Providence’s defense has been an analytical darling all season long. By whichever metrics you measure defensive aptitude, Providence passes with flying colors. This afternoon matinee against the Brown Bears was no different and again emphasized why the Friars are a top defensive unit in the nation. Brown averages 71 points a game, and Providence held them to 17 points below their average.
While the Friar offense had its share of struggles all afternoon (more to come on that later), the defense propelled the Friars to a 24 point lead 37-13 at halftime. They didn’t look back in the second and ended up winning comfortably 74-54.
Below, we revisit the keys to victory for the Friars, along with the good and bad from this game.
Revisiting Keys to Game
Turnovers – We called for Providence to play a clean game with single digit turnovers after playing a really sloppy game against Oklahoma. If anything, they played more careless in this game against Brown than they did against the Sooners. Providence came into this game averaging 13.6 turnovers and somehow exceeded that amount with 18 turnovers.
At some point, you need to really question if taking care of the basketball is being emphasized by the coaching staff or if they are willing to live with turnovers if it means playing a more up and down style.
Devin Carter, for how great he has been all year long, continues to mystify with the amount of turnovers he has game in and out. He finished this game with 5 turnovers and leads the team in turnovers a game.
Limiting Brown’s Studs – What else can be said about the defense that already hasn’t been said? Providence held the Bears to 13 points in the first half and 54 total points. They shot 39% from the floor and were held in check the vast majority of the game. This Providence defense continues to find new ways to impress. Providence is now 16th in the nation in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.
Don’t Let Em Hang Around – Brown had always been the Achilles Heel of Ed Cooley, so much so that he stopped scheduling them. English and the Friars built a massive lead that allowed them to stay comfortably ahead, even as Brown found its footing in the second half.
Kudos to the team for coming out ready to play in a game that they could have sleptwalk through.
Backcourt Bounce Back – Pierre continued to struggle taking care of the ball, finishing with 4 turnovers and only 2 assists. Dual was again a non-factor and seems to be going through a bit of a slump. He finished with 5 points and 2 turnovers. Ticket Gaines scored only 3 points on 1-4 shooting. The role players around Carter, Hopkins, and Oduro have been incredibly inconsistent all year, even more so than I anticipated.
It was, however, a massive bounceback game for Corey Floyd Jr. While the discussion all offseason was him being more a weapon from the perimeter, maybe the solution is getting him to use his physicality and strength against the opposition. He is a bully of a guard and can body his way to the rim. He doesn’t have to live behind the arc to be effective. He can be one of those Jamie Dixon Pitt Guards who left you battered and bruised after playing 40 minutes against them.
Other Items of Note
Hopkins Continuing to Find His Game – Bryce had another up and down game. While he finished with an efficient 17 points and 7 rebounds, he continues to struggle from the three point line, going 1-4.
I think Bryce needs to manufacture most of his points from the foul line in to see a few shots go through the hoop initially. After that, he can pick and choose his spot to shoot the deep ball. Right now, he doesn’t seem sure of himself out on the three point line, and I think it would benefit him and the Friar team to create in the paint off dribble drives and the mid-range. Playing out there minimizes his best asset: his strength.
Offense in a Rut – As great as the defense has been, the offense has conversely been just as poor. Providence, as discussed above, turned the ball over 18 times. That’s horrendous against a subpar Brown team. What made it worse is that the ball seemed to “stick” in halfcourt sets. There was little to no ball movement and quality looks were hard to come by. Corey Floyd Jr. bailed out the offense a few times with some end of shot clock prayers that went in, which was great to see for him.
Don’t let the 51% from the floor and 33% from deep fool you into thinking this was a positive offensive showing, though.
English needs to continue to tinker with the line-up and rotations because the offense just doesn’t look pretty right now. Nor is it overly effective in its current state.
Providence has a week off from games before they take on 4-7 Sacred Heart to wrap up their non-conference. All things considered, a 9-2 non-conference record would likely meet expectations for the Friars as they enter Big East play.
When we play the likes of UCONN (Clingan) Creighton (Kalkbrenner) and Marquette (Igodhoro) they will ALL have an answer for Oduro. Our only chance of winning any of these games besides an awesome defensive effort is offense from beyond the arc. Our strategy should be running the ball into the paint then quickly passing to an open man for a 3 pointer. If Oduro goes up against any of the big men in the paint he will more than likely foul out. Gaines, Carter, Pierre and Hopkins are our weapons for victory. Go Friars!
( I like what I see from Barron – he should get more playing time!)