Providence led by 7 almost midway through the second half against a top 10 team on a night in which they hit only 7 of 27 3 pointers (26%) and missed 11 free throws. This coming off of a 6-22 effort from beyond the arc against Marquette (good for 27%) and 6-21 from 3 (28%) verus Syracuse. That's 19-70 over the last three games.
They shot 60% from the free throw line against Marquette and Syracuse. How much different are the Georgetown and Marquette home tilts if they made 70% of their free throws or even 33% from 3?
Does this problem improve next season when Sharaud Curry graduates?
Dixon Emerging as Block #2
Vincent Council is officially the point guard of the future. You won't find a Friar fan who isn't thrilled with his basketball IQ and leadership potential. Is Bilal Dixon emerging as the second building block of the freshman class? With 30 rebounds in his last two games, 16 on the offensive glass, Dixon is asserting himself as a force in the paint and he's doing it largely on his own.
Undersized at 6'8 and playing next to a 6'5 power forward, the Jersey City, New Jersey native has been asked to do a lot for Providence this year. Bilal is the only effective interior defender on the roster, and it has been drilled into his head not to get into foul trouble, but as the consciousness of his foul woes has diminished, his dominance on the glass has gone skyward. And he's doing this all in his freshman season.
What makes Dixon's rebounding surge so impressive is that he held his own against massive frontcourts in Connecticut and Georgetown and took it to a smaller frontcourt in Marquette. In addition to the spike in rebounding, Dixon is defending the rim much more effectively.
Most importantly, he's adding an element of aggression and toughness that Providence has lacked on the glass since Geoff McDermott's sophomore season.
Put better shooters around Council and watch his assist numbers sky rocket. Give Dixon a backup or a fellow starting big man and his numbers should take off as well.
Quick hits:
- Curry has his flaws defensively, but his shooting will be missed next year.
- After seeing a few of his passes fly towards no one in particular, I found myself hoping Greedy Peterson would put up one of his wild shots in traffic, that he so often gathers and puts back in, instead of trying to find an open teammate. Can't say I expected that coming in.
- Marshon Brooks' shot selection was a killer tonight. At the end of the first half he turned it over twice in the final two minutes when Providence could have expanded upon a 4 point lead. Up 47-40 Brooks fired up a bad three and Georgetown took it the other way for a layup. A 14-1 run for the Hoyas ensued. PC never recovered. Some late layups and free throws helped make a poor night look okay in the box score.
- Russ Permenter is probably over his head talent-wise, but he's willing to mix it up and hit the floor. It was interesting to see Keno pull him after taking a bad jumper in the first half.
- Johnnie Lacy and Chris Carter played equal minutes tonight.
- After providing a spark against UConn and connecting on a few jumpers early against Cincinnati, Duke Mondy has gone scoreless in the last three games. Duke has to learn to either foul guys or let them go. The soft reaches are a killer.
