Providence Friars (16-13) 74

Butler Bulldogs (15-13) 67

It is never easy to win on the road in the Big East.

The Friars were up by 14 with five and a half minutes left in the first half but the game was back-and-forth the entire second frame, eventually needing free extra basketball to decide it.

Nate Watson once again was dominate in the post, matching his career-high of 21 points, and showing why he is best offensive big man in the Big East.  Butler point guard Kamar Baldwin did literally everything he could to help the Bulldogs pull this win out at home but the lefty came up just short in the end.  Baldwin poured in 27 points during the game and actually led his team in rebounds with 6.  There’s not much more you can ask from your best player than that.

Unfortunately, Butler shot just 31.7% as a team and 25.0% from three, while only recording 7 assists as a team.  It’s actually really hard to play an entire game and overtime and only have 7 assists as a team.  That was ultimately their downfall…well, that and their terrible shooting.

Game Notes:

• First off, Ed Cooley’s suit game has never been more on point than this.  Hoooooooooweeeeeeeeee!!!

Providence by a million! https://t.co/IGk7N5BGFb

— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) February 27, 2019

• Nate.  Watson.
• Ed Cooley has finally realized that basically every other team in the Big East doesn’t have a traditional big man that can play like a big man.  Therefore, the result is Nate Watson post domination.
• Watson tied his career-high with 21 points on 8-10 shooting.  Maybe even more impressive, he connected on 5 of 5 free throws and continues to be money from the line, thus negating any team that may want to foul him if he gets too many buckets against his defender.

🎶 No one man should have all that power! 🎶#GoFriars pic.twitter.com/jf3zDQ3WqK

— PC Men’s Basketball (@PCFriarsmbb) February 27, 2019 

• Isaiah Jackson has returned to his form from last year and added 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.  What may be even a better indication that he’s returned to form is that he hit a pair of threes.  The Friars needed guys who can consistently hit from deep, thus opening even more one-on-one scenarios for Watson down low.
• Plus, this shot was uber clutch from Super Glue.

Isaiah Jackson….Ice. #pcbb #IsaiahJackson #ClutchGene #FromTheParkingLot pic.twitter.com/aCPJfxFfFp

— The Morning Hangover (@TheMorningHang) February 27, 2019 

• Speaking of returning to form, that’s two games in a row that Alpha Diallo looks like the stud we know him to be.  Diallo went 4-7 from the field, scoring 14 points and grabbing a team-high 7 rebounds.  Diallo does need to do better than 5-10 from the free throw line in the future, but it was just enough tonight.
• Maliek White is getting in the habit of being all or nothing.  He either plays great and is one of the Friars’ best players or he shoots 1-6 like tonight.
• David Duke went scoreless but grabbed 5 rebounds and had this timely and awesome block.

David Duke with some stuffy defense #swat #pcbb #DavidDukeJr pic.twitter.com/FJkcAFaTVz

— The Morning Hangover (@TheMorningHang) February 27, 2019 

• I want to tout his 2 assists but he turned the ball over 4 times.  It’s like no one wants to officially claim the point guard spot for the team.  Every time one player has a good game and you think that they are starting to separate themselves from the other two, the next game stinks.
• Makai Ashton-Langford finished with a swell stat line of 7 points, 6 rebounds, a team-high 4 assists, a steal, and a block.  Not bad at all.  That probably means that next game he won’t score at all…but we’ll see.

Get it & go, great connection from Ashton-Langford to a flying Reeves #pcbb #MakaiAshtonLangford #AJReeves #alleyoop pic.twitter.com/lqusEQiNH0

— The Morning Hangover (@TheMorningHang) February 27, 2019 

• I wish that Kamar Baldwin didn’t play in the Big East because otherwise I’d probably really enjoy watching him play.
• Big East refs have been so terrible this year…

Forget the fact that this wasn’t a charge, how is the basket not good from MAL?? The shot is obviously out of his hands before any contact #pcbb pic.twitter.com/HjN5hsGQ7v

— The Morning Hangover (@TheMorningHang) February 27, 2019 

• This win tied Ed Cooley with Tim Welsh for third place on the Friars all-time wins list.

Up Next, the Friars try to even up the season series with Creighton.