The bleach has finally rinsed out of my eyes several weeks after watching Providence stumble its way through the road loss against Villanova 68-50. It was painful to watch, but Providence is looking to settle the score at home against the Wildcats with a 12pm tip on Fox.
PC and Villanova are currently tied for 5th place in the Big East, and this game will go a long way to seeing who gets a bye in the Big East Tournament. If Providence wins this one, they likely have to go 1-1 in their remaining two games to clinch an NCAA birth. There are major tournament implications with this game, as we all know.
Below, we break down what Providence needs to do to secure a home victory, Q2 win, and further bolster their NCAA resume.
Keys to Game
Make Open Looks – The plan against Providence in game 1 was to deny the entry pass to Oduro. If he somehow got the ball, which proved to be oddly difficult, a double or trap came to him almost instantaneously. It forced a few early turnovers by Oduro, but the real success was daring PC’s role players to beat Villanova. Providence couldn’t hit a single thing against Villanova, going 21.2% from 3.
With the success Neptune had in game one, I’d imagine they implement the same strategy. Pierre, Barron, Floyd Jr., and Gaines need to be ready to make them pay early by knocking down the open looks.
If they can make a few early looks, it alters the entire defensive game plan for Villanova and prevents a double all game. If they go to playing Josh straight up, Oduro will have a field day. He had 18 and 12 in the first match-up.
Most important, having those guys above see a few buckets go through the hoop early in the game will do wonders for the team psyche (as I discuss more below).
Get Out and Run – Villanova is a very strong defensive team, particularly in the half court. They are 16th nationally in defensive efficiency. Providence needs to get out in the open court in transition and prevent Nova from getting settled on the defensive end.
Nova plays a very slow pace, and Providence should want to speed the game up a bit. A half court game favors Villanova.
Another way to speed the game up is press a bit. The Friars have the athletes to do that. Outside Armstrong, they don’t have a steady lead guard to handle pressure. Something to ponder…
Find Hausen – He may not be too well known yet nationally, but you would be hard pressed to find a better shooter in the Big East than Brendan Hausen. In his two years in college, he’s a career 42% three point shooter. Providence needs to know where he is at all times, and force him to put the ball on the ground. You can live with him getting a step on you because you are running him off the three point line. PC has the athletes to recover.
In the first game, Hausen went 3-7 from 3 for 11 total points. Take away the three, and he becomes a much more limited offensive player.
Start Quickly – Just like the latest Marquette game, PC started slow in Philly and never gave themselves a chance to get back into the game. Providence’s role players are particularly up and down emotionally. I’ve noticed that if they get into a hole early, the negativeness of the game seems to permeate throughout the roster.
With a home game, packed crowd, and ass-kicking fresh on their mind, it’s imperative Providence comes out with their hair on fire. A slow start or any lethargic actions won’t be tolerated by English, who understands what this game means for the postseason.
Devin Carter Playing like BE POY – This will be the final point. Providence needs Devin Carter to play like he’s the best player in the Big East. He had a very off night against Marquette and seemed out of sorts. He played that way against Villanova too.
PC needs Carter to wear the cape, dominate both ends of the game, and carry this team to a victory. This is the most important game remaining of the regular season, and Providence can ill afford an inefficient Carter offensively who is turning the ball over and not his usual defensive self.
I think we see the best of Devin Carter tomorrow.
Predictions
BOC: 72-70 Friars
Crier: 76-73 Friars