Defending the 3-point line has been a problem for Providence this season, and it will likely be a major concern for the Friars entering Tuesday night’s Big East matchup against visiting Villanova.
Providence (8-8, 1-4 Big East) ranks last among Big East teams in opponents’ 3-point field goal percentage (37.9), and Villanova is third in the conference in shooting percentage from beyond the 3-point arc (36.1). Villanova’s Bryce Lindsay leads all Big East players with an average of 2.9 made 3-pointers per game.
The Friars have allowed 101 3-pointers in their last 10 games. Xavier made 12 of its 30 3-point attempts during Saturday’s 97-84 victory over Providence.
“We’re not doing a good enough job delivering the message of what it takes to defend 3-point shooters,” Providence coach Kim English said. “It’s been a consistent trend this season. We’ve got to do a better job of teaching and preparing and getting the message across.”
Villanova (13-3, 4-1 Big East) enters Tuesday’s contest having won six of its last seven games.
Lindsay is sixth in Big East scoring (15.6 ppg), but he received plenty of help at the offensive end from guard Devin Askew during Saturday’s 76-73 victory over Marquette. Askew had a team-high six rebounds and scored all of his 13 points in the second half.
Askew, who transferred from Long Beach State, is averaging 8.6 points and 21.9 minutes per game this season.
“Dev’s been playing really well the last four or five games,” Villanova coach Kevin Willard said. “He hasn’t been shooting it well, but he’s been playing well. I thought he got a couple of good mismatches and hit a couple of pull-up jumpers that kind of settled us down.”
Providence’s Jason Edwards is the Big East’s leading scorer (17.2) and teammate Jaylin Sellers is not far behind in eighth (15.4).
“We’re lacking the integrity to compete in this league on a night-to-night basis,” English said.
–Field Level Media
