Providence Friars 77 (2-1)

Washington Huskies 70 (2-1)

First off, that picture is fucking awesome.  Kudos to the photographer who took that one.

As for the actual game, the final score was a lot closer than I thought it was going to be heading into the matchup.  Of course, the opening line was Providence -7, so once again, they were spot on in Vegas with their score prediction.

Last year’s Rodney Bullock showed up for the first time this season, almost recording his first double-double of the season and leading the Friars in points (17) and rebounds (9) on the night.  The game was won by the Providence bench in this one, outscoring the husky reserves 25-9…just ask Ed Cooley.

Our bench won the game for us tonight. We are going to the championship game of an in season tourney for the many consecutive seasons now. Proud of our guys. E Cooley pic.twitter.com/c1t8TlWy1B

— Ed Cooley (@CoachCooleyPC) November 17, 2017

Game Notes:

• Welcome back Rodney Bullock.  Bullock got things going early and played easily his best game of the year.  Bullock led the team with 17 points on 5-11 shooting from the floor, including 2-3 from three and 5-7 from the line.  It was great to see Rodney be effective down low against the zone and even better to see him get to the line often.
• Bullock also led the way with 9 rebounds and limited the turnovers (1) and fouls (1) which I think goes a long way for his confidence during a game.  He also chipped in a block, a steal, and 2 assists.
• Isaiah Jackson had a very uncharacteristically tough game.  He just looked off the entire game and sometimes you just don’t have it for whatever reason in a game.  Jackson, who is usually sound in all aspects, turned the ball over 4 times and was just 1-4 from the floor for 2 points.  His difficulties led to him playing just 12 minutes.
• The great thing about this year’s team compared to Providence’s squads of the past is that they have the depth to deal with a player like Jackson having an off day.  Everyone off the bench played well (Watson, Ashton-Langford, Lindsey, White, & Edwards) but Drew Edwards played exceptionally well.
• I love Drew Edwards playing against a zone because unlike a lot of players that just pass it around the perimeter until the shot clock dwindles away, Edwards attacks the teeth of a zone and creates offense that breaks down the defense.

I’ve been saying it since his Freshman year, Edwards is one of the best at aggressively attacking the teeth of a zone #DrewEdwards #pcbb #nofear pic.twitter.com/YT9hEJE5zS

— The Morning Hangover (@TheMorningHang) November 17, 2017

• Edwards finished with 11 points and 4 rebounds.  He was 3-4 from the field (2-2 from three) and 3-3 from the line.  The 11 points is the second most points that Edwards has scored in a game as a Friar.  He scored 17 points against Bryant his Freshman season.
• Maliek White was just as good off the pine, dropping a team-high 6 assists while not turning the ball over a single time.  White’s excellent distribution efforts earned him some well deserved extra minutes of playing time in the game.

Wait, I thought I already warned y’all ‘bout that Sophomore Connection #pcbb #maliekwhite #kalifyoung pic.twitter.com/T53h1EbmGm

— The Morning Hangover (@TheMorningHang) November 17, 2017

• That’s not to say Makai played poorly or anything, Cooley just ran with the hot hand.

Makai getting it done on both ends of floor, flying through the air with the greatest of ease #pcbb #MAL #AnotherCartwrightAssist #StealAmdDeal pic.twitter.com/uBG9sCJfF0

— The Morning Hangover (@TheMorningHang) November 17, 2017

• I just love the way MAL finishes.
• Cartwright was his usual efficient self, scoring 10, dishing 5 dimes, and grabbing a pair of boards.
• Kyron needs 26 more assists to get into the 500 Club for his career.  He would be just the 7th player in Friars history to eclipse that number.  Cartwright has already moved from 13th to 11th all-time in assists on the PC career list.  Next up on his list is Geoff McDermott.  Kyron needs 4 assists to tie McDermott and 5 to pass him, so he should move into 10th place in the next game against St. Louis.
• The Friars as a team assisted on 22 of their 25 baskets.  That’s an 88% clip for those of you keeping score at home.  That’s just awesome.
• On the flip side, they did turn it over a whopping 19 times, something that kept the Huskies in the game.
• The main culprit in the turnover effort was Alpha Diallo who coughed it up 5 times on the night.  Alpha was on point in all the other aspects of offense, shooting 4-5 from the floor and adding 5 assists and 4 rebounds.
• PLEASE PUT THIS MAN IN THE CENTER OF THE ZONE!!!  He’s so damn versatile and always makes the smart decision with the ball in his hands there.
• The New York product always likes coming back home to ball…and it shows.

A little scrambled eggs leading to an Alpha Diallo Hometown Throwdown #pcbb #AlphaDiallo #HometownKid pic.twitter.com/u6SP1GlNpo

— The Morning Hangover (@TheMorningHang) November 17, 2017

• Kalif was a man possessed running the floor per usual.  I especially like when he does it against a team that plays a lot of zone so the Friars can get buckets before they have a chance to set up their defense.
• Young was 5-8 from the floor for 12 points and 5 rebounds but was in foul trouble the whole night, eventually fouling out of the game because the refs wanted to let everyone know that they’re who everyone came to watch.

A little Sophomore Special from Maliek White to Kalif Young #pcbb #maliekwhite #kalifyoung #nofouliguess pic.twitter.com/bOlk577XvT

— The Morning Hangover (@TheMorningHang) November 17, 2017 

• Nate Watson was the other big getting a quick whistles from the zebras and finished with 5 points in 13 minutes.  Don’t think I didn’t see that cool ass stripe down the side of your haircut either.  He must’ve found out that I thought MAL had the best haircut on the team and had to 1-up him.  Well, it worked.
• The Friars shot 51% from the field and 53.3% from deep.
• Jalen Lindsey was 1-3 from long range and has now hit a three-pointer in 29 straight games for the Friars dating back to last season.  His last game without a made three was against Memphis in last year’s pre-season tournament.
• As for the post-win celebration photo…

• I’m going to go with Drew as my favorite, in the slightest of margins over Big Nate.  I see you with your patented thumbs up Tommy Boy.
• Speaking of how good the Friar bench was, Andrew Fonts is a much welcomed addition to the Bench Mob and was great with his high energy spurring the team on.
• A nice little nugget from Steve Hartnett of ScoutFriars.com.  Ed Cooley really is the best.

Providence has now played in the Championship game of every early season tournament they’ve participated in during the Ed Cooley era.

— Steve Hartnett (@stevehartnett92) November 17, 2017

• Shoutout to National Guard Service Members Demettrious Dawkins and Jennifer Norris, representing Providence at the 2K Classic for the Wounded Warrior Project.

Next Up, the Friars take on St. Louis in the 2K Classic Championship tonight at MSG.  The Billikens beat Virginia Tech en route to the final.  The game will air at 7 PM on ESPN2.