From the days of Sly versus Soup, and Lamar versus Jamal and now Alpha Diallo versus Fatts Russell, the PC vs URI basketball game is almost always a tough, physical battle that over the last couple of seasons has come down to the final minutes.
On Saturday, the (5-2) Friars and (3-2) Rams will meet at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.
“I think we are battle-tested for it. Playing the South Carolina’s, the Michigans, the Wichitas is for that reason. I’ve watched Rhody a little bit, they are a totally different team, we have our hands full. [Fatts] Russell played really well against us last year. It’s a game that a lot of people are excited about, we are excited about it,” said PC head coach Ed Cooley.
For URI head coach David Cox, this will be his first URI vs PC game as the lead man for Rhode Island after serving as an assistant to Dan Hurley for the last four.
“It’s very intense, very intense. Four times we have played them since I have been a coach and we have only gotten them once. I’ve been on the end of some heartbreaking losses. But, it’s a great game to play, because of the rivalry, because of the intensity of the game. It is going to be a very physical game, the entire state is kind of polarized right now. I’m just excited too, for the first time, be the lead guy on the sideline,” said Cox.
The Friars have won seven, with URI defeating Providence last season for the first time in seven years.
Game time is set for 5 p.m. and can be seen on Fox Sports 1.
See What You Need to Know in the Slideshow Below
Related Slideshow: URI vs PC - What You Need to Know - 2018
The Friars and Rams have played continuously since 1935, but the rivalry really picked up in the 70s when Dave Gavitt's top recruit, Sly Williams, said he would come to Providence and then changed his mind and went to URI.
Back then, PC did not require recruits to sign letters of intent, like they do now.
Following his career at URI, Williams went on to be selected by the New York Knicks in the first round of the 1979 NBA draft.
Overall, the teams have met 128 times, with the Friars holding a 73-55 advantage.
PC has won seven of the last eight games against the Rams and nine of the last ten.
URI defeated the Friars in last season's matchup at the Ryan Center.
Following the game, PC head coach Ed Cooley was not impressed with the ten point win.
“With all due respect to the teams we play, it’s not the Big East. I’m not trying to compete against the LIUs and whoever else we play. We have to play high major teams, night in and night out and that is what we are building toward. I’m just happy we win, now we have to learn how to compete at an elite level and that’s not what we are doing right now."
Cooley continued, "I give all teams respect that come in here and play, but if we are trying to see how good we are against teams we supposed to beat, then I'm in the wrong seat. That's just the god's honest truth."
PC also has wins over Siena, Holy Cross, South Carolina, and Iona.
In their first season under head coach David Cox, the URI Rams enter Saturday’s rivalry game with a record of 3-2 overall.
Rhode Island’s two losses came against the College of Charleston and Stony Brook, while their wins came over Bryant, Harvard, and Brown.
Most recently, URI beat Brown 71-51 at the Ryan Center on Wednesday. It was arguably Rhode Island’s best performance of the season.
“That was Rhode Island basketball. That’s the type of effort that Rhode fans have been used to. That’s the type of effort we need every game, every day,” said Cox after the game.
The Rams have only played one other true road game so far this season and lost to Charleston after shooting 24% from the field in the first half.
So this season, the Friars have struggled to put a full 40 minutes of defense together.
In the win over Iona, the Friars built a 21 point second-half lead before seeing the Gaels cut it all the way down to nine.
“Give Iona a lot of credit, second half they were in a great offensive rhythm, getting the shots they wanted. I don’t think we were being disruptive and their ball screen offense really hurt us,” said Cooley after the game.
After the Friars win over Fairleigh Dickinson, Cooley was happy with the first half defense, but that went away in the second.
"We still have our work cut out for us defensively. I thought we played really well defensively in the first half, but we didn't capitalize on layups, free throws. We played a lot of guys, just trying to get some young guys game experience. Just defensively we have a long way to go," Cooley said after the game.
Cooley would add, "I thought we listened for 20 minutes."
Look for the Rams to test PC's ball screen defense early on.
While Fatts Russell and Jeff Dowtin are the offensive leaders for Rhode Island, a player that could have a huge impact on the game is Cyril Langevine.
In URI's win over Brown, Langevine put up a double-double with 19 points and 17 rebounds.
Of Langevine’s 17 rebounds, 12 of them came on the offensive glass.
“I’m very confident as you can see. I’m averaging a double-double now so just playing with confidence. Every night just going out there and playing with confidence. I know coach Cox trusts me, I’m gonna play hard and do what I have to do out there to stay on the floor,” said Langevine in the post-game press conference.
About Langevine, Cooley said, “He’s very athletic around the rim, I think he is a dynamic rebounder, he has really good hands and he is very physical. So we are gonna have to match their physicality.”
If Langevine can put up a similar performance on Saturday, Rhode Island could steal a win.
Five key freshmen will see action in their first URI vs PC rivalry game on Saturday.
“It’s going to be their first kind of go around with respect to anger. I’m pretty sure they (URI) don’t like us and that’s fine, I think it’s good for the game, it’s good for competition. Just control your emotions,” said Cooley during his media availability on Thursday.
For the Friars, David Duke and AJ Reeves both have been in the starting lineup over the last several games.
Duke is from Rhode Island and knows about the rivalry, but has never been to a game.
“They usually say its electric in there, the crowd, everyone is going crazy for every single basket, the crowd yelling at each other. It’s going to be amazing, it’s going to be a good show,” said Duke on Thursday.
Duke is averaging 26 minutes and eight points per game in seven games so far this season.
Reeves is averaging 13 points per game and is shooting 47% from three in seven games this season.
URI
For URI, forward Jermaine Harris has started all five games and is averaging five points and four rebounds per game.
Guard Tyrese Martin has appeared in all five games for the Rams and is averaging 20 minutes of action per game.
He is averaging three points and three rebounds per game.
Lastly, forward Dana Tate has played in all five games and is averaging 10 minutes per appearance.
So far this season, he has averaged three points and two rebounds per game.
