Providence Scouting Report

[Scrutineer]

I expect the win and would be really surprised and disappointed if we lost but this is a game we need to control. If we play sloppy and let them hang around bad things can and will happen. Vaaks and Jones are going to be NBA players, Oswin also may turn into one. Sellers and Edwards can fill it up. Edwards is really small but can put up points in a hurry, Silas can slow him down/lock him up but he desperately needs to stop using his hands.

It's crazy this team is 8-6 and it's a testament to how bad of a coach Kim English is because they're loaded with individual talent.

The over confident ones must not have seen Jones and Vaaks. Jones is a man at 6'6" and strong and athletic and Vaaks can kill you if he's on in that game.

 

[sledog]

MY TV doesn't do prostate surgery

 

[StllH8L8ner]

The over confident ones must not have seen Jones and Vaaks. Jones is a man at 6'6" and strong and athletic and Vaaks can kill you if he's on in that game.

Vaaks makes me a little nervous as the guy who averages decent numbers but then drops a career high game on us as we’ve run into several times in the past.

 

[TRest]

 

[blkknight1]

Providence is going to be their best to ugly the game up. UConn can not get drawn into that kind of game .

Silas and Malachi are gonna have to keep composed. AK, Solo, Adams, Tarris, and Stewart have all played in this game before so they should know what to expect but they are the primary ball handlers.

 

[superjohn]

Pretty sure that was our F game, or at least I hope it was.

 

[Northbound]

If English could ever figure out the coaching part of it they could have something. They have plenty of individual talent, a passionate fan base but man I'm not sure English was the way to go after Cooley bounced.

No way around it Cooley had them on the come up and he was a great program promoter. I used to see a ton of stuff in national and regional media about Cooley and Friartown which always annoyed me. English seems to have just let all that erode which is a mistake, Cooley gave them an identity as a program.

Not sure Nap hired the right guy, but time will tell.

These games are always dicey - hope for a win, but like any game I never expect one.

 

[Mister P]

And we certainly hate them !

 

[willie99]

Every road game for us is our opponents circled game, we have to be prepared for that

Maybe the hostile crowd helps our players to focus

 

[gsmooth]

He’s a classic case of a previously underwhelming guy who puts it together his senior year. I’ve always like his grit and defense, but he’s a solid all-around who’s surprisingly efficient on offense.

He doesn't fit our team this year, and this is purely hypothetical, but I could see the 2023-24 UConn team still winning the championship if this year's version of Corey Floyd replaced Hassan Diarra as the guard off the bench who gets 15-20 minutes a game thanks to his defense, secondary scoring, handling and facilitating. This year's Floyd would fit nicely in a backcourt w/ Newton/Spencer/Castle.

I agree with the first paragraph, but not the second one. Hass was important for that 23-24 team and remember he got the Big East 6th Man of the Year award. If you take away Hass and put in Corey Floyd Jr. in his place that 23-24 gets worse, not better. He has no where near the ball handling skills, the passing skills, and the floor vision of Hass.

 

[Eric K]

PC will be game for this one. Their Super Bowl. Going to have to bring some energy.

After the Marquette performance, seems like this one is ripe to become a prototypical January head scratcher if they don't come in with some urgency.

Separately, poor Corey Floyd. In an alternate universe, he could be out there with coach and Karaban yelling "two rings, baldy" at the fans. What could have been...

 

[Inyatkin]

Cliff Floyd

The UConn-Mets connection is strong around here

 

[gsmooth]

The UConn-Mets connection is strong around here

LOL, thanks for pointing that out. I made the correction.

 

[CTBasketball]

We’re either going to cover in hilarious fashion. Or we’re going to shoot 2% from 3, have 18 TO’s, and lose at the buzzer to some absurd shot.

 

[gsmooth]

Vaaks makes me a little nervous as the guy who averages decent numbers but then drops a career high game on us as we’ve run into several times in the past.

I like Vaaks overall and he is a solid player. Vaaks was really struggling on his 3s going on a 2-23 stretch at one point in the season. He has a quick release, but not a super quick release, on his shot. When he doesn't have his feet set on the catch and he is rushed he will certainly miss his shots. If he has his feet set on the catch and he doesn't feel rushed he can make 3s 3-4 ft behind the 3pt line. His dribble drive to the basket is solid, but he really doesn't pass much when doing this so help defenders can affect his finish.

Providence has good athleticism, but the reason their defense is bad is because they don't have good focus and discipline on that end of the floor. The defenders can lose focus and get caught on screens and picks very easily when trying to communicate on switches. Edwards is not a good defender at all and neither is Vaaks. I have watched Providence a lot this season.

Silas, as we all know, has had issues with foul trouble. He has to avoid that today as Edwrads draws a lot of fouls. Edwards will force ill-advised shots when he doesn't feel like he is getting his, but don't let him catch fire because he will keep shooting. Jamier Jones poses the biggest threat driving to the basket even though he is 5-9 from 3, he really doesn't want to shoot it. I prefer Mullins defending Vaaks the most Stewart on Jaylin Sellers while Karaban defend Jones and he can do this by backing off him some and his closeouts don't need to be fast.

Tarris is the biggest match up advantage UConn has in their favor-PC can throw bodies at him like Oswin, Hargrove, Pinnis, or even PF Duncan Powell. With the exception of Powell, none of the other 3 have post moves to run an offense through, even though I like Oswin a lot as a player.

UConn will have to be much better today then they were on Saturday. Shot making comes and goes, but they cannot be missing wiiiiiiide open shots at the rate they have been doing most of the season and like they did against Marquette. If UConn plays close to their ceiling, or better yet to their ceiling, they will beat Providence. UConn has to match the intensity of Providence and have the attitude "you are not boosting your resume by beating us".

I will be there in the section behind UConn's bench and most likely be in Gampel on Jan 27 when Providence visits.

 

[NetCutters]

Trap game

Hate that expression so thought I'd crush anyone else's desire to type it.

It’s not a trap game. We’re coming off a game with poor performance. Hurley said the film session was brutal. The team should be ready to go against a rival.

 

[RuffRuff]

It’s not a trap game. We’re coming off a game with poor performance. Hurley said the film session was brutal. The team should be ready to go against a rival.

We win by 15. They keep it close through the first half and we pull away in the second.

 

[Palatine]

It’s not a trap game. We’re coming off a game with poor performance. Hurley said the film session was brutal. The team should be ready to go against a rival.