The Providence Friars are looking to get back in the win column after dropping the last two Big East games against Seton Hall and Creighton. It is not a coincidence that those two games coincide with Bryce Hopkins going down with injury. At 11-4 with several NCAA resume wins already, Providence is still in a good position; however, the Friars need to get a win under their belt as soon as possible to ensure confidence doesn’t plummet on the roster.
Providence travels to the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, to take on the Fighting Rick Pitinos of St. John’s. The Johnnies are coming off a decisive road win against Villanova and are also 11-4. St. John’s is led by All-Conference big Joel Soriano, who is averaging 17 and 10. Iona transfer Daniss Jenkins is doing a bit of everything, averaging 12, 6, and 4. The Johnnies are a well balanced roster with 5 players currently averaging double digits in points. This game is no walk in the park for the Friars, but is the type of game that Providence needs to win if they want to maximize their chances of getting into the NCAA tournament. A win on the road, and talks in Friartown are about this team finding its identity post Bryce Hopkins. A loss and the narrative begins to surface if this is a lost season.
Below, we detail some keys to the game for the Providence Friars.
Get Oduro Started Early – Over the past two games, Josh Oduro has hit a bit of a rough stretch. He has gone 13 – 38 from the floor and was held in check for the second half of the Seton Hall game and entirety of the Creighton match-up. There may be a direct correlation with Hopkins going down, and Oduro taking on more of a scoring load.
This match-up is no easier for Oduro, as Soriano has continued his trend of incremental improvement year over year since landing at St. John’s. Soriano is playing like a player that could win Big East Player of the Year. I believe Oduro can expose Soriano’s defense with his footwork around the rim along with Soriano’s overzealous nature. The Providence Friars need to see Oduro get back on track if they want to secure the win.
Status of Garwey Dual – St. John’s has a deep rotation, and I’m certain Pitino will do his best to wear out Jayden Pierre and Devin Carter. It will be interesting to see how healthy Dual is and if he even plays. If Providence is without Dual, Pierre has to be physically and mentally ready to play for all 40 minutes. That’s a tall ask against a team led by Pitino with waves of players swarming Providence’s lead guards.
Status of Chris Ledlum – Ledlum has been out with injury over the past few games. The Harvard transfer is an undersized bully of a forward that could create match-up problems for the Friars. He is averaging 11 points and 8 boards. He brings a toughness to the floor every time he steps on it. This is one where I’d normally say Hopkins would neutralize him, but I could see Ledlum having a field day with Bryce out. Ledlum’s injury is one to monitor even more so than the Garwey shoulder injury.
Paging Corey Floyd Jr. and Rich Barron – We need one of these guys to provide an offensive spark for the Friars. In the first full game without Hopkins against Creighton, CFJr. and Barron played a combined 41 minutes, took 4 shots, and scored zero points. That cannot happen again. Floyd Jr. is too athletic of a player and too physical to not be asserting himself on the offensive end. If Floyd Jr. struggles at the onset, they need to turn to Barron and tell him to let it fly from deep. English needs to find a way to take the scoring pressure of Devin Carter and Josh Oduro.
Team Effort on Glass – St. John’s leads the Big East in rebounds/game at 41.3, while Providence is slightly lower at 38.2. Admittedly, those rebounding stats are now out the window with Hopkins gone for the year. The entire roster of PC needs to make a conscientious effort on the glass and limit second chance opportunities for St. John’s.
Prediction
BOC: For some reason, I just don’t feel great about this one. I’m hoping my gut feeling is wrong, but I could see a blowout win for St. John’s here. I’ll be bullish and say a single digit win for the Red Storm. Rick Pitino 75, Kim English 67.
Crier: Obviously there’s a reason BOC doesn’t feel great about this one, that reason wears #23. In CBB a lot of times the more desperate team wins the game. After getting a game under their belts without Hopkins, feel the Friars will approach this game with some urgency. The Johnnies are probably feeling good about themselves winning 5/6 and coming off a big road win at Villanova. Gimme the Friars. PC 75 SJ 72
Unfortunately, I agree with BOC on the final score. I’m in the middle of reading Pitino’s book entitled: “Pitino My Story” and I know what he can do to develop players and struggling teams.
I know this sounds bad but I wish we had hired him instead of English. The Johnies got the drop on us. Hope I’m wrong. Go Friars!