Category Archives: Game Previews & Recaps

Game Notes & Preview: (16) Providence (15-3, 3-2) vs (18) Butler (13-4, 2-3) 1/19/16

Where: Dunkin’ Donuts Center – Providence, RI

When: 6:30pm EST

How: FS1 (Gus Johnson & Donny Marshall)/WEEI 103.7 FM and Friars.com (John Rooke and Joe Hassett)/FriarTV

Game Notes

Continue reading Game Notes & Preview: (16) Providence (15-3, 3-2) vs (18) Butler (13-4, 2-3) 1/19/16

Thoughts from the Road: Friars Fall Flat at Home Again

This Thoughts from the Road is brought to you by Ed Cooley’s postgame disgust and is fueled by pre-game chicken parm at Anthony’s and postgame buffalo chicken pocket at East Side Pocket.

  • This is a pretty simple game to sum up. Providence got killed on the glass, got beat too often for dribble penetration, gave up too many points in the paint and shot the ball horrifically for a third straight game. Pretty easy to figure out this loss. What isn’t so easy to figure out is: how does Ed Cooley fix it?

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Friars Lose: Seton Hall 81, (12) Providence 72

Final Score
Seton Hall 81
Providence 72
Leading Scorer Leading Rebounder
Seton Hall Carrington: 22 Delgado: 11
Providence Bentil: 21 Bentil: 9
  • Providence had a third straight game of horrific shooting. The Friars finished at 30%.
  • Kris Dunn picked up his 4th foul with 10:51 left in the game and sat until the 8:14 mark. He was being subbed offense/defense by Ed Cooley for much of he rest of the game until he fouled out on a questionable call with 3:02 left in the game. Dunn finished with 16 points and 5 rebounds.
  • Two keys stats in this one are Seton Hall’s shooting percentage (48%) and the rebounding margin: Seton Hall 50 vs Providence 36.
  • Seton Hall got to the rim at will in this game, which felt like a reprisal of the Friars’ last home game on January 5th against Marquette. Khadeen Carrington led all scorers with 21 points and Isaiah Whitehead played a good floor game for the Pirates. Derrick Gordon played the role of pest very effectively in this one.
  • The Friars return to action on Tuesday, January 19th against Butler at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center at 6:30pm EST. The game will be televised on Fox Sports 1.

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Game Notes & Preview: (12) Providence (15-2, 3-1) vs Seton Hall (12-4, 2-2) 1/16/16

Where: Dunkin’ Donuts Center – Providence, RI

When: 4:30pm EST

How: FS1 (Justin Kutcher & Tarik Turner)/WEEI 103.7 FM and Friars.com (John Rooke and Joe Hassett)/FriarTV

Game Notes

Continue reading Game Notes & Preview: (12) Providence (15-2, 3-1) vs Seton Hall (12-4, 2-2) 1/16/16

Thoughts from the Road: Friars Get Out of Omaha with Road Win

This Thoughts from the Road: Home Command Center Edition is brought to you by my shiny new home office and is fueled by the bacon and eggs I cooked up for dinner.

  • While the headline doesn’t tell the entire story, it gets across the true takeaway from this game. Yes, it was ugly. Yes, Providence played poorly. But when the NCAA Selection Committee looks at Providence at the end of the year, this game at Creighton will be a road win. That’s it. A road win that helps Providence’s RPI because it counts as 1.4 wins. It’s really as simple as that.

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Friars Win: Creighton 48, (12) Providence 50

Final Score
Providence 50
Creighton 48
Leading Scorer Leading Rebounder
Providence Dunn: 20 Bentil/Dunn: 8
Creighton Hegner: 11 Watson: 9
  • This was one of the worst offensive games of the season, if not the worst. The teams combined for 33/120 shooting, good for a woeful 27.5% from the floor.
  • Kris Dunn hit the game-winner at the buzzer and the non-pretty nature of the shot clanking around the rim before dropping through was a microcosm of the offensive game from both teams. Dunn led all scorers with 20 points on 6/17 shooting. He added 8 rebounds and was 7/8 from the free throw line.
  • Ben Bentil got off to a slow start and went stretches where he wasn’t involved with the offense, but he had some critical baskets down the stretch and he and Dunn were the key cogs running the offense in the second half.
  • Drew Edwards is the Albert “Junior” Lomomba Unsung Hero of the night. Edwards only had 6 points and 2 rebounds, but he has some critical loose balls/rebounds that may go overlooked when looking at his box score.
  • Mo Watson was held largely in check by Dunn and the Friars. He got loose for a few field goals, but finished with just 9 points on 3/16 shooting. The 5’10 point guard did lead Creighton with 9 rebounds, though.
  • Ed Cooley traveled to Omaha on the team’s charter flight on Monday, but the Friar head coach has the flu. Cooley was so ill that he almost didn’t travel to Nebraska with the team. Friar fans were immediately reminded of February 7, 2015 when Cooley walked off the court at the beginning of the second half at Xavier and wound up spending a night in a Cincinnati hospital.
  • The Friars return to action on January 16th against Seton Hall at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center at 4:30pm EST. The game will be televised on Fox Sports 1.

Follow me on Twitter @pcbb1917

Game Notes & Preview: (12) Providence (14-2, 2-1) at Creighton (12-5, 3-1) 1/12/16

Where: CenturyLink Center – Omaha, NE

When: 8:30pm EST

How: FS1 (Dick Stockton & Nick Bahe)/WEEI 103.7 FM and Friars.com (John Rooke and Joe Hassett)/FriarTV

Game Notes

Continue reading Game Notes & Preview: (12) Providence (14-2, 2-1) at Creighton (12-5, 3-1) 1/12/16