The Friars strung together their most complete game of Big East play, putting forth 40 minutes of complete basketball on both ends to win with ease against the DePaul Blue Demons. The win gets the Friars to 11-13 on the season and in a 4-way tie for last place in the Big East at 4-9.
It was the most healthy (and deep) the roster has been in quite some time, and the numbers bore that out. Jason Edwards returned from his plantar fasciitis injury after missing the last 7 games and didn’t skip a beat, leading the team in scoring off the bench with 25 points on 8-13 shooting from the floor. It wasn’t just Edwards though. Jaylin Sellers followed up his career performance against Butler with an efficient 21 points on just 6-8 shooting, while Ryan Mela chipped in with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Lastly, big man Oswin continues his ascending play of late, going for 10, 13, and 4. It was Oswin’s stout defense that particularly impressed me in this one.
For the Friars, this is the second conference win in a row. While the season is still Big East Tournament or bust, you sense and can feel a steady tide of positive momentum building for these Friars as they head into a pivotal week with match-ups against Seton Hall and St. John’s. As a Friar fan, that’s all you can ask for as the season enters the homestretch.
We break down the game in more detail below.
Revisiting the Keys to the Game
Health of Friars – Vaaks, Edwards, Sellers, Floyd
I said in the preview article for the DePaul game, “If I was a gambling man, I’d say 3 of 4 players are available to play. Just don’t ask me who”. To my pleasant surprise, all four players returned to play in this one. We discussed the game Edwards and Sellers had above.
While “The Streak” for Vaaks unfortunately ended with him not breaking double digits in points for the first time all season due to foul trouble all evening, I was really happy with how Vaaks played in this one. I had called for Vaaks in the recap article of Butler to play more of a facilitator role and not try to hunt his shot as much, and I actually thought he did a fantastic job of that. In just 21 minutes of play, he totaled 4 assists with only 1 turnover. Most important, he only attempted 6 total shots and 4 three pointers, with all of those looks being quality attempts. Sometimes less is more, and I hope that message has been received by the superb freshman from Estonia. The best version of Vaaks is attempting to be that complete guard that can both score AND set his teammates up effectively.
Lastly, Floyd’s point total won’t jump off the page, but he put in a solid day’s work with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. It’s imperative that English utilize Floyd effectively and not ask him to do too much, as that is where the shortcomings of the grad transfer sometimes come to light.
All teams have ailments and the injury bug at this point in Big East play. It is a welcome development for the Friars to be getting healthy as they enter the homestretch of Big East play.
Crash the Glass
The numbers entering this game didn’t lie on the rebounding differential between the two teams, and it showed in this one. Providence outrebounded DePaul 41-28, with only one Blue Demon having more than 5 rebounds. Providence is tops in the Big East in rebounds for a reason, and they can use this output today as further proof that they can be a dominant force on the glass.
Ball Pressure – Full Court
If the Friars are going to try and make any type of noise the rest of the way and into the Big East Tournament, they cannot continue to deprioritize taking care of the basketball. Providence had an ugly 16 turnovers in this game compared to DePaul’s 10. The game was never within reach for the Blue Demons, but there needs to be a standard set regardless of score that they cannot keep coughing the ball up like they have all season.
The next game at Seton Hall will be a big test, as they failed in the first match-up in this category.
Efficient from Three
The raging debate between The Crier and I is offensive strategy, with The Crier wanting to run and gun from deep, while I’d prefer a more methodical approach on offense where you run the offense from the inside out and be more selective from the three point line.
Today was Providence’s way of meeting us in the middle, as they attempted only 21 three’s and made 9 of them. 43% from three is stellar, and I do love that they didn’t fall too in love with the three ball.
Defense Wins the Day
While Crier and I will butt heads all day on offensive strategy, we both agree it’s an argument that lacks merit when the team is playing atrocious defense. Today, the defense was stellar.
I mentioned Oswin’s defensive night above already, but the thing that impressed me the most was his ability to play sound defense without fouling. It’s a skill he hasn’t quite mastered yet, as he often finds himself in foul trouble by biting on a pump fake. I’ve said all year I think Oswin is the most important piece to this team, and I stand by that. Oswin playing 25-30 minutes a game is an absolute necessity for PC moving forward, and I loved what I saw from the sophomore big man tonight.
Providence held DePaul to 43% from the floor and 22% from 3. If Providence can even ratchet it’s defense up to league average level, this explosive offense should be able to get them across the finish line in the majority of the rest of the Big East games.
What’s Next
The top of the Big East appears to be a two horse race with St. John’s and Connecticut vying for the top spot, with Villanova trailing closely behind in third. After that, the 4-11 spots in conference seem completely up for grabs. It isn’t lost on me that there is a scenario where this season has completely fallen short of expectations, and Providence still somehow finds itself in the 4-6 spot in the conference and meet the preseason expectations as voted on by the coaches. It’s been a weird year in the Big East, to put it lightly.
PC has some positivity surrounding the program for the first time in awhile after two consecutive wins, and they can carry forward this momentum with a road win against the stingy Seton Hall Pirates. If the Friars can win a road game in The Garden State, they will be riding a three game winning streak with a former Providence Friar returning to play at the AMP on Valentine’s Day. How can you not love Big East basketball?
I know it’s been a bumpy ride, Friar fans, but enjoy this volatile ride while we can. It’s what makes being a fan fun.
Go Friars.
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