MUScoop

I watched a good part of the Providence v. DePaul game yesterday and came away with the following observations

1. DePaul is terrrible
2. Providence is Deep

Providence is an OK team, but they beat DePaul by running them right out of the gym.  Take quick look at the box score from last night. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=300140305
What is striking is that they have 9 players with double digit minutes, and of those 9, seven are Guards. 

We should be able to handle them because they turn the ball over a ton and have a very limited inside game, but if we allow ourselves to get into an up and down, fast paced game they could wear us out with all of their guards.   

If nothing else, the matchup between two 5 foot nothing PGs should be fun to watch.   ::)

The freshman Council controlled the ball well, but honestly not too much can be taken out of a game against DePaul

Chalk me up as worried about both of our games against PC, and really for one reason.

Our guards can't guard ANYONE, and there's no shot blocker underneath. I can see PC causing huge trouble with their dribble penetration, similar to what Nova did.

Hope I'm wrong.

Quote from: Clarence on January 15, 2010, 10:33:48 AM
I watched a good part of the Providence v. DePaul game yesterday and came away with the following observations

1. DePaul is terrrible
2. Providence is Deep

Providence is an OK team, but they beat DePaul by running them right out of the gym.  Take quick look at the box score from last night. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=300140305
What is striking is that they have 9 players with double digit minutes, and of those 9, seven are Guards. 

We should be able to handle them because they turn the ball over a ton and have a very limited inside game, but if we allow ourselves to get into an up and down, fast paced game they could wear us out with all of their guards.   

I wouldn't too much stock in anything that happens playing against DePaul.  They are so bad that pretty much every team that plays against them has a game that just doesn't fit with everything else they do.

Of Providence's 7 guards that played, take a look at their minutes against DPU versus their normal Big East minutes.

Starters
Curry: 29 vs DPU, averages 30
McKenzie: 13 vs DPU, averages 23
Council: 23 vs DPU, averages 27

Bench
Mondy: 21 vs DPU, averages 16
Wright: 12 vs DPU, averages 7
Lacy:  17 vs DPU, averages 7
Brooks: 21 against DPU, averages 27

Playing against DePaul, an absolutely terrible team, allowed Providence to give quite a bit of playing time to guys who don't normally get as much.  Against a decent team...heck against a team that isn't the worst team in major conference ball, those guys don't play that much.  That will likely be the case against MU.  Providence simply can't afford to not have McKenzie and Brooks on the court against a team like MU, they could afford to do that for long stretches against DPU.

I'm just glad we have had a whole week of rest before this game, because if I am Keno Davis I am running fresh legs at us all game. 

Mondy is a surprise to me.   He graduated from the same high school my daughter is attending this year.    I watched him play a couple of times last year and thought he looked talented but unmotivated.    But I thought that about the whole team.     I am stunned he is averaging that many minutes.    I honestly thought he was in over his head going to the BEast.    Great for him.   Same team this year has a senior shooting guard, un-committed, that I always thought was a more complete player.