Who’s Streaking and Who’s Sinking — College Basketball in Rhode Island

Who’s Streaking and Who’s Sinking — College Basketball in Rhode Island

The four Division I men’s basketball teams in the state are currently going in different directions.

The expected is the unexpected.

There are still a few big-time games to be played in the non-conference schedule — one of the teams plays both Kansas and Kentucky just days apart.

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Let’s take a look at Providence College, the University of Rhode Island, Bryant University, and Brown University and how each is positioned at this point in the schedule.

 

Providence College 7-5 (1-0 Big East) ⬇️

The Friars have completed their out-of-conference schedule, and are limping into Big East play.

Yes, PC has a Big East win against DePaul in overtime, but the Blue Demons are a team that has not won a conference game in two years.

The Friars won their first five games and are 2-5 since then, including losses to three teams in the Atlantic-10 (Davidson, Rhode Island, and St. Bonaventure). That is not a strong resume for a Big East School early in the season.

The Friars' first three games in the Big East, which starts on December 20 at home against St. Johns, are then followed by Marquette (8-1) and Connecticut (7-3).

The two big questions are Bryce Hopkins' health and can the guards hit open 3-pointers.

 

University of Rhode Island 10-1 ⬆️

Rhode Island has only one more non-conference game — Temple University in Springfield on December 21.

Then the 10-1 Rams kickoff the A-10 conference games with a trip to Pittsburgh against Duquesne on New Year’s Eve day. The Dukes are 5-7.

For the Rams, the question is, was the loss to Brown this month an aberration, or did it expose the team's vulnerabilities?

 

Brown University 7-3 ⬆️

Brown University is on a six-game winning streak, including last week, giving URI its only loss of the year in double-overtime.

The Bears play Kansas on December 22 and then Kentucky on New Year’s Eve day.

Why Brown is playing both is highly questionable — other than for the money.

 

Bryant University 6-7 ⬇️

Bryant University is on a two-game losing streak, dropping games to St. John’s University and then to Fordham University.

Four of their losses this season have been by a total of 6 points.

The Bulldogs have two more non-conference games before the “real” games begin.

It is a team looking for consistency.