There is nothing lucky about Providence’s stellar season

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There is nothing lucky about Providence’s stellar season

Providence is deep, it is experienced, it is old (in college terms), it is tenacious, it defends at a high level and it is a beast on the glass.

nypost.com

By Zach Braziller

Providence's Jared Bynum
Getty Images

On Wednesday, it was a clutch 3-pointer from Jared Bynum that led Providence past No. 21 Xavier. On Sunday, it was a late defensive stop that ended No. 22 Marquette’s seven-game winning streak.

Another week when the Friars just make the right plays at the right time. Two more examples of why something special is happening in Providence.

The metrics don’t love these Friars. They are ranked 46th by KenPom and No. 1 in the analytics-based site’s luck category. Experts have described them that way.

There has been this narrative around 17th-ranked Providence that it has been fortunate. It beat Seton Hall when the Pirates were severely shorthanded due to COVID-19. It knocked off Wisconsin sans National Player of the Year candidate Johnny Davis. It won at UConn, which didn’t have the services of Adama Sanogo.

This is all true. But the Friars did get by No. 13 Texas Tech without Bynum, the team’s point guard. Top-shooter AJ Reeves, enjoying his best season, just returned from a five-game absence due to a pinky injury. Let’s not act like everything has gone right for Providence. Let’s not forget this team has a 9-2 record in Quad 1 and 2 games. It is 9-0 in games decided by single digits.

The most important statistic — wins and losses — tell a different story. One of a very good team that is showing no signs of slippage, that just finds ways to win.

Everything has fallen into place for coach Ed Cooley in his 11th season after three down years. Stud center Nate Watson returned for a fifth season. Cooley landed two key transfers in lead guard Al Durham (Indiana) and defensive stopper Justin Minaya (South Carolina), the son of former Mets general manager Omar Minaya. Forwards Noah Horchler and Ed Croswell have been much better in their second season after transferring into the program last year.

Providence is deep, it is experienced, it is old (in college terms), it is tenacious, it defends at a high level and it is a beast on the glass. It locked down Marquette star Justin Lewis on Sunday, holding him to 13 points.

It has beaten six projected tournament teams. It’s not the Friars’ fault other teams have had key absences when they’ve faced them.

That isn’t luck. That isn’t good fortune. That is what a really good team does. That is what a team with big March potential does.

Providence has played 20 games and won 18 of them. It is clearly one of the best teams in the Big East, if not the best. It just may be one of the best teams in the country, as well. In fact, it’s a team that I could see in the Final Four with the right draw.

Out with the Tide​

There isn’t a bigger boom-or-bust team this year — or in recent years — than Alabama. The Crimson Tide’s résumé is bizarre. They own wins over Gonzaga, Baylor, LSU and Houston, four opponents ranked in the top 13 of the NET. But they also have losses to Iona, Memphis (by 16 points!), Davidson and SEC-doormat Georgia. Alabama has six Quad 1 wins but three sub-Quad 1 losses.

This is a team that can make the Final Four or lose in the first round. It can blow up a region or blow up your bracket. This week alone told the story of its season: A six-point loss to Georgia followed by a nine-point win over Baylor. There is no point in trying to understand this team. It is fun to watch the roller-coaster ride that it is.

Game of the Week​

Texas at No. 13 Texas Tech, Tuesday, 9 p.m.​

Lubbock will be on fire Tuesday night. Chris Beard makes his return in one of the season’s most anticipated games. He built Texas Tech into an elite program, but created animosity for leaving the Big 12 school for its rival in Austin. Fans began waiting outside for tickets Saturday night, a sign of the electric atmosphere for this showdown. Ironically, Texas Tech, under Mark Adams, Beard’s longtime assistant, is having a better year than Texas. Red Raiders fans will be sure to remind him of that a few thousands times.

Potential NCAA Tournament seeding​

1: Auburn, Gonzaga, Purdue, Baylor

2: Duke, Kansas, UCLA, Villanova

3: Houston, Kentucky, Michigan State, Wisconsin

4: Texas Tech, Alabama, LSU, Illinois

Stock Watch​

Kelvin Sampson – Up​

He took Houston to its first Final Four since 1984 last season and he may be doing an even better job this season. He lost top guards Quentin Grimes and DeJon Jarreau to the NBA, then top scorer Marcus Sasser and key reserve Travon Mark went down to season-ending injuries in December. It hasn’t derailed Houston, which has just two losses — by a combined three points to Wisconsin and Alabama — and is the class of the AAC. The Cougars have been ranked in the Associated Press poll a school-record 38 straight weeks, a streak that doesn’t seem to be in any danger of ending anytime soon.

Bruce Pearl – Up​

Pearl worked the system in a hurry, and was rewarded for it. Days after Louisville parted ways with Chris Mack, Pearl received a new eight-year deal worth $5.4 million per year from Auburn. He used the potential of Louisville’s interest in him to get a massive raise. Smart move, not only to use that job’s opening, but to stay put at the SEC school, which he has turned into a national powerhouse. Football will always be the No. 1 sport at Auburn, but Pearl has made basketball No. 1-A, with the Tigers headed for their fourth 25-win season in five years.

ACC – Down​

This is a one-team league: Duke and a series of underwhelming pretenders. The Blue Devils are the lone team in the league in the top 35 of the NET. Wake Forest, supposedly one of the ACC’s best teams, got blown out by under-.500 Syracuse on Saturday. North Carolina is 0-6 in Quad 1 games. Miami, which actually currently sits in first place, has a mediocre NET of 61. The ACC will be the other show in town in March when it has its conference tournament in Brooklyn, overshadowed by the vastly superior Big East.

Seton Hall – Down​

For a few weeks now, Seton Hall hasn’t looked the part. It was fortunate to split with disappointing St. John’s. It was never in the game at home against Marquette on Wednesday. It was outplayed at DePaul in a recent loss. The NCAA Tournament is no longer a given. The Pirates have regressed defensively and have become too dependent on Bryce Aiken offensively, which was obvious in his recent absence following a concussion. With all that said, I still expect Seton Hall to go dancing. I think the Pirates go 2-0 this week against Georgetown and Creighton. We’ve seen this so many times before under Kevin Willard. His teams always seem to have a January dip and respond. This group will be no different.