LINKS: Providence Goes for 9th Straight Win Against Georgetown

The Providence Friars (10-5, 0-2) come to D.C. to play the Georgetown Hoyas (11-5, 1-2).

Here are the links:

Men’s Basketball Game Notes vs. Georgetown | FRIARS

The Friars will play at Georgetown on Saturday, January 12 at 12 p.m. on FS1. Providence and Georgetown have met 72 times in school history, with all but two meetings coming since the formation of the BIG EAST Conference in 1979. The Hoyas lead the all-time series, 44-28... The Hoyas hold a 23-8 advantage in Washington, D.C. ...

In their first game last season, Providence defeated Georgetown, 73-69, on February 6 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. In the second meeting between the two teams last season, the Friars posted a 74-69 win at Georgetown on February 24, 2018. The Friars have won the last eight games between the two teams.

Big East Standings, Schedules, Predictions, and Pick’em Contest? (Week of 1/7) | VUHOOPS

The Friars are searching for their first Big East win. They are 3-2 since it was announced that A.J. Reeves would miss 4-6 weeks due to a foot injury. Most recently, they’ve lost back-to-back games, and their struggling offense has some Friar fans praying for a quick return for Reeves. []

With a week off in between last Saturday’s ‘Nova game and this Georgetown game, it’ll give Ed Cooley and his staff a chance to reassess the situation. It will be about a month since the news was broken, and up until that point, A.J. Reeves was making a great case for Big East Freshman of the Year. The Friars swept Georgetown in the regular season series last year, but both games were an absolute dogfight. This might be the year that Georgetown changes that narrative and emerges with a win.

Friars looking to continue mastery over Georgetown | Providence Journal

“The pace was faster than non-conference,” David Duke said of the team’s two Big East games. “The intensity, the cutting, the defenses you are playing against are much tighter, everything is better.” []

The game against the Hoyas will match up two highly-touted freshman guards in Duke and Georgetown’s James Akinjo. A Californian who was at one time ticketed to become a Connecticut Huskie, Akinjo is looking like the top freshman in the Big East right now. He is averaging 14.2 points and 4.4 assists, nearly double Duke’s numbers. Most impressively he lives at the free throw line with nearly six attempts per game. That’s a marked difference than Duke’s 2.1 attempts and speaks to a decidedly more aggressive offensive outlook...

“James has a strong belief in himself and has a great work ethic,” Ewing said. “If I’m in my office and hear the ball bouncing, it’s always James and Mac. They’re both hard workers.”

PC Friars: Yes, We’ve Been Here Before. | YURVIEW

So it turns out this season isn’t the first time Ed Cooley and the Friars have found themselves in a tough spot. The roster might look different, but the situation is the same...

Consistency is their struggle, as it has been all season. When they play consistent, Providence heads to Texas and wins convincingly. When they play inconsistent basketball, they start from behind and have to claw their way out. The Friars will be tasked with putting together a more consistent effort early in the game so they aren’t trying to pull themselves out of the hole they’ve dug, but that is challenging when the team itself is still looking for consistency from individuals. But it’s too early to write the Friars off, because the past has shown us that even teams coming on late can still make noise and find their way into the Dance.

Villanova holds on for victory against Providence | BIGEASTCOASTBIAS

They led Providence 60-40 at this point and the game seemed to be in hand. Villanova took their foot off the gas. Providence didn’t, though. Isaiah Jackson cut the lead to 18, then Alpha Diallo, then Nate Watson, then Makai Ashton-Langford (who had a career-high 20 points), then Ashton-Langford again, then Diallo again. Suddenly, the Villanova lead went from 20 to four with just a minute left.

However, Nova went to Booth for a three point play and got it back to a seven point lead just inside a minute... Providence missed their shot and Booth went to the line again to seal the six point Villanova win.

NB: James Akinjo has not made a 2-pointer in Big East play?