This was my favorite version of the Friars. They didn’t play tentative. They attacked, attacked, attacked. Kim English set the tone early with the technical, and the rest of the Friars followed his lead. This was a vicious version of English, and Providence fed off his energy.
While in the past there may have been hesitancy to challenge Kalkbrenner (rightly so, I might add), Providence decided to be more on the offensive. Providence asserted itself in the paint and from the perimeter. It may have been one of the more complete games of the entire season when you factor in the defensive efforts.
When you play an offensive juggernaut like Creighton, you can’t play passively and expect to win. Too many times this year Providence has played stellar defense, but was too timid on the offensive end. Not last night. Rich Barron banging 3’s in transition, Corey Floyd Jr. letting it rip from deep without hesitation, Garwey Dual finishing at the rim, Jayden Pierre willing the team to a victory in the final minutes. This game had a bit of everything.
Nothing is certain, but a Q1A win at a neutral site over a Top 8 team nationally, which locks in a record over .500 in conference play and puts them at 6 Q1 wins total, means the Friars may have punched their ticket last night.
We recap the game from last night and highlight what Providence needs to do against Marquette to get to the Big East final.
Revisiting Keys to Big East Tournament Run
Devin Carter Must Go Nuclear – It’s been crickets from the media who proclaimed that Devin Carter wasn’t worthy of the Big East Player of the Year. Carter finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 massive block.
Carter was absolutely worthy of winning the best player in the Big East award. There’s no question, and he showed why last night.
Don’t think I didn’t notice how much the Friar crowd erupted when he sent Kalkbrenner’s shot to the 5th row. Friar fans are an astute bunch when it comes to basketball, and they let the rest of the Garden know how they felt about Carter’s DPOY snub on that play. It was fitting for him to block the 3x DPOY.
Josh Oduro – Robin to Carter’s Batman: Oduro was the second leading scorer for the Friars, finishing with 17 points and 9 rebounds.
All year the best defender against Josh is the foul count. If he can stay out of foul trouble, he is a lock for a double double night in, night out. It’s me nitpicking I admit, but I see how dominant he can be and get frustrated when he puts himself in foul trouble.
Third Scorer Has to Emerge from the Shadows – The first game it was Ticket Gaines. Last night it was Jayden Pierre. Maybe the answer to the third player is different on each night, and I’m completely okay with that.
Pierre was super assertive in this one, routinely hunting his shot and not simply deferring to Josh and Devin. He finished with 15 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and ZERO turnovers.
The most impressive aspect of his game last night was that he hit a few clutch buckets in the second half when it looked like Creighton may seize control of the game. It was reminiscent of the Xavier road game, but on a much bigger stage.
Friar fans, be patient with Pierre and Dual. They are young, but talented.
Hot Weekend from Deep – How about Providence beating Creighton despite only going 26% from three? It makes the win that much more impressive. It helps when Creighton has a cold shooting night, going 38% from field and 23% from deep. While they were off, the Friar defense had a lot to do with those subpar numbers.
Keys to Marquette
Follow the Creighton Offensive Blueprint – Attack the Golden Eagles! Do exactly what you did last night. While Marquette is incredibly pesky on the perimeter, they don’t have anywhere close to the frontcourt rim protection that Creighton does. No hesitancy, play to win. If you lose to Marquette, lose by going down swinging.
Kolek Status – Stating the obvious here, but how I feel about this game changes based on the status of Kolek.
I stayed for the Villanova Marquette game last night and was thoroughly unimpressed with the Golden Eagles. I don’t say that to be dismissive, but I think the Friars are the better team on the court without Kolek. If Kolek plays, and he might due to his personal ties to Providence, Marquette should be considered the heavy favorite.
Make It a Home Game – Creighton fans travel incredibly well given the distance from Omaha to NYC, but last night felt like a home game. I’d expect tonight to be even more tilted in the favor of the Friar fanbase. 8pm Friday tip for a chance to make the Big East Championship?
Game on.