Despite the doom and gloom surrounding the Friars due to their in-game volatility, Providence is still undefeated on the season at 3-0. That is more than a handful of their Big East brethren can state, to say the least. Here is to hoping the Friars learned a lot about themselves after the close win against Hampton.
We detail what we’re looking to see tomorrow against the Green Bay Phoenix and Head Coach Doug Gottlieb. Yes, that still feels weird to write.
Green Bay Team Preview
The Phoenix are 1-2 on the season led by a guard in Anthony Roy. Roy, a superb 6’5 guard from Cali, is averaging 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists on this young season. Even more impressive is he is doing that on 66% shooting, 56% from 3, and 91% from the charity stripe. He’s their option A, B, and C on offense.
Marcus Hall is the Robin to Roy’s Batman. Hall is averaging 15 points and 5 rebounds.
Green Bay as a whole is scoring 80 points on the year and 38% from 3. Providence, by contrast, averages 65 points on the season and is 31% from 3.
What We’re Looking For
Big Man Rotation – Unfortunately, this may be a theme all season. I’ve been hoping one player emerges as the alpha at the five, but that hasn’t happened three games in.
Oswin has started all three games for the Friars, and I anticipate he starts this one as well. After that, where does Kim English turn? Christ Essandoko was supposed to be the anchor of the frontcourt early this season while we await the return of Hopkins, but has been a liability all season. There weren’t overly high expectations for Bonke either, but I still presumed he’d bring more to the court than he currently has.
That leads me to Eli DeLaurier. The sparkplug against Hampton, I hope English rewards the redshirt freshman with early playing time in this one. I think a message was sent to the rest of the Friars with the benching of the usual rotational players against Hampton in the second half, and I’m genuinely curious how he handles the rotation in this upcoming game.
I also am thrilled to see how the players respond emotionally after the Hampton game. Will they meet their coach’s standards or continue to go through the motions? Let’s see what this team, particularly the front-court, is made of.
The Return of Bryce?
The rumors are swirling that Hopkins will make his long awaited return against Green Bay. It’s been about 10 months since his injury, and we’ve been anxiously awaiting his season debut. If he does return, will he start? I don’t think so, but more so believe he’ll play 10-15 minutes as they ramp him up to play in Atlantis.
Team Defense
Providence is holding teams to 51.7 points per game, good for SIXTH nationally. Providence is holding teams to 30.7% from the floor, SECOND nationally. Providence is holding teams to 16.7 baskets made per game. Ho-hum, that is FIRST nationally. These guys get after it. While I’ve been critical of this team early, it isn’t fair to critique without pointing out how stellar they have been defensively. Team defense is the reason Providence is 3-0.
No matter the quality of the opponent, that is stellar defensive effort from the team. Let’s see if Providence can hold Green Bay to below 60.
I presume we’ll see a hefty dose of Floyd Jr. on Roy, and everybody will hopefully see his true worth in this game. Fernandez presumably gives him a breather, as he has the fluidity and athleticism to guard him as well. How they handle guarding Roy will be a stellar watch.
Beyond Roy, Providence needs to limit the three point looks. An upset can transpire if Green Bay gets hot from deep.
I’m still in awe on those defensive stats. That type of defense will carry any subpar offensive output.
Limiting Turnovers
Providence just needs to stop turning the ball over. This backcourt isn’t inexperienced. Bensley Joseph and Jayden Pierre are upperclassmen and need to run a tighter operation, rust or injuries be damned. I’m hoping we see a game where turnovers don’t exceed single digits.
Prediction
BOC: Providence 75, Green Bay 60. BHop makes his triumphant return. Providence takes steps forward offensively. Friar fans still have no clue how to analyze this team’s outlook despite the 4-0 start.