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Friars, Bentil Make Statement at UMass

Dunn Umass

Monday was filled with good news for Providence.

Kris Dunn returned to the court after nearly two weeks away with an illness, the AP writers ranked PC 10th in this week’s poll, and the Friars closed the non-conference portion of the schedule in emphatic fashion with a 90-66 victory at Massachusetts.

A confident Dunn didn’t miss a beat in his return, scoring 14 points on an array of moves, handing out 11 assists and grabbing six rebounds. He scored through a foul, then threw down a loud dunk later in the first half, and connected on a difficult step back 3-pointer early in the second when PC eliminated any thought of a UMass comeback.

Yet, for all of the good news that came Ed Cooley’s way on Monday, Ben Bentil provided the biggest statement.

Bentil entered Monday’s game as the Big East’s leader scorer — and the league’s biggest breakout star. The Providence sophomore beats teams in a variety of ways, and all of them were on display in his 32 point, 12 rebound evening against an overmatched UMass frontcourt.

The 6’9, 235 lb Bentil’s most under-appreciated strength is his pure foot speed. There aren’t many players his size who can keep pace at a full sprint, and when playing alongside Dunn, Bentil is a near lock to get two or three layups a night simply by running the floor.

Bentil is capable of taking opponents outside (3-5 from 3 on Monday night), and blows by big men who run him off of the arc. He welcomes contact and finishes at the free throw line at an 80% clip (he was 7-9 at the charity stripe on Monday night).

Five of Bentil’s 12 rebounds came on the offensive end, and tonight marked the third time this season that Bentil has grabbed 12 boards in a game. He also has four double doubles on the season.

No one outside of Smith Hill saw this coming for Bentil — or the Friars for that matter.

Providence finished the non-conference portion of the schedule 12-1, with their only loss coming to #1 Michigan State in a game they were leading with six minutes to play.

And now their Big East opener sets up to be one of the most highly anticipated regular season games in quite some time. PC is off until Dec. 31 when they travel to Indianapolis to play #9 Butler. The Bulldogs imposed their will in a victory over a massive Purdue team this weekend — a Purdue team that had been undefeated and came in ranked 8th in the country. Butler also defeated then-#17 Cincinnati on the road at the buzzer earlier this month.

Barring an unforeseen slip up against Southern Utah or IUPUI in either of Butler’s final two non-conference games, Butler and Providence will both be top 10 teams nationally for their matchup.

The Friars will bring a pair of superstars and their highest national ranking since 1978 with them.

Twitter: @Kevin_Farrahar

Email: kevin.farrahar@friarbasketball.com

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