Providence defeats St. Peter's 83-78

A recap of the Friars' five point win over the Peacocks. Randall Hanke led the way with 23 points and 14 rebounds.

Louisville, Georgetown possible disappointments

rivals.com set out to see which preseason league favorite (the big six conferences: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, SEC, PAC-10) will end up a disappointment.

Andrew Skwara:

Plenty of writers and fans told me in the preseason how the Cardinals were going to be a top-10 team. They talked how the top seven scorers were back. They said guard Edgar Sosa was going to have a breakthrough season, pointing to his 31-point outburst in the Cardinals' 72-69 loss to Texas A&M in the second round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

At Big East media day, coach Rick Pitino praised the much-maligned Derrick Caracter, saying he was far more mature and motivated than a year ago. With Caracter and senior big men David Padgett and Juan Palacios, it looked as if the Cardinals would have a deep frontcourt.

I wasn't buying any of it.

Sosa's 31-point game was more of an anomaly than a sign of things to come. He broke the 20-point mark in only two other games last season.

And counting on Caracter was far more risky. The former five-star recruit, criticized for a poor work ethic in high school, was suspended three times last season. Padgett and Palacios were health risks, each battling numerous injuries for a large percentage of their careers.

Eleven games into the season and all of my fears already have been realized. Sosa is averaging 8.3 points, down from 11.4 last season, and shooting just 34.1 percent from the field. Padgett played in only two games before suffering a knee injury. Palacios suffered a knee injury in the second practice of the season and missed the first nine games. Caracter made it through seven games before getting suspended again.

At this point, the Cardinals have a mediocre nonconference résumé. Louisville has lost to BYU, Dayton and Purdue - all quality teams, but not the kind of opponents who should be beating someone expected to win the Big East.

Caracter is playing again, and Palacios' recent return will help. Plus, it looks as if Padgett is going to return at some point.

But this team still has way too many question marks to win any of the major conferences, much less one with two legit top-10 teams (Pittsburgh and Georgetown) and three others who have earned their way into the top 25 (Marquette, Villanova and West Virginia).

Bob McClellan:

It's just that winning the Big East title will be like wrestling a crowd for the last Wii at Best Buy on Christmas Eve. There are a lot of contenders who want it just as badly as you do and will do virtually anything to get it.

The Big East is brutally tough. Four teams – Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Marquette and Villanova – have better records than Georgetown. The schedule calls for the Hoyas to play three of them on the road. The Big East went to an 18-game schedule this season in which conference members play three teams twice and everybody else in the league once. Georgetown's home-and-homes are with Syracuse, Louisville and St. John's. That gives Georgetown road games against Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Marquette, Syracuse and Louisville. Anybody eager to play that schedule?

This also isn't a deep Georgetown team, especially in the frontcourt. It basically has one player who subs up front. If Roy Hibbert or DaJuan Summers is in foul trouble, that usually is going to mean the Hoyas are in big trouble.

This isn't so much an indictment of Georgetown as it is praise for the top of the Big East. I'm not sure which team I believe is going to prevail, but if it's not the Hoyas, I won't be the least bit surprised.

At least PC's living up to expectations.

Katz: Can PC upset MU this week?

ESPN's Andy Katz asks himself 20 questions about this week's games. Number six: can Providence pull off the upset and win at Marquette on Thursday? According to math, no.

Bearcats ready to compete in the Big East

The University of Cincinnati has had difficult times in its first two years of Big East play. Head coach Mick Cronin hopes this year's different.

Life in the Big East has been a struggle for UC during its first two years in the league.

The Bearcats finished eighth in 2005-06 under interim head coach Andy Kennedy with an 8-8 record, but lost in the first round of the Big East Tournament to Syracuse and were shut out of the NCAA Tournament.

Last season, UC finished last as it began its rebuilding process under Cronin, going 2-14 and missing the cutoff for participation in the Big East Tournament.

That's a 10-22 record in two years.

But this time around, the UC players are confident they'll be ready for whatever comes their way. They're eager to show that they are better positioned to compete in the Big East.

Big East Cast

The December 30 episode is now available for downloading. Todd Rosiak joins Brendon Desrochers and Dante Carnevale to talk Marquette hoops.

Dunkin' Donuts Center picks Disney over Friars?

Kevin McNamara says Providence College wants to play, but hasn't played as much as their Big East brethren this month because of exams, construction at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, and prior bookings.

PC didn’t play from Dec. 10-18 because of exams. There were two pre-Christmas games against Sacred Heart and Florida State, but the Friars haven’t played since the Dec. 22 win over the Seminoles. PC would’ve loved to play the Peacocks (or at least practice) at the Dunk either Saturday or Sunday, but the building was booked for Disney On Ice. PC was originally told that it did not have access to the building from Christmas until the second week of January because of Disney and the Boat Show, which begins Friday at the Rhode Island Convention Center. The Boat Show actually won’t use space at the Dunk but a freestyle motocross show is booked in the building this weekend.

Appearantly, the Friars had to beg to get today's game at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.

After some negotiating, the Dunk agreed to host today’s game, but the Friars won’t play at home again until Jan. 9 against Rutgers. Last season, PC opened its Big East schedule with two home games, and benefited with wins over Marquette and Seton Hall. This year, the Friars travel to the Midwest and play at Marquette and DePaul on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

Oh, yeah, Dwain Williams is day-to-day from his ankle injury against Florida State.

PC should be without its two top point guards today. Sharaud Curry has yet to return from Atlanta for Christmas break due to a serious family illness.

He is expected to arrive in time for today’s game but he’s still nursing an injured foot. Welsh says Curry be evaluated in the next day or two by doctors.

Dwain Williams injured an ankle in the Florida State game and hasn’t practiced since. He’s day-to-day right now.

Villanova's Drummond out with a stress fracture

It seems that injuries below the waist are getting very common in the Big East. Today, it was announced that the Wildcats' Casiem Drummond is out with a stress fracture in his right ankle. His return is unknown.

Before the game tonight, Villanova announced disappointing news in that sophomore center Casiem Drummond has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right ankle. Originally diagnosed as ankle tendonitis, Drummond has been hampered and unable to suit up for the past few games.

McDermott top basketball player

A tad late, but Providence's Geoff McDermott is one of the top 100 best college basketball players according to Collegehoops.net. This is the "ultimate ranking" of the best players. The criteria is based on: performance/accomplishments, skill/talent, pro potential, and impact/value to team. Even better than top 100, he's in the top 51!

Curry in Atlanta, helping ill brother

Sharaud Curry's personal issue, helping take care of his ill brother in Atlanta, will most likely take him out of this week's games.

Sharaud Curry did not return to campus in time for the resumption of practice on Friday. He's home in Atlanta helping his mother deal with his ill younger brother. Best of luck to the Curry's on this important matter.
This personal issue will more than likely take Curry out of this week's games. We'll see if he's ready to practice a bit once he returns to campus Monday.

New England Patriots links

Syracuse.com believes 16-0 is just a trivia question for now.

Mercury Morris disses the Pats in a rhyme.

Brady and Moss break records.

Bob Kuechenberg helps Morris diss the Pats.

One person believes this New England team is special, even if they don't win the Super Bowl.

A recap of last night's victory over the Giants.

Brown, Providence, and Rhode Island in the tournament?

ProJo's Kevin McNamara found a recent NCAA tournament bracket projection that had all three division one school's in the Ocean State in the NCAA tournament.

One recent NCAA tourney bracket projection (which, admittedly, is a waste of brain cells at this date) had Brown, Providence and Rhode Island all in the field of 64. Now that would lock up a happy New Year!

But is this based at all on reality? Here’s the optimistic view. Brown owns the highest RPI of any Ivy team and has already proven it can win on the road. With two proven scorers (Mark McAndrew and Damon Huffman) leading the way, Craig Robinson’s team could easily be a factor until the last weekend or two in a wide-open Ivy race. Cornell is still the pick here with Brown and Penn supplying the stiffest chase.

Providence should beat St. Peter’s tomorrow and be 9-3 heading into the Big East season. Winning nine games against a top-15 schedule is a coup for the Friars and should keep Tim Welsh’s team in the postseason discussion all year. There are a few keys for the Friars, however. The first revolves around Sharaud Curry’s health. Is he getting on the bus in a week or two or staying on the shelf for the year? Also, five of the first eight league games are away from the Dunk and this group of players has yet to show it can win big road games. If that trend ends, the Friars can reach the NCAAs for the second time in five years.

URI is in outstanding position to reach its first NCAA Tournament in nine seasons and the first in Jim Baron’s seven years. Ram fans need to keep pulling for PC (ouch) and Syracuse to look good to preserve their only signature wins but Rhody’s season will ultimately lean on its showing in a handful of Atlantic 10 games. Tests against Dayton and UMass (twice each) and Xavier at the Ryan Center will help crystalize Rhody’s rÉsumÉ.

Pitt point guard may be out for season

Levance Fields left the game against Dayton early in the second half with a possible foot fracture, and was seen with an immobilization boot. Is this the style for point guards this year?

Junior point guard Levance Fields left the game with a left foot injury with 15:45 remaining and did not return. He had to be helped off the floor and left the arena with a walking boot on his foot.

No official information was available after the game, but one source said Fields could have a fracture and his season might be over. Dixon said more information on Fields' foot would be known today after doctors can examine him.

"We don't know where he's at right now," Dixon said. "We'll know more [today]."

UPDATE at 12/30/07 4:57 pm:

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review is reporting that Levance Fields will be out for two to three months. Sharaud, be Lavance's boot buddy.

Pitt junior Levance Fields, one of the Big East's top point guards, will miss eight to 12 weeks with a broken bone in his foot, coach Jamie Dixon said.

Fields was injured in the No. 6 Panthers' 80-55 loss at Dayton on Saturday night.

X-rays taken in Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon revealed a fractured fifth metatarsal in Fields' left foot. The two-year starter will undergo surgery on Monday to repair the long bone on the outside of the foot that connects to the small toe. Dr. Freddie Fu and Dr. Robin West of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center will perform the procedure.

DePaul's Tucker staying

Dar Tucker put the rumors to rest, saying he's not transferring out of DePaul. Maybe the school will trade him; I know where his 14 points and seven rebounds can go.

After Tucker's one-game suspension last week for breaking a team rule, a rough start to the Blue Demons' season and a postgame comment earlier this season that caused his coach to bristle, antsy Blue Demons fans were wondering if he would take flight to another program.

With an answer as solid as his game Saturday in a 70-64 victory over Detroit, Tucker solidified his position at DePaul.

"No," Tucker said of the rumors. "Never. That's one thing I'm not going to do. I'm not a quitter, man. I committed to this school, and I'm going to stay at this school."

Providence vs. St. Peter's preview

The Friars released the game notes for Monday's game against the Peacocks. While this game is a near lock, a lose from a team named the Peacocks seems embarrassing.

PROBABLE STARTERS
Jeff Xavier
Dwain Williams
Geoffrey McDermott
Brian McKenzie
Randall Hanke

FRIARS VERSUS SAINT PETER’S.. Monday’s game will be the fourth meeting all-time between Providence and Saint Peter’s. The two teams last met on December 30, 1971 at Madison Square Garden in the ECAC Holiday Festival. In that game, the Friars earned a 93-87 win. In the first game all-time between the two teams, Saint Peter’s defeated the Friars, 70-60, on January 25, 1949. In the only meeting in Providence, PC defeated the Peacocks, 69-68, on February 15, 1950.

SCOUTING THE PEACOCKS... Saint Peter’s enters Monday's game with a 3-8 record. In the team’s most recent game, Saint Peter’s was defeated at home by Fairfield, 89-78, in overtime on December 28. The Peacocks are led by senior forward Todd Sowell. He leads the team in scoring (13.6 ppg) and rebounding (11.6 rpg). Freshman guard Wesley Jenkins is second on the team in scoring (13.4 ppg).

FRIARS VERSUS THE METRO ATLANTIC ATHLETIC CONFERENCE... The Providence-Saint Peter’s game on Monday, December 31, will be the 116th contest all-time for the Friars against a team from the MAAC. PC's all-time record versus MAAC teams is 92-23. This will be the Friars’ only regular season game versus a team from the MAAC.

Rutgers freshman has a chance to shine

Corey Chandler went down with a foot injury, and Mike Coburn is getting another shot to become a star in Chandler's place. The story's a little familiar.

PISCATAWAY — With fab freshman Corey Chandler sidelined by a foot injury, somebody else has to kick-start the Rutgers University men's basketball team's sputtering offense today against Manhattan.

That somebody might just be Mike Coburn.

The fellow freshman, who is starting in Chandler's place, performs with the same type of attacking, aggressive attitude even though he's more of a point guard and Chandler is more of a scorer.

St. John's Thomas on the juice

The Storm's Rob Thomas found a substance that helps him heal quickly. Sharaud, you need to call Rob.

Pitt gets commitment from local star

Lamar Patterson, a junior wing from J.P. McCaskey High School in Lancaster,PA, has given a verbal commitment to the University of Pittsburgh. Providence College was not an option for the 23rd best small forward according to Hoop Scoop.

Providence and the murky Big East middle

Court Visions' Brendon Desrochers looks at the six teams in the middle of the Big East standings, using mathematical formulas and "taste," to see who has a shot at making the NCAA tournament. It's possible the Friars will earn a spot to the dance.

Providence (DCBI 20, RPI 15) is next when we're looking at NCAA Tournament résumés. The Friars have four wins against teams in the RPI's top 80 and another over a Brown team that sits at 106. While wins over Temple and Brown may not look so great by season's end, the victory over Florida State should hold up, and Providence's loss to South Carolina likely won't seem so bad. A schedule that originally looked like it was going to hurt PC's NCAA chances now appears to be a feather in its cap, and while the Friars could have done better than 8-3, they also could have done worse.

Determining which of these six teams is best is simply a matter of taste right now, since we don't have enough information to make a definitive decision. If you like offense, Notre Dame, Providence and Villanova are your teams of choice. The Irish excel at taking care of the ball and moving it to find open looks. The Friars are best when they're taking and making threes -- they're also the best free-throw shooting team of the group. Villanova does the best job of taking care of the ball, but the Wildcats also get to the line a bunch, hit the offensive glass and take and make a lot of threes.

Big East Cast: Friars' big win

The newest episode of the Big East Cast is available. Listen to Brendon Derochers and Dante Carnevale talk about the Friars' big win.

Pitt Panthers filling the void

Gilbert Brown will take Mike Cook's place after Cook suffered a season ending knee injury during Pitt's win over Duke.

Shannon Ryan: Friars not contenders

The Chicago Tribune decided to look at the teams in the Big East and figure out who's for real, who's almost for real, and who's not looking good at all. According to this columnist, who grouped PC with teams like Cincinnati and DePaul, Providence doesn't look like it will contend for an NCAA tournament or the NIT.

Doesn't look good

Cincinnati (4-7): The Bearcats had only four returning players last season and won only two conference games. They will have to do better than score 66.5 points per game if they want to win three this season.

DePaul (3-7): Blue Demons fans can't help but think, "What if Wilson Chandler had stayed?" DePaul is in desperate need of a consistent go-to leader who could help the team shore up its defense. DePaul allows opponents a conference-worst 45.9 shooting percentage.

Providence (8-3): The Friars registered a solid win over then-No. 18 Arkansas in the second game of the season, but then lost to Miami, Rhode Island and South Carolina. The Friars have yet to lose at home but will need to step up their offense on the road.

Rutgers (7-5): The Scarlet Knights won only three Big East games last season. Averaging only 65.5 points per game and shooting only 40 percent from the floor, they don't look experienced enough for a turnaround.

South Florida (8-4): Wait, isn't this a football school? The basketball Bulls are only four wins away from equaling last season's win total. South Florida has been picked to finish last all three years of its Big East existence but appears to be making gradual improvement.

St. John's (5-4): The Red Storm measures itself in inches and appears to be inching along. Five players are scoring in low double digits. A Big East tournament appearance last season was the first in four years. A repeat would be considered a success.

Can UC's future bring back the past?

Do you remember when Cincinnati was considered a "basketball school?" The Bearcats' freshmen are supposed to get that elite status back.

Efejuku receives honorable mention

Weyinmi Efejuku received an honorable mention for this week's Big East weekly awards.

Weyinmi Efejuku, Providence, G, Jr.
Averaged 23.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in a 2-0 week, which included a 25-point effort versus Florida State.

Big East Basketball Report

The new Big East Basketball Report was released today. No mention of the Friars, unless you consider "twelve of the 16 Big East teams have at least eight wins and 14 of the 16 own winning records." In that case, they were mentioned twice.

ProJo wishes Tim Welsh, PC luck

After the Journal spent a few paragraphs congratulating the Rhody Rams, it managed to wish coach Welsh and the Friars good luck in the second semester. Thanks, Providence Journal for this sentiment.

Second-half success for coach Tim Welsh and his PC Friars.

McNamara: Friars play with passion

ProJo's Kevin McNamara explains why yesterday's win was a step in the right direction for PC.

PROVIDENCE — Every season has swing games, ones that can send a basketball team toward its dreams or the scrapheap.

Yesterday at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence College’s basketball fortunes took a very positive swing in the right direction. The Friars played their best overall game of the year and needed it to fight off an explosive group of Florida State Seminoles, 101-95, before 9,069 fans.

The win is a big one for a host of reasons for the Friars (8-3). First, PC hadn’t registered a major win since beating Boston College on Dec. 1. It wipes away the bad feelings from a poor effort Wednesday in a win over Sacred Heart and will also keep everyone smiling going into a four-day Christmas break.

PC improvises to succeed

The Friars struggle to find an identity, but win anyway.

PROVIDENCE — Even after 11 games, the Friars continue to search for their true identity.

Some nights, they try to outscore opponents. Others they hope to play some lock-down defense. On still others, as many as four different players hold down the point-guard responsibility.

Yesterday was yet another example. The Friars played without Shared Curry, who is back in a mobilization boot for the next week, at a minimum. The team’s primary ball handler, Dwain Williams, was hobbling with an Achilles heel injury and struggling against Florida State’s pressure defense. That meant the point-guard duties shifted from Geoff McDermott to Weyinmi Efejuku to Jeff Xavier, from one moment to the next.

Assistant Cautero reminisces over Tim Welsh

Tim Welsh's assistant recalls their days together at Florida State.

The first time Vince Cautero laid eyes on Tim Welsh, he knew something was a bit different about him.

Maybe it was his clothes, all well-pressed and brand-named. Maybe it was his pedigree, as the son of an elite coach. Maybe it was his cocksure attitude, a requisite trait for any basketball coach.

When Florida State was making a switch from Joe Williams to new coach Pat Kennedy in 1986, Cautero was a student manager for the team with a thirst for coaching. Rolling into Tallahassee as part of Kennedy’s New York posse from Iona College was Welsh, a young coach with stars in his eyes.

Providence defeats Florida State 101-95

A recap of the Friars' win over the Seminoles.

Curry goes backwards

Sharaud Curry will not dress for the Florida State game today, and will wear a mobilization boot and use crutches again.

PROVIDENCE — The Sharaud Curry experiment has been put on ice.

Only three days after Curry made his season debut for the Providence Friars, the junior point guard has backed off on his return from a broken foot. PC coach Tim Welsh said yesterday that Curry will not dress for today’s game against Florida State and will return to a mobilization boot and crutches for the time being. Welsh insisted that this was not a reinjury, but simply a move to improve Curry’s condition.

“He’s sore and we want him to be 100 percent. He’s not ready yet,” said Welsh.

Providence to induct Smith into Hall of Fame

The Providence College Athletic Department will induct former Friar forward Michael Smith into the Hall of Fame.

Michael Smith `94: Was one of the school's greatest power fowards ever. He was the first and only player to win three consecutive BIG EAST rebounding titles. He finished his Providence career as just the fourth player to score 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds. And, like the three before him (Marvin Barnes, Jim Hadnot, and John Thompson), he did it the old fashioned way: in three years. He set records for BIG EAST career rebound average (11.67), PC career field goal percentage by a forward (.554), and PC career rebounds by a forward (1,038). He led the Friars to their first-ever BIG EAST Tournament Championship where he was named Most Outstanding Player in 1994. In his three-year career at Providence, he averaged a double-double (11.8 ppg and 11.0 rpg). Smith was a member of the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team and a two-time All-BIG EAST Second Team selection. His senior year, he was named PC Male Athlete of the Year.

Curry out for Forida State

ProJo College Hoops blog is reporting that Sharaud Curry will not play Saturday against Florida State.

Providence College guard Sharaud Curry will not play tomorrow against Florida State because of lingering soreness in his foot.
Curry made his season debut Wednesday against Sacred Heart and played nine minutes. He said after the game that his foot was `sore' but shrugged it off as an expected condition after being out with a broken foot for nearly three months. But PC coach Tim Welsh said today that Curry isn't 100 percent and the Friars hope additional rest will get him to that point.
``He's not ready. He's sore and we want him to be 100 percent,'' said Welsh.

Providence vs. Florida State preview

Providence College released their game notes for Saturday's game against the Seminoles.

PROBABLE STARTERS
Jeff Xavier
Dwain Williams
Geoffrey McDermott
Brian McKenzie
Randall Hanke

FRIARS VERSUS FLORIDA STATE.. Saturday’s game will be the second meeting all-time between Providence and Florida State. Last season, the two teams played for the first time ever in Tampa, Fla., and the Seminoles defeated the Friars, 92-62, on December 29, 2006.

FRIARS VERSUS THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE... The Providence-Florida State game on Saturday, December 22 will be the 163rd contest all-time for the Friars against a team from the ACC. PC's all-time record versus ACC teams is 84-78. This season, the Friars have posted a 1-1 record in two games against ACC teams. In their first meeting versus an ACC squad this season, the Friars were defeated by Miami, 64-58, in the Puerto Rico Tip Off on November 18. On December 1, the Friars defeated Boston College, 98-89, in the Hall of Fame Showcase in Boston.

SCOUTING THE SEMINOLES... Florida State enters Saturday's game with a 10-3 record. The Seminoles are led by senior guard Isaiah Swann. He leads the team in scoring (13.4 ppg). Junior foward Uche Echefu leads the team in rebounding (6.7 rpg).

Florida State predicts win over Providence

The game notes released by Florida State's athletics site predicts a win for the Seminoles this Saturday.

FLORIDA STATE TRAVELS TO PROVIDENCE FOR ACC/BIG EAST MATCH-UP
Florida State, which defeated then No. 24 ranked Florida on Nov. 23 in its first true road game of the season, travels to play Providence at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Rhode Island on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. The Seminoles are making their first trip to the state of Rhode Island to play a men’s basketball game and are playing the Friars for the second consecutive season after earning a 92-62 victory on Dec. 29, 2006 in the first meeting between the two teams. Florida State enters Saturday’s game having won seven of its last eight games with its latest victory coming against the College of Charleston (66-61) on Tuesday night in Tallahassee. Seminole head coach Leonard Hamilton knows Providence well from his career in the Big East as the head coach at the University of Miami (1991-2000) when he earned a 7-8 record against the Friars. Following Saturday’s game against Providence, the Seminoles will take three days off for the holiday before opening its ACC schedule at Georgia Tech on Dec. 30. Florida State returns home for its final non-conference game of the regular season against La Salle on Jan. 5.

LOOK FOR FLORIDA STATE TO…
…Defeat Providence and earn a victory on the home court of a Big East team for the first time
since March 12, 1997 when the Seminoles earned an 82-67 victory at Syracuse in the first round
of the post-season NIT;
…Defeat Providence and win its 11th game of the season during the month of December for the
second consecutive season. The Seminoles enter Saturday’s game against Providence with a 10-3 record; they finished the month of December in 2006 with a 12-2 mark;
…Defeat Providence and gain a victory over a Big East team for the second consecutive season
after their victory over the Friars last season;
…Defeat Providence and win their final game before the Christmas holiday for the fourth
consecutive season. The Seminoles earned early presents with victories over Stetson (Dec. 23,
2004), Campbell (Dec. 22, 2005) and Saint Peters (Dec. 23, 2006) in the last three seasons.

Listen to the December 21st Big East Podcast

The December 21st episode of The Big East Podcast is now available for downloading.

Tim Welsh post game audio vs. Sacred Heart

The ProJo College Hoops Blog has posted audio clips of Tim Welsh discussing Sharaud Curry, zone defense, and more after Wednesday's win over Sacred Heart.

Curry plays in Sacred Heart game

Sharaud Curry entered last night's game against Sacred Heart and showed no ill-effects from his foot injury.

PROVIDENCE — The sitting and watching is over for Sharaud Curry, and his Friar teammates couldn’t be happier.

When Curry entered last night’s game against Sacred Heart at the 12:27 mark of the first half, a collective sigh was mixed with cheers from Friar fans. PC’s players were happy to see the diminutive junior point guard on the floor as well.

“He’s going to help us and help me, that’s for sure,” said center Randall Hanke. “He really knows how to distribute the ball. He’s a great passer.”

Curry showed no ill-effects from the broken foot he suffered in early October. He played a quick three minutes, came out of the game and then returned later in the half. He finished the night with three points and three assists in nine minutes. With the game on the line in the second half, Tim Welsh resisted the urge to put Curry in the lineup.

“There were no set minutes [for Curry]. I just wanted to get his feet wet,” said Welsh. “He’ll get there. He’s not reacting as well as he needs to defensively but that’s fine. I just wanted to get him out there.”

Curry said his foot was sore after the game and is sore when he works out. He says he’s a bit nervous right now “but that’s a process you have to go through. Anyone coming off foot or knee surgery would be like that.”

Hanke finally in the starting lineup

Jonathan Kale took a seat yesterday when Tim Welsh inserted Randall Hanke into the starting lineup.

Coach Tim Welsh shook up his starting lineup by inserting Randall Hanke at the center spot instead of Jonathan Kale. Hanke made the coach look good as he made his first four shots to act as an early offensive spark and go on to score 14 of his 20 points in the first half. He made 8-of-11 shots from the floor and grabbed 5 rebounds.

“Randall was good but he got the four fouls (in the second half) and I had to take him out,” said Welsh. “He has to learn to play without fouling people.”

Hanke will be well-served by the Friars playing more zone defense. Last night the plan was to play an awful lot of man-to-man. Kale saw just five minutes off the bench. He’s averaged 6.2 points on 51 percent shooting so far this season but has not been a consistent factor on either offense or defense.

Providence tops Sacred Heart 94-89

The Friars official athletic site recaps their win over the Pioneers.

What is Providence's biggest weakness?

Court Visions' Brendon Desrochers diagnoses the Friars' biggest problem: inconsistency, or what he describes as "put together 40 minutes of good basketball."

Biggest weakness: Consistency. It's impossible to consider how good the Friars would be if they put together 40 minutes of good basketball, because it hasn't happened yet. The offense is alternately exquisite and excruciating; the defense stifling and stomach-aching. With Randall Hanke getting more run and Curry on his way back, perhaps the Friars will finally balance the lineup and be able to play more evenly. Curry, of course, would do a lot to solve the Friars biggest offensive problems -- distribution from the point guard spot, stagnancy on offense and inconsistent perimeter shooting. It's a lot of weight to put on a 5-foo-7ish point guard recovering from a bum foot, but it's the burden he must bear if PC is to be NCAA Tournament good.

Providence College Hoops chat

Transcripts are available from yesterday's ProJo College Hoops blog live chat answering questions from PC fans. Questions from from URI and Brown fans are in there, too.

Will the Friars be ready for the Big East?

Providence Journal's Kevin McNamara examines where Providence College needs to be before heading into Big East play, which is only 15 days away. The answer: not at 6-6.

First things first, of course. PC (6-3) needs to enter Big East play with a 9-3 mark, but getting by Sacred Heart, Florida State and St. Peter’s is no walk in the park. The FSU game looms as a particularly stiff challenge, with last season’s 92-62 Seminoles win serving as a reminder.

“If we can get these three and go into the Big East with three more wins, we should be in good shape,” said Brian McKenzie, the most pleasant surprise of the year’s opening nine games.

How Hanke and Curry eventually mix with the McKenzie, transfer Jeff Xavier, freshman Jamine Peterson and key veterans Geoff McDermott and Weyinmi Efejuku is the key to the Friars’ season. Welsh said he spent time recently looking back at the first nine games and picking out trends, both positive and negative, to help the team keep moving forward.

Third time's a charm for Pitino

Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish didn't walk through that door last night, but Earl Clark, Andre McGee, and Derrick Caracter did. The official Big East conference site reports that Louisville head coach Rick Pitino earned his 500th win yesterday against Marshall. It only took him three tries to do it.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino earned his 500th victory as a collegiate head coach in the Cardinals' 85-75 win over Marshall Tuesday night. The only coach to lead three different teams to the Final Four, Pitino becomes the fourth Big East coach to reach the 500-win plateau.

Forward Earl Clark finished with 23 points and five rebounds against the Thundering Herd. Pitino's bench contributed 39 points led by forward Derrick Caracter, who had 18 points and eight rebounds, and guard Andre McGee, who scored 13 points.

Providence College vs. Sacred Heart preview

If you're a gambling man, I don't know how this information helps you, but Providence's official athletic site released the game notes for tomorrow's game versus Sacred Heart.

PROBABLE STARTERS
Jeff Xavier
Dwain Williams
Geoffrey McDermott
Brian McKenzie
Jonathan Kale

FRIARS VERSUS SACRED HEART... On Wednesday, December 19, the Friars willplay Sacred Heart at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. The game will mark the second meeting all-time between the two teams. The two teams first met on December 19, 2001 when the Friars defeated the Pioneers, 85-76, at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

FRIARS VERSUS THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE... The Providence-Sacred Heart game on Wednesday, December 19 will be the 62nd contest all-time for the Friars against a team from the Northeast Conference. PC's all-time record versus Northeast Conference teams is 43-13. Wednesday’s game will mark the Friars' only game against a Northeast Conference squad this season.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS... Sacred Heart enters Wednesday's game with a 3-6record. In their most recent game, the Pioneers defeated Central Connecticut, 68-52,on December 6 in New Britain, Conn. It was Sacred Heart’s third consecutive win.Senior guard Drew Shubik leads the team in rebounding (6.4 rpg) and scoring (11.1 ppg). Senior forward Brooks Brice is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.2 points per game.

Providence Basketball's midterm grades

Friar Insider on scout.com issued a report card on the Friars to grade how they're doing nine games into the season. I don't know if you want to put it on the refrigerator.

Geoff McDermott
Hartnett’s Comments: Outstanding in stretches, but too passive in others, McDermott has had a lot on his shoulders in the absence of Curry. Much is expected of him. More consistent quality play can make him an All-League player by March. Grade: B+
Coren’s Comments: Geoff has had his moments this season, but has been far too inconsistent. While much is expected of him, especially with Curry out, as a junior, McDermott has to put this team on his shoulders in every game. The Friars can’t afford many more 4 point, 3 rebound efforts from him. Grade: B-

Weyinme Efujuku
Hartnett’s Comments: Has played very well in some key spots, but has continued to struggle with consistency issues, including maintaining defensive intensity. Grade: C+
Coren’s Comments: Weyinmi has been an enigma this year. Defensively he’s struggled in man, and offensively sometimes he’s there, sometime’s he’s not. Again, as a junior, one would have hoped that by now, Efejuku would bring it in every game. Grade: C-

Jeff Xavier
Hartnett’s Comments: Has played excellent defense and had some strong shooting games. Athletic teams have shut Xavier down from outside and limited his effectiveness. Grade: B
Coren’s Comments: Xavier may be the best on the ball defender at PC since John Linehan. Offensively, he’s had his moments but has had problems getting his shot against more athletic backcourts, which might be problematic come Big East play. Grade: B

Coaching Staff
Hartnett’s Comments: Handled adversity of Curry injury well this year and have improved the team defense overall. Have not used M2M defense enough and need to improve team ball movement and spacing on offense. Grade: C+
Coren’s Comments: Playing without Curry and Hanke has hampered the staff’s ability to do some of the things that they would like to do. There have been some good wins over Arkansas and Boston College, but some bad losses against, Miami, South Carolina and URI. Still, the willingness to play on the road is a plus. Another plus is the improved defense. The negatives? Nine games in and the rotation is still in flux as the staff continues to search for winning combinations… have relied on and stayed in the zone too long when the m2m is clearly improved. Need to be quicker at adjusting… a lack of intensity in several games. Grade: C+

Pitino still looking for 500

Rick Pitino, current Louisville head coach and coach of the Final Four 1987 Friars, will try for his 500Th win for a third time today. The Card Chronicle is stating he'll at least have one of his stars back.

Rick Pitino said last Friday that suspended center Derrick Caracter would play in Tuesday night's home game against Marshall, so long as he did not break any more of the conditions of his personal contract.

Apparently Caracter flew straight over the weekend, because Pitino announced this afternoon that DC practiced with the team yesterday and will play in tomorrow night's game if he makes weight. He added that senior Terrance Farley will probably start the game, meaning Caracter will come off of the bench for the first time since David Padgett fractured his knee cap.