PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Four games against teams ranked in the top 10 are in the books for Providence. It would be a challenging stretch for anyone, but for the young Friars it was a bigger challenge. The Friars lost all four, three by double digits. So what’s the thinking?
The answer a senior gave isn’t surprising.
“I think it shows us that we have a lot of work to do, mentally, physically, preparation, with everything,” said Sharaud Curry. “We just got to get a lot better to compete with these teams night in and night out.”
No question, the Friars aren’t there yet. They weren’t blown out in any of the games, and in fact they were very much in all of them save perhaps for West Virginia. But just like there’s a difference between contending for a title and winning it, there’s a difference between being in the game and winning.
There’s also a bright side to each game with the fact that they were right there, and that’s not all. Providence out-rebounded a bigger Georgetown team in the first game, stayed right with a very good Villanova team for much of the second game, didn’t adapt to a bad matchup against West Virginia and then hung 86 points on Syracuse, the most the Orange have allowed all season. The Friars led twice at halftime.
One thing that’s abundantly clear from this stretch as much as at any other time this season is that the Friars’ biggest area for improvement is on the defensive end. The lowest field goal percentage by an opponent in this stretch was Villanova’s 47.1 percent showing. And while Syracuse played well, that wasn’t the only reason the Orange shot 55.6 percent from the field on Tuesday night, including 10-21 from long range. There’s just not enough offense that can make up for that, and in the second half on Tuesday, the Friars weren’t making shots like they were in the first half.
“If we’re making shots, we’re a really good team,” said Curry. “When we’re not making them, we’ve got to bunker down and get stops.”
In particular, post defense is a big issue. Syracuse had a 56-34 edge in points in the paint as Rick Jackson (career-high 28 points on 13-17 shooting and nine boards) and Arinze Onuaku (12 points in 19 minutes) had a field night inside. That wasn’t an isolated case, either: all four teams in this stretch had an edge of 18 points or better in that category. West Virginia had a 50-20 edge.
Still, the young Friars haven’t mailed it in. Head coach Keno Davis felt his team played hard and hasn’t complained about their effort in any of these games. He’s taking the long view with this team, seeing the potential they have if they take the lessons these four games offered them. And while it won’t be clear if they’ve learned the lesson until a little ways down the road, they have had the opportunity to see what a top 10 team looks like up close and personal.
“They showed why they’re among the top teams in the country,” said freshman guard Vincent Council. “They keep their composure – even when they’re up, they’re still running their plays.”
The Friars have the potential to one day grow into one of the Big East’s better teams, but more improvement is needed. If they learn the lessons this stretch offered, they will be another step closer to that goal.
