Providence Friars 72 (3-0)
Wisconsin Badgers 59 (1-2)
The Friars were tasked with the toughest opponent this season, taking on a visiting Wisconsin team that was fresh off of a loss to Top Ten ranked Tennessee. The Big East had dropped their leagues first two match-ups in the Gavitt Games and was looking for its first win of the 2023-2024 series against the Big Ten Conference. Plus, this may be the last installment of the Gavitt Games as the series was not re-upped by the conferences past this season, making this potentially the 8th and final year of the incredibly entertaining early season competition…which would certianly suck.
As for the game, Devin Carter continues to be the driving force for the Friars to start the season but there are multiple players who are also making their claim for that driver’s seat. Carter led the Friars with 21 points and 8 rebounds, making shots from every level. Jayden Pierre started things off on fire for Providence, scoring 11 points in the first 12 minutes of the game, helping the Friars get out to a sizable 27-9 advantage out of the gates. Bryce Hopkins (16) and Josh Oduro (13) rounded out the Friars scoring in double-figures in a game that they didn’t trail in for a single second.
Game Notes:
- Let’s update a couple of records before we get into things, shall we?
- Kim English as the Providence Head Coach: 3-0
- Friars are 3-0 to start the year for the 3rd third consecutive season.
- PC is now 5-1 all-time vs. Wisconsin having beaten the Badgers in 5 straight games, not losing since their very first meeting in 1961.
- Providence is now 3-3 all-time in the Gavitt Games.
- Providence improved to 39-3 at the AMP in their last 42 games.
- The Friars improved to 89-5 in non-conference home games over the last 13 seasons.
- Friars are on a current 22-game winning streak in non-conference home games
- This was a glimpse into what an ideal Kim English-led game would be. Stifling defense starting on the perimeter, runouts and filling the lane of turnovers and defensive rebounds, ball movement leading to open three-pointers, and a never-ending pace.
- Devin Carter notched his 6th career game with 20+ points (5th with PC), hitting 6/8 overall, including 3/5 from deep for 21 points overall.
- He has noticeably improved his outside shot and with the team’s new offensive scheme, it’s appearing like those looks are coming in better situations. There isn’t a need for Carter to create a shot that turns into a contested three and it’s helping him in all areas of his game. Carter has hit at least 1 three in each game this season including 3 apiece in each of the last two. Through the three games, he is 7/16 (43.8%) from three-point land.
- Carter also led the team in rebounding with 8 so we’ll give him a pass on those 5 turnovers.
- Jayden Pierre has officially made the Sophomore leap.
- I thought there was no way that Pierre could possibly come close to last year’s three-point shooting numbers and although it’s a very small sample size of three games, he is shooting the exact same 54.5% from deep and doing so on 3 more attempts per game.
- Pierre followed up his 16 points performance against Milwaukee with 13 points on 5/7 shooting, including a perfect 3/3 from distance. He looks so confident in his shooting and looks like he’ll be able to get the Friars a bucket if they’re ever in dire need for one.
- As a former Big East Coach told Kim English, “You need a Jayden Pierre in the Big East.”
- Josh Oduro is a damn pleasure to watch play basketball.
- I would like to preface my next statement by saying that I am not comparing Oduro to Nicola Jokic… but his passing style and prowess for a guy with size and similar slower movement reminds me so much of how Jokic moves and passes the ball for the Nuggets. It’s all about positioning and smarts and it’s a fucking joy to watch.
- Oduro led the Friars with 4 assists and was didn’t miss a shot on the night, going 6/6 for 13 points. He added 3 rebounds and 2 blocks to an overall great performance. Oduro had 10 games with 4 or more assists last season so I’m hoping that he continues dishing dimes as pretty as those from the Wisconsin game.
- I love Ticket Gaines.
- He does everything well and he does it all with 100% energy and hustle. He is the ultimate glue guy and the type of player you absolutely NEED on a winning basketball team.
- Gaines stuffed the stat sheet with 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. The combination of Dual, Carter, Pierre, Floyd, and Ticket on the perimeter is a turnstile of elite defenders.
- The scariest thing about how well the Friars played and are playing so far this season is that Bryce Hopkins hasn’t even hit his stride yet. He’s averaging 13.3 points and 7.3 rebounds and still has multiple levels that he can raise his game.
- It has become apparent that unlike last year’s squad, the Friars don’t solely depend on Hopkins to play every game at an All-League level in order to win. Hopkins still made a handful of Hopkins-like plays, excelling when he was around the cup and will continue to find his groove as he grows more comfortable in his shot selection.
- The Friars bench (Rafael Castro, Corey Floyd Jr., and Garwey Dual) had a pretty quiet night, combining for a total of just 4 points. When your starters shoot a combined 23/36 (63.9%) from the floor, I guess you’re not being asked to do all that much anyway.
- I am still a little scared by the poor free throw shooting whenever we eventually get into a close game soon.
- It was a little weird to se AJ Storr in a Wisconsin uniform instead of a St. John’s one but the red and white colors made it feel a bit familiar. Storr ended up with 21 points, although he did so on 17 shots and did most of his damage in the 2nd half (19 points) when the game was pretty far out of reach.
- Wisconsin Coach Greg Gard summed up the game very succinctly…
- PC recruiting target Brown Jr. was in attendance for the beat down of Wisconsin and the Friar Student Section gave him a warm welcome upon entry.
- And you know what, he seemed to like it in Friartown too…
- Brown is a 2025 five-star point guard with Overtime Elite who was on an official visit to Providence.
- Full Game highlights here:
- Post-Game Pic…I’m going with Ticket as my favorite #44Blessed
- Post-Game Press Conference with Coach Kim English, Devin Carter, and Jayden Pierre…and oh man, what a thumbnail.
Next Up, the Friars travel to Nassau, Bahamas to play Kansas State in the 2023 Baha Mar Hoops Championship on Friday, November 17th at 6:00 PM on CBS Sports Network.
The Morning Hangover 