GW tweeter said to me the other day:
WHAT TO: LOOK FOR
- Any time an opposing team’s best player is a forward, I get a little bit queasy. Damian Hollis is a 6-8 senior forward, 2nd on the team in scoring with 13.7 ppg. There’s a good chance he’ll suprass that total tonight.
- George Washington likes to push the pace as well. They come into the game with an adjusted pace (possessions per game) of 73.3 (ranked #34). Thanks to the track meet that was the URI game, PC now has a 75 pace (#19 highest in the nation). We might be looking at a similar game as last Saturday. The question is, can PC hold off George Washington’s inside game and duplicate their first half effort against URI?
- I have not heard any news regarding the health of Vincent Council or Marshon Brooks, who Keno said were under the weather for the Brown game. The speed of the game could be a factor here, as Vincent Council needs to be counted on to fly up and down the court — he was gassed by the end of the URI game. PC can also not afford to have Brooks with another off night offensively.
- One of George Washington’ biggest weaknesses is taking care of the ball. It could be due to the fact they have so many freshman, and play at a high tempo — but then again, so does PC. GW has an awful 25.4% TO%, which is ranked #321 in the nation. They have not had less than 15 turnovers a game, and hit the 20 mark twice (versus Boston and Princeton). Considering that Providence is #17th in the nation in steal percentage (6.6), turnovers could be a huge factor.
- Rebounding should be a good battle. Both teams have good offensive rebounding numbers, but GW has done better at not allowing their opponents to get offensive boards. The Colonials like to spread their ORB amongst the team, and don’t have anyone as dominant as PC — they don’t have anyone with more than 2 ORB a game. Greedy Peterson averages 5, and Bilal Dixon gets 3 a game.
Here is George Washington’s player impact chart
WHAT TO: READ
On Wednesday, December 9, the Friars will travel to Washington, D.C. to play George Washington University. The game will mark the fourth meeting all-time between the two opponents. The teams first met on December 11, 2000 when the Friars earned a 93-80 win in Washington. In the most recent game between the two teams, the Friars defeated the Colonials, 86-67, on November 26, 2006 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
GWSports.com: Men’s Basketball Hosts Providence
Projo.com: Friars will provide a measuring stick for improving George Washington
GW is coming off a solid, double-figure win over Navy on Sunday. Two of the freshmen — Lasan Kromah (16 points) and Tim Johnson (12) — came up big again. Senior star Damian Hollis led the way with 18 points. “Our motto is, we’re going to get you,” said Hollis. “We don’t know when, but it’s going to happen. So we keep on fighting.”
Projo.com: Capsule preview: PC at George Washington
The Colonials are one of the feel-good teams in the East so far this season after turning over their roster and the win-loss record. The 6-1 start comes on the heels of a 10 and nine-win seasons…Only loss came at home to Craig Robinson’s Oregon State team. President Obama came to the game with his family…Own wins over Navy University, George Mason and Princeton. Also beat UNC-Wilmington and Boston University on the road
The State of Friars Basketball: Preview for George Washington Colonials
Final Score Prediction: The difficulty I see in this game is that on paper, it appears that GW likes to attack the basket with 6’8 Hollis, which could be trouble for our big men. If our press can get back on defense, and we can execute around the basket, I do not think GW will be ready for what the Friars are about to bring to DC.
PFB: Pregame: Providence College vs. George Washington University
We think GW’ is a deceptive 6-1 team. Don’t get us wrong, they this could be a tough game (especially with the way we have been playing), but they really have not played anybody of quality yet. Their most difficult game was a home contest against a weak Oregon State team and they got beat. This said, it is difficult to accurately evaluate their stats. This is a game that can be won by the Friars. It would be a nice road win to pick up and an opportunity to have a solid 40 minute performance against somebody other than Vermont.
WHAT DO: WATCH
Game Highlights of GW in their loss to Oregon State
WHERE TO: WATCH
The game will be on ChannelSurfing.net
WHERE TO: LISTEN
You might be able to catch the live audio stream at http://www.federalnewsradio.com/.
WHERE TO: FOLLOW
Follow me as always during the game on Twitter @friarblog. Join the conversation by using the hashtag #friars
