You saw it start to come together in the late minutes of the first half. Providence began passing up looks from deep and started hunting their man on offense by attacking him off the dribble. PC closed the half down 46-45, but you saw the tenor of the entire game shift once Providence recognized the lack of size Creighton possessed that allowed the Friars to finish with success at and above the rim.
The message to carry over that offensive shift in philosophy was well received by Providence at halftime, as they went on to build a double digit lead in the second half by relentlessly driving to the tin and daring Creighton to stop them, which they couldn’t end up doing.
Coach McDermott, the excellent coach that he is, pivoted once he realized his team couldn’t keep up with the Friars man to man and went to a zone which befuddled the Friars. Providence again began chucking up 3’s as they tried unsuccessfully to break down this zone. This led to Creighton clawing back into the game, but it was Jamier Jones who kept the Blue Jays at bay with his acrobatic finishes time and time again. Despite almost handing the game over to Creighton in the final moments with turnovers a la the Connecticut Huskies game, Providence held on for a win 93-88 to improve to .500 and 2-5 in league play.
These games are fun to watch because there isn’t much riding on the game given the Friar’s record, but you are looking to see if Providence can find something that they can build off of as January comes to a close. I do, truthfully, think English found something late in the first half, carried it over to the second half with flawless execution for most of the 2nd, and will lean on this offensive strategy moving forward.
It wasn’t just the passing up of 3’s and playing downhill that led to this win. It was that, in doing this, Providence was able to flex its muscles a bit more on the glass. Providence out-rebounded Creighton 46-36 and were plus 5 on the offensive glass. Oswin, in particular, had one of his best nights all season, and I don’t think it is a coincidence that this game came when they stopped asking him to set picks around the perimeter. He was able to play close to the rim and gobbled up a multitude of offensive rebounds that coincided with second chance putbacks if the attempt at the rim by his teammates wasn’t initially successful. Oswin finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds, a season high in rebounds. Not a surprise.
By attacking the rim and getting a step on their man, it forces the primary guy guarding Oswin to slide over and potentially contest a shot, which puts Oswin in pristine position to get a rebound off a miss and finish the put-back.
Defensively, it is no shocker that Providence’s defense improved in the 2nd half once this offensive strategy shifted. If you’ve ever played basketball, you know your effort defensively is going to improve if you are being physical on the offensive end because you are playing through contact and mixing it up with the opposition in the paint. Things get chippy once the physicality ensues, and that can be a good thing for your motor.
We saw Creighton players complaining to the refs about foul calls and the physical play at various points in the game. It is this intensity and effort on both ends that I’ve grown to love as a Providence alum and Friar fan, and we saw shades of that last night. While this may just be a flash in the pan, I hope English and staff realize they may have found something with this shift in offensive play. They should lean into this strategy because there aren’t many Big East teams with the athleticism of Providence that can defend Jones, Vaaks, and Mela 1:1.
We break down the game further below.
Offensive Philosophy – Broken Down Further
Providence went into halftime down 1, shooting 33% from 3 and 60% from 2. With a few minutes remaining in the half, it seems the proverbial lightbulb went on for English in that he realized this Friar squad could manufacture offense via the dribble drive.
In the second half, the Friars took 5 less three attempts and were 10% from 3. So, how did they build a double digit lead? It was the points in the paint. Providence outscored Creighton 50-32 in paint points, and a lot of that was seen in the first 10 minutes of the second half that allowed them to build a 14 point lead. Given how they ruthlessly attacked the rim, English must have implored them at halftime to not settle for 3’s.
It was the aforementioned switch to zone by Coach Mac that again led them to shoot 3’s ineffectively. It brought back shades of the Penn State game where the continuous unsuccessful shooting of the 3 allowed Penn State to temporarily climb back into the game. In that one, Providence went 18% from 3 on 33 attempts while shooting 61.1% from 2. Noticing a pattern?
Kim likes to fill it up from deep, and I understand that’s his philosophy, but you need to recognize that Sellers, Jones, and Mela are all at their best when driving. Oswin is the beneficiary here in this offensive shift and will be a more active big when the offense is built around the dribble drive.
Shortened Rotation Leads to More Productivity
Providence went with a 7 man rotation due to the injury of Jason Edwards, and it worked like a charm. Providence had 5 men in double figures, with the 6th in Corey Floyd scoring 9 points. Jaylin Sellers struggled in this one due to foul trouble with 4 points and 0-4 from 3. I hope Sellers realizes that outside of Jamier that he’s the best finisher through contact on this team and settling for 3’s is bailing out the opposition. I don’t know if there are many players in the conference who can guard him when he puts his head down and goes.
A sidenote: Sellers showed some fantastic leadership in the final moments of the game. He was fouled out, but went to the scorer’s table to coach up Jamier Jones. Shortly after, Jones caught the ball off a press break by Creighton and iced the game from the free throw line. It was great to see Sellers still fully engaged despite being fouled out.
Defense Improved in 2nd Half
I won’t beat the dead horse further, but I do believe the offensive shift carried over to the defensive end, and the numbers confirm that. Creighton was 45.2% from the floor in the first half, but that number plummeted to 37.1% in the 2nd half and 27.8% from 3 in the 2nd.
This is the second game in a row where the defense has vastly improved in the second half, and me as a Friar fan is begging the team to give a full 40 of defensive effort. They have the guys to play defense. They just need to want to play defense. There’s a difference there.
What’s Next
Providence takes on the struggling Marquette Golden Eagles Monday night on the road. The FiServ arena has been a house of horrors for Providence, but if they were ever to win a game there, this is the year to do it. Marquette is 6-13 and doesn’t have the talent under Shaka it has had in previous years.
Win that one on the road, and they’ll have a nice two game winning streak with our favorite guy Ed Cooley returning to town.
Great win by Providence over Creighton. Go Friars.
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