The Providence Friars lost another tough one to another tough team, this time against #4/#5 Villanova at the Wachovia Center.  Despite losing their 5th game in a row, and dropping to below .500 on the season (12-13), Providence is showing improvement and fight.  The Friars hung tough until referee Doug Shows decided to shorthand PC by giving a ridiculous foul and unnecessary technical to Sharaud Curry, causing him to foul out of the game with 8 minutes left.  From that point on, the Wildcats ran over Providence like the picture below.

Believe it or not, this was called a blocking foul on Council (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

Read the rest after the jump!

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via BigEast.org

Chris runs the Villanova blog “I Bleed Blue and White”.  We discussed our upcoming game on Saturday by exchanging questions and answers about our teams.

You can read my answers to his questions over on his site.

Friarblog.com: SCOTTIE REYNOLDS IS GRADUATING! SCOTTIE REYNOLDS IS GRADUATING!!!111one (*cartwheel*, *cartwheel*, *backflip*, aand landing).  When I heard last year that he withdrew from the NBA draft I was seriously depressed.  These aren’t really questions, but just discuss.

IBBW: That’s funny, cause when I heard he was coming back I think I reacted like that kid who got a Nintendo 64 for Christmas. I always pictured you more like this. And as part of his ongoing greatness, Scottie is actually offering consultation in a support group setting about all the things he’s made people resort to over the years. I don’t think we were expecting a big turnout from Providence fans (mainly was for Pitt, UConn, Georgetown and Syracuse people), but there’s always room for more.

Read the rest of the Q+A after the jump!

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For the big season finale against Villanova tonight, I exchanged some questions with Chris from the Villanova blog “I Bleed Blue and White”.

Make sure to head on over to to his site to check my answers to his questions!

Friarblog.com: People are saying that this season has been the best job Jay Wright has done coaching.  What is he doing differently than last year?

IBBW: One of the biggest differences is his personnel. While it is literally the same core group of players, everyone is a year older and wiser. The freshman (Fisher and Stokes) aren’t making the same mental errors and have really grasped the team concept that Wright preaches. They play defense first and you can tell by thier body language that even if they don’t have a huge offensive night they are really happy with themselves when they play defense (the ND game was a great example of this). Moreover, there were no seniors on last year’s team. Now the 4 juniors from last year are seniors and that means a lot to a team. Cunningham, Anderson and Clark have really turned it on for their senior seasons.

Lately Jay Wright has been getting a lot of talk for Big East (and even National) Coach of the Year. While you won’t hear a word from me if he wins it, let me tell you why he shouldn’t (I’m going to get killed for this). The coaches picked ‘Nova to finish 5th this year. That’s where they currently reside, although they now control their destiny for the 4th spot. So Villanova in terms of the Big East is right on track to where they were projected.

On the national scale however, nobody thought Villanova would be this good, so I can understand some of the talk coming from there. In the end though, who else in the Big East deserves it? Buzz Williams was a sure thing but now Marquette is tanking down the stretch. Your boy Keno could get a look as well but Providence has been very up and down. And Jim Calhoun’s team was expected to be this good. So yes, in the end Jay Wright could be the guy, but I would feel like it would be because there isn’t another viable candidate, even though he has coached Villanova very well this year. Wow, that was a long answer. I’m sorry. Still on a LOST high right now.

Friarblog.com: Only West Virginia has scored more points (93) than the what the Friars put up against Villanova in their first meeting.  Are you worried about the Friars offense, or do you think it was a fluke due to hot three-point shooting?

IBBW: Well the West Virginia game was more the exception. Da’Sean Butler will remember that night for the rest of his life, and a lot of loose balls were turning into easy Mountaineer buckets. Just one of those nights where you catch the wrong team at the wrong time.

Providence on the other hand is an explosive team, which we all know. “Defense” is a foreign concept to Keno and the boys, and they rely on playing games in the 80s if they want to win. I think I remember hearing a Keno quote that went something like “I don’t care if they score 90 as long as we score 91.”

So yes, I’m worried about the Friars offense. They can really shoot it, and stopping the long range shot has not been our specialty for whatever reason. Reggie Redding shut down Kyle McAlarney, but Sharaud Curry is too quick for him, so the job is up to Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher.

Friarblog.com: In Villanova’s last two losses (WVU and Georgetown), Scottie Reynolds had very poor shooting performances.  What do you think are some other areas of the game that could lead to a Providence upset?

IBBW: When Scottie has nights like he had against Seton Hall (40 points), Providence (31 points) and Notre Dame (23 points on lethal shooting), Villanova is going to be very tough to beat. I thought the last time out the Friars did a reasonable job of controlling Dante Cunningham to 12 points. When he gets going inside, it only makes it easier for our plethora of guards to get going, so I think containing Cunningham will be another big priority for Providence.

Villanova hasn’t really developed that 3rd option yet. If it’s anybody, it is Corey Fisher, but his offense has been down the last few games. If Providence shoots well and can contain Reynolds and Cunningham, I’m worried. But the main thing is that they shoot well, because if they don’t this one won’t be close. Think the 1st half of our last game.

Friarblog.com: I hate Dwayne Anderson.  OK, more of a statement, than an actual question.  Discuss.

IBBW: You should hate him. What he did to you was mean more than anything. The only other game I can think of where he had that type of performance was the game at Syracuse. When Anderson has days like that, it usually spells good things for Villanova.

I know how you Providence guys get though. I’ve been to your chats and I’ve seen the stories. If I see Grey Man run out onto the court tomorrow at Anderson I won’t be surprised. I know it’s you Dave. And your spandex is too tight.

Good thing we have Blue Man! He’s better anyways, and won’t be afraid to throw down.

Friarblog.com:  A lot has been made over the fact that the Villanova students are on Spring Break.  I personally feel it’s not going to make any difference.  How do you think the crowd will be on Thursday?

IBBW: If you were at the Villanova-Georgetown game on Saturday, you’d think otherwise. I don’t want to trash the alums, because they are great. But when you take out nearly 1300 students sitting behind the basket and replace them with mostly alumni, you have lost significant homecourt advantage. The Wachovia Center was weirdly quiet last Saturday. The students that were there were loud, but definitely could not make up for the lost portion.

On his radio show last night, Jay Wright even made mention that the alums need to get up for this game. The Pavilion thrives on the students. We’ll see if the alumni are up to the challenge.

Friarblog.com: Final thoughts and Predictions.

IBBW: With the Marquette loss tonight both teams are now officially playing for something. A ‘Nova win locks them into the double-bye, while a Friar victory basically ensures them a bid to the dance. Last home game at The Pavilion for the seniors, even if it’s not senior night. How can I pick against that?

Villanova uses defense and a spirited effort from the seniors to lock up that double-bye. 82-73 ‘Nova.

——-

Thanks Chris!

Here is something important I learned last night: NEVER watch LOST hours after a painful Friars loss.  Just don’t do it.  The show does not deserve that from you, loyal LOST fan.  By the way, don’t worry, I will not give anything away for those who haven’t watched it yet.

“Oh shit Kate, someone wants to steal your weird looking baby who is not really your son?  Fuck that, we couldn’t stop Villanova from scoring you inconsiderate assholes!”

I did find it funny though that some of Losties’ noses started to bleed after TRAVELING through time and space with the Island and whatnot.  I could have sworn the same thing happened to me last night — Except I wasn’t skipping around time due to strange flashes in the sky.  I practically turned into Charlotte convulsing on the ground with a face full of blood after the phantom TRAVELING call on Jeff Xavier even though he got pushed to the ground.

With no help from the refs or their own rebounding skills, PC fell short 94-91.

After the sequence where PC missed about 3 shots in a row, including that Weyinmi Efejuku layup, Charlotte’s brain couldn’t take it anymore. Yeah, they get MSG+ on the Island.

LETS TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT ‘THE FOUR FACTORS’

more on the Four Factors

Stats by StatSheet.com

- The biggest disparity was clearly rebounding.  In the first half, Villanova was pretty much just making everything.  In the second, their shots were not falling, but they kept getting second chances.  Three Wildcats finished with over 10 rebounds (and they all had over 10 points too) - Dwayne Anderson (10 rebounds, 19 points), Reggie Redding (11 rebounds, 12 points), and Dante Cunningham (11 rebounds, 12 points).  Redding and Cunningham both had a game high 4 offensive rebounds, and so did Shane Clark.  The Friars got more offensive rebounds than I would have thought after watching the game - Kale lead the team with 4, and Jeff Xavier, Efejuku, and McDermott each had 3.  The big difference was that Villanova was able to capitalize better, finishing with 21 second chance points versus Providence’s 14.

- Turnovers were a wash, with Providence playing sloppy in the 1st half with 12 turnovers, and Villanova taking a turn in the sloppiness with 10 turnovers in the 2nd.  The Friars narrowly edged the Wildcats in points off turnovers 26-24.

Stats by StatSheet.com

OTHER STAT NOTES

For more information on advanced stats, check out Ken Pomeroy’s ‘Stats Explained’ and his ‘Stats Primer’

Providence Offensive Rating by Half:

1st Half - 82.9

2nd Half - 132.6

Game: 108.3

Thanks to ferocious three point shooting in the last 7 minutes of the game, the Friars were able to put up really impressive numbers for the second half.

Their offensive rating for the game was similar to that of the Marquette loss.  Only the Seton Hall, Syracuse, and Away Cincinnati game had higher offensive ratings for the Friars in BIG EAST games.  Impressive, considering their first half stinker.

Villanova’s Offensive Rating by Half:

1st Half - 119.51

2nd Half - 107.1

Game: 113.3

Even though it seemed like Villanova was scoring at will, their ratings numbers aren’t as crazy as one would think.  Don’t get me wrong, 110+ is a great offensive night. However, Syracuse, Seton Hall, Marquette, and (obviously) UCONN all had higher rating numbers against the Friars.

Providence Effective FG % by Half:

1st Half - 45%

2nd Half - 56%

Game: 51%

Amazing.  17 three pointers made (12 in the second half), and the eFG% is still only 50%.

Villanova’s Effective FG % by Half:

1st Half - 60%

2nd Half - 41%

Game - 51%

It seemed like in the first half, Nova was hitting everything in sight.  They shot 8-15 (53%) from behind the arc, which was higher than their FG% of 48.6% for the half!  Even though Villanova struggled from the field in the 2nd (they shot 1-13 from 3-point land), they would still score by either getting the offensive rebound or getting a whistle.

LET’S SERVE SOME PASTA

Let’s judge some performances by dishing out some pasta (from 1-4, 4 being awesome). My homage to the Star-Ledger.

Scottie Reynolds - Did most of his damage from the line in the 2nd half.  How many players are going to score 30+ against the Friars?

Sharaud Curry - Played his heart out.  Those two insanely deep threes at the end were simply amazing.

Weyinmi Efejuku - Dominated in the 2nd half.  First half? Not so much.

Dwayne Anderson - I have no idea who you are, but I hate you.

Geoff McDermott - Sure, 11 rebounds…but we are going to need *some* offensive help

Brian McKenzie - Fouled out with 11 mins left in the game.  Seriously dude?

Randall Hanke - Authorities are still trying to determine if he actually played last night.

BOX SCORES FOR THE STATS NERDS!

StatSheet.com Boxscore

Friars.com Gametracker

Friars.com Boxscore

ESPN Boxscore

ROUNDUP AROUND THE INTERNETS

Friars.com - “Men’s Basketball Outlasted By No. 17 Villanova, 94-91”

The Providence College men’s basketball team (14-8, 6-4 BIG EAST) fell to No. 17/16 Villanova (18-4, 6-3) by a score of 94-91 on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

The Friars tied a school-record with 17 3-pointers made (they also made 17 vs. Loyola-Chicago, Jan. 19, 2004) and broke the previous record of 34 3-point attempts set against Connecticut on Jan. 22, 1992 with their 40 tries on the night. In BIG EAST Conference play, the 17 3-pointers made is a PC all-time high.

Projo.com - “PC’s furious comeback falls just short against Villanova”

After riding an explosive offense and outscoring opponents in the first half of the Big East schedule, the Providence College Friars have discovered that they cannot stop anyone at the other end of the floor. Those defensive woes ultimately doomed a spirited second-half comeback last night as Villanova outlasted the Friars, 94-91, in front of 11,212 fans at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

Projo.com - “Home wasn’t sweet for the Friars on this night”

The quickest way out of the NCAA Tournament mix is by not protecting your home court, and the Friars dropped a second painful game before their fans Wednesday night.

Philly.com - “Cats hang on to post a victory over Providence”

The sky appeared to be falling for Villanova last night at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Providence was raining three-point baskets and its student section was raining noise and insults as the Wildcats tried to hold on to a lead that twice had reached 20 points.

Philly.com - “Villanova prevails over Providence”

The Sports Network - “Reynolds, Villanova hold off Providence”

Scottie Reynolds scored 31 points and three Wildcats recorded double-doubles, as No. 17 Villanova held a big enough lead in the second half to fend off a furious charge from the Providence Friars, escaping the Dunkin’ Donuts Center with a 94-91 victory.

Boring-ass AP Article

ESPN Highlights

AP Photos

BLOGS

KMac Halftime Blog post

KMac Post Game Blog post

I Bleed Blue and White - “postGame: Villanova 94, Providence 91”

VUHoops.com - “Villanova 94: :91 Providence”

Villanova by the Numbers - “Providence Post Game — Pace”

For the big upcoming game against Villanova on Wednesday night, I exchanged some questions with Chris from the Villanova blog “I Bleed Blue and White”.

Be sure to head on over to his site to check out my answers to his questions!

Friarblog.com: Nova just recently took down Pitt (only their second loss of the season) and blew out Cincinnati, yet it seems like no one is really talking about them (or underrated Dante Cunningham).   Do you think they’ve proved themselves enough so far this season?  Or is the media becoming numb to the carnage that flies around each night in the BIG EAST?

IBBW: I still think the general view is that Villanova hasn’t proven themselves yet. Before the win over Pitt, there was an article calling Villanova the most overrated team in the country, citing their 0-4 record against Top 25 teams (3 of them Top 10 teams mind you). In those 4 losses they never got blown out, and played well enough to win a couple (Louisville and UConn). I don’t think anyone expected a lot of love from the “experts” but nobody expected the “most overrated team in the country” statement either.

The win over Pitt in my mind changed that. Villanova really dominated the 2nd half and executed to perfection. And then they responded by running Cincy out of the building. So to me, they have definitely earned their current ranking, but I think a lot of people want to see more. What you so eloquently described as “carnage” is completely true though. The Big East is the best conference because any of the Top 12 teams can beat each other, and it wouldn’t shock anyone.

That’s why Providence and Syracuse are so important for Villanova. If they can manage to win both of those games, they’ll set themselves up nicely for the Big East and NCAA Tourneys.

Friarblog.com: Villanova has used excellent defense to win their last several games, while Providence’s (save for the recent UCONN game) offense has been pretty dangerous.   What’s going to bend?

IBBW: Villanova are at their best when they play up-tempo and are out and running, much like Providence. They showed off just how good the defense can be against Cincinnatti when they want it to be, but I don’t see this game going that way. In the past, ‘Nova has struggled to defend the 3 point ball, and up until recently it had become a HUGE problem. They seem to have rectified that issue, but it could rear its ugly head at any time.

As you stated in our exchange, Providence loves to get out and run and shoot the ball, so I definitely see this as an offensive shootout. This game will easily be played in the high 70s and possibly the 80s in my opinion.

One thing to watch however is Villanova’s defense down the stretch. The veterans like Dante Cunningham and Dwayne Anderson have really taught the younger guys that defense wins ball games. We saw that against Pitt and Cincy. Down the stretch, I definitely like Villanova’s defense over Providence’s.

Friarblog.com: I’m sure this has been talked about before, but give us the scoop on Scottie Reynolds.  After he dropped 20 against us as a Freshman, it seemed to me that he was on the path to becoming a dominant player in the league.  Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a great player (I mean, the guy scored 40 against the Hall last month) — it’s just that his overall numbers haven’t really improved since his Freshman year.  Is it because Nova has so many other offensive weapons, or just too high expectations?

IBBW: To the casual basketball fan (and even casual ‘Nova fan) Scottie Reynolds has been not living up to expectations so far this season. But if you look at little deeper and understand what his role is now, it’s understandable. In Reynolds’ freshman year, he had a seasoned PG in Mike Nardi. All he had to do was get the ball and put it in the hoop. Now he’s the mentor. Corey Fisher has seen his struggles and when that happens, Reynolds is forced to take over the point (not his best role at all).

Still though, Reynolds is a scorer, plain and simple. There are nights like his game against Seton Hall where he just puts the team on his back and carries them to victory. Then the next night, he’ll only take 4-5 shots. It’s maddening at times. In his defense, he’s not the #1 option for this team anymore. That’s Dante Cunningham without a doubt. But he is the clear #2.

I just think that Reynolds is confused about his role. He’s not a PG, but has been asked by Jay Wright to play a lot of it. In a perfect world, we’d all love for Corey Fisher to take over the PG spot full time and really mature quickly, but there will always be growing pains with young players. When Fisher takes on that role confidently, I think you’ll see Reynolds begin to show more of what he showed his freshman year.

Friarblog.com: What can we expect from Nova playing on the road?  So far this season they are 2-2… beating Seton Hall (in OT like Providence) and USF, but losing to Marquette and UCONN.

IBBW: Villanova has a lot of guys who have been through the wars. Dante Cunningham was on the magnificent ‘05 Villanova team, and really was thrown into the fire that year. He learned how to play in the Big East. Obviously Scottie Reynolds has never shyed away from the big game (40 point games @ UConn and Seton Hall in his career). Dwayne Anderson, Shane Clark and Reggie Redding are your ultimate glue guys and scrappers. They will play defense, get big rebounds, and ultimately, they know how to win.

The younger guys (Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes and Antonio Pena) are a little dicier. Fisher and Stokes are a huge part of ‘Nova’s offense and Pena is the only other legitimate frontcourt guy on the team. When they don’t show up, it’s a lot harder for Villanova to emerge victorious.

Although the way you described The Dunk earlier has me a little concerned, I don’t think it’s going to phase the ‘Nova team that much. Their two road losses were just a case of Marquette’s senior guards taking over down the stretch and AJ Price having a career night. I try not to put too much stock into the crowd affecting the game, but I know all too well that it does have a good effect, so hopefully Villanova can start fast and take the crowd out of thh game.

Friarblog.com: With similar conference records and big games looming for both teams, this is surely an important game.  What’s your prediction?

IBBW: Before the Pitt game, I had this game chalked up as a loss. Then Villanova looked very good in beating the Panthers and took Cincy to the woodshed. This will be a war from start to finish I think, but in the final minutes I like Villanova’s defense to step up and bring home a tough road win. Villanova 79, Providence 75.

Thanks Chris, and good luck tomorrow!