Post by dex on Feb 8, 2016 9:40:01 GMT -5
digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ODE/ProJo/
Kmac asks the question... What Now Coach? " It’s not the end of the world because we lost a couple of games."
COLLEGE BASKETBALL NOTES
Slow starts quickly becoming Friars’ bane
PROVIDENCE — After losing at home to Seton Hall to drop to 3-2 in the Big East last month, Providence College coach Ed Cooley made a switch in his starting lineup to combat alarmingly slow starts.
The speedy Kyron Cartwright was inserted in place of Jalen Lindsey and, perhaps coincidently, the Friars responded and beat Butler and Villanova in their next two games.
But now the slow starts by the Friars have returned with a vengeance. In a loss at DePaul last Tuesday, PC fell behind, 8-0, after 2:28 and then 11-2 and 19-8. The Friars rebounded and grabbed a slim lead early in the second half only to lose, 77-70.
On Saturday at the team’s House of Horrors — also known as the Dunkin’ Donuts Center — the Friars faced Big East-leading Villanova and were knocked to the canvas early once again. This time they spotted the Wildcats a 10-0 lead after 2:09. The Friars’ deficit grew to a season-high 19 points at 29-10 and a second-half rush fell short in a 72-60 defeat.
So this begs the question, what now Coach?
Cooley will no doubt ponder another starting lineup shakeup with a visit to Marquette up next on Wednesday. He’ll need to pull something out of his clipboard since the Friars have never (0-9) won in Milwaukee.
PC has quickly fallen behind in four of its five Big East losses, four of which have come at The Dunk. Marquette flew out to a 7-0 lead, Xavier went up 7-0, DePaul 8-0 and 11-2, and Villanova 10-0 and 29-10. In the five defeats, the Friars have been outscored in the first half, 171-132.
The Friars have dug early holes in victories as well. PC battled back from early deficits to win at Butler and at Creighton but this bizarre, frustrating trend clearly cannot continue if this team has any hopes of lasting success. You can cast doubt on the strength of the very elite Big East teams (like ’Nova and Xavier) but the conference is clearly deep and competitive.
Cooley has said that he’d be thrilled to find a way to coach his team to 10 or more Big East wins. That’s an achievement to be proud of and, more important, will earn the Friars a third straight NCAA Tournament berth.
But to some observers that threshold isn’t high enough. Fans who fell in love with the idea of top-10 rankings and a three or four seed in the NCAAs can now officially wake up. That’s not who this team is.
The Friars are extremely dangerous on any night when Kris Dunn is the best point guard in America and Ben Bentil is rolling for 20 points and 8-to-10 rebounds. If those two aren’t humming along — like at DePaul when Bentil was nursing a sore ankle and against Villanova when Dunn played one of his worst games — this team is in danger of losing every game it plays.
The Friars (6-5 in the Big East) will lose more games this season, maybe even if Dunn and Bentil are the two best players on the court. After the trip to Marquette, the team hosts Georgetown and then travels to Xavier and Seton Hall. A favorable closing stretch (DePaul and Creighton at home, at St. John’s) to the regular season also awaits.
“This will be a tough stretch for us. That’s what our league is about,” Cooley said after the Villanova loss. “The tough survive. You have to stay strong and stay positive. It’s not the end of the world because we lost a couple of games. That’s what life is all about. It’s a journey.”
Kmac asks the question... What Now Coach? " It’s not the end of the world because we lost a couple of games."
COLLEGE BASKETBALL NOTES
Slow starts quickly becoming Friars’ bane
PROVIDENCE — After losing at home to Seton Hall to drop to 3-2 in the Big East last month, Providence College coach Ed Cooley made a switch in his starting lineup to combat alarmingly slow starts.
The speedy Kyron Cartwright was inserted in place of Jalen Lindsey and, perhaps coincidently, the Friars responded and beat Butler and Villanova in their next two games.
But now the slow starts by the Friars have returned with a vengeance. In a loss at DePaul last Tuesday, PC fell behind, 8-0, after 2:28 and then 11-2 and 19-8. The Friars rebounded and grabbed a slim lead early in the second half only to lose, 77-70.
On Saturday at the team’s House of Horrors — also known as the Dunkin’ Donuts Center — the Friars faced Big East-leading Villanova and were knocked to the canvas early once again. This time they spotted the Wildcats a 10-0 lead after 2:09. The Friars’ deficit grew to a season-high 19 points at 29-10 and a second-half rush fell short in a 72-60 defeat.
So this begs the question, what now Coach?
Cooley will no doubt ponder another starting lineup shakeup with a visit to Marquette up next on Wednesday. He’ll need to pull something out of his clipboard since the Friars have never (0-9) won in Milwaukee.
PC has quickly fallen behind in four of its five Big East losses, four of which have come at The Dunk. Marquette flew out to a 7-0 lead, Xavier went up 7-0, DePaul 8-0 and 11-2, and Villanova 10-0 and 29-10. In the five defeats, the Friars have been outscored in the first half, 171-132.
The Friars have dug early holes in victories as well. PC battled back from early deficits to win at Butler and at Creighton but this bizarre, frustrating trend clearly cannot continue if this team has any hopes of lasting success. You can cast doubt on the strength of the very elite Big East teams (like ’Nova and Xavier) but the conference is clearly deep and competitive.
Cooley has said that he’d be thrilled to find a way to coach his team to 10 or more Big East wins. That’s an achievement to be proud of and, more important, will earn the Friars a third straight NCAA Tournament berth.
But to some observers that threshold isn’t high enough. Fans who fell in love with the idea of top-10 rankings and a three or four seed in the NCAAs can now officially wake up. That’s not who this team is.
The Friars are extremely dangerous on any night when Kris Dunn is the best point guard in America and Ben Bentil is rolling for 20 points and 8-to-10 rebounds. If those two aren’t humming along — like at DePaul when Bentil was nursing a sore ankle and against Villanova when Dunn played one of his worst games — this team is in danger of losing every game it plays.
The Friars (6-5 in the Big East) will lose more games this season, maybe even if Dunn and Bentil are the two best players on the court. After the trip to Marquette, the team hosts Georgetown and then travels to Xavier and Seton Hall. A favorable closing stretch (DePaul and Creighton at home, at St. John’s) to the regular season also awaits.
“This will be a tough stretch for us. That’s what our league is about,” Cooley said after the Villanova loss. “The tough survive. You have to stay strong and stay positive. It’s not the end of the world because we lost a couple of games. That’s what life is all about. It’s a journey.”