Another Crazy Saturday in College Basketball
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Saturday was quite a day in college basketball, and for a time, it looked like Providence’s battle with St. John’s would be right up there with the most notable games of the day.
In the end, it was certainly a key game, although the end result probably won’t grab the attention of many outside of those who follow the two teams. Providence made key plays in the final minutes en route to pulling out an 81-73 win over the Red Storm.
The first half was a shootout – not exactly the kind of play one would expect from these two teams, especially the Red Storm. But the Red Storm shot just over 59 percent from the floor and Providence shot 60 percent in the opening stanza, with the Red Storm taking a 45-40 lead into the locker room.
The Friars would steadily make their way back after the Red Storm went up nine in the second half, at one point holding them scoreless for four minutes. St. John’s was hot in the early minutes of the second half, but once that faded, so did the Red Storm defensively.
In the final minutes, the difference was who made plays. After a jumper by Anthony Mason, Jr. cut the Friar lead to 74-73, the Red Storm never scored again in the final minute. A short jumper by Sharaud Curry (19 points, five assists) and a layup by Herbert Hill (17 points) sealed it.
“We made the big plays at the end tonight. The other night we didn’t,” said Providence head coach Tim Welsh, referring to Wednesday night’s close home loss to Seton Hall.
Surely drawing from the first half, both coaches talked about the importance of defense after the game.
“We’ve got to find a way to put our hard hats on at the defensive end of the floor, and every night we’ll have a chance,” said Welsh, who added that being better with the ball in the second half made a difference as well.
“We’ve got to have a defensive mindset,” said St. John’s head coach Norm Roberts, whose team entered the game tops in the conference in scoring defense and second in field goal percentage defense. “We’re not good in high-scoring games. We need to defend.”
The Friars finished the game shooting 50 percent from the field, while St. John’s had five players score in double figures for the first time under Norm Roberts. Daryll Hill played arguably his best game of the season, pacing them with 16 points on 6-13 shooting.
“I thought we did some good things the whole game,” Roberts said. “I don’t think we played badly.”
With the win, the Friars even up with the Red Storm both overall (10-10) and in Big East play (3-6). This game could be crucial at the end when it comes to the last team that makes the Big East Tournament, as both teams are in the hunt for that 12th and final spot.
Other Notable Games
Louisville 89, Notre Dame 86 (OT): Another tough loss for the Fighting Irish, who have now lost eight Big East contests by a grand total of 24 points. More importantly, the Cardinals get a much-needed win, as they aren’t exactly a guarantee to get to New York, either.
Virginia 75, Wake Forest 73: The Demon Deacons are now 1-8 in ACC play, and this time it wasn’t point guard play that killed them. Instead, it was the Cavaliers owning a 42-22 edge on the glass.
Wichita State 71, Southern Illinois 63 (2 OT): The Shockers inch closer to 20 wins (they are now 19-5) and more importantly stay hot, as this is their eighth win in nine games. They also hang on to first place in the Missouri Valley.
Hartford 75, Vermont 66: The Hawks get another double-double from Kenny Adeleke (23 points, 16 rebounds) and snap Vermont’s 14-game America East home winning streak. The road team won both games between these two long-time rivals this season.
La Salle 62, Temple 56: The Explorers go back over .500 in Atlantic 10 play with this key win over an Owls team that continues to be hot-and-cold.
Coastal Carolina 64, Winthrop 50: If the Eagles don’t make the NCAA Tournament, one team they can look at as a chief spoiler is the Chanticleers, who earned a season sweep with this win. This year isn’t an isolated case, either – the Chanticleers have won three of the last five in this series, and no one else in the Big South has beaten the Eagles in that time.
Kent State 63, Akron 57: The Golden Flashes grabbed first place in the MAC East Division with this win.
Purdue 70, Wisconsin 62: The Badgers’ slide continues, as they have now lost three straight and five in six games.
Washington State 77, Washington 64: Another bad loss for the Huskies, whose less-than-stellar non-conference schedule continues to look like a detriment. They are now 5-5 in Pac-10 play, and got swept by the Cougars for the first time in 12 years.
Idaho State 95, Montana 70: A 38-8 run in the second half changed this game, one where Montana led at the half. The Grizzlies (16-5, 6-3 Big Sky) blew a chance to gain ground on Northern Arizona, which lost at Eastern Washington but remains two games ahead.
Alabama 67, LSU 62: Could this win give the Crimson Tide some much-needed momentum? We’ll see. It’s the first loss in SEC play for the Tigers.
George Mason 69, UNC-Wilmington 62: The Patriots take over sole possession of first place in the Colonial with this win, their 10th in 11 games.
Albany 71, Boston University 60: Fans at the first sellout ever at the Recreation and Convocation Center got to witness the Great Danes getting their first sweep of the Terriers, who have now lost three straight. For good measure, they set a Division I school record for wins in a season, as this was their 14th.
UCLA 84, Arizona 73: Aaron Afflalo broke out of a shooting slump against the Arizona schools, finishing with 27 in this one. Arizona has lost three straight and is now 13-9 overall, just 6-5 in a Pac-10 that is down again. Their two best wins are a wash: the win over Kansas looks better now, but the win at Washington over a month ago doesn’t look as good now.
Penn State 66, Illinois 65: Of all the teams to snap Illinois’ home winning streak (at 33 games), who would have imagined it would be Penn State? But the Nittany Lions did it, and in the process they avoid falling to .500 overall (they are now 11-9).
