Where: Northwest Florida State College Arena – Destin, FL

When: 7:00pm EST

How: CBS Sports Network (Brad Johansen & Doug Gottlieb)/WEEI 103.7 FM and Friars.com (John Rooke and Joe Hassett)/FriarTV

Game Notes

Providence and Virginia is will meet for the 7th time ever on Saturday. The all-time series is tied, 3-3. This game is the finals of the 2016 Emerald Coast Classic. The Friars defeated Grambling St and St. Francis (NY) in campus site games of the Emerald Coast Classic and then beat Memphis on Friday night to advance to this matchup against Virginia. The last time Providence played Virginia was February 2, 2005 and the Friars won, 98-79.

Providence is 127-180 all-time against teams from the ACC. The Friars went 1-1 against ACC teams last season, beating Boston College in December 2015 and then losing to national runner-up North Carolina in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.

Virginia is 5-0 this season. They defeated St. Francis (NY) and Grambling St during the campus site portion of the Emerald Coast Classic and they defeated Iowa in the semifinals on Friday night. They also beat UNC-Greensboro and Yale. The Cavaliers are led by Tony Bennett, who is in his 8th season at the helm of the Virginia program. Junior Marial Shayok leads the Cavaliers in scoring at 11.2 points/game. Sophomore Jarred Reuter leads them in rebounding, averaging 6.2 rebounds/game.

leads the Cavaliers in scoring at 11.2 points/game. Sophomore leads them in rebounding, averaging 6.2 rebounds/game. Opening Line: Providence +13.5 vs (7) Virginia 11/26/16

Game Preview

Providence opened the on-site portion of the Emerald Coast Classic at Northwest Florida State College’s arena in Niceville, FL by beating the Memphis Tigers on Friday night to advance to the finals on Saturday night against Virginia. This marks the fourth straight season that Providence has been in the finals of their in-season tournament. The Friars won 1 and lost 2 of the previous 3.

The probable starters according to the game notes are:

Providence

Virginia

The keys to victory for Providence are to take care of the basketball and get hot from beyond the arc. Virginia has been very effective at turning teams over. They rank 7th nationally in Turnover % at 26.0%. When they lost last season, the Cavaliers were mostly beaten by their opponents’ ability to make 3-point baskets. If Providence has any hope of pulling off the upset to win the Emerald Coast Classic they will need to bury 8-10, or more, triples.

Prediction: Providence 53 Virginia 68

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