In an all-around great performance from the Providence Friars Tuesday night at the AMP, it was the hot shooting of Ticket Gaines that stole the show. Gaines connected on five first half triples and hit two more en route to a 21-point night for the George Mason transfer. It was a career high in three pointers made for Gaines.
The defense also showed out in this one, only allowing Wagner 20 first half points. The performance was so good that even Kenneth Pomeroy was impressed with the Friars, jumping up six spots in his rankings to 44th as of this writing. The Friars now sit at 6-1 on the year after the victory and will finish out this three-game homestand Saturday night against URI. Lets take a look at how this one went down.
Friars Put on Offensive Clinic– Ticket wasn’t the only one lighting it up shooting. The Friars as a team shot 53% from the floor and 41% from three. They notched 25 assists while turning it over 10 times. The only thing lacking in their offensive efficiency were free throws, making only 65%. They had 4 players in double figures scoring and everyone except for the walk-ons got in the scoring column. Kim English has to be happy overall with the team’s offensive performance in this one.
Defense Continues to Shine- We’ve called it this team’s calling card so far this season, and it certainly showed up in this one. As mentioned earlier, Wagner could salvage no more than 20 points in the first half and PC also held Wagner 28% shooting from the floor and 33% from three. They had 5 steals and added to their Big East leading blocks with 10 rejections in this one. The Friar’s size and length on the perimeter and around the rim has been giving the opposition fits all season long.
Providence is 44 overall in KenPom, but 22 defensively. They have been an elite defensive group all season long, and I don’t expect that to tail off even in conference play when the opposition improves.
No Pierre, No Problem- It appeared there was a chance we could see sophomore point guard Jayden Pierre return to the lineup tonight, as he participated in pregame workouts, but they probably figured it best to give him further rest. The team was able to time share the ball handling duties and it led to 3 Friars with at least 5 assists. Again, the Friars are going to need Jayden Pierre to get them where they want to go long term, but it is great to see the team adjust and all chip in to make up for the things lost with Pierre out of the lineup.
It has also allowed guys like Richard Barron and Corey Floyd Jr to get more time, which will be invaluable as the season goes on. Barron continues to impress the heck out of me. For his size, he moves really well on defense. Offensively, he has a super pure stroke, going 40% from deep last night. It is early, but may be safe to say Barron is going to outperform his recruiting ranking.
This Thursday will be two weeks since Pierre first suffered the groin injury. We shall see if he makes his return Saturday against the Rams or if they hold him out until Oklahoma.
The Friars are doing real well right now without Jayden. Since Oklahoma is going to be a really important game (they’re ranked #25 right now.) I would hold him out vs. URI and if he is 100% play him against the Sooners. As an aside: Ernie D. just came out with a new book entitled ” Star with a Broken Heart”. I’m getting it tomorrow and will give my critique for you.