Rider vs Providence Odds, Spread and Picks (Nov. 8)

• Providence College opens is 2022-23 season against Rider on Tuesday, November 8
• Providence is a 13.5-point home favorite at Amica Mutual Pavilion
• Read below for Rider vs Providence odds and prediction

Providence College is a 13.5-point favorite over Rider in the opening game of the regular season for both teams at Amica Mutual Pavilion at 6:30 pm ET on FS1. The Friars won the Big East regular-season title and reached the NCAA Sweet 16 last season before losing  to eventual champion Kansas.

Rider was 14-19 last season, 8-12 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, but played well late and reached the MAAC tournament semifinals for the first time in a decade by beating  Rick Pitino’s top-seeded Iona in the first round.

Rider vs Providence Odds

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Providence finished the 2021-22 strong, going 5-3 SU and 6-2 ATS after a three-game Big East losing streak. They covered all three NCAA Tournament games including a 66-61 Sweet Sixteen loss to Kansas and a 6.5-point underdog, finishing with an excellent 20-13 ATS record on the year.

Rider was 16-16 ATS and 8-6 as a road underdog last season, and the Broncs also finished on a high note. They were 8-6 SU and 10-4 ATS after starting 5-12 overall and 2-7 in the Metro Atlantic.

Providence Reloads Behind Bynum

Providence was a textbook over-achiever last season with a group that played better than the sum of its parts, riding veteran know-how and stretch presence to a 27-6 regular season record and a Big East best 14-3 despite missing three games because of Covid-19 issues in the program.

CBS Sports released its top 100 players entering the 2022-23 season and listed Jared Bynum as the 53rd ranked player among a plethora of other Big East players! #pcbb #GoFriars pic.twitter.com/TZxdQsA7OI

— Kim English Apologist (@FriarsCapital) November 2, 2022

Guard Jared Bynum is the lone “starter” back, although he made only 10 starts and made most of his contributions down the stretch as an instant-offense the sixth man. Bynum averaged 15.1 points per game in Big East play, when he played starter’s minutes but made only three starts. His 3-point percentage jumper from 11.9 percent to 46.5 percent in two seasons.

The Friars lost five of their top six scorers from the 2021-22 team, including guard Al Durham (13.6 points, 3.5 assists) and center Nate Watson (13.3 pints, 5.2 boards), prompting coach Ed  Cooley to mine the transfer portal for veterans to join Bynum and holdover backup center Ed Croswell.

2022 BIG EAST Regular Season Champions

"Them Dudes: The Story of the 2021-2022 Providence College Men's Basketball Team" will premiere on November 2 at 7PMhttps://t.co/XIkbFATfd1 pic.twitter.com/oNdV3RI8KQ

— Providence MBB (@PCFriarsmbb) November 1, 2022

South Carolina transfer Devin Carter and Louisville transfer Noah Locke are expected to provide immediate help. Carter averaged 9.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in 30 games, 11 starts, last season, leaving after the Gamecocks fired coach Frank Martin. Locke is at his third college in three seasons after leaving Miami for Louisville last year. He shot 38.5 percent from the field with the Cardinals, 34.2 from three-point range, in an offense that never meshed.

The Friars also added 6’11 transfer Clifton Moore, like Croswell a former La Salle post player, and athletic Kentucky transfer Bryce Hopkins, who decommitted from Louisville. Freshman point guard Jayden Pierre will contribute.

Rider Gets Some Respect

After a strong to conclude the 2021-22 season, Rider was picked to finish third in the MAAC this season in a preseason poll of league coaches, an acknowledgment of their returning cast and the grit the Broncs showed a year ago. The return 74 percent of their scoring from 2021-22.

RIDER UPSETS IONA?!!!!! Dwight Murray Jr. hit the Contested Game Winning Jumper with 7 seconds left to upset the Presumed Iona Champs and coach Pitino 71-70 in the first round of the MAAC. Free Bid open now!! pic.twitter.com/9k2xPNYXHt

— NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) March 10, 2022

Dwight Murray Jr, a fifth-year senior who spent his first two seasons at Incarnate Word, was an unanimous choice to the preseason MAAC first team after averaging 13.1 points along with career highs in assists (4.7 per, a league high) and rebounds (6.3) a year ago. Senior forward Mervin James (11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds) in his first year after transferring from North Alabama, and and senior Allen Powell (12.1 points, 2.1 threes per game) were named to the third team.

The Broncs’ struggled last season to overcome poor shooting. Only Powell and returning big man Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson (8.6 points, 7.0 rebounds) shot better than 42.5 percent from the field, and the team was 313th in Division I with a 41.4 field goal percentage. Their 67.8 points per game was 263rd. Murray had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a 111-79 exhibition victory the last time out Saturday.

Rider vs Providence Prediction

Rider returns an experienced group that fought through adversity to finish well a year ago. Providence enters lacking five of its top six scorers, and with so many new faces may need a lengthy sorting out period. The veteran group is the way to go in this game.

Pick: Rider + 13.5 (-114)