The Providence Crier

It has been 31 days since the Crier has last written a post. Some have been saying the Crier has given up on the Friars, this just is not the case. I haven’t been posting because I have just been so frustrated with the way things are going. I did want to write a post after every game bitching about how Cooley says the same thing almost every post-game press conference loss or how the team lacks balls or that they have probably the most pathetic offense in America. The biggest thing I would have been consistently writing about would be how the team seems to lack pride and sometimes don’t even show up. I didn’t want to put you all through that, I didn’t want to put myself through that, so I stopped writing. So I return to you just how I left writing a preview about a game versus the Marquette Golden Eagles, the Big East team I hate the most.

The Friars (15-12, 5-9 *yuck*) look to keep the momentum from the St. Johns game going as they host #11 Marquette Golden Eagles (22-4, 11-2) for a Saturday matinee. The last time these two foes met it was D-Wade Day at the Fisrev Forum. Speaking of Dwayne Wade Day does anyone remember watching that game on TV when they would show the Wade family in the stands? You had Dwayne and next to him was Gabby Union, who looks as good as she did in Bad Boys II it’s unreal, and his top high school recruit son Zaire Wade. I’m not sure if the cameraman caught Zaire at a bad time but he looked stoned as beans! The fact it happened twice I feel is not a coincidence, I think he went to a campus party pre-game and took a couple bong rips. Anyways the Friars ended up dropping that game 79-68 but did have an eight-point halftime lead and if they can do some of the things they did in that first half we could have a shot.

FEED THE BEAST

Late in his sophomore season, big man Nate Watson is really starting to emerge as a force to be wrecking with. While he wasn’t as quick of a bloomer as Ben Bentil, big Nate is starting to become the newest Beast of the Big East. We saw flashes of this last season as the above video can attest to but he is really starting to be a more consistent player. It isn’t his touch around the rim or athletic explosion that has improved, he’s always had that, it’s his improved ability to rebound the ball and defend without fouling, which keeps him on the floor, that’s causing his recent great play. Coming off probably the best game of his career the Friars need to continue to feed the beast. Listen I used to think Theo Jon on Marquette was a punch line, I was wrong, he’s actually pretty good but the Nate needs to bang in the post with him and remain aggressive.

Can Alpha Get Out of Shooting Slump?

Ladies and gentleman Alpha Diallo is in a shooting slump. In his last four games, he’s shooting a horrendous 27% from the floor (13/47) and a comical 14% from three (1/7). Typically I would say maybe the player shouldn’t be shooting 12 times a game if they’re shooting this poorly but with Diallo, we have no choice. Diallo is the best offensive player we have on our team, we need him to shoot and we need him to score. Luckily in the first meeting against Marquette, Diallo had a solid shooting night so hopefully, he can end the slump Saturday. Marquette really doesn’t have a guy that is a good matchup defensively versus Diallo so he could be in for a big game.

Kill The Hausers!

Just want to clarify we aren’t actually going to kill the Hauser brothers, just thought I’d be clear because I know how Friartown likes to take things into their own hands. While Markus Howard gets all the praise and deservingly so it is Sam and Joey Hauser that we need to focus on Saturday. In the first meeting, the Hausers combined for 36 points, including 20 from Joey in the second half. Seriously fuck the Hausers! They could be good guys and maybe their parents are lovely people but they represent everything I can’t stand about this Woj led Marquette team. It’s typical Woj trying to copy Coach K and get a family line to play for this program, like the Plumlees and like the Jones’. So in summary defensively focus on the Hausers, and fuck Marquette.

At this point of the season, I see the Friars making the NCAA tournament in one of two ways. Either they have to win out the rest of the regular season and make the Big East Tournament title game or they just win the Big East Tournament. Both paths seem unlikely but Saturday could go a long way for these Friars. After Wednesday’s convincing win over St. Johns all is not fixed for the Friars. The emotional meltdown and the individualistic style of play of the Johnnies are what propelled the Friars to a win but we got some momentum. It’s alumni/family weekend in Friartown, the game will be sold out, and if the Friars play well the place will be rocking. GIVE ME THE FRIARS! IM BACK BABY!

Prediction

Friars 74 Marquette 62

GO FRIARS

 

 

I’m writing this post from The Harp in Boston, as I’m going to the Bruins tonight and know I won’t be able to write a post after the game. So please excuse any grammatical errors or stupid takes, as I’m doing my best here. PC takes their first visit to the brand new Fisrev Forum Sunday afternoon looking to get a lucrative road win agains the nation’s #15 ranked team. I did a little digging and turns out Fisrev is an American finance technology company, the Crier doesn’t buy it. Fisrev to me sounds Russian, is Marquette University in cahoots with Russia?!?! These are the questions we need to ask! After I plow through these appetizers we ordered I’ll get to my thoughts going into the game.

Defend Howard

This could end up being a moot point if Markus Howard can’t suit up but this has to be the biggest key for Ed and the boys. Howard is dealing with a back issue that limited him to only 3 minutes in a win against Georgetown on Thursday, Howard is currently 6th in the nation in points per game. Friartown is very familar with the work of Howard, as he blasted us for 52 points last year. If Howard does end up playing I’m looking at David Duke to be all up in that ass. He’s longer and more athletic than Howard and needs to harrass him all game. I would also like to see us use Watson or Kalif to double him like we did against Myles Powell, it really frustrated another prolific scorer in the Big East. Alright it’s back to the Bud Lights for me!

Play Physical

We are at the first intermission here and the Bruins and Rangers are tied at 1. To set the record straight I’m not a big Bs fans, I’m more of a Cs fan but Bruins fans love their team because of the physical play. Against Marquette that is exactly how PC wants to play. This Marquette team is soft as the Mister Softee truck, Larry David cue the song!

The Friars have got to hit these guys in the mouth and I doubt they will respond. I need Watson, Young and Alpha to be bullies offensively in the paint and the Friars can have a great shot at winning this game. Theo John is absolutely a physical guy but that’s it when it comes to the GoldenThe puck is about to drop for the second period after I’ll give you my last key to the game.

Can Marquette Defend

For a Friar offense that tends to go on scoring droughts this is a question we need to ask ourselves. Going into the season and then as conference play began we’ve heard that Marquette is much better defensively. The numbers might suggest this however this is the same team that gave up 94 points to IU, 77 to KU, 85 to  Buffalo, 89 to SJ and 104 to Creighton. I think this Marquette can D up narrative is a crock of shit! Marquette head coach Steve, the wesial bitch boy, Wojekowski said after the Golden Eagles win over Georgetown “The best part about our team is our team”. Aside from the fact that it’s one of the douchiest comments said in sports, I disagree with Coach Woj. The best part about his team is the fact his team’s defense is Swiss cheese! I really hope the Friars can expose the fraudulence that is this Marquette can play D theory.

 

So after a day going to a Boston Bruins game I’ve made it to the conclusion of this post. I think a lot of this game hindges on the health of Markus Howard. The Friars got lucky when they faced a Texas team without Kerwin Roach and if Howard can’t play the Friars will have a better shot than any to beat Marquette on the road. However if he does play the Friars need all ya da on deck. After the first three conference games I didn’t see a team that could go on the road and upset a ranked team, this past Wednesday is giving me hope.

Prediction

Friars 78 MU 74

– The Crier

I know the Crier has been in hiatus for the past couple of games and for good reason! The Friars played like absolute shit for the majority of this 3-game losing streak and feel like they weren’t deserving of me writing about them. However, over the years the Friars know how to drag the little guy back in and tonight was no exception. While it wasn’t always pretty the Friars did what they had to do in order to get their first win of conference play after three failed attempts. So while I still don’t think they’ll be a tournament team at this point, they’ve got my attention for now. Here are my thoughts from tonight’s 9-point victory.

DUUUUKKKKEEE

The Prince of Providence, David Duke, has played a lot of minutes this season but recently had yet to make an impact in the scoring department. Duke had only scored 61 points in his previous 11 games and for a guy with his skill set and the amount of minutes he gets that just wasn’t cutting it. In the first half it looked like we would see more of the same, as Duke only mustered 2 points, but in the second half he went off. He drilled all three of his three-point attempts and it seemed to give him a huge confidence boost. He was able to convert on drives to the basket and when he didn’t found himself making free throws. Duke finished with a game-high 18 points and if he can continue this play it will go a long way for the Friars climbing out of this shit hole they’ve dug themselves in.

Think BIG

I thought the big men for the Friars tonight really contributed to this victory. While Nate Watson didn’t have his best shooting game (3/10 from the floor), he was still able to contribute to the scoring department and I thought he played one of his best defensive games as a Friar. Kalif Young’s numbers didn’t pop off the page but I thought he his game behind Duke had the biggest impact on the victory. He only had 6 rebounds but it seemed like he feasted off the glass and there may have been no bigger play than his offensive rebound after a desperation three from MAL as the shot clock expired. He also had active hands which led to a number of the Pirates 22 turnovers. While the new biggest has seen a shift towards outstanding scoring guard play it’s always been important for a Big East team to have solid play from their bigs, tonight the Friars got that.

Defending Myles Powell

It was pretty much a consensus take that the Friars needed to defend against Seton Hall’ Myles Powell, it was great to see the Friars go out and execute their gameplan. Powell had only averaged about 12 ppg against the Friars in the past but as he’s elevated his game to the second leading scorer in the Big East, one thought that wouldn’t last. Instead, the Friars held him to exactly 12 points on 4 of 15 shooting. I thought the Friars did an excellent job doubling Powell with their bigs everytime he got the ball on top of the key. This is another reason why I thought our bigs were great tonight because they were able to help on Powell without giving up open shots. It certainly frustrated Powell as his emotions boiled over late in the game when he had an exchange with David Duke. (By the way I loved how Powell chirped Duke and he turned around and said “the fuck you say to me?!)  We haven’t seen the end of Myles Powell that much is true however tonight the Friars did a great job of bottling him up.

Tonight was certainly a step in the right direction for the Friars but there is more work to be done if they want their names called on Selection Sunday for a 6th consecutive year. I think the guys can really use this game as a confidence booster going into this two-game road trip. All I ask of the Friars is to at least split this two-game road set vs Marquette and Xavier. The Musketeers aren’t good this year and while Marquette flashes their potent offense and their #15 ranking those guys are a bunch of pussies. So just give me one of those games Friars, not asking for much here!

-The Crier

 

The Providence Friars host—reigning National Champs— Villanova Wildcats Saturday afternoon at the Dunk. PC (10-4, 0-1) opened up Big East play with a frustrating home loss at the hands of the Crieghton Blue Jays, while Nova (10-4, 1-0) barely got past DePaul, 73-68, in their opener. The last time these two met it was a hotly contested affair in the 2018 Big East Championship, with the Wildcats taking home the crown. With this game expected to be an exciting one, let’s get to my thoughts on the game.

Trouble Getting Their V’s Up?

It was only a matter of time until Villanova would have a “down” year and this year seems to be it. It’s really hard to blame Jay Wright due to the amount of talent he has had to replace in Philadelphia. If you thought them losing 4 players to the NBA off last years team is tough, just look at the total of what Wright had to replace in the past 3 seasons. Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo, Omari Spellman, Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins, Daniel Ochefu, and Ryan Arcidiacono. Which reminds me do you know everytime I drive home to Boston’s Historic North End I have to drive past an apartment with an Arc fat head in the window? Are you fucking serious? If the guy hasn’t haunted me enough! Regardless, those are 8 guys who not only brought talent, creating the offensive machine that was Villanova but also brought great leadership that fueled Nova’s winning culture. It is not to say this Nova team lacks talent, they returned Phil Booth, Conor Gillespie, and Eric Paschall and added a great freshman class led by Jahvon Quinerly, but they don’t seem like the Villanova you recognize. The ball movement is far from crisp and even when they do create good looks they are shooting a subpar 35% from deep. This may be the worst Villanova basketball team since….

 

Which Friar Team are We Going to See?

I fell into the trap of thinking that these Friars were onto something after a big road victory, and apparently so did the team. For the second time, this season PC follows up a gutsy road victory with an absolute dud home loss. PC showed a ton of heart in a comeback OT victory at BC and then the following game showed none in a 20-point choke job against UMass. Last Friday the Friars went into Austin and asserted their will against the Longhorns then followed that up of playing an uninspiring brand of basketball against Creighton. What frustrated me most about the Creighton game was that we kept helping on the dribble drive in let Creighton players wide open for corner threes. What is the gameplan that would suggest that we need to help out on dribble drives against fucking Creighton? Wake up and smell the Dunkin guys! The Blue Jays were only going to get their offense from threes and we served it to them on a platter. So what are we going to get? The team that will play a gutsy brand of basketball and takes care of their advantage in the post or the one that won’t stick to shooters and get down on themselves when things don’t go well? That will go a long way to determining who wins this one.

 

Prediction

Friars 74 Villanova 70

 

Go Friars

 

 

The Providence Friars visit Austin and the Texas Longhorns Friday night looking to go horns down and wrap up non-conference play with a big win. PC (9-3) have won two straight games after losing their second league scorer in AJ Revees. In his absence, junior guard Maliek White has stepped up his game. Since entering the starting lineup two games ago, White has totaled 34 points, 10 assists and has brought some defensive stability at the 2-guard spot. For the Longhorns (7-3) it has been a bit of weird start to the season for Shaka and his brahs. Texas started off the season 5-0, including a win over UNC, but followed it up with a loss to Michigan State, and then inexplicably dropped two straight home cames to Radford and VCU. The last time the Friars and Longhorns met PC lost at the buzzer to a controversial shot by now Houston Rocket PJ Tucker, so expect for an exciting contest. With that here are my thoughts going into this one.

Athleticism On Display

This PC Friar basketball team may be the most athletic in the Ed Cooley era but Texas has a ton of athleticism to boast themselves. It all starts with the Longhorn’s senior guard and leading scorer Kerwin Roach, who is an athletic FREAK. He was all-state in Texas back-to-back years in track and field’s triple jump, including holding the state’s triple jump record. Roach can jump out of the gym and if you don’t believe me take a look.

 

Texas’ sophomore big man Jericho Sims is also capable of catching a body…

So as you can see this Texas team is very athletic which plays well in Shaka Smart’s patented Havoc Defense. The Friars are going want to value the ball in this one and try and challenge the Longhorn’s athleticism with our own.

Meet Dylan Osetkowski

Say hello to Longhorn’s senior big man Dylan Osetkowski— think of a rich man’s Ray Hall. Osetkowski is an absolute load at 6 foot 9 inches and 250 pounds and uses his massive frame to dominate the paint and the glass. Dylan also isn’t afraid to take his game beyond the arc albeit he isn’t shooting the three-ball at an efficient clip (28%). Imposing big men have given the Friars some trouble this season and in years past. In a loss to Michigan the Friars struggled against big men Iggy Brazdeikis and Jon Teske. Against UMass Rashaan Halloway didnt have a huge game but his fat ass did cause some problems for the Friars, so they cant let Dylan Osetkowski dominate this game.

Seeking Alpha

When looking to win on the road it’s always important to take care of the basketball and hit your free throws. It is also important that your star player comes to play. Alpha Diallo has seemed to get over his BD (bucket dysfunction) that he suffered in back-to-back games vs URI and BC. Diallo has answered with 55 points over last three games and the Friars are going to need him to score against Texas. He needs to be looking for his shot early and often, as well as be a magnet on the glass. Maliek White is going to be looked on to score as well but it’s Diallo who needs to show why he was selected 1st team All-Big East this offseason. PC is going to need all the offense they can get with AJ Reeves being out and theyre going to have to lean on Diallo to provide.

Had the Friars not blown a 20-point lead against UMass they would be going into Austin playing with house money. While this game isnt a must win for the Friars, they would really want to go into Big East play with 10 wins. Although it was against inferior talent the Friars have been much better defensively and they better hope the defense can travel. As much as I would love kick back on my couch, slam a beer in one hand and go horns down in the other I dont believe the Friars will pull this one out. It just seems like a tall order to go on the road to Texas right before Christmas, against a team that might be the most athletic we face all season. I think we will compete and can definitely keep it close but we will look back at this one saying if only we had AJ Reeves.

Prediction

Texas 73 Friars 68

-The Crier

 

The Friars continue there season on Tuesday night when they visit Chestnut Hill and the Boston College Eagles. PC (6-2) , fresh off there win versus rival URI, dispatched BC quite easily last year 86-66. That game however was played at the Dunk, this year the Friars return to Conte Forum, which has been a house of horrors for the team. Providence hasn’t won at Conte Forum since 2004, a time in which BC was still in the Big East. As someone who lives in Boston, I’ve attended the game at Conte several times and always leave feeling the same way.

As the Friars try and exorcise their Conte Forum demons I give to you my thoughts going into the game.

The Curse of Conte

Cameron Indoor, Allen Fieldhouse, Assembly Hall, and Rupp Arena are the usual suspects for tough places for visiting teams to play at, for PC it’s the Conte Forum. While tough road venues typically have a rabid student section, an arena that’s acoustically built for sound, and a strong overall fan base at Conte it’s the complete opposite. There was one year that I went and they used fake crowd noise because there was a dozen students in the student section. Another year that I went the scoreboard wasn’t working so they used a portable scoreboard on the floor that resembled something out of a high school game. Conte is typically a graveyard and for some reason it brings the worst basketball out of the Friars. Finally the national media caught on to the lack of attendance at Conte.

https://mobile.twitter.com/SethOnHoops/status/1067511427110486016

While the students do deserve a portion of the blame for lack of attendance at BC there’s a bigger issue at hand. BC doesn’t seem to invest a lot into their athletics nor do they market their athletic teams very well. Conte Forum is a nice on campus arena but its built for hockey not basketball. They have put in renovations into their football stadium throughout the years but it seems to be far behind other major football schools. In terms of marketing their major sports they seem to advertising the opponents that are coming to town rather than their own team. Just go on to the ticket section of their website and at the very top of the page it says “FEATURED OPPONENTS”. This is why I am grateful to be a Friar fan. We just built $30 million practice facility and there are billboards for PC hoops in Worcester, MA and on the Mass Pike. There’s a dedication from the administration to excel in athletics and at Boston College I just don’t see it.

Defend Ky Bowman

Since Kris Dunn graduated Providence College the Friars have struggled defending capable scoring guards. Last year we saw Rider’s Jordan Allen go for 28 points, URI’s Fatts Russell had 20, UMASS’s Luwane Pipkins got 30, and Marquette’s Markus Howard scored 52 fucking points. I loved Kyron Cartwright, I think his swagger could be used on this team, but clearly the opposition tried to exploit him on defense with their scoring guards. So far this year the Friars have put an end to this trend and have stifled opposing guards. They held Michigan’s Charles Matthews to 5 points and most recently limited URI’s Fatts Russell and Jeff Dowtin to 18 points combined. A lot of this has to do with the length and athleticism the Friars have been able to put at both guard positions with David Duke and AJ Reeves. Reeves certainly hasn’t been the best defender yet but his length and athleticism definitely deters opponents from attacking him. Tonight the Friars will face maybe their stiffest challenge yet with Ky Bowman. Going into tonight Ky Bowman leads the Eagles with 19.4 points per game and in his 2 games against PC as a freshman and sophomore Bowman has averaged 17.5 ppg. Bowman is only listed at 6-1 but he has the ability to blow by defenders with his quickness, has a great ability to finish at the rim and is capable beyond the arc as well. In BC’s biggest win this season, a 68-56 win over Minnesota, it was the role players that helped propel BC to the W but if you ask me I think cutting off the head of the snake in locking down Bowman should be the number one priority tonight.

Predication

PC 68 BC 72

-The Crier

 

 

The 129th installment of the Battle for the Ocean State will tip off Saturday between the Providence Friars and the Rhode Island Rams. The Friars (5-2) will look to avenge a 75-68 loss to URI last year in front of a sold-out Dunkin Donuts Center that for sure will be rocking. PC had previously taken the prior 7 contests vs Rhode Island before last year’s defeat and will no doubt be out for vengeance. For the Rams (3-2) it will be the first time the rivalry will be coached by David Cox, with Danny Hurley taking is talents to Storrs, CT this past offseason. In my opinion, PC vs URI is the best collegiate rivalry in New England; fuck Harvard vs Yale, no one actually cares about FCS football. I can’t wait to get down to the Dunk to watch this one but while I do here are my thoughts regarding the game.

Fresh Faces

Last year’s Battle of the Ocean State it was a freshman that took center stage in the rivalry. URI’s Fatts Russell came off the bench and scored 20 points for the Rams. Russell’s scoring punch was just what the Rams needed to get over the hump and snap the Friars 7-game win streak. The Friar freshman didn’t go unnoticed in the game either, as Makai Ashton-Langford arguably had his best game in a PC uniform and Nate Watson came off the bench and poured in 10 points on 4/4 shooting. It’s always exciting to see how the freshmen are going to react in what will be the biggest atmosphere of their collegiate careers. It’s also very likely that a freshman will make a big impact in this game as well with 4 combined starters being rookies. For PC it will be the first time Providence native David Duke Jr will take part in the rivalry and I expect him to show up for the occasion. AJ Reeves has shown that he isn’t afraid of the big stage at all and I will look for him to assert himself offensively as well. Jimmy Nichols will probably just be good for a monster dunk and a block or two like he is in every game. On Rhody’s side, they have freshman big man Jermaine Harris in their starting five. Harris was an ESPN100 recruit and David Cox convinced him to stay in Kingston after Danny Hurley left. Look for the matchup between him and Nate Watson to be a big one. Tyrese Martin is another freshman for URI that gets good minutes off the bench. Look for the freshman in this game to make an impact.

Can Rhody Shoot?

It is a great question to ask because heading into this game the URI Rams are ranked 313th in the country in field goal percentage at 40%. This alarming number brings up the question as to what type of defense Ed Cooley is going to play. One would think that you just play zone against URI and dare them to make shots against you. However, knowing Coach Cooley he will probably start off in man and then switch to a zone if the game lends itself to do so. URI is going to want to attack the basket and get to the free throw line because while PC isn’t the greatest shooting team, the Rams don’t want to get into a shooting contest with the Friars.

Battle of the Frontcourt

While the past few PC URI games saw great guard play being the key to victory it could be the frontcourt that plays a pivotal role this year. Some may say that junior guard Jeff Dowtin (17.2 ppg) is URI’s best player but in my opinion its the big man Cyril Langevine. The guy is a walking double-double, as he has recorded the feat in the previous four games. In his last game out against Brown, Langevine went for 19 points and 17 rebounds, the guy is a beast.  A knock on Langevine is that he commits a ton of turnovers for a big man, so look for the Friars to try and double him in the post and force him to make an errant pass. Its really going interesting to see him and Harris go at it down low against Kalif Young, Nate Watson, Jimmy Nichols and maybe even Emmitt Holt. On top of all of that, you have Alpha Diallo lurking in the frontcourt and I don’t see anyone on URI that can stop him. With his improved 3-point shot (42%) and crafty ability to score off midrange and on post-ups Diallo is becoming a matchup nightmare for any opposing defense.

The Crier was in Kingston for last year’s game and it was an experience I’d like to forget. Having to leave the Ryan Center with hundreds of people chanting “Fuck PC” was humiliating and infuriating. We do not lose to URI. URI is baby brother. URI is our bitch. That is why I would like nothing more for the Friars to come to the Dunk late Saturday afternoon and blow the doors off of URI. For the Friars to go in there show off their superior athleticism and just dominate the Rams in every facet would just make my day. However that is not the Battle for the Ocean State, this game has been a close game since 2012. It is going to be a highly competitive game and it will be a dogfight. Fortunately for the Friars, we got the better players, the better coach, and homecourt.

Prediction

PC 70 URI 65

-The Crier

 

Like most warm-blooded American males the Crier enjoys betting on sports. I’m often guilty of betting on my own teams because there’s no better feeling than watching your team win not only a game but you some money in the process. There’s nothing more the Crier enjoys than laying heavy money on the Patriots in the postseason or live betting the Celtics money line when they are down 20 in the second quarter. The same can be said about betting on the Friars but only if the line is right. So without further ado, I bring to you the Crier’s Gambling Corner, a recurring piece where I will tell you when to hold them or when to fold them in terms of betting our Friars. Let the Crier make you money Friartown!

Regression Towards Mean Coming For Friars?

In prior posts, I’ve brought up how the Friars have yet to really beat an opponent by a convincing number. The fact that they are starting three freshmen probably explains this team’s inability to blow someone out, even against the inferior opponents. While the Friars currently hold a record of 5-2 they are only 2-5 ATS. With this kind of record and the fact the Friars have proven they can’t beat anyone by a substantial margin we may see the guys in the desert lowering these spreads when the Friars are favorites and raising them as an underdog. PC was 14-18 last year, a far better win percentage compared to their current record ATS, so I expect Friar bets to start hitting more. It will be interesting to see how their current start ATS will affect future lines in the next few games.

Guessing The Line: PC vs URI

The fact that the A-10 is down this year and these URI Rams are absolutely expected to take a step back after losing Danny Hurley to UCONN would lend towards a higher line. However, given the Friars struggles to beat up on opponents and the fact that this is a rivalry game I expect this line to be small. I’m going to guess that the Friars will be 3 point favorites against Rhody and if it is 3 or less you know the Crier will be slamming it. The Dunk is going to be rocking Saturday, it’s a 5pm tip so you know Friar fans will be lubed up for this one so while I don’t expect a blow out I do see the Friars winning this one by at least two buckets.

The Friars got the victory tonight over the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights 69 (niiccee) to 59 at the Dunkin Donuts Center. PC was led by their leading scorer Alpha Diallo, who scored 20 points and added 9 rebounds. The Crier got two things wrong this evening, the first being a blowout win–PC only won by 10 points–and Maliek White getting more minutes, as he didn’t even play. I can’t be always right all the time. Listen I will be wrong the entire season as long as it means the Crier Prophecy of a Final Four in 2020 comes true, we must think big picture here Friartown. Nevertheless, the Friars did go wire-to-wire in this one and played well overall. Here are my reactions to the W.

That Friar D

The defense of the Friars had been a glaring weakness of the team through the first six games of the season. So far on the young season, the Friars have given up 70.5 points per game on 44.3% shooting from the floor. PC would leave shooters open on poor rotations and allow a handful of straight line-drives to the basket. The first half of this game the Friars were money on defense. They held FDU to 19 points and 26% from the floor on 7/27 shooting. These Friars were more engaging on the defensive end, with better communication on rotations and closing out on shooters. The second half wasn’t as good defensively, as FDU scored 40 points and PC had similar bad habits creep up but beggars can’t be choosers.

MA(i)L Time

Against the Iona Gaels sophomore guard Makai Ashton-Langford mysteriously didn’t play a single minute. We all know that some things were tweeted after the South Carolina game but the following game Makai saw decent minutes against Michigan, so not to play a single second the next game was curious. On this night Makai was the first player to come off the bench and it was Maliek White who didn’t play at all.  I really hope our game plan isn’t to switch off backup point guard duties throughout the season but it was Makai’s play tonight that needs to be recognized. Makai finished the game with 6 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in 21 minutes of action. Ashton-Langford did have 3 turnovers in the game but one of them was caused by Kalif Young’s rock hands. The backup point guard situation will be worth monitoring throughout the season.

-The Crier

 

 

The Friars (4-2) are back in action Tuesday night as they play host to the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (3-2). PC is coming off their best overall performance this past Saturday, as they beat the Iona Gaels 91-79 at the Dunk. Here are a few thoughts I have going into this contest against the Knights.

Lets Talk About NETs

No not the Brooklyn Nets–no one talks about them–but rather the new metric the NCAA has for rating college basketball teams. It made its grand debut on Monday and put the whole college basketball world in a frenzy with its bizarre results. It ranked the number one team in the country to be the Ohio St Buckeyes and had  Loyola Marymount ranked ahead of AP #2 Kansas Jayhawks. In the case of the Friars, they were ranked 115th, which was good for dead last in the Big East. I realize it’s way too early to read into these rankings and it will end up sorting itself out but it does bring up an interesting point. The NET brings into account strength of schedule and margin of victory, which can explain why the Friars are so low. The Friars’ biggest margin of victory this season was their 12-point win on Saturday and outside of the Michigan Wolverines, PC really hasn’t played a team that we can expect to see come March. The game on Tuesday won’t help the Friars much in the NET department, as FDU came in at 297th.

Playing a Complete Game

As mentioned earlier the Friars biggest margin of victory so far this season in 12 points and Tuesday presents a great opportunity to change that. I could talk about how Darnell Edge leads FDU in scoring or how they’ve shot 40% from three so far this season but it’d be a waste of our time. FDU is a trash team! This game on Tuesday is about what the Friars can show us and I’m hoping it is a complete performance. Against Iona we got a glimpse of what this team can be but there were still defensive lapses that kept the Gaels within arm’s length. I can’t remember a season where we allow so many straight line-drives to the basket, you’d have to go back to the Keno days. I guess this is what you sign up for when you start three freshmen but the defense needs to be fixed. Offensively I liked what I saw from Maliek White the last game and I think he should eat into David Duke’s minutes. I know David Duke is the Prince of Providence and the Chosen One but at this point, White appears to run the offense better than Duke and he takes care of the basketball. I’m also not saying that Duke shouldn’t get good minutes either, I’m not an idiot, but l would like White to get more burn. The Friars should come out tomorrow night with that killer instinct and provide their first convincing victory of the year.

Prediction- PC 85 FDU 61

-The Crier

Last night the Crier made his way to the Dunk for the first time this season to see the Friars beat Holy Cross 70-61. Before we get into the game, I must point out that the Dunk really classed it up this year. The new Jumbotron is a great addition and makes the entire game experience better. Did you know that there’s a Budweiser Bar & Grill on Level 3? I did not! I was running late to the game so didn’t get to stop by, but my fellow co-minority owners caught some of the game there and gave rave reviews. As a new season ticket holder/minority owner of the Dunk, I take great pride in the arena and really like what they’ve done with the place this off season. Alright now let’s get to my takeaways from PC’s 9-point victory over the Cross.

Alpha and Nate Save the Day

As I mentioned earlier, I was a little late to the Dunk for this one with Boston traffic being BRUTAL. I ended up only catching the final 5 minutes of the first half that would find the Friars trailing by 4. I was running through my twitter timeline when I got back from the game and didn’t realize how panicked all of Friartown was from the first half. What kept this game from a nail-biter for Friar fans was the second half play of Alpha Diallo and Nate Watson. There was a point in the game where every possession, either Alpha was sticking a midrange jumper or Nate Watson was throwing down a ferocious slam. Alpha and Nate combined for 21 of the Friars 37 second-half points and they provided firepower that the Crusaders just couldn’t match. It was great to see those two be the Go-To guys when we really needed them most.

Game of Zone?

Holy Cross’ Matt Faw drained a three-pointer to put the Saders up 46-37 with 16:22 to play. After that Cooley decided to switch from man defense to a zone and with good reason. Our man-to-man defense from what I saw was fucking atrocious. Guys were being left wide open and Holy Cross was getting easy lanes to the basket with their backdoor cuts. I’m excited for what the player Jimmy Nichols could potentially become, but he looked lost on defense; he’d be constantly out of position and players would blow by him, leaving him with the last resort of fouling. Are we going to turn into a zone team this year? I don’t see Cooley giving up on man to man this early and it seemed more of a decision based on the team they were facing, but it’s a fair question. I’m not sure if our zone was that great either- there was constantly a Sader who got behind it, but they didn’t have the players that could find him. I think this will be an interesting thing to monitor because we have the length and athleticism to be good at both defenses, but clearly our man-to-man has been terrible thus far.

While most people may have been panicking, the Crier wasn’t that worried in this one. We were down by as many as 9 in the second half but as soon as we started getting going in the second half, I wasn’t worried about dropping this one. These type of games are going to happen in nonconference when we play poorly against an inferior opponent. The goal is just to get the W when the final whistle blows. The Friars didn’t play their best game last night, and they need to play better this weekend in Mohegan, but I saw a lot of positives in the final 16 minutes of the game that this team can build on. Friars will take on University of South Carolina Gamecocks Saturday at 2:30, until then Friartown!

-The Crier