If their six-straight wins to close out the regular season is any indication, the Providence Friars – priced at at rather distant +30,000 to win the national title – can certainly gain steam as unexpectedly as any team in the tournament. They came out flat in the opening-round loss to Creighton at the Big East tournament, but they also beat the Bluejays during said six-game win streak along with victories against the conference’s more notable schools like Butler and Xavier.
Forward Rodney Bullock is an NBA star in the making, but a ton of credit has to go to guard Kyron Cartwright as well. The Compton-born junior ranked fourth in the nation in assists per game (6.81), serving as the focal point of Providence’s offense that has led the school to its fourth-consecutive trip to the Big Dance under head coach Ed Cooley.
Team Weaknesses:
Bullock’s hustle despite his lack of size is undeniable, but the rest of his team suffers from the same vertical requirement needed in the post game. No player on Providence’s roster towers over 6’9″ in height, and the team’s lack of board-crashers is evident in their paltry average of 33.6 rebounds per contest.
The tournament will showcase a ton of skyscrapers grabbing loose balls for extra possessions, and the Friars’ inability at doing just that this current season with their mid-sized forwards could very well be their undoing.
Team Stats:
CATEGORY
STAT / G
NCAA RANK
Points
70.2
229th
Rebounds
33.6
268th
Assists
14.2
109th
Steals
6.7
106th
Blocks
3.0
198th
Field goal percentage
44.7
143rd
Three-point percentage
36.8
88th
Free throw percentage
69.1
219th
Turnovers
12.6
132nd
Starting Lineup:
POSITION
NAME
PPG
F
Rodney Bullock
15.7
F
Emmitt Holt
12.4
G
Kyron Cartwright
11.4
G
Jalen Lindsey
10.5
G
Alpha Diallo
5.7
Writer’s Prediction:
The Friars (+30,000) fail to escape the First Four round of the tournament with a loss to USC.
