The Ocean State Rivalry renewed for the 134th time on Saturday at the AMP with an unfamiliar feeling going in. The Friars entered the weekend with a 5-4 record and in desperate need for a victory. URI, on the other hand, was off to a 7-2 start and had solid footing in the metrics. It was a rare situation where Providence arguably had more to gain in this one than Rhode Island.
Providence would answer the call, especially in the second half, where a 49-34 advantage would allow them to cruise to a 90-71 victory.
We break down the game and what we took away from it for the Friars moving forward.
Friars Start Slow, Boos Ensue
The Rams raced out to a 11-2 lead after an Oswin Erhunmwunse turnover off an inbound leading to Rhody layup caused English to use his first timeout of the game at the 16:46 mark. Once the whistle blew the boos started to rain down from a crowd of 11,924 at the AMP. The lead would get extended after another URI three pointer made the game 14-2.
The Friars would respond after that with Stefan Vaaks connecting on four consecutive triples, and PC would finish the game 88-57. Stefan Vaaks wasn’t a huge fan of the boos three minutes into the game and made his feelings known in the postgame presser. While Kim English suggested the crowd were directing their boos towards him Vaaks quickly responded that we are all one team. The Crier sides with Stefan that the boos were a little too early but the response was apparent so perhaps not the best situation at the AMP could be something that’s a turning point in the season.
Friars Team Rebounding Noticeable
The size of both Wisconsin and Florida made it tough for the Friars to have good rebounding numbers, but they did allow a mid-major FDU to out rebound them in their previous game. Providence doesn’t always have great size on the court with some of their lineups so they do need to gang rebound, and they certainly did in this one. There were multiple times where you saw multiple Friars go after missed shots, which caused several “same team!” cowls from the crowd. PC were +8 on the boards against a URI squad, out rebounding them 34-26. PC also had 20 stocks (steals and blocks) in this one so they had a good all-around night defensively, but the gang rebounding certainly stood out.
Jamier Continues to Impress in 23 Minutes
Stefan Vaaks isn’t the only freshman dazzling the crowd at Amica Mutual Pavilion. The 4-star freshman showed out once again with 18 points on 7 of 7 shooting from the floor. He showed off his impressive athleticism as usual with a handful of explosive dunks. He also stuffed the stat sheet with 3 rebounds, 2 steals and two nifty passes for assists. We called for him to get more minutes, and that was the case on Saturday.
His play has a real impact on this team and it’s only going to get harder for Kim not to feed him healthy minutes. Jones and Vaaks are a special freshman duo. Friar fans need to enjoy this because both guys have such bright futures.
Impact Beyond the Boxscore in Shagman Return
Is the Shagman aka Jankyman aka Cornerman now… Maskman?
It was the first time Duncan Powell would suit up for the Friars since November 14th. Powell took an elbow to the mouth and suffered a concussion in a practice prior to the UNH game. He returned to play 18 minutes and only had 4 points on one of three shooting.
While his stats may not pop out in the stat sheet, he gave them rebounding help and his size made an impact on the defensive end. One of the Friars glaring weaknesses without Powell is they’ve don’t have a true power forward on the roster. Powell returning to the lineup is a big deal for the future of this team, don’t let anyone else tell you he isn’t.
BOC: I also like that he can play the small ball 5 if needed, so maybe the reliance on Hargrove and Pinnis isn’t as much of a need anymore. More rotational versatility is a possibility with Powell healthy.
Summary & What’s Next
It was an encouraging afternoon in Friartown, and the Friars are showing signs that they can get things back on track this season. The Friars surged in the net with the 19-point victory over URI catapulting 24 spots up to 84 in the net rankings. PC debuted in the NET at 124 and has made up significant ground in a week’s time. They also sit at 62nd in KenPom as of 5:30pm Sunday night. PC’s season isn’t fully back on track, as they still sit at 1-4 in combined Quad 1 & 2 games and a 6-4 record that isn’t NCAAT worthy at this time.
The Friars will close out their non-conference portion of their season hosting Brown on Tuesday night. After that, PC will open Big East play with a road and home test in two early season surprises with Butler and Seton Hall. Saturday afternoon however was certainly a step in the right direction.
Go Friars.
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