Providence survives Xavier in 3OT

[UconnU]

 

[Beowulf]

If he does when the ball is in play, it’s just a foul. When you do it when everyone is just standing there, well…. I think he mistimed it.

why have your second best player with 4 fouls commit the foul? when you already lost a player to a foul out when he probably shouldn't have been on the floor in an obvious intentional foul scenario. that's my only gripe. you wanna foul watson i get it. but you're gonna lose two of your starters to fouling out in obvious intentional foul scenarios when you could have had anyone do it??? if that's the case, it's inexcusable coaching. imagine hurley leaving sanogo in to foul out in that same situation when your only hope at winning is either 1. hoping prov misses at least one free throw and hitting a buzzer beater or 2. going to 3ot..................why you sacrificing your second best guy when literally anyone could foul there?? i dont think it was intentional or the plan. i think he was just messed up. if he was supposed to wait for the ball to be in the air....that's still a stupid foul. anyone on the bench could have done it. why the guy with 4?

 

[CL82]

Fully agree. I’m sure that all those stories about Providence fans making a deal with the devil are largely unjustified.

Here’s the thing, undisputedly Providence has had one heck of a run of luck, but at the end of the day they are winning. [Shrugs] At this point I think you have to accept it as a thing. From my perspective, I just want them to hold it together long enough for us to knock them off. But I’ve been a lot of other fan bases have felt that way throughout the season.

 

[CL82]

I've been to a bunch of UConn Providence games there and I don't hate them in the least. I root for Providence when it doesn't impact UConn just like I root for all Big East teams.

Feel pretty much the same way. Maybe eventually I’ll get to dislike someone, but in the near term, I want everyone to do well as long as it doesn’t come at Connecticut’s expense.

 

[UncleSpliff]

So does Xavier make the tournament?? They’re a 35 KenPom, 17-10 - (7-9) in BE. They have 3 more games. I think they need to win them all against Seton Hall, St John’s and Georgetown and maybe win a game in the BET. Any loss in the next 3 to put them sub .500 in the BE overall I think puts them in NIT territory.

 

[navery12]

So does Xavier make the tournament?? They’re a 35 KenPom, 17-10 - (7-9) in BE. They have 3 more games. I think they need to win them all against Seton Hall, St John’s and Georgetown and maybe win a game in the BET. Any loss in the next 3 to put them sub .500 in the BE overall I think puts them in NIT territory.

As long as they win 2 games of the 4 you mentioned they'll be comfortably in

 

[businesslawyer]

Fully agree. I’m sure that all those stories about Providence fans making a deal with the devil are largely unjustified.

Here’s the thing, undisputedly Providence has had one heck of a run of luck, but at the end of the day they are winning. [Shrugs] At this point I think you have to accept it as a thing. From my perspective, I just want them to hold it together long enough for us to knock them off. But I’ve been a lot of other fan bases have felt that way throughout the season.

It's fine if folks feel like Providence is a rival, or dislike them for some other reason, but the bottom line is that the goal is to win games, and they have been incredibly successful at that this year. The goal is not to win games comfortably. The goal is not to win games when the other team doesn't have a key player hurt. The goal is to win games.

They are about to have done that more than anyone in the Big East this year and wrap up the title. Good for them. They deserve well earned congratulations.

None of that stops you, me or anyone else from being confident that if we get them in the Garden, we will be able to beat them.

 

[tzznandrew]

Skipping over Wofford:

2015 Notre Dame went into the tournament with a KenPom ranking of 10 (2 Offense/110 Defense)
2012 Baylor went in as 14 (15/32)
2019 Cincinnati was 32 (46/28)
2019 LSU was 19 (10/62)

2022 Providence is currently 43 (32/68).

 

[Viet Vet]

It's fine if folks feel like Providence is a rival, or dislike them for some other reason, but the bottom line is that the goal is to win games, and they have been incredibly successful at that this year. The goal is not to win games comfortably. The goal is not to win games when the other team doesn't have a key player hurt. The goal is to win games.

They are about to have done that more than anyone in the Big East this year and wrap up the title. Good for them. They deserve well earned congratulations.

None of that stops you, me or anyone else from being confident that if we get them in the Garden, we will be able to beat them.

Al Davis, "Just win baby".

 

[drayenob]

 

[CheshireCat]

PC has needed 5 OT's to beat Xavier, Butler, and DePaul.

The worst thing about their fanbase is they can't even have fun with the run they've been on. Luckiest team in the country by far.

Beating Wisconsin without Davis isn't beating Wisconsin. Beating UConn without Sanogo isn't beating UConn. Credit to them because they can only play the teams in front of them and they're winning - but their fans are so serious about it.

Trying to act like they've been there before when they literally have 1 NCAA win in the last 2 decades. URI has more.

Have fun with it. You're a scrappy small-school program having a dream season where the ball keeps bouncing your way. Embrace the luck. But my God they're insufferable and they can't even have fun.

Pretty inaccurate take if you ask me. Cheshire CT native now living / working in Prov. I jokingly said in another thread how their incredible season is pretty infectious over this way, but in no way will it change my fanship. What it has changed, is my perspective. Great city, great fans, I took A LOT of heat when we lost to them this year…but I don’t generalize about their fanbase (anymore) because of a few donkeys on their fan board or one interaction I had in a bar. Team aside, their fanbase and students are getting national recognition and trust me, that city and those fans are having a LOT of fun. Like I said, I live there and I don’t see this “acting like they’ve been there before” nonsense. I see quite the opposite sense of “wow, I hope something big happens because it might not happen again for a long time”.

 

[Hoopcrazee]

LOL... luck?...winning close games...all they know how to do is CLOSE!!!...if you call that luck, may the luck be with us!!!

 

[Sibeerian]

I watched one of your home games earlier this year and the delirious crowd energy reminded me of what UConn fans called the Dream Season in 89-90. The team meshed, we were beating up on the great (at the time) Georgetown and Syracuse programs, we won the regular season and Big East Championships for the first time, and it was a magic carpet ride. We knew we had arrived. You can never quite recapture that feeling because it can only be the first time once.

Of course it all comes down to how the season ends. For us that year it was a classic final 8 game with a brutal gut punch at the end. At the time, Final 8 still felt like an achievement. Now as you can see people are just licking their chops waiting for Providence to have one bad game in the tourney so they can call your "lucky season" a mirage. But you're having a great year, and you should enjoy the heck out of it.

 

[Waquoit]

I watched one of your home games earlier this year and the delirious crowd energy reminded me of what UConn fans called the Dream Season in 89-90.

PC had a Dream Season of their own just 3 years earlier when they actually made the Final Four.

 

[Sibeerian]

PC had a Dream Season of their own just 3 years earlier when they actually made the Final Four.

You're right... was that Pitino's great run? (And wasn't he the first to really capitalize on the new 3-point shot?).

Not really sure what vintage FriarJ is and how long he's been watching. I did write that "it can only be the first time once" but it's not exactly true. It depends on how old you are and whether your program fell into prolonged hard times. I think students this year are feeling a bit of that pixie dust as the program fully bounces back.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Not really sure what vintage FriarJ is and how long he's been watching.

If he has used the same handle on a number of UConn boards and a couple (generic) old Big East boards he's my age (61) give or take a year or two.

Also, yes, 1987 was Pitino's run to the final four.

 

[Deepster]

So weird to hear people still treat God like some magician that waves a wand and makes some stupid basketball team win a game. Get him on the leaky roof this week. Shouldn't take the Almighty One too much time to patch that up.

 

[gsmooth]

Definitely enjoy the fun ride and don't let anyone ruin it. How good is Providence? I don't think they are as good as their record says but they are a good team, no denying that. Besides my opinion of them is just that, an opinion. They are finding ways to win close games and that's what matters and that is fact, not opinion.

Their games are entertaining and the Dunk has a great crowd and atmosphere, well except for that leaky roof : )

I have no hate towards PC. In fact a perennially good PC team creates a nice New England rivalry which I think is good for all of New England and UConn and PC.

Seeing the atmosphere at the Dunk for a few games and at the XL Center for the Nova game is great for the Big East branding. I saw many comments on YouTube videos of UConn/Nova saying they didn't care for either team but that they enjoyed the game so much they couldn't stop watching.

 

[Sibeerian]

Does this feel about right?
Lose in round one or two: "ha ha, we told you" - providence haters
Reach the sweet sixteen: answer unclear
Make the final eight or better: "ha ha, we told you" - providence fans