ESPN and CBS Sports have released updated brackets on Monday morning and we’ll continue to track the minutae of each bracketology update so you don’t have to.
Joe Lunardi’s ESPN bracket and Jerry Palm’s CBS Sports bracket have very different reactions to Providence’s 1-1 week last week that saw the Friars win at Creighton and lose at home to Seton Hall. Palm has consistently been higher on the Friars than Lunardi since the preseason brackets came out in November.
Providence looks to rebound against Butler on Tuesday night after dropping their last two home games. Butler comes into Providence with a record of 13-4 on the season and 2-3 in Big East play. The Friars are 10-7 ATS this season and the Bulldogs are 8-9 ATS. Providence opened as a 2 point favorite over Butler.
Opening Line |
Providence -2 |
Opening O/U |
148.5 |
Opening Moneyline |
Providence -118/Butler -102 |
UPDATE 1/19/16 12:12pm: The line moved from Providence -2 to pick’em, but it has now moved back to Providence -1.5 at most places. The total opened at 148.5 and is currently at 149 at most places. The moneyline opened with Providence being -118 and Butler being -102. Most places now have Butler +102 and Providence -113
Stay tuned for updates as the line moves.
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Kris Dunn was named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll after hitting the game-winner at the buzzer at Creighton on Tuesday night. Dunn averaged 18.0 points/game and 6.5 rebounds/game in two games last week. Being named to the weekly honor roll is no solace for Dunn or Providence after the Friars dropped a home game against Seton Hall on Saturday. Dunn fouled out in that Seton Hall game with a little more than 3 minutes left as Providence was attempting to mount a comeback against the Pirates.
The rest of the Big East weekly awards are as follows:
Big East Player of the Week: Trevon Bluiett (Xavier)
Big East Freshman of the Week: Edmond Sumner (Xaver)
Big East Honor Roll: Isaiah Zierden (Creighton), D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera (Georgetown), Kris Dunn (Providence), Isaiah Whitehead (Seton Hall) and Ryan Arcidiacono (Villanova).
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Providence has been starting more than just the last few games. It happened during the non-conference too. The Friars were able to overcome teams with their superior talent and ability, but Big East play is a different animal. The narrative after the home loss against Marquette on January 5th was: “They didn’t play well, but they played bad and still almost won!” That’s cute. It certainly isn’t the way Ed Cooley is thinking. The slow starts have been exacerbated lately by a lack of offensive firepower that has prevented Providence from making the big comeback that sealed wins earlier in the season. In their last 3 games, Providence is shooting a combined 32% from the field. That won’t cut it against Big East teams most nights. Here’s what I would do to attempt to fix Providence’s slow starts:
Continue reading Fixing Providence’s Slow Starts: Here’s What I Would Change
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.
Continue reading Thoughts from the Road: Friars Fall Flat at Home Again
| Final Score | |
| Seton Hall | 81 |
| Providence | 72 |
| Leading Scorer | Leading Rebounder | |
| Seton Hall | Carrington: 22 | Delgado: 11 |
| Providence | Bentil: 21 | Bentil: 9 |
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