Villanova and Providence each recently showed that they can hang with the big boys of the Big East.
After both teams nearly defeated No. 2 UConn within the last week, the Wildcats and visiting Friars square off Friday.
Due to a scheduling quirk, both Villanova and Providence enter this one immediately after facing UConn. The Wildcats fell to the Huskies 75-67 in overtime on the road last Saturday, while the Friars battled UConn on Tuesday before absorbing an 87-81 road defeat.
Villanova (15-5, 6-3 Big East) led UConn with less than a minute left in regulation and also led early in overtime before some defensive and rebounding lapses doomed the team down the stretch.
“Sometimes on the road to make sure you get there, you’ve got to finish possessions,” said coach Kevin Willard, whose team was led by Duke Brennan (16 points, 14 rebounds) and Tyler Perkins (16 points, 10 boards). “I thought there were three or four times we didn’t finish possessions.”
Providence (9-12, 2-8) was a more unlikely contender, as the team sits in last place in the Big East standings and has won only once since Jan. 3. The loss to the Huskies was the Friars’ sixth in their last seven games — a stretch that also included another tough defeat to UConn (103-98 in overtime) back on Jan. 7.
“It’s been tough. It’s been challenging. The greatest challenge of my life, I think, especially in sport,” said Friars coach Kim English, reflecting on the team’s string of crushing defeats. “It’s been three things: It’s been moving on to the next opponent, keeping their spirits high and ready to work and learning from the mishaps in those games. It’s been a full-time job to keep them ready and we need to continue against another one of the best teams in our league.”
Providence forward Jamier Jones led the way against UConn, scoring 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Oswin Erhunmwunse added 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds and four blocks.
This is the second meeting between the Wildcats and Friars this season. Villanova nipped Providence 88-82 on Jan. 13, with Devin Askew scoring 20 points to help overcome the Friars’ 55.4% shooting from the field.
–Field Level Media
