PROVIDENCE, R.I. – With their 67-52 win on Tuesday night, Providence improved to 10-2 on the season. The record is nice, but it doesn’t tell the whole story in more ways than one. This team is showing improvement, while the record is also a little deceptive.
Providence started the game with a 14-5 run, but New Hampshire stayed at least within striking distance the entire half. The Wildcats took a two-point lead early in the second half, but Providence regained the lead and New Hampshire stayed right with Providence for a while. As the half went on it looked like the Wildcats wore down and Providence eventually built the lead up to 19 at one point.
Tuesday’s game was like several others thus far. The Friars have allowed some teams to hang around for much of the game before pulling away late. Their smallest margin of victory is five, an 82-77 win over Holy Cross late last month. While allowing teams to hang around is concerning, the ability to put teams away is not something minor, and head coach Ed Cooley said they work on this constantly in practice. The big message is to stay with the game plan down the stretch, and they appear to be doing that thus far.
“It doesn’t matter who scores, it doesn’t matter who passes it,” said Cooley. “At the end of the day, we just need positive results, and I’ve been proud of our guys in close games.”
Providence has won thus far with a balanced attack that has included players who some might not have figured to be in such roles before the season. Freshman LaDontae Henton has quickly made an impact, while sophomore Bryce Cotton has been the real discovery as he has broken out thus far. Henton posted his second straight double-double and third of the season on Tuesday, while Cotton has gone from averaging over 15 minutes to scoring 16 points per game. They are among four Friars who average in double figures, and while there’s not great depth, they haven’t needed it thus far. Getting Kadeem Batts back helps in a frontcourt that has question marks but has received a boost from the defense of Brice Kofane thus far.
The bigger thing behind the winning has been how they have won. Cooley has highlighted the team’s preparation and playing like a team increasingly as the season has gone along, after at first sounding like a coach who had his hands full.
“They continue to learn, continue to battle, they’re learning to play together a little more,” Cooley said.
The knock on what the Friars have done is that it hasn’t come against a group of world-beaters, and they have played just four of their 12 games away from the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Their best win thus far came against either one of Fairfield, a good team but not one sure to be in the NCAA Tournament, or South Carolina, who has not played well and whose coach may be on the hot seat. Both came on the road, and that is a plus considering the next three games are all away from home starting with Friday’s matchup against arch-rival Rhode Island.
Speaking of the Rams, Cooley talked about that game on Tuesday. The young Rams are struggling mightily, but they have two transfers that are now eligible and should make an impact right away. He also knows it’s a rivalry game, hence the records don’t matter, and has been on the other side of the rivalry as a former URI assistant.
“It’s a challenge that I think we need,” Cooley said, before alluding to their first two Big East games that follow. “It’s a challenge to help us prepare to go on the road at St. John’s. It’s a challenge for us when we go to Georgetown.”
The wins still can have a nice cumulative effect for this team. The Friars have built confidence by having something to show for their efforts on the bottom line. They have won games playing well, as well as when they haven’t played their best. They have also shown an ability to be more coachable.
All of that adds up to a significantly better start than just about anyone could have expected with this team. With Big East play around the corner, the question is if the confidence they’re gaining and the improvement they are showing will tell the tale, or if it will be told more by the competition going up a notch. Friday night’s game at Rhode Island will start to tell that story.
