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The Rider Broncs take on the Providence Friars. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Rider Providence prediction and pick.
The Providence Friars delivered a dream season in 2022, winning the Big East regular-season championship for the first time in school history. Coach Ed Cooley worked wonders with a lineup which was not physically imposing but which was fundamentally sound, made the right plays late in games, and was tremendous from the free throw line, doing all the little things that win close games and provide a small added margin which made all the difference. Providence was able to then reach the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. The Friars gave eventual national champion Kansas a good fight before falling to the Jayhawks in the Midwest Regional semifinals.
This season's team loses all five starters from that Sweet 16 group, however. Cooley has had to go to the transfer portal, as coaches regularly have to do in modern college sports, in order to restock the roster. Bryce Hopkins and Noah Locke are two of those transfers. Interestingly, Hopkins comes from Kentucky and Locke comes from Louisville. Players who went against each other as member of bitter rivals in the Bluegrass will now be on the same team in the 2022-2023 season.
The best returning player on the 2023 Friars is sixth man Jared Bynum, who hit a huge game-winning shot at Xavier last season and made a lot of other big late-game plays for a team which had the clutch gene. Bynum has to be Mister Clutch once again if this new team is to live up to its potential in the Big East Conference.
The Rider Broncs finished 14-19 last season, but they did something significant and impactful before their 33-game season ended: They stunned MAAC regular-season champion Iona. The Rick Pitino-coached Gaels were the favorite to make the NCAA Tournament from the MAAC, but Rider pulled off a 71-70 shocker to send Iona and Pitino to the NIT. This Rider team brings back four starters from last season's team. This group has a chance to be a factor in the 2023 MAAC championship chase.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Rider-Providence College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Rider-Providence Odds
Rider Broncs: +12.5 (-110)
Providence Friars: -12.5 (-110)
Over: 142.5 (-112)
Under: 142.5 (-108)
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Why Rider Could Cover the Spread
This is a pretty notable set of facts: As a favorite of at least seven points, Providence head coach Ed Cooley 32-62-1 all-time in 95 such games. He is 9-18 against the spread in his last 27 games as a double-digit favorite. Last season's great team was 2-4 against the spread in such situations.
Add to that the fact that Rider does bring back four starters while Providence lost all five starters, and the spread is over 12 points. That's a lot to put in Rider's column.
Why Providence Could Cover the Spread
Providence is a winning program which makes winning plays and has a winning culture. Jared Bynum will make the big baskets, but the transfers who came in can give Providence a “plug and play” identity which will give the Friars more than enough quality and talent to beat Rider decisively and cover the spread. Rider was not a great team last season. It had a few great moments, but its game-to-game results weren't particularly impressive. Providence is still a lot better.
Final Rider-Providence Prediction & Pick
Rider's cohesion and Providence's lack of an established starting five should give the edge to Rider here.
Final Rider-Providence Prediction & Pick: Rider +12.5
