PC vs. URI - Still A State Treasure

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Saturday, December 04, 2010

Scott Cordischi, GoLocalProv Sports Editor

You would think that in a year like this one, that interest in today’s PC-URI men’s basketball game might be down quite a bit. You may think that, but you’d be wrong.

In my travels over the past couple of weeks, everyone I have spoken with still has an opinion on today’s game. This is somewhat unusual considering the circumstances.

Let’s start with Providence College. The Friars are off to a (7-1) start which everyone knows is somewhat fraudulent because of the weakness of their schedule.

It seems as if every night is “MCI Night” at the Dunk when PC plays because it’s friends and family only in attendance. It’s actually sad to see but there’s good reason for it. The program was not competitive in the Big East conference last year and isn’t expected to be this year either. Add to that a tough economy with a high unemployment rate in Rhode Island and people just aren’t spending their money on luxury items like college basketball season tickets like they used to.

Down in Kingston, things are much more positive. Jim Baron’s Rams appear to be a very good team again this year. As in the past few seasons, Rhody could be in position to make a run for a coveted spot in the NCAA tournament.

However, it has been 11 years since Lamar Odom’s three-pointer to beat Temple in the A-10 finals which was the last time URI went to the Big Dance. That’s a long drought.

Still, despite the reason for pessimism, this is a game that people still have a passion for. This is Rhode Island’s unofficial state championship and sports fans in this state care about it. How else do you explain less than 1,000 tickets remaining for today’s contest?

The Dunk holds about 12,000 fans for a basketball game and the Friars have been playing in front of a huge number of empty seats so far this season. Not today.

This is a game not only for the diehard college basketball fans in the state, but also for the casual sports fans in Rhode Island as well. It’s this little state’s version of Red Sox-Yankees, Celtics-Lakers, Bruins-Canadiens or, to put it in more immediate terms, Patriots-Jets.

We need this game and more like them. The fans love it. The players love it. The coaches love it. Okay, maybe not the coaches. But you get the idea. It’s a great rivalry with an intense atmosphere. It’s how sports should be.

In a perfect world the PC Friars would be a dominant program in the Big East and a regular participant in the NCAA’s. Ditto for URI in the A-10.

But today, none of that matters. It’s still PC versus URI and all that goes along with it. It’s Sly Williams. It’s our state legislature wishing the Friars “good luck” in the NCAA tournament but not the Rams who were also heading to the Big Dance.

We hear that the contract is up in this series after today’s game and there are grumblings about whether or not it will continue in its current state. Rubbish! This series should and will go on after today’s game and it should be played at the Dunk one year and at the Ryan Center the next, no questions asked!

So enjoy the game today whether you’re rooting for the Rams or the Friars. It is something to cherish no matter what the circumstances are.

Related Articles

• Solid effort by Rams, but not good enough
• Rams must shape up or ship out
• Temple picked #1, URI voted #5 in A-10 Pre-Season
• Friars Struggle to Beat Yale 58-55
• Scott Cordischi On Sports: URI Over PC, Jeter Out Of His Mind!
• Friars Wake Up And Dominate Second Half In 92-57 Rout Of Central Conn.
• Rams Cruise to First Road Victory
• Friars led by Brooks-Show, Beat Morgan State
• Rams Hang Tough, Fall to #4 Pitt
• PC Friars Win In Cancun / Brown Bears Off To Best Start In 10 Years
• Rams trounce winless Toledo for third consecutive win
• SEASON PREVIEW: Could This Finally Be the Year for Jim Baron’s Rhody Rams?

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