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Examining Cotton’s Monster December

Cotton_December

Story Highlights include:

  • Cotton shooting 47% from 3 in December after 24% in November
  • Inside-out opportunities have taken off since semester break
  • He played 40 minutes without a turnover against Kentucky, making 5-9 from 3

There was some concern in November that a combination of extended minutes and transitioning from top scorer to lead guard just before the season started was having an adverse effect on senior guard Bryce Cotton.

Coming off of an All Big East season, Cotton’s scoring totals in November were around his average from a season ago thanks in part to three games in which he lived at the free throw line (9-10 vs. BC, 11-11 vs. Marist, 18-19 vs. Fairfield), but the outside shot just wasn’t there. Through November he’d made just 10-41 three pointers (24%).

December has been a different story, however.

Providence has played without injured point guard Kris Dunn since their Nov. 29 win over Fairfield, yet Cotton has seen a huge spike in his three point shooting numbers this month, while ably handing the 1.

Cotton has connected on 16-34 from beyond the arc in December (47%), averaged over 20 points in those four games, and he has passed for 26 assists (18 over the past two games — notably, those two came after the first semester break when PC had additional practice time to adjust to the loss of Dunn.. and yes, lighter competition in Yale and Maine).

He’s averaging just under two steals a game in December and has played all but two minutes over those four games.

Perhaps his best game of December came against Kentucky in Brooklyn, when Cotton made 5-9 from three, scored 23 and dished out five assists, while not turning the ball over once in 40 minutes against a monstrous Wildcat lineup. Providence was able to stay close through 20 minutes on that night because they only turned the ball over once in the first half and Cotton lit it up.

How will Providence continue to get Cotton good looks going forward? Playing inside-out.

Cotton opened the Maine game 5-5 from three, and four of the first five makes were on assists from a power forward or center. His sixth of the first half came from a power forward as well.

All three of his three point field goals against URI came on passes from a forward or center.

As discouraging as the roster shortage and defensive lapses of late have been, the offense has been more fluid since the semester break and Cotton is playing at a very high level, scoring 43 points, with 18 assists and making 8-17 from three point range in the last two.

After the Maine win Ed Cooley said the Friars are taking on Cotton’s identity, praising his focus and elevated play while the team has gone through adversity in his senior year. He’s currently third in the Big East in scoring and first in assists and free throw percentage.

Cotton just keeps getting better.

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Where do Bryce Cotton and the Friars go from here? We want to hear from you.

 

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