Seton Hall 81, Providence 71

I really have no idea what to make of this team. Some games (i.e. the last 2) they come out with a lot of heart, a lot of fight, and play cohesively as a team. Other games (this one, Rutgers, etc.) they come out looking sloppy, with no discernible game plan, with players looking to get their own points first. Besides that, it always seems to be the case that this team plays to the level of its competition, which leads to a bad loss for every upset win. Part of this can be chalked up to the fact that the current edition of the Friars are just not good on the road, which itself is likely a function of the youth of the team. That said, it’s tough not to think that on some level, the coaching needs work as well. One of the most frustrating constants in the Friars’ Big East losses this season has been an apparent lack of organization on the offensive end of the ball. Yes, the Friars can score in the transition game with just about any squad in the country, but when the turnovers just aren’t coming, there has to be an effective halfcourt offense to fall back on. Today’s game was a prime example of this issue, with much of the first half’s offensive halfcourt sets consisting of one of the wings charging haphazardly with no apparent exit plan into triple or even quadruple teams and throwing the ball wildly at the rim. I like the idea of getting to the line, and it is true that a common trademark on big Friar wins this year has been a strong free throw differential (PC got to the line 7 more times than Louisville and 20(!) more times than Nova). That said, you can’t assume the foul, and you have to have some kind of strategy if you get into trouble. The defense has certainly taken a big step forward from last year, and I have to credit the coaching staff for that, but if Keno and Co. want this program to really make moves forward, fixing the halfcourt offense should be a priority.

Some other notes and observations:

-Jeremy “Dumbo” Hazell was held to only 10 points, and was 0-7 from 3 point range after torching Syracuse earlier in the week. Instead, the combination of Jeff Robinson and Herb Pope torched the Friars for a combined 43 points. The Friars always seems to do a decent job of holding the opponents’ best player to low point totals while other players come up big. I have no idea what this means, but it’s still an interesting trend.

-Other than Keon Lawrence, who scored 10 for the Pirates, Seton Hall’s fairly deep bench was held to 2 points. I suppose this stat would be more relevant if Providence had gotten more than 5 total bench points.

-After his post-Nova rant on Twitter, Bilal Dixon had a strong game with 17 points on 6-7 shooting and 10 rebounds. It was his first double-double since December 6th vs. Brown and his first double digit scoring night since December 28 vs. Syracuse. It certainly would help going forward if Bilal could get going again, and this game was a step in the right direction. Not sure I’m a fan of Keno’s decision to actually respond to Bilal’s tweets, however. It appeared at times that Keno was going out of his way to keep Bilal in at the expense of Kadeem Batts’ (0 pts, 4 rebs in 17 min) minutes. Rewarding  that kind of behavior sends a message to the rest of the team that you can do whatever you want, and that is not going to help this program going forward.

-The Friars did not hit a three pointer until 11 minutes into the second half. Ended up not being a huge factor, since Seton Hall actually shot at a worse clip from downtown overall. Still, 21% from three point range is not something you like to see.

-Free throw shooting was a huge factor. The Friars did actually get to the line 9 more times than Seton Hall (31 attempts), but shot an atrocious 54.8% once they got there, as compared to Seton Hall’s 81.8%. For all the emphasis Keno Davis places on getting to the line, he’s going to need to convince his players to put in the extra hours at the gym to practice freebies.

-The other two huge, and very telling stat disparities between the two teams: Turnovers forced: SHU +9; Assists, SHU +10. Very reflective of the kind of recklessness in the halfcourt offense that plagued the Friars especially early.

Good opportunity to get back on track Wednesday at home for USF. Here’s hoping the Friars can take advantage in front of what I would guess will be a diminished home crowd as compared to the last few games.

-SM

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