The easy part of the schedule for Providence is about to wrap up before being thrown into the fire of non-conference play. The concerns for Friar fans are that, even with this easy portion of the schedule, Providence has struggled to find any consistency on the offensive end against lesser opponents. They are still 4-0 despite their struggles, and there is something to be said for that.
The next 4-5 games post Delaware State may be the ultimate determining factor if Providence makes the NCAA tournament. PC is going to have to grow up quickly once they hit the Caribbeans, but until then, Providence has one more tune-up game.
We break down what we are looking to see from Providence below.
Continued Improvement from “Injured Players”
Pierre was apparently not practicing for an extended period heading into the season, which explained his early season rust. Can he carry forward another strong outing after leading the way against Green Bay? A scoring and in control Pierre raises the ceiling for this squad and remedies a lot of offensive woes.
Rich Barron had a shoulder injury and surgery during the offseason, but looked back to his old self against Green Bay. He has a ruggedness and grittiness to his game that sets the tone for his teammates on how to play.
While the transfers received the majority of the hype this preseason, the incumbents like these two and Floyd Jr. are probably the X factors who determine just how far this team can go.
Bryce Hopkins Return?
Does he get 15 minutes of action here in an overmatched opponent or will Providence use the extra week to ensure he is totally healthy? I can see both scenarios playing out, but am selfishly hoping we see him Tuesday night. It’ll give the team an extra pep in their step as they head to the Caribbeans with their All-Conference player back in action.
Semblance of Shortened Rotation
11 players played against Green Bay. I’m curious if a clear rotation begins to crystallize and we’ll see a consistent 9 or 10 man rotation even with the return of Hopkins. Mela in particular is skyrocketing up the depth chart and should be considered one of the first off the bench, while Fernandez seems to be the odd man out amongst the wings of Floyd, Barron, Mela, and JAR.
DeLaurier is in a similar boat to Mela, albeit not moving up as rapidly, while Bonke seems to be trending towards a reserve role.
Let’s see if these trends continue.
Another Game with Single Digit Turnovers
I’d like to see the emphasis on taking care of the basketball carried over to this game. Given the offensive struggles through four games, PC needs to limit turnovers if they have any chance of making a run in the Bahamas. If they commit double digit turnovers in any game in Atlantis, I fear they’ll get run off the court.
Decisive Victory
It would be nice to have the starters out of this game with 10-15 minutes remaining in the second half with the game well in hand. This one should give Friar fans the ability to enjoy a stress free game.
Prediction
BOC: The most lopsided-sided win of the season. 86 – 58 Friars. Providence heads to the Bahamas at 5-0.
I would like to see Hopkins play 20 minutes against Delaware St. He’s going to have a lot of in-game rust and the sooner the better getting him game action would be better. I don’t see where the bigs have made any improvements at all. Eli brings energy, Christ bring none, Oswin surprisingly didn’t play much at all last game and neither did Bonke. So, if the 5 is maned by either Christ or Eli we will be soooo over matched next week. The wings are still missing way to many open shots but, the ball movement has been incredible and so has Mela. Surprisingly, I thought they would fast break more and defend with pressure more and that has been disappointing. On a positive, I truly believe better things to come and we’ve got the coach to get us there. C’mon Friars, wake up! Let’s play and live up to your resume’s.