Providence Friars
Big East (22-11, 11-7)
There were going to be some tough times in the Big East for Providence since the conference is deceptively tough from top to bottom, but the Friars were always right there in the battle for second place behind Villanova. And they did more than enough in non-conference play, beating the likes of Notre Dame, Rhode Island, Umass and Miami.
Big Wins: 11/23 vs Notre Dame (75-74), 1/6 at Butler (66-62), 2/4 at Georgetown (74-71)
Bad Losses: 12/5 at Boston College (60-69), 12/8 Brown (67-77), 1/3 at Marquette (66-75)
Coach: Ed Cooley
Why They Can Surprise:
Providence has two superb talents in point guard Kris Dunn and forward LaDontae Henton. Dunn is just a sophomore, but he has been around for a while and is one of the top passers in all of college basketball. On top of his impressive 7.6 assists per game, Dunn averages 15.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.8 steals. Henton has been the Friars top rebounder for four years now and is also a dynamic scorer. He is the team’s top three-point shooter and has no problem mixing it up in the paint. He is averaging 19.7 points and 6.4 rebounds. When Dunn and Henton are being productive, which is almost always the case, this is a tough Providence team to beat.
Why They Can Disappoint:
However, Dunn and Henton need some help and they do not always get it. Tyler Harris is a big man who can stretch the defense and has been the most consistent option as the team’s much needed third scoring threat. Carson Desrosiers provides a lot of shot blocking, but not much offense. Ben Bentil is a young forward who has shown flashes and can push people around in the paint, yet there is a long way to go with his offense. Those are important roles for any team. Having a couple players like Dunn and Henton with a shot blocker and a bruiser in the paint means this team just needs somebody who can knock down shots from the shooting guard position. Junior Lomomba, Jalen Lindsey and Kyron Cartwright will be the answer in years to come, but consistency has been an issue for now. Lindsey has seen his minutes decrease towards the end of the year and most of Cartwright’s minutes come backing up Dunn. Lomomba is on the rise heading into the tournament, but he is still not a scorer. Coach Ed Cooley needs somebody to be a third scoring option if this team is going to make a serious tournament run and it would be even better if that scoring came from one of the guards.
Probable Starters:
Kris Dunn, Sophomore, Guard, 15.8 ppg, 7.6 apg, 5.6 rpg, 2.8 spg
Junior Lomomba, Sophomore, Guard, 1.8 ppg
LaDontae Henton, Senior, Forward, 19.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg
Ben Bentil, Freshman, Forward, 6.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg
Carson Desrosiers, Senior, Forward, 6.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Kyron Cartwright, Freshman, Guard, 3.5 ppg, 2.6 apg
Paschal Chukwu, Freshman, Center, 2.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg
Tyler Harris, Junior, Forward, 10.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Jalen Lindsey, Freshman, Guard, 3.6 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.4 (94th in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 65.8 (147, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.6 (106, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.5 (152, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.8 (308, 10)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 30.4 (310, 10)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.8 (105, 5)
Rebound Margin: 3.3 (75, 3)
Assists Per Game: 14.1 (70, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.8 (88, 4)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA Second Round loss to North Carolina
2013 NIT First Round win over Charlotte
2013 NIT Second Round win over Robert Morris
2013 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Baylor
2009 NIT First Round loss to Miami
2007 NIT First Round loss to Bradley
2004 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Pacific
2003 NIT Opening round win over Richmond
2003 NIT First round win over Charleston
2003 NIT Second round loss to Georgetown
2001 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Penn State
*all team stats through 3/8
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
