For the Providence Friars, not even Senior Day could summon an upset victory against Dan Hurley and the Connecticut Huskies. The Huskies were led by an enormous effort by Tarris Reed, who went for 24 points, 18 rebounds, and 6 blocks. Providence had no answer for the transfer big, who is emerging as the go-to frontcourt option for the Huskies. The Huskies had 4 players score in double figures, while Providence’s leading scorer tallied 10 points.
The loss traced back to the similar theme of the entire year where the outcome of the game was contingent on the efforts of Bensley Joseph and Jayden Pierre. Simply put, when they both play well, the Friars win. When one is off or both don’t play well, the Friars lose. It has unfortunately been that straightforward in determining the outcome of the game because Providence is so undermanned with injuries. They rely so heavily, for better or worse, on those two.
On Saturday, neither showed up for the game. The duo went 4 of 23 from the floor with only 5 total assists. Hassan Diarra, on the other hand, tallied 10 assists of his own. Providence isn’t winning any Big East games with that output from their veteran backcourt.
Beyond that, we revisit the keys to the game and what else was a determining factor in the Husky victory to bring the Providence Friars to 12 – 17.
https://twitter.com/bocallday/status/1895914365779620186?s=46&t=jxSpiAPB3PvC74snCH-rvQ
We don’t claim to be expert ball knowers, but the pregame analysis was rather spot on. We revisit some of the themes below.
Find Tarris Reed
I’m perplexed by Samson Johnson continuing to start over Reed because I think it is obvious that Reed is the superior 5 man. He was one of the primary reasons Connecticut won in Storrs against the Friars. In 18 minutes, he had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
When he is on the court, Providence needs to identify where he is, box out, and not let him get second chance opportunities.
He’s a game wrecker that has been hampered by a lack of playing time by his head coach, in my opinion.
But hey, I’m just a podcaster/blogger.
Reed played the game of his young career in this one. His output speaks for itself, but it was his motor that most impressed me. Even if he wasn’t getting the rebounds, he kept plays alive. Effort is contagious, and the Providence bigs hopefully learned a thing or two playing against him.
Oswin needs to put on muscle to go toe to toe with Reed, but he absolutely can mimic his non-stop effort. Reed is a bully in the best of ways.
Full Court Ball Pressure
The half-court offensive execution by Connecticut can be stellar at times with their unique sets, so instituting full court pressure, even if it’s just the illusion of a full court press, can help shorten the shot clock each possession by 4-5 seconds.
Mike and I have been calling for the Friars to institute full court ball pressure since it seems 2010! Providence instituted it, and it was effective at times. Connecticut finished with only 11 turnovers, but I liked how it sped up the Connecticut half court offense at times.
I hope we continue to see this wrinkle, particularly against teams that don’t have a bevvy of guards.
More Injuries
It wouldn’t be another Friar game without a newfound injury! Rich Barron was unavailable in this one, as he was struggling apparently in pre-game warmups. He was in street clothes in the second half.
I tend to think these injuries are flukey, but English needs to really do a scout of his strength and conditioning program to see if he has the right personnel and system in place. In a season such as this one, you need to analyze everything, and the unbelievable amount of injuries needs to be looked into in more detail.
Fonts and O’Haire Score
With the game in hand, English put walk on seniors Luke Fonts and Keiran O’Haire in the game, and they both tallied points. It was a touching moment in a trying season, and I’m happy for these two.
Also, kudos to Danny Hurley. He called a timeout to let English get his guys in. That was an incredibly classy move for a coach that catches a lot of flak, warranted or unwarranted. He absolutely didn’t have to do that.
Recruits Present
2026 elite recruits Marcis Ponder and Abdou Torre were in attendance. The key to getting out of this rut is stacking continuous high level classes. English is trying to do just that.
What’s Next
Providence finishes its home game schedule with a match-up against 11-18 DePaul at 6:30 Wednesday. I can’t imagine that will be a well attended game. Anybody attending this one should be checked into a psych ward for further evaluation.
LMAO! Great final comment. Spot on post game assessment. Don’t think the friars did anything to thrill the recruits to play this style of offense. Unless you’re a guard/wing, the ball doesn’t much see a post player unless its a dunk. So Ponder must have been wondering what this program has to offer him. One thing not mentioned was the lackluster (rightfully so) friar crowd. It was dead throughout most of the game. Usually, the atmosphere alone keeps recruits interested. With that said, only 3 games to go before we put this season behind us hopefully for good.