|
|
|
 | |
 |
 null 
|
Providence
Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................
The Friars didn't exactly take the express lane to the NCAA tournament. The bumps began in the offseason, with the transfer of promising guard Sean Connolly to Ohio State and the expulsion of three senior players for their alleged roles in a huge off-campus fight. The Friars started the season by beating Holy Cross and losing to Maine (yuck). Then they beat Missouri-Kansas City and lost to Creighton (at the time, yuck). Then they lost to Auburn, and rumors about the job security of third-year coach Tim Welsh began to mount. At 2-3, Providence looked to have shaky prospects for the NIT, but then the Atlantic 10 came to the rescue. The Friars beat three teams from the currently down league -- Rhode Island, Georgia Washington and Massachusetts -- in nine days of December, and they haven't slowed much since. The highlight of the season probably was a five-game Big East winning streak, capped by wins against Villanova and St. John's. The Friars also have knocked off Connecticut, Georgetown and St. John's another time for an NCAA resume that has only looked better as the season has progressed. Player to Watch The long and short of it is, we've got two players to watch: the long (7-foot-2 Karim Shabazz) and the short (5-9 John Linehan). Shabazz, the transfer from Florida State, does a little of everything you'd want in a big man, averaging 8.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. Linehan scores at a 10.5-point clip, but he shines the brightest with his defensive ferocity and attitude -- kind of like a mini-Shane Battier, roughly one foot shorter. With the Ball You could make the argument that Providence is the least-selfish Top 25-caliber team in college basketball. Or maybe just the least offensively talented. It's hard to know the difference. But know this: Nobody scores at a rate higher than 11.2 points per game (Erron Maxey), but six players average within roughly a bucket of that total (8.6 and up). Maris Laksa is a dangerous three-pointer shooter at 47.3 percent, headlining a group effort of 40 percent. Linehan does many things well, but creating for teammates (3.9 assists per game) isn't one of them. Defending the Ball Linehan might be the best on-ball defender in the country. He averages more than three steals per game, and literally is a nightmare to opposing point guards, both in their preparation for games, and the 40 minutes of court time, too. "He's miserable to play against," says St. John's point guard deluxe Omar Cook. If a team can get the ball past Linehan, Shabazz is waiting to block shots, and so is Marcus Douthit (1.6 per game). Providence also does a good job defending the perimeter, where foes are shooting 30 percent on threes. Seed Analysis Exceeding the Seed: Playing to Expectations Falling Short BRACKETOLOGY SCORE: 1.571 (1.000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding) Bracketology Report1985-2000:Must be something in the water in New England. Like Boston College, the Friars have made the most of their limited NCAA opportunities. From the Billy Donovan Final Four team to the Austin Croshere Elite Eight squad, Providence has failed its seed just once in five berths since 1985 (and that loss came in an 8-9 game). Strangely, Providence has yet to play in the East Region since the field expanded to 64 teams. Roster
 NCAA Basketball Championship Week It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |  |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
