-The game versus Connecticut felt strange in a lot of ways but in the end it followed a similar theme, with the Friars yet again falling into an early double-digit hole only to dig out but ultimately come up short, and came down to the simplest common denominators, failing to put the ball in the basket effectively (33.8% from the floor for Providence) and not preventing their opponent from doing so (50% from the floor for Connecticut).
-It also felt like the Friars shot far less effectively from the line than the excellent 82.1% they posted, but that is probably because the bulk of the misses came at the worst possible time.
-As for the starting lineup change, I believe it was meant to be a statement about playing hard and consistent defense out of the gate and trying to avoid another slow start then it was about disciplinary action.
-However, Vincent Council’s seat on the bench was extended a bit (Ted Bancroft was subbed for and reentered the game before VC got his first action) and this was likely due to the fact that he broke a team policy not to talk about team matters via social media.
-Unless I missed a tweet or Vincent deleted something that I did not see, his comments were innocuous and matter of fact.
-Nothing inflammatory or negative toward the program was written, but he did give away ‘in house’ information in a public fashion and that needed to be addressed.
-Whatever the reasons it was clear that Council and LaDontae Henton got the message because they both played inspired basketball once they got into the game.
-Then again, if Kevin Ollie were spending time looking at Vincent Council’s Twitter feed for strategic purposes the Huskies would be in trouble.
-The puzzling move, or non-move, was the benching of Sidiki Johnson for the entire game.
-Unless it was disciplinary there does not appear to be a valid reason to sit Johnson. He has made positive strides seemingly with each game, and was coming off a career performance.
-Given that lack of depth and continuity have been cited as the main issues for this team’s ills, now that there is some depth (particularly in the front court) and every game is an important step in building continued chemistry, why disrupt or derail any progress by sitting Johnson?
-Sidiki looked like something out of the Matrix trying to avoid that bat though.
-”The Matrix Rebounded” (?)
-Bats are blind, right?’
-So was the bat there simply to audition for a Big East refereeing job?
-I know the Big East as we know it is on its last legs but the refs seem to have moved on already.
-They have forgotten how conference games are typically played, and officiated.
-What is this, the NFL?
-It should come as a shock to no one that Buzz Williams has his Marquette team in the thick of the Big East race, currently tied for first at 6-1.
-One way to establish a defensive identity is to show some physicality in the paint early and set a tone even if means sacrificing a foul.
-Hey, did those of you who attended the Connecticut game hear Harry, The Dunk’s emcee (who does a great job); make a TGIF reference during one of the time outs? NICE!!!!
-The students showed up on Thursday and really contributed to a great atmosphere. Keep it up y’all.
-What’s the deal with putting like every radio show on TV now?
-Big East commissioner Mike Aresco said this week that he intended to keep the Big East name going forward once the Catholic 7 splits.
-Let the jockeying for po$ition begin.
-We also learned this week that the Big East/SEC Challenge will be no more.
-What, the SEC was not looking to expand its brand with a few road games in Alaska?
-I mean, that Anchorage market is ripe for the picking.
-Sarah Palin opposed the decision but said she would also support an international curling border clash with Canada’s best teams.
-Keeping with a (very) light political theme….Basically all of our pro sports leagues have some type of spending cap in the hope of creating a ‘more level playing field’. Shouldn’t there be one for elections too?
-And then maybe have any excess campaign contributions go to charity or some other worthy program?
-Speaking of charity. It is a shame that ‘LIVESTRONG’ will likely suffer due to Lance Armstrong’s misdeeds. The organization has done plenty of good work even if it was fueled by lies, with most of that positive work being done by people who were none the wiser.
-Hopefully with Armstrong out of the picture they can continue to thrive.
-What’s next for Armstrong? ‘LIVEWRONG’?
-In case you missed it, the National Prep School Invitational is taking place this weekend at the Murray Center on Rhode Island College’s campus.
-The event features some of the country’s best talent and you can bet there are a couple of future Friars in the mix.
-Another thing you can bet on is that our friends over at Friarbasketball.com will, as always, provide excellent coverage on the event and its participating Friar prospects.
-Former Friar Bilal Dixon is averaging 6.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game for a much improved Towson squad (11-12 overall, 6-4 Colonial Athletic Conference) under former Providence assistant Pat Skerry.
Have a great weekend Friartown. Be safe.
