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Friars Look to Bounce Back at Xavier

jp-macura

Fresh off of a “listless” performance against Boston College on Friday (Ed Cooley’s description, not mine), the road doesn’t get any easier for Providence this week.

The road is where the Friars kick off the Big East portion of their schedule on Wednesday night with a trip to #17 Xavier.

Chris Mack’s group is once again one of the top teams in the country. Following a 2015-16 season in which they finished 28-6 and earned an #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Mack’s group is sitting pretty heading into conference play with the 4th best RPI in the nation. Xavier is one of four Big East schools with an RPI in the top ten nationally, along with Villanova, Creighton and PC’s opponent this weekend, Butler.

On paper, Xavier looks to be a big challenge for PC, especially in the Cintas Center where the Musketeers have won 22 of their last 23 games and 13 straight.

Xavier is led by the three-headed monster of Trevon Bluiett, JP Macura, and Edmond Sumner.

Bluiett has gone to another level as a junior, scoring 19 points per contest. He’s had seven games of 20 points or more and knocked down 12 3-pointers in a two game span (albeit both losses — to Baylor and Colorado).

Sumner is a 6’6 sophomore point guard who many have compared to Kris Dunn. He’s a physical freak and at times turnover-prone (six games of 4+ turnovers).

While Sumner may have the most upside of anyone on this roster, he’s yet to emerge into a consistent star. Part of what is holding him back is a shaky jump shot (.259 from 3-point range).

Macura flashed star potential in a big win over Clemson, scoring 28 points on 6-11 from deep, but he’s shot inconsistently from long range this season (.323 from 3). He knocked down 5-7 from 3 in a win over Utah, but made just 1-11 from 3-point range in back-to-back losses to Baylor and Colorado, and made 1-7 from beyond the arc in a one-point overtime win against Missouri.

While the challenge is stiff for Providence they have an opportunity to pull this game out if they can defend the 3 like they did in the season’s first 12 games, and not the leaky bunch that let BC light them up.

If Xavier struggles it often comes when they are misfiring from 3-point range. They went 4-17 in a three-point win over Lehigh, 2-22 in winning over a Missouri team that simply isn’t very good, and 5-17 in a 69-65 win over Wake Forest.

As a team Xavier is shooting 33% from deep and below 70% at the free throw line.

Big man Rashid Gaston is beginning to emerge as an interior presence, but Xavier lost two terrific big men to graduation last spring in Jalen Reynolds and James Farr. Reynolds was a physical specimen and elite athlete, while Farr was a terrific rebounder and underrated scorer.

Defensive ace Remy Abell has also graduated, while senior guard Myles Davis (a steady ball handler and terrific outside shooter) remains suspended. Davis hasn’t played a game this season and will not suit up against Providence on Wednesday, despite speculation that his return is imminent.

Where Providence could struggle is on the glass, where Xavier sports the best rebounding differential in the Big East.

Chris Mack spoke to the local media this week about where his team stands and his impressions of the Friars.

Twitter: @Kevin_Farrahar

Email: kevin.farrahar@friarbasketball.com

2 Comments

  1. Derec Lamendola

    December 27, 2016 at 9:39 pm

    PROVIDENCE College College Mens Basketball Has To Win There BIG East Games This Year Tommmwrrrow Night IS the Frist Opener And Providence College Mens Basketball Has To Win All The Away Im.Not King I’m NOT WOKING Because I Got a Vacation And So Who’s Redey

  2. Pingback: Friar Starting Five: Wednesday Edition - Friar Basketball

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