PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Just about every team in the Big East has a star player or two. In Wednesday night’s matchup with Villanova visiting Providence, each team had an inside-outside combo, and while one can debate whether one duo is more talented than the other, let’s just say it’s a wash for the sake of argument. The Wildcats bring two McDonald’s All-Americans off the bench, which gives them an edge, but what made all the difference was what they got from two complementary players, two players that Providence doesn’t have anyone quite like. And Wednesday night was not an aberration in that regard.
Senior forward Dwayne Anderson and junior wing Reggie Redding have been among the main reasons the Wildcats are among the Big East’s best teams. They aren’t players who will rack up the postseason honors, but they’re the kind of players a team needs to win games and even championships alongside the stars. We have a lot of terms for such players – role players, complementary players, or glue guys – any one of them fits for them.
On Wednesday, Scottie Reynolds looked more like the player he has been for a lot of his career, snapping out of a scoring slump en route to 31 points, three more than what he scored in the three prior games combined. Dante Cunningham had a stat line that looked normal, posting a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Notable is that the 12 points came on 5-5 shooting, as the Friars did well to keep the ball out of his hands. When he got it, he did something with it, as he’s done all season long.
That meant that players like Anderson and Redding were going to be left to beat Providence, and they did that. Both posted double-doubles, with Anderson scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds and Redding scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 boards. They combined to go 11-22 from the field, with Anderson going 3-4 from long range and adding five steals. Both were big at the defensive end, as they have been all season long. They play bigger and are capable of guarding players on the perimeter and inside.
“They’ve been the veterans that really have added to our strength as a team, especially defensively and rebounding-wise,” said head coach Jay Wright. “They’re very smart.”
Anderson has developed into an indispensable part of this team, which might have been a little far-fetched a few years ago. When he was in prep school, he didn’t look the part of a Big East star despite a solid year at St. Thomas More. For a while, that looked like the case when he got to Villanova, as he had to battle injuries along the way. That even happened this season, as he missed seven games with a stress reaction in his left foot. But now in Big East play, he’s averaging 9.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, the latter of which leads the team. Both are significant jumps from his overall numbers in both categories, and his assist numbers are up as well.
For his part, Redding is a guy the Wildcats can have guard just about anyone at the 2-3-4 positions, although mainly at the two wing spots. He came into college with a higher billing than Anderson, and their numbers are similar. Redding has also improved his stats in Big East play, but most of all, he’s the answer to almost any tough matchup the Wildcats may face. Wednesday was just the eighth time all season he scored in double figures, but that’s only part of where he makes his mark. He won’t shy away from contact and always comes to play.
Reynolds and Cunningham have been the statistical leaders for the Wildcats, who are 6-3 in the Big East. But Anderson and Redding have been every bit a part of their success, and if the Wildcats are to continue winning, that will need to remain the case. They’ll play against other teams who have a couple of stars like Reynolds and Cunningham, but not many other teams have a Dwayne Anderson and a Reggie Redding in addition.
