Tag: Men’s Basketball
Who Will Win the Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament?
by The Cowl Editor on March 7, 2019
PCI
Marquette University
By Jack Belanger ’21
Sports Co-Editor
Marquette University will win the Big East Tournament next week due to the simple fact that it is nearly impossible to stop this team on offense. The Golden Eagles have too many weapons for any team to take away for an entire game.
A perfect example of the team’s depth on offense is when Marquette beat Providence College on Feb. 23. They had five players score in double-figures, with forward Sacar Anim (fourth on the team in scoring), who was tied with Sam Hauser for the team lead in points that day with 18.
Three of the team’s starters are shooting over 39.8 percent from the three point-line, including Joey and Sam Hauser who are shooting 45.5 and 40.1 percent, respectively. The team overall is shooting 40.7 percent from behind the arc, which is the eighth in the country.
It is also helpful to have one of the top candidates for Big East Player of the Year in guard Markus Howard. Howard has led the conference in scoring for most of the season and, with three games of 40 or more points, is certainly capable of taking control of a game. Having a guy who can create his own shot in games coming down to the wire can prove to be the difference in the final possessions.
While Villanova University is certainly also a contender to win the tournament, the Wildcats simply are not as dangerous as they were last season. The team lost its top four scorers to the NBA draft and has suffered through some inconsistent play this year, losing to weaker teams such as Furman University as well as University of Pennsylvania, and suffering through a three-game losing streak in the Big East.
These two teams have the best point differentials in the Big East with the Golden Eagles having the best at +9.2 with Villanova second at +7.9. While these have been the two best teams in the Big East, they are trending in opposite directions going into the final weeks. Since Jan. 28, Marquette has been ranked #11 or better. Meanwhile, in the same timeframe, Villanova has gone from #14 to being unranked.
While every team in the Big East will be a tough opponent come tournament time, regardless of how they finish in the standings, Marquette is playing at their best which will give them momentum over other teams. While Villanova has won three of the last four Big East Tournaments, this year, the Golden Eagles will outshoot and defend well enough to be the last team standing at Madison Square Garden.
Who Will Win the Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament?
by The Cowl Editor on March 7, 2019
PCI
Xavier University
By Scott Jarosz ’21
Sports Staff
The Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden is consistently one of the most exciting and unpredictable conference tournaments in all of college basketball. Any given Big East team is capable of making a run and getting to the championship game. Providence College’s performance at the 2018 Big East Tournament was a prime example of this. PC entered the tournament as the #5 seed and was matched up against #4 Creighton University in the quarterfinals. The Friars went on to beat Creighton in overtime, then faced the #1 seed Xavier University in a semifinal matchup.
PC was behind the entire game but went on to overcome a 17 point deficit and beat Xavier in overtime. PC would go on to play Villanova University in the championship game, where PC ultimately lost in yet another overtime thriller. PC’s run in last year’s Big East Tournament demonstrated that lower seeds are capable of making surprise runs in the tournament, given the conference’s lack of disparity between the best and worst teams. That is why there is good reason to believe that Xavier will be the team that wins the 2019 Big East Tournament.
Xavier currently has a record of 16-14 overall and 8-9 in conference play. While these numbers do not reflect a team that has had much success, Xavier has shown sparks late this season that show the team is ready for postseason play. With the departure of previous head coach Chris Mack, it took some time for the Musketeers to adjust to the new play style brought forth by new coach Travis Steele. Through the first 11 Big East games, Xavier had a conference record of 3-8 and looked like a team that had given up. But since then, Xavier has gone on to win five straight Big East games, including a 66-54 win over Villanova and an 84-73 win at St. John’s University.
Xavier’s final regular season game, following a road loss to Butler University and home wins against Seton Hall University and St. John’s University, will be a home game against St. John’s. What is the leading force behind Xavier’s sudden winning streak? A big part of it can be attributed to the steady stream of quality performances by forward Naji Marshall. During the team’s winning streak, Marshall scored 28 points against Seton Hall University and most recently 31 points against St. John’s at Madison Square Garden. If Marshall can continue his stellar play through the final regular season game and into the Big East Tournament, Xavier will be the team holding the Big East Championship trophy on March 16.
Men’s Basketball Sweeps St. John’s
by The Cowl Editor on February 28, 2019
Uncategorized
By Gavin Woods ’22
Sports Staff
It has been a busy week for the Men’s Basketball Team. In the span of six days, Providence College played two home games versus St. John’s University and Marquette University, before their matchup at Butler University.
The Friars started the week with a home game against St. John’s, who is currently third in the Big East. To say that St. John’s had the momentum going into the game would be an understatement, especially coming off staggering wins against Marquette, Butler, and most recently, Villanova. However, the Friars had won their last matchup just two weeks prior, and they showed no signs of backing down.
PC came out hot at the start of the game, scoring an early three from Makai Ashton-Langford ’21. The name of the game for Providence, however, was defense. The Friars did not give up a single point until 7:49 into the game, with a lead of 9-2. Perhaps even more impressive, PC was able to almost completely shut down Shamorie Ponds, the leading scorer for St. John’s, who averages 19.7 points per game. Ponds finished the night with two points, well below his season average.
The Friars were able to hold on to their decisive lead, finishing with a final score of 78-59. There was not a single lead change throughout the game.
Next, PC faced the Golden Eagles of Marquette, who are currently at the top of the Big East standings. Marquette boasts a win percentage of .85 and a conference record of 12-2. Marquette certainly came into the game with confidence, as they won their last matchup against Providence.
The Golden Eagles began the game scoring early and often. They led at the half by 11 with a score of 31-20. Providence seemed to be containing Marquette’s star guard, Markus Howard, who averages 25 PPG, holding him to only 14 points. However, this enabled Marquette to adapt, using their other weapons including Sakar Anim and brothers Sam and Joey Hauser. Marquette had a total of five double-digit scorers, compared to Providence’s three.
The biggest difference between PC and Marquette was shooting accuracy. The Golden Eagles sank 54.9 percent of their field goals, 47.6 percent from three and 76.9 percent of free throws. This is compared to the Friars’ percentages of 28.6 from the field, 30 from three, and just 50 from the free throw line.
The game’s lead scorer was Alpha Diallo ’20 who dropped 19 with six rebounds. However, it was Marquette’s Sam Houser who stole the show with an impressive 18-point 13-rebound double-double.
Their next game proved to be the closest for Providence, as they traveled to face off with Butler. Of the three games, this was the closest matchup, with both Providence and Butler having an overall record of 15-13. This was the first meeting between the two teams during the 2018-2019 season, and both teams were desperate to improve their conference record.
Though the game was tight throughout, Providence seemed to have the slight edge. The Friars’ largest lead was 14 points with 7:15 left in the first half. However, a rapid comeback from the Bulldogs resulted in a Providence lead by just five points at the half. The battle continued through the second half, with a total of four lead changes. Providence continued their offensive game plan, facilitating the ball through Nate Watson ’21. Watson led the Friars in scoring with 21 points.
Towards the end of the second half, PC began to build their lead over Butler. The Friars were up by seven points with less than a minute left to play. However, Cooley elected to continue his strategy to not foul the other team until the end of the game. This enabled Butler to come back from their deficit and tie the game, due to several Providence turnovers. This gave PC one last chance to end the game, with 10 seconds left in the second half. A failed open three point shot from David Duke ’22 sent the game to overtime, where the Friars outscored Butler 11-5.
Though the Friars seem to have found themselves in a late season slump, with a record of 6-10 in the Big East conference, these two conference wins will certainly help PC in their placement for the Big East tournament.
Friars Fall to Villanova
by The Cowl Editor on February 14, 2019
Friar Sports
Friars Go Into “Do or Die” Mode as They Get Ready for Playoffs
By Sullivan Burgess ’20
Sports Staff
The last week has been difficult and disappointing for the Providence College Men’s Basketball Team, but nevertheless an improvement from what the season has provided, helping fans and students keep a positive mindset moving forward as the season progresses towards its finale at Madison Square Garden for the Big East Tournament.
The week began with the Friars headlining a home game against the 15-9 Georgetown University Hoyas. After a stunning defeat in overtime at Georgetown, the Friars looked to bounce back and secure a win. Unfortunately, while keeping a close game throughout the first half, the second half of the game belonged to Georgetown as they went on a scoring tear, defeating the Friars 76-67.
This put the Hoyas in fourth place in the Big East standings; while the Friars have jumped back and forth in the standings, currently they are in ninth place.
After the game, Head Coach Ed Cooley stated, “It has just been one of those years. You just have to hang in there and get onto the next game…I never want to get used to losing…and we have to get our team into a good space.”
On a side note, during the game forward/guard Alpha Diallo ’20 became one of only 50 Friars to join the 1,000-point club.
Later that week, the Friars traveled down to the city that never sleeps and took on St. John’s University with a record of 18-7. This was the first matchup of the two teams this season, and all eyes have been on St. John’s point guard Shamorie Ponds, who led his team to victory against Marquette University.
However, the Friars managed to turn things around and handed St. John’s a loss at their home court—Madison Square Garden—with a final score of 70-56. The game was led by center Nate Watson ’21 who scored 18 points and had five rebounds. There was also a notable double-double from Diallo, who had 10 points and 15 rebounds.
This spark was needed as the Friars traveled down to play against the always red-hot Villanova University. While the Friars bounced back and forth for the lead against the Wildcats, the last few minutes of the second half belonged to the Villanova as they went on a scoring tear to end the game at 85-67. Watson lead in scoring again with another 18 point game and six rebounds, however, it was not enough to stop Eric Paschall and Phil Booth’s 25 and 22 point game, respectively.
This now puts Providence at one of their lowest records at 14-11 overall, and 4-8 in the entire conference. The Friars now need to figure out a gameplay strategy that works for them for the remaining six games of the season.
The next game brings the team back home to the Dunk against Xavier University for the two teams’ second matchup of the season. The last time these two met up in Cincinnati, the Friars found themselves a 64-62 victory, and will look to reignite that spark to avoid another losing streak.
While so far the road has seemed tough, the road ahead does show some light. It may look as if the Friars are knocked out right now with no chance of a March Madness appearance this season, but fans and critics will continue to show support for their hometown Friars.
Former Friars: Where Are They Now?
by The Cowl Editor on January 31, 2019
Professional Sports
Kris Dunn is Rising Up as Leader on the Bulls
By Scott Jarosz ’21
Sports Staff
Now in his third year in the National Basketball Association, Kris Dunn ’16 has established himself as one of the youngest elite point guards in the NBA. Drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2016 as the fifth overall pick in the first round, Dunn’s talent was immediately recognized leaguewide. A point guard at 6’4”, 205 pounds, Dunn’s physical build attracted the attention of many NBA teams when combined with his more-than impressive skillset.
Dunn began his career in the NBA back in 2016 with the Timberwolves. It took him some time to fully transition from college basketball to the more fast-paced, skilled NBA. In his rookie season, Dunn averaged just over 17 minutes per game, 3.8 points per game, and 2.4 assists per game. Following the 2016-17 season, Dunn was traded to the Chicago Bulls alongside Zach LaVine in exchange for Jimmy Butler and the rights to two other players. Dunn adjusted well to his new team and his presence had an immediate positive impact.
In his first year with the Chicago Bulls, in the 2017-18 season, Dunn began to look as dominant as he was throughout his career at Providence College. In his first season with the Bulls, Dunn averaged almost 30 minutes per game along with 13.4 points per game, six assists per game, and 4.3 rebounds per game. Perhaps his most notable performance of the season came on December 26, 2017 against the Milwaukee Bucks. In this game, Dunn netted 20 points alongside 12 assists, four steals, and two blocks. This outstanding performance placed Dunn in legendary company as he became the second Bulls player to ever record at least 20 points. The only other Bulls player that had ever done so was Michael Jordan.
Now in the 2018-19 season, Dunn is finally starting to establish himself as a rising star in the NBA. Despite the struggles that the Bulls have been experiencing as a team, Dunn has shown resilience to continue battling throughout the season. After being sidelined for a significant length of time early in the season with an MCL injury, Dunn has returned to being a consistent presence at point guard for the Bulls. He is now averaging 12.1 points per game, 6.3 assists per game, and over 30 minutes played per game.
While his numbers as the team’s point guard are respectable, Dunn’s presence as a young leader is part of what makes him a special player.
Kris Dunn stated, “I’m trying to be a good leader for this team, I am trying to do what coach wants me to do. We are starting to push the pace, starting to figure that out and be aggressive on both ends of the floor.”
Despite only being in his third NBA season, Dunn has accepted his responsibility to be a leader as a point guard and run the team as effectively as possible. The Bulls are currently in 13th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 11-39, but Dunn’s positive presence as a young star on this team provides hope for its future.
Editor’s Corner
by The Cowl Editor on January 24, 2019
Friar Sports
With a little luck (and help) the Friars can still go dancing
By Jack Belanger ’21
Sports Co-Editor
It has been a tale of two seasons for the Providence College Men’s Basketball Team. After a successful nonconference schedule in which the team got its 10 wins that they usually strive for and only had one bad loss to University of Massachusetts-Amherst (again), the team has struggled to put together a complete game against their Big East opponents. While many Friar fans are nervous that the team will miss their first NCAA Tournament in six years based on their start in the conference, there is still plenty of time for the team to turn their fortune around. With 12 games left, the Friars can still reach the 10 conference wins needed to put themselves in a position to be called on Selection Sunday. Here is what needs to happen:
1. A.J. Reeves ’22 returns to form quickly.
The offense just has not looked the same ever since Reeves went down with a foot injury in early December. While Alpha Diallo ’20 may be the team’s most versatile player on the offensive end, Reeves has simply been the best shooter on a team that has struggled to find success behind the arc. He leads the team in shooting from three with 45.3 percent and has made the second most threes on the team despite missing nine games. Until the star freshman makes his return, it will be hard to win a shootout versus teams like Marquette University.
2. Get one win between Marquette and Villanova University.
Even if the Friars reach 10 wins in the conference, the selection committee always will look at what teams you beat. Right now the team is missing that key signature win that will put them above other teams. While wins over Power-Five Conference teams like the University of South Carolina and the University of Texas are solid, neither team is a top team in their respective conference. Last season, the Friars got two big wins over ranked teams in Villanova and Xavier University. With a much tougher nonconference schedule this year than last, one win over the top of the Big East will go a long way for the Friars.
3. A team or two needs to falter down the stretch.
The yearly theme in the Big East is that every game will be a dogfight and there will be no easy wins to come by. That theme never has been truer than this season. After Marquette and Villanova, no team currently has a winning conference record. So while the Friars may only be less than two games behind third place, they need to jump above several teams to get back into the top half of the league. Having more than three teams finish at 10-8 might mean that one of those teams will be left out. Friars are going to need to sweep usual contenders such at Butler University and Xavier and hope those teams fall below .500 at the end of the season.
Coach Cooley to Lead Team USA
by The Cowl Editor on January 17, 2019
Friar Sports
Team Will Consist of Players From Big East
By Sullivan Burgess ’20
Sports Staff
It has been quite an exciting few weeks for Providence College Men’s Basketball Head Coach Ed Cooley. Not only has he been gifted with one of the highest honors in the state of Rhode Island, but also has been given an incredible opportunity for himself and PC basketball.
On December 18, 2018, media and faculty gathered inside the Ruane Friar Development Center to announce that Coach Cooley will be the head coach for Team USA and lead the men’s basketball team at the Pan American Games in Peru this summer. The team itself will consist entirely of players from the Big East Conference.
While this is Cooley’s first time as head coach for Team USA, this is not his first time working with the United States Basketball Team. In the summers of 2013-2015, Cooley served as an assistant coach for the USA Basketball teams. He had won gold at the World Under-19 Championships in 2015.
Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman stated at the press conference, “I think in many ways this is a tribute to what the Big East has accomplished over the last five years. They were looking for a conference with a solid basketball resume. We see this as a great responsibility as well as a great honor.” The U.S. has not represented themselves in the Pan-Am Games in quite a while, in fact the U.S. has not won gold in basketball since 1983. That team consisted of future hall-of-famers Michael Jordan and Chris Mullin.
This year U.S. Basketball decided not to allow professional players of any sort to represent the USA. The team will consist of college players in the Big East. College players who plan to enter into the NBA draft this June are also excluded from participating.
Coach Cooley did not hesitate to take the job as head coach for the team. He stated at the press conference, “I’ve been fortunate to be an assistant coach with Billy Donovan and Sean Miller on a couple of teams but to try to do it as a head coach is an incredible honor and something I’ve always wanted to do.”
A few weeks later, it was announced that golocalprov.com named Ed Cooley as their Rhode Island Man of the Year. When giving the award to him, the website had stated, “Maybe no one epitomizes the spirit of Rhode Island better than this man.”
Throughout all the work he has done on the PC campus, Cooley has become an icon for all the students and teachers to bring a positive attitude towards everyday life.
When accepting the award, he stated how he does not want coaching to define his character, rather “being a better dad, husband, leader and mentor” are the important things that make up what he stands for and how he carries himself through life.
Coach Cooley has captured the spirit of the College, and deserves all the recognition he has been given, including the opportunity to coach Team USA and being named Rhode Island Man of the Year.
PC Takes On Northeast Rivals
by The Cowl Editor on December 6, 2018
Friar Sports
By Jack Belanger ’21
Sports Co-Editor
With conference games less than a month away, it is easy for Friar fans to look forward to seeing the Providence College Men’s Basketball Team get another chance to upset Villanova University and Xavier University in front of the home crowd at the Dunkin’ Donut Center. After having played against weaker competition in Iona University and Fairleigh Dickinson University, teams who, to the average fan, are fairly unrecognizable.
Yet, as the calendar turned to December, the Friars had three games in a row against northeast teams that Friars fans love to hate.
On Dec. 1, the Friars faced off against in-state rival University of Rhode Island at the Dunk in front of a sellout crowd. PC was looking for revenge after the Rams snapped the Friars’ seven-game winning streak last season at the Ryan Center in Kingston, Rhode Island. Both teams have brought new faces into the rivalry as a total of six freshmen played in the game. URI also featured a new coach in David Cox after long time coach Dan Hurley left to coach at the University of Connecticut.
PC got the early jump out of the gates led by A.J. Reeves ’22. Reeves scored eight of the Friars’ first 10 points, including back-to-back threes to force URI to call an early timeout. PC controlled both ends of the court and finished the half leading URI 39-27. Reeves would lead the Friars in scoring for the day with 15 points.
Both teams struggled to score in the second half as they combined to make only ten shots. PC’s zone defense held the Rams to 20 percent shooting in the second half, while only going 1-11 from the three-point line. Cox credited PC’s physicality for forcing URI to miss some easy shots. PC’s offense was equally as bad as the Friars were able to score 20 points in the half but managed to keep the game just out of reach for URI. Head Coach Ed Cooley referenced the defensive battle as a “typical PC-URI rock fight.”
On a day when Alpha Diallo ’20 and David Duke ’22 drew most of the defensive attention, and combined for nine points, it was the under-the-radar performance from “silent assassin” Isaiah Jackson ’19RS that made the difference for the Friars. Jackson, who began the season in the starting lineup but has since been coming off the bench, played 26 minutes and gave the Friars 13 points and nine rebounds in a game where points were hard to come by.
“He is such a calming influence,” Cooley said of Jackson, “he doesn’t say much, he just produces. Whether it’s a free throw, a loose ball, a big three, he is always communicating. He’s our leader.”
URI brought a full-court press with less than five minutes left with the game still in reach, but the Friars were able to make enough plays down the stretch to win 59-50 and finish the home stand at a perfect 3-0.
Three days later, PC faced off against the Boston College Eagles who have also gotten off to a hot start this season coming into the game at 6-1. The Friars were looking to win at Chestnut Hill for the first time since 2004, when Cooley was an assistant coach for BC.
Once again, PC’s offense came out hot scoring 39 points in the first half, but struggled to slow down the Eagles who had four players score seven or more points, including nine from star player Ky Bowman, as Boston College dropped 43 in the half. Nate Watson ’21 led the Friars in scoring at the half with eight points to go along with six rebounds.
The Friars took advantage of the Eagles’ lack of size throughout the game. BC was missing their 6’11” forward Nik Popovic due to injury. PC scored 44 points in the paint as Watson had a double-double, recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds.
In the second half, BC took a seven-point lead early after a Bowman layup to make it 53-46 in favor of the Eagles with 17:03 left to go in the game. The Friars fought back to take the lead on multiple occasions as the score would go back and forth down into the final minutes of the game.
With 11 seconds to go, the Friars found themselves down 84-87 with one last chance to send the game into overtime after a Friars timeout.
With the clock running down, Duke ran the ball down the court and found Reeves coming off a screen at the top of the key for a last second three to tie the game at 87 and force overtime. Reeves finished the game with 24 points, which was the most for PC.
In overtime, the Friars had the lead for most of the five minutes and kept the lead at hand by going 9-14 at the free throw line to outscore BC 13-8 and win the game 100-95, the Friars first true road victory of the year.
The Friars, now 7-2, will take on the University of Massachusetts-Amherst Minutemen on Friday, Dec. 7 at home. The Friars lost in Amherst last season 72-63.
Big East Title Up For Grabs
by The Cowl Editor on November 29, 2018
Friar Sports
By Thomas Zinzarella ’21
Sports Staff
With Feast Week wrapping up this past week, we are just over a month away from Big East conference play. The Big East took a hit early on in non-conference play with its strongest team, Villanova University, getting blown out by University of Michigan at home in a rematch of the National Championship game last year. They also lost to Furman University, out of the Southern Conference.
With Villanova losing four of its key players in Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVencenzo, Omari Spellman, and Mikal Bridges all to the NBA Draft in June, this is the widest open the Big East has ever been since realignment. Starting with Villanova, the Wildcats added a graduate transfer, Joe Cremo, from the University of Albany, who can knock down the three, while also bringing back some experience from the National Championship team: Eric Paschall, Collin Gillespie, and Phil Booth. Villanova added 5-star recruit Jahvon Quinerly and one of the best 3-point shooters in the Big East, Cole Swider. The Wildcats also picked up a quality win this past weekend in the Advocare Invitational by defeating Oklahoma State University and against #15 Florida State University in the Championship game. With this win, the Wildcats hoisted their sixth straight November tournament title and have reentered the Top 25 at #23.
One of the favorites to dethrone the Villanova Wildcats are the Marquette University Golden Eagles. Head Coach Steve Wojciechowski has the most talented team yet in his tenure, led by the power scoring duo of Markus Howard and Sam Hauser. Both combined to hit 206 three-pointers last year, which was good enough to place seventh in the country. This Marquette team is a potent offense especially with Howard who dropped 52 points on the Friars at the Dunk last year. This year’s team will have to focus on defense and Wojciechowski brought in two transfers in Ed Morrow from Nebraska and graduate transfer Joseph Chartouny from Fordham University, where he was among the nations leaders in steals.
Another team that has stepped into the light has been the St. John’s University Red Storm. The Johnnies bring back leading scorer Shamorie Ponds who is one of the best pure scorers in the country. This talent has garnered him the Big East Pre-Season Player of the Year and is on the watch list for the Bob Cousy Award (Best PG). Head Coach Chris Mullin was also able to pull in prized Auburn University transfer Mustapha Heron. The former 5-star recruit from Waterbury, Connecticut averaged 15.8 points per game in his first two years at Auburn and has now made St. John’s one of the best backcourts in the country. St. John’s will have to hope that their other players like Marvin Clark, Justin Simon, and L.J. Figueroa complement their uber-talented offense. If not, Chris Mullin may find himself in the hot seat.
One team that is consistently at the top of the Big East rankings is the Butler University Bulldogs. In year two under head coach LaVall Jordan, the Bulldogs look to make their 5th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bulldogs will look towards Kamar Baldwin and guard Paul Jorgensen after the departure of Kelan Martin last year. Starting the spring semester of this year, Duke University transfer Jordan Tucker will be eligible to play for the Bulldogs. Tucker was ranked No. 40 in th ESPN 100 before transferring to Butler last December due to lack of playing time. Butler was able to knock off the University of Florida Gators in the Battle 4 Atlantis last week and has a good non-conference game against Indiana and a trip down to Gainesville to face the Florida Gators again.
A team that is well under the radar is the DePaul University Blue Demons. Yes, DePaul has been in the cellar of the Big East and the laughing stock for over the last decade but they are a team that is ready to make some noise. Dave Leitao and company are looking to get back to the tournament for the first time since 2004. The Blue Demons will be led by sharpshooting guard Max Strus, who averaged 16.8 points per game last year. DePaul also will see action from Illinois transfer Jalen Coleman-Lands and grad transfer from North Carolina A&T Femi Olujobi. Although DePaul may not finish high in Big East standings, this is a much-improved team and do not sleep on them when it comes to conference play.
The biggest surprise this year is the Creighton University Bluejays. Creighton was tabbed to finish ninth in the Big East pre-season polls and lost three starters from last year. Their best returning player Martin Krampelj is coming off a torn ACL but averaged 11.9 PPG and 8.1 RPG before the injury last year. This year, Creighton holds a 5-1 record with their only loss to #16 The Ohio State University and are fresh off a victory over previously ranked #16 Clemson Tigers to win the Cayman Islands Classic. A lot of their early season success has had to do with sophomore Ty-Shon Alexander. He only averaged 5.5 PPG as a freshman but has quickly emerged as a force to be reckoned with, averaging 19.2 PPG and shooting the three ball at just under 50 percent. Alexander led the charge with 36 points in the championship game against the Clemson Tigers. Damien Jefferson, a New Mexico transfer who sat out last year is providing a nice boost with 10.8 PPG and 5.5 RPG in the starting lineup. The Blue Jays have set themselves up with a rigorous non-conference that can help the conference if they win these games. Creighton hosts #1 Gonzaga on Dec. 1 and is also scheduled to play University of Nebraska and Gonzaga University.
Conference play should be exciting once again with this year being more of a learning curve, we may see some tight and exciting games. The Big East is always a dogfight and it looks to be the same again this year.
Men’s Basketball Plays in Veterans Classic
by The Cowl Editor on November 15, 2018
Friar Sports
By Karlene Cudak ’19
Guest Staff Writer
Within the last week, the Providence College Men’s Basketball Team has taken on Wichita State University and the College of the Holy Cross. Beginning last Friday, November 9, the team fell to the Wichita State Shockers in the Veterans Classic with a score of 80-83.
The Veterans Classic is an event held annually to honor our nation’s veterans and showcase the U.S. Naval Academy. PC was chosen along with three other teams to participate in these games.
During the game against the Shockers, David Duke ’22 scored his first points in the Friars uniform during the first half of the game as he hit two free throws. He continued to score by making another layup where he was fouled. Duke was sent to the free throw line where he scored another point to make it a three-point play.
The Shockers went on a 10-0 run scoring enough points to take the lead back from the Friars leading into the halftime score of 44-39.
After the halftime locker room pep talks, the Friars came back for the second half ready to fight for the win. Isaiah Jackson ’19RS had a steal at 19:23 that was followed by a dunk by AJ Reeves ’22 assisted by Duke.
This brought the team within a three-point deficit, only to be decreased once again after Alpha Diallo ’20 stole the ball and finished the play with a fast-break layup. The Shockers were victorious in the end after a hard-fought game. However, this did not discourage the Friars as they prepared for their next game against Crusaders from the College of the Holy Cross.
The Friars prepared for a home game on Nov. 13 against the Crusaders, taking notes from their last game on how to improve in order to win. The records of the two teams were tied at 1-1 going into this game, and at the half, it looked as though the Crusaders would take the win to make their record 2-1.
The Crusaders came out of the gate with a three-court press, which caused 10 turnovers and contributed 12 of their points in the first half. Holy Cross led by four points at halftime with a score of 37-33.
The second half began with another four points scored by the Crusaders, bringing the score to 41-33, an eight-point lead over the Friars. At minute 12:51, Duke tied the game at 48-48 after the Friars fought hard to regain control of the game. They continued to hold the Crusaders at the same score, while the Friars went on a 9-0 run. Head Coach Ed Cooley credits this second half explosion to their switch to a zone defense. “I thought our defense tonight actually won us the game, which I didn’t think they could, based on the first 26 minutes of the game,” commented Cooley.
The Friars’ willpower and fight, along with Diallo’s team-high of 18 points and rebound to end the game, allowed the team to defeat the Holy Cross Crusaders 70-61. Look for more from our Friars as the play in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament at Mohegan Sun Nov. 17-18 beginning with a matchup versus the University of South Carolina.