Providence returns home to the AMP after two road losses to Connecticut and Villanova. With nothing to play for until the Big East Tournament commences, I’m sure I can speak on behalf of most Providence fans when I say we want to fast forward the rest of the regular season and get to Madison Square Garden in March.
It is a sad state of affairs in Friartown, with levels of frustration, apathy, and depression all setting in to varying degrees. The season has not gone as planned, obviously, but the show still goes on, and I’ll reluctantly still turn on my television and support my alma mater Wednesday night. A team that was supposed to be fighting for an NCAA tournament bid is now last in the conference.
Providence is looking to avenge a road double overtime loss to Butler where they had the game won, but let it slip away before falling short in overtime. Ring a bell?
We break down the keys to the game and what we’re looking for below.
Keep Ajayi Off the Glass
When a shot goes up, Providence needs to find their man. Box out, don’t ball watch, and make sure you secure the board. Butler is second in the Big East in rebounds a game…only 0.1 rebounds per game below Providence. Ajayi had FIFTEEN rebounds in the first game and got to wherever he wanted on the court offensively.
As an aside, Providence leads the Big East in rebounding, points per game, and free throw percentage. Yet they are still in last place in the conference. These contradictions make this season 100x more frustrating than last year, but I digress.
There were too many times in the first game where a defensive stop was made, but Providence didn’t complete the job, and Butler secured their own offensive rebound. For a team that struggles as mightily as the Friars do, you cannot give the opposition too many second chance opportunities because they’ll make you pay like Butler did at Hinkle.
Get to the Rim to Avoid Foul Discrepancy
Butler had an astronomical free throw advantage against Providence in the first match-up, and I understand why. Butler shot 38 free throw attempts to Providence’s 18. Butler dared Providence to guard as they relentlessly attacked the rim while PC initiated the offense around the perimeter. You don’t get to the foul line often when you shoot three’s. You get to the foul line often when you play a physical brand of basketball and initiate your offense in the paint.
Providence has leaned towards that type of basketball of late, but I want to see them fully embrace this style of basketball. The season is lost, and they need to find some type of spark that could trigger a late season run. I’m not sure if this is the remedy, but it can’t hurt to fully embrace a bully ball/dribble drive offense.
Providence is 2nd in the Big East in overall field goal percentage and first in the Big East in free throw percentage. Lean into the few things your team excels at!
Defend the Three…and The Backdoor Cut
We are all aware of Providence’s struggles defending, especially from 3. If they let Evan Haywood go off again, I may bring a toaster into the bath. To date, Haywood’s 18 points against PC is still his season high, with his next closest being 15 against DePaul.
Providence has a particular set of skills to allow a rotation player on the opposing team have a season best game (Malachi Smith, Devin Askew, etc.). These skills have made life a nightmare for Providence fans.
Beyond defending the three, Providence needs to have a plan for defending the back door cut. The Friars were back-door cut to death in the first match-up, as Matta astutely pulled Providence’s 5 man away from the rim. It led to open passing lanes and a clear path to the rim. I expect to see this again, as Providence showed no ability to slow it down.
Status of Jason Edwards and Corey Floyd Jr.
I’d imagine Corey Floyd is good to go after recovering from the head injury against Connecticut. He’ll be another body to turn to in the rotation.
I have no clue on Edwards and if he will suit up. This one is reminiscent of the Cardet and Hopkins injuries from last year where nobody had a feel for the true severity of the injury and when either would be returning. It’s just another frustrating aspect to a frustrating season.
Dynamics of Home Fanbase
I do think this game will be one of the lowest attended home games of the season, and I can’t blame the fanbase. It’s a middle of the week game in February against another Big East program that is struggling. Going out and spending hard earned money on this Providence team seems like a wasted endeavor.
I am curious to see how Providence fans receive both the team and coaching staff. The hostility towards the team and program at the Georgetown home game was unlike anything I’ve experienced before (Seton Hall game under Cooley I’ve heard was similar, but I wasn’t in person for that), and I fear those frustrations on a season lost bubble over to this Butler game, particularly if Providence finds itself down.
The fans will certainly make themselves heard, for better or worse, but the staff and team have nobody to blame but themselves. This is the bed they made.
Kevin– will be watching the Butler game tonight with you and a couple of other die hard Friar fans like us. In my opinion much of the disappointment with this season lies with the coach and his staff. Even one of the commentators at last nights St. Johns De Paul game said that the Friars standing in the Big East is not reflective of their talent. The thing that pisses me off is that I have to subscribe to Peacock to get some of the Friar games!
Go Friars!