PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Was this really the same team that played two days earlier in the same arena? The same Providence team that was life-and-death with NJIT before eking out a 64-63 win? The same Providence team that didn’t practice the day in between games, in part because only seven players were available? The same Providence team whose bench might have had more suits than uniforms?
Early in the season, strange things can happen, and this is right up there. Providence seemed quite vulnerable entering Monday night – if there was a time for nearby rival Bryant to beat the Friars, this seemed like as good a chance as they could have. Instead, Providence went from barely knocking off NJIT to annihilating Bryant on Monday night by an 81-49 margin in a game that was never really competitive.
The Friars were so decimated by injuries and eligibility concerns, the only thing Ed Cooley could do – in part because his team won the game – was have a little fun with it by delivering the line of the night.
“We look like we’re doing a model agency ad for one of the suit companies,” said the Friar mentor.
Providence entered the season without highly-regarded freshman Kris Dunn due to a shoulder injury he suffered in the spring. The hope is that he returns before Big East play to be a capable backup to Vincent Council and perhaps play alongside him from time to time. Council was out with a hamstring injury on Monday night, leaving the Friars not only short-handed but also without a point guard. Bryce Cotton had to handle the ball instead, and he was just fine as it turned out.
They are so thin, in fact, they played walk-on Ted Bancroft a career-high 15 minutes on Monday night as their second man off the bench. After he had to play 11 minutes on Saturday, he has played one less minute (26) in two games this season than he did all of last season.
Providence thoroughly dominated Bryant in the first half, making almost as many field goals (19) as Bryant attempted (22). They shot over 63 percent from the floor, had a 24-9 rebounding edge and as many assists (12) as Bryant had assists (5) and turnovers (7) combined. Kadeem Batts out-scored the Bulldogs all by himself with 23 on 10-11 shooting. The Friars had just four players score, but that was plenty since they had a 47-21 lead.
How was Cotton’s play at the point? He scored 24 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and handed out six assists, basically not skipping a beat. He was 4-7 from long range and got to the line 11 times. It was like he had played the position his whole life.
“I’ve seen it before, when teams lose a key player other guys step up,” said Bryant head coach Tim O’Shea.
The Friars will play better teams than the Bulldogs before Big East play gets going. In fact, tougher tests are right around the corner as they are in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off later this week, opening with UMass and then playing either NC State or Penn State in the second game. Before long, Mississippi State comes to town and improved Boston College is further down the road. That means the Friars will need to get healthy fast, and keep getting better all along.
Cooley kept the sense of humor when asked about who might travel to Puerto Rico, adding, “We’re going to go down there with the guys that you saw minus the 72 suits.”
Monday’s win will have this team feeling better heading into this weekend. Council’s return would help even more, but the Providence Journal reported on Wednesday that he will be out 4-5 weeks. If the team that won big on Monday night shows up often, they might manage a little better than one might think, much as they would love to have Council back.
