Indiana basketball has a date set with Providence in the seventh place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Friday at 11:00 a.m ET in The Bahamas.
The Hoosiers (4-2 overall, 0-0 in B1G play) enter their final contest of the Battle 4 Atlantis with two losses, to Louisville and Gonzaga, already this week by an average margin of 22 points. The Friars (5-2 overall, 0-0 in Big East play) were defeated in their first two games, by Oklahoma and Davidson, in The Bahamas by a combined 13 points.
Before Friday morning's battle in the seventh place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis, preview the matchup between No. 14 Indiana and Providence.
HEAD COACH PROFILE
Head Coach: Kim English
Record: 60-45 in 4th year overall, 26-16 in 2nd year at Providence
Kim English is in his second season as the head coach of the Friars. In his first season in Rhode Island, English became the first head coach in Providence history to win 20-plus games in their first season with the program.
Last season, English coached junior Devin Carter to winning Big East Player of the Year. Carter became just the second Friar to ever win the award.
English began his head coaching career just a few years ago at George Mason. There, he coached the Patriots to a 34-29 record over the course of three seasons.
Before acting as the head coach at George Mason, English spent time as an assistant coach at Tennessee (2019-21), Colorado (2017-19 and Tulsa (2016-17). Prior to his time as an assistant, English was the Director of Player Development at Tulsa from 2015-16.
THIS SEASON
Entering Friday's meeting with Indiana, Providence sits at 5-2 on the season.
The Friars took care of business in each of their first five non-conference games of the season, winning each of them by an average of 16.6 points a game. So far this week in The Bahamas, Providence has fallen to Oklahoma, 79-77, and Davidson, 69-58.
Entering their Thursday evening affair with Davision, the Friars were averaging 71.5 points per game. As a team, the Friars were shooting 44.5% from the field and 32.4% fro 3-point range, on 30.5 3-point attempts a game. Providence was also out-rebounding its opponents by and average of 14.3 rebounds a night.
Defensively, Providence entered the second-round game against Davidson surrendering 57.8 point a night. Opponents were shooting 37.1% from the field and 26.6% from distance on the season.
Entering the clash with Indiana, Providence ranks No. 88 in the country in Kenpom. The Friars boast the 51st-ranked defense in the country and the 145th-ranked offense.
KEY PLAYERS
- Guard Bensley Joseph: At 6-foot-2, Joseph Bensley is Providence's leading scorer on the season, averaging 12.5 points a contest. He also leads the Friars in assists per game at just under four per game. On the year, Joseph is shooting it at a 42.1% clip from the field and a 33.3% clip from distance. Bensley spent the first three years of his college career at Miami.
- Guard Jayden Pierre: A junior out of Elizabeth, New Jersey, Jayden Pierre is averaging 11.5 points a night. Pierre has been the best 3-point shooter on the Friars to begin the year, converting at a 42.9% rate from downtown to begin the season. At 6-foot-2, Pierre has the ability to play both on the ball and off the ball in Kim English's offense.
- Guard Wesley Cardet: Standing at 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, Wesley Cardet is an oversized guard. The senior out of Tallahassee, Florida is Providence's third-leading scorer on the season, averaging 10.3 points a night entering Thursday night's clash with Davidson. Despite being a guard, Cardet is the Friars' leading rebounder to begin the year, pulling down just north of five rebounds a night. On the season, Cardet has shot the ball at a 41.7% clip from the field and a 33.3% clip from distance.
STORYLINES TO MONITOR
Can Indiana close out the Battle 4 Atlantis on a high note...
Indiana's first two games in The Bahamas has been a nightmare for Mike Woodson's bunch. In the opener, the Hoosiers came out flat and were completely dismantled in an embarrassing loss at the hands of Louisville. In the second round, Indiana was beaten once again by double-figures, this time by Gonzaga. The Hoosiers displayed stretches of better play in that contest, but were still ultimately blown out. It's hard to call Indiana's appearance in the Battle 4 Atlantis anything other than a big time struggle through the first two games of the Hoosiers' time in The Bahamas. However, the Hoosiers can't afford their Thanksgiving week trip to go from bad to much worse on Friday by losing to the Friars. A loss, and ultimately a last place finish in the Battle 4 Atlantis, would be disastrous for the Hoosiers.
Can the Hoosiers put together a compete game...
All 40 minutes of Indiana's loss to Louisville was bad. The Hoosiers were dominated essentially from start to finish. In the second round, against Gonzaga, Indiana kept it close for about the first 10 minutes of the game before the Bulldogs closed the first frame on a big time run to take a double-digit lead into the halftime locker room. The Hoosiers actually won the second half on Thursday against Gonzaga, although it was nothing more than a morale victory. If Indiana wants to beat Providence on Friday, the Hoosiers are going to have to put together a full 40 minutes of good basketball, something they still haven't done -- outside of maybe South Carolina -- this season.
Will Indiana's guards finally show up...
Indiana's guard play has been awful so far in the Battle 4 Atlantis. It was Malik Reneau, and to a lesser extent Oumar Ballo and Mackenzie Mgbako, that played well in Indiana's loss to Louisville. In the loss to Gonzaga, it was Ballo that came to play. The Hoosiers are still waiting for Myles Rice, Kanaan Carlyle -- whose energy was better in the first half against the Bulldogs -- and Trey Galloway to show up. So far this week in the Bahamas, they haven't. The Friars are a team that likes to spread out their opponents and play multiple guards at once. The Hoosiers are going to need some semblance of production from their guards if they want to have a chance in this one.
QUICK HITTERS
Who: No. 14 Indiana (4-2) vs. Providence (5-2)
Series History: Indiana leads the all-time series 2-0 (Last Meeting: Indiana won 79-58 on Nov. 30, 2020 in Asheville, North Carolina)
When: Nov. 29, 2024, 11:00 a.m. ET
Where: Imperial Ballroom, Paradise Islands, The Bahamas
TV: ESPN2: Dave O’Brien (play-by-play), Jimmy Dykes (analyst)
Radio: IU Radio Network: Austin Render (Play-by-Play), Errek Suhr (Analyst), John Herrick
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