It’s the time of year for that game that just means a little more. On Saturday, Ed Cooley will return to Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island, to square off with the Providence Friars.
Georgetown (13-6, 4-4 Big East) will enter this game with momentum. Against Villanova, Micah Peavy caught an inbound pass and drove to the hoop, hitting a floater with under 2 seconds left on the clock to take a 64-63 lead. Eric Dixon, already with 29 points, got a great look on the baseline after receiving a full court pass, but Sorber’s outstretched hands did enough to disrupt the potential game-winner.
The victory marked the Hoyas’ first on the road against Villanova since 2011 and the first at Finneran Pavilion since 2005. It also ended a 4-game skid where they dropped close games to Marquette, UConn, and St. John’s before granting DePaul their first regular season Big East win in 39 games.
Providence (9-10, 3-5 Big East) has lost back-to-back bouts, the first of which was a 20-point clobbering by Creighton. Ryan Kalkbrenner had 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocks, indicating that skilled big men can take advantage of the lack of Bryce Hopkins on the floor. Most recently, Villanova prevailed against them by a mere 2 points. Dixon had 23 points and 8 boards.
Last year’s match featured serious vitriol from the home crowd, showering the new Hoya leader with boos. Expect a similarly raucous environment this year, but maybe not to the extent of last year due to Providence’s poor season-long performance.
The story for the Friars has been the aforementioned sidelining of star forward Bryce Hopkins. Hopkins suffered a torn ACL last year against Seton Hall. He took his time rehabbing, ultimately announcing himself in a big way on December 3 against BYU. Hopkins scored 16 points to go with 5 boards and 4 assists in the 21-point win. He then scored 16 against Rhode Island and 19 in an overtime win against DePaul. However, he has not touched the floor since.
Head coach Kim English took to the portal to rebuild after Devin Carter was drafted, but his recruits have been largely underwhelming. Wesley Cardet Jr. is averaging 10 points per game after averaging 19 last year at Chicago State. Jabri Abdur-Rahim is averaging just 6 points a year after he averaged 12 at Georgia.
Meanwhile, 4-star big man (and better recruit than Thomas Sorber, according to the PCBC) Oswin Erhunmwunse has not had nearly the same impact as 35 in the Blue and Gray. He is averaging 5 points and 6 boards per game in 18 minutes. However, it is important to note that these numbers are skewed by a slow start. It cannot be denied that he is rapidly improving as a Big East big.
The real freshman revelation for Providence has been Ryan Mela. Mela has taken home back-to-back Big East Freshman of the Week awards in the absence of UConn’s Liam McNeeley and Sorber. He impacts the game in several ways, able to score, pass, and rebound while providing an energy boost on the floor. Jayden Pierre will be another one to watch for the Friars.
Georgetown opens as the underdog. This road environment is arguably the toughest one the Hoyas will play in all season, and they need to keep their composure and not let the game get away from them. Look out for the Sorber-Erhunmwunse matchup down low. This game serves as a prime opportunity for Cooley to get another signature win and build serious momentum going into a rematch against St. John’s at home.
