So PC got to face the weakest Gladiator (I may be incredibly dating myself here, but didn’t Mr. Dewey from “Saved by the Bell” try out for them at one point?) they will see amongst the six-game GAUNTLET, and they came up short despite some really great performances.  If there are any positives to take out of this loss, it’s that Greedy keeps improving and is awesome, and Bilal Dixon keeps getting better.  Vincent Council had a rough going at the end when he forced up a three to tie when nobody was open, but we already knew he was awesome.  Those three are going to be a great part of the team the next few years.

Read more about the game after the jump.

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Despite two Friars getting double-doubles (Jamine Peterson 28 points, 11 rebounds and Bilal Dixon 13 points, 14 rebounds), the team lost a tough one late to Marquette 82-79 at home.

Why Marquette won: The Friars had control of the game for the first 30 minutes, but Lazar Hayward stepped up, and Marquette used excellent ball movement to create lots of open looks and easy baskets.  Providence kept fighting, and even had an amazing run to give them a chance to take the lead in the final minute, and even tie it in the end.  With 12 seconds to go and a three point lead, Marquette played excellent defense to force Vincent Council into an off-balanced desperation three to tie as time winded down.  Sharaud Curry (who was the only one would could hit a three all night - he was 5-9 and Providence was 6-22 overall) could not get open, and the late comeback fell short.

Turning point: In such a back and forth game with a crazy ending, it’s kind of difficult to define the exact turning point.  I felt like there were several, and they mostly involved poor plays by Marshon Brooks.  After one of Marquette’s 11 three pointers put the Golden Eagles up by 5 with about 4 minutes to go, the Friars really needed a quality possession to keep the game from slipping away.  Brooks got the ball, and drove out of control into traffic for an obvious charge.  Things looked over when it 80-73 with only a minute to go, but Providence fought back and scored 6 points in the span of 5 seconds! Vincent Council hit a foul shot but missed the second, and Curry got the rebound in the corner for a sick fall-away three.  Council stole the inbounds pass and fed Greedy for an easy layup.  After a timeout, Marquette was not able to inbound the ball and got a 5 second call!  Providence had the ball down 1, with under a minute to go.  Who gets the shot attempt?  Marshon Brooks made a nice move to the hoop but was faced with two Golden Eagles defenders as he went up for the tough layup.  Blocked shot (by Darius Mo$#F$#@-Johnson Odom of all people), and Marquette gets the ball back.  After an ill-advised three by Cubbilan, MU got a huge huge offensive, and Hayward was able to hit 2 foul shots.  PC could not get off a good shot off in the final 12 seconds trailing by three, and that’s the ballgame folks.

Player of the Game: Lazar Hayward.  This time for once, the Friars were burned by the opposing team’s star player.  Hayward scored 20 of his 28 points in the second half, and hit big three after big three.  Throw in some clutch free throws down the stretch, and there is your player of the game.

Goat of the Game: Marshon Brooks.  Only 4 points, plus 4 turnovers, 0-3 from downtown, and lots of bad plays in important situations.

LINKS

Friars.com Gametracker

ESPN Boxscore

Projo Hoops Blog: PC loses late to Marquette, 82-79

So after the first round of THE GAUNTLET, the Providence Friars were promptly stuffed in the face with a big puffy foam thingy by the likes of the American Gladiator TURBO.  Thankfully, the Friars get a “breather” (compared to the other 5 games, no disrespect to our opponenet) for round 2 when Marquette comes to town for a rematch.  This is definitely the most winnable game of the six game GAUNTLET, but it’s still worrisome considering this is the same team that blew out PC by 30 just a little more than two weeks ago.  However, Marquette found a way to lose to DePaul on the road immediately after thrashing the Friars, so who knows what to expect from this team.  The Golden Eagles have gone 3-2 since defeating Providence, but the wins were against Rutgers, DePaul, and Connecticut.  Who doesn’t beat Connecticut these days?

Plus, it’s Parents Weekend at PC!  Lots of opportunities for family members to mosey onto the court during the game!

Read more after the jump.

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via BigEast.org

So this week was a little hectic as I had to travel out west to my real job and do a crapload of work (the nerve of them!).   I won’t have the regular preview extravaganza, so I will just point you over to my preview article that I guest posted on Scout.com earlier in the week.

A Preview of PC-Marquette [providence.scout.com]

I am going to start contributing for them here and there throughout the rest of the season, but mostly likely I’ll end up posting the same content here.  So don’t fret!

Here are some more pre-game links

• check out Cracked Sidewalk’s excellent preview.
• Kevin McNamara’s Audio Preview
• Golden Eagles Blog Preview

Anyone got any predictions?

Check out this video from two years ago at a Marquette-St. John’s game.  The video quality is AWFUL, but you can kinda make out what happens.

Let’s go bowling for cheerleaders!

ZAGSBLOG: Big East News and Notes

Villanova coach Jay Wright on those Marquette Golden Eagles (who beat Nova already in BE play)

“I think the three of them [Jerel McNeal, Wesley Matthews and Dominic James] are pros. You never see that anymore because usually one or more of those guys will leave early. And that’s what makes them extremely dangerous this year.”

With no weekday games for Providence, the Friars have a full week off until their big nationally televised (9PM, ESPN2) matchup against #14 ranked Marquette (15-2, 4-0) on Saturday night at the DUNK.

Let us start the Marquette coverage off by showing what kind of student-athletes this school produces.  Here is a clip of a Marquette Rugby player who just found out he was graduating…it only took him 7 years!