Brown @ Providence preview
Amica Mutual Pavilion
Last Meeting ( Dec 6, 2016 ) Brown 57, Providence 95
Despite shooting 55 percent at Rhode Island on Saturday, Providence lost 75-68 -- snapping a five-game winning streak -- because it turned the ball over 21 times that contributed to 23 Rams points. Friars coach Ed Cooley hopes his team pays closer attention to detail when Brown travels down College Hill to battle Providence on Wednesday.
“A lot of that is mindset,” Cooley told the Providence Journal. “You tell your players what to expect, and I think once we made the adjustment, we had it right where we wanted to have it on the road but we just waited too long to make that adjustment, emotionally and physically. We have to get our guys to understand when we tell them something, it’s real." Guard Alpha Diallo led the way against Rhode Island with 17 points and seven rebounds but star point guard Kyron Cartwright, who came in averaging 15 points and 5.7 assists over his previous three games, was held to two points on 1-of-7 shooting and committed three turnovers against four assists. Brown and Providence have met 123 times, dating back to the 1921-22 season, with the Friars holding a 95-28 advantage. The Friars have won the last two games, coming away with a 95-57 win last season behind 20 points from Emmitt Holt and 16 apiece from Jalen Lindsey and Rodney Bullock.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FoxSports2
ABOUT BROWN (4-4): Brown lost at home for the first time this season, dropping a 68-62 decision to Central Connecticut on Saturday. Freshman Desmond Cambridge paced the Bears with 17 points, knocking down a career high five 3-pointers. Sophomore Brandon Anderson, the Bears' top scorer with 19.6 points per game, ranks second in the nation in free throws made (74), and the 6-1 sophomore also leads the Ivy League with 4.0 assists per game and 12 steals.
ABOUT PROVIDENCE (6-2): Bullock, a 6-7 senior, leads the team in scoring (14.4 points) and rebounds (6.0) -- down nearly one in each category from a junior season after which Bullock briefly applied for the NBA draft before pulling out. The Friars, led by Lindsey (17-of-27), are deadly from beyond the arc, shooting 46.5 percent -- third in the country. Bullock (12-of-28) and Cartwright (11-of-24) also shoot at least 43 percent on 3-pointers.
TIP-INS
1. Brown coach Mike Martin was part of the winningest class in Bears' basketball history, posting a 63-45 four-year record from 2000-04.
2. Holt, who averaged 12.5 points and 5.4 rebounds during his junior season in 2016-17, has not played in a game this season due to a personal leave. He is expected to return to the team in January but may take a redshirt year.
3. The Bears rank eighth nationally in free throws made (172) and 18th in free throws attempted (220).
PREDICTION: Providence 88, Brown 64