Providence is coming off a decisive victory against Villanova at home and travel down I-95 to play Ed Cooley and the Georgetown Hoyas. Cooley is 0-4 against his old squad and is looking to get in the win column against the Friars. Ed Cooley has improved Georgetown in Year 2 through strong recruiting at the high school and portal level, notably with the additions of Thomas Sorber and Micah Peavy. With that said, the hot start at the beginning of the season (12-2) may have been a bit of fool’s gold, as they are 3 – 8 in their last 11 and sputtering at the end of the regular season. Georgetown is 6-8 in conference and a game ahead of the Friars in the Big East standings. Both teams are out of NCAA tournament bid contention, barring a Patrick Ewing Big East Tournament type run, so this game will be about pride, playing for your coach, and seeing if Cooley can get the Providence monkey off his back.
In the first game, it was the complete team effort from the Friars that secured a victory over Cooley. Only two players for Georgetown scored in double digits, while Providence had 5 in double digits. Providence had 26 points off the bench compared to 0 from Georgetown.
We detail below the keys to the re-match and what Providence needs to accomplish to sweep the Hoyas for the second season in a row.
Keys to Game
Health of Thomas Sorber
The dynamics of this game change drastically if Sorber is unable to play. Against Butler, Sorber went down with a lower body injury. I was watching it live and feared the worst (Achilles), but a determination hasn’t been made as of this writing on the injury severity. If he doesn’t go, which appears to be the case, the Hoyas are a dramatically different team, and this game becomes much easier to win for the Friars. Georgetown is already lacking a back-up big due to a previous injury to Julius Halaifonua. Note the bench points in Game 1. The Georgetown depth is clearly an issue.
In the first match-up, Georgetown had the two best players on the court in Sorber and Peavy. Sorber’s entire game performance was masterful, but his first 10-15 minutes in the first half were eye-popping. He hit three’s, played incredible pick and roll defense, and finished with either hand. He finished with 25 of Georgetown’s 68 points.
If Sorber doesn’t play, I presume they slide Peavy to the 4 on defense and Fielder to the 5. Freshman big Oswin Erhunmwunse should have a field day if this development transpires. I’d even give Essandoko some more playing time than he usually gets so Providence can play a bit of bully ball against the undersized competition and get Georgetown in foul trouble.
The lack of a true post presence crumbles a Cooley offense that is reliant on a dominant post player. Peavy can carry this team offensively, but he’ll have to shoulder the entire offense. The defensive assignments become much easier without an NBA talent like Sorber.
Slow Down Peavy
Peavy had a field day against Providence in the first match-up, and I don’t expect that to change in the rematch. I personally think Peavy should be getting consideration for First Team All-Big East and Defensive Player of the Year, but this sentiment doesn’t seem to be carried throughout the rest of the Big East media. Regardless, I don’t think you can shut him down, but you can certainly make life difficult, particularly if they don’t have a safety valve in the post in Sorber.
Getting Floyd Jr. and Cardet back in this one would be massive for their defensive aptitude. These two are best suited to guard Peavy and have the physicality to at least make him slightly uncomfortable on the offensive end. I’m more optimistic about Floyd Jr. than Cardet playing, but I’m hoping Wes gets back into the fold sooner rather than later.
Providence played incredibly well against Villanova, but they were still without 4 scholarship players. If you have grandiose visions of them making a 4 day run at The Garden, you need Floyd Jr. and Cardet back for their offensive and defensive versatility and to have more “fresh legs” in the rotation.
Guard Play Remains the Catalyst
If Pierre and Joseph play like they did in the first game, Providence should win running away. If Pierre and Joseph revert back to inefficient shooting with a high amount of turnovers, Georgetown will likely secure the home victory.
In the win against Villanova, Pierre and Joseph combined for 47.8% from the floor and 46.7% from 3. In the four losses prior, they combined to go 39.6% from the floor and 33.3% from deep. It’s clear that if these two are both shooting well from deep and efficient as a whole from the floor, Providence becomes incredibly difficult to defeat.
In the win against Villanova, Pierre and Joseph had a 2.5 assist to turnover ratio. In the four prior losses, their assist to turnover average was 1.9. A slight difference, but a difference none the less.
My last point is that Bensley Joseph appears to be playing some of his best basketball of the season right now. He is averaging 12.6 points per game on the season. In the last 3 games, he is averaging 19.3 points. He is the type of veteran leader that can (and wants to) put the team on his back.
Don’t discount a player knowing his collegiate career is coming close to an end and playing with nothing to lose.
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