The Providence Friars are back in action Tuesday night as they play host to the Wagner Seahawks. PC is looking to build off of their 5-1 record with this game serving as a final tune-up before their last difficult stretch of the non-conference. Wagner made headlines this season with Seton Hall’s Shaheen Halloway and their coach Donald Copeland having a dust up in the handshake line post-game. The Seahawks shouldn’t present the Friars too much trouble, but they did take Fordham to OT and are coming off a win vs NJIT. Here’s a few things we will be looking for in this one.
Build a Lead, Build It Some More- In the last game the Friars went on a 7-0 run to expand their lead to 17 points with 9:08 left to play. That ultimately ended up being the final blow and Lehigh didn’t make it too close but the Friars only finished with a 14 point win. PC let their foot off the gas a little bit when they could’ve won the game by 20+ points. As crazy as it sounds, that stuff matters when it comes to analytics and March Madness. So, on Tuesday let’s look for the Friars to build a nice lead and extend it even further, as opposed to letting the opponent relatively hang around.
Garwey’s Second Start?- It remains to be seen whether Jayden Pierre (groin) will be able to go in this one. In all likelihood, they rest their sophomore floor general setting up freshman Garwey Dual to get his second straight start. Dual struggled from the floor (1/6) in his first collegiate start, and this is a spot for him to bounce back. Dual needs to let the game come to him a bit and get others involved first. Then, his scoring opportunities will come. While the Friars are certainly going to need Jayden Pierre this season, his absence has allowed other guys to play and develop. This should help the Friars in the long run.
Corey Floyd Jr’s Status- The Friars cannot afford to have another guard sidelined but that could be the case with Corey Floyd Jr. His uncle, and friend of the Crier Program, hinted at him possibly being plagued with an injury. It is hard to tell when he got hurt but he didn’t play the final 4:30 of the game and was spotted on the bench with a massage pad around his leg. If he can’t go, it is possible we may see Donovan Santoro get some minutes in this one. It is also entirely possible we see Barron’s minutes rocket upwards to the amount of 15-20 minutes/game.
As mentioned above, these injuries aren’t ideal, but it is great to see our depth pieces on the roster get valuable minutes. This can only benefit the Friars as they move towards Big East play.
Dominate the Paint- In the last game, Hopkins and Oduro dominated the paint by scoring a combined 54-points with the majority of those coming at the hoop. Wagner doesn’t possess much size, so look for Hopkins and Oduro to have their way scoring around the basket in this one.
Efficiency from Three – Providence right now is only shooting 30.4% from deep. In a game where the Friars should get a lot of quality looks, I’d like to see them shoot in the high 30%/low 40% from deep against Wagner. It is imperative that Providence remains a threat from deep to avoid teams playing zone and/or sagging off the three point line.
Predictions
Crier: Unless Melvin Council Jr has a huge game to keep Wagner in it, I see the Friars getting a lopsided win in this one. PC 80 Wagner 55.
BOC: Let’s enjoy these stress-free games when we are having heart palpitations during every Big East game. PC 82, Wagner 61