Providence Basketball Friars a No. 4 seed in Midwest Region
The Providence Friars are a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and got word on Sunday that they’ll face South Dakota State in Buffalo
Bill Koch, The Providence Journal
PROVIDENCE — Just about every narrative that’s followed Providence College this charmed season will be in play over the next few days.
The Friars should expect to be painted as overseeded and in need of some luck entering their NCAA Tournament opener against South Dakota State. The numbers on paper suggest they’re in some trouble against the Jackrabbits and would be a clear underdog in a Round of 32 meeting with Iowa.
What Providence has specialized in thus far is defying those odds, and it will need to do so again while advancing through the Midwest Region. The Friars tip off on Thursday at 12:40 p.m. in Buffalo, facing off against the Summit League champions at KeyBank Center.
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“I just feel like with this older veteran group we can withstand a lot of ups and downs throughout the game and just stay steady,” Providence guard A.J. Reeves said. “With us on the court and the coaching staff, I feel like we can weather a lot of storms.
“I feel like we’ll be ready.”
Superior experience and an uncanny knack for winning close games propelled Providence to its first Big East regular-season championship. The Friars are 15-2 in single-digit contests and 11-2 in matchups decided by five points or less. Those don’t translate favorably to math-based metrics like the NCAA’s NET formula and KenPom.com — the computers set the Friars as just two-point favorites against South Dakota State.
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Think of it in historical terms — a power conference champion, No. 4 seed and 25-5 team overall should expect a far easier ride against a No. 13 seed mid-major. But that’s been typical of how Providence has navigated the last five months, scoring nine of its last 11 wins by an average of 4.3 points.
“We’ll learn about them as quick as we can,” Providence coach Ed Cooley said. “The region is great for our fan support. They can get an Uber up to Buffalo.”
The Jackrabbits haven’t lost in more than three months, checking in at 30-4 overall. They’re the top 3-point shooting team nationally at 44.2% — Colgate is a distant second at 40.1%. South Dakota State carries a top-15 offense overall and also ranks inside the top 25 in 2-point shooting and turnover percentage.
“We’re not afraid of anybody,” Providence guard Al Durham said. “It definitely doesn’t matter. It didn’t matter what seed we were.”
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Baylor Scheierman was named his conference’s Player of the Year, the sixth member of the Jackrabbits to take home the honor in the last seven seasons. The sophomore wing averaged 18.2 points and shot 46.6% from deep, which is a top-20 national mark. Junior forward Luke Appel was named Sixth Man of the Year and Eric Henderson took home Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his three seasons.
Senior forward Douglas Wilson led five players in double figures with 21 points as South Dakota State edged North Dakota State, 75-69, in the league title game. The Jackrabbits were a perfect 21-0 against league foes and didn’t win by less than four points in any game. Oral Roberts — the No. 15 seed that reached the Sweet 16 in last year’s version of March Madness — pushed them to overtime on Feb. 24 before suffering a 106-102 road defeat.
“I know they’re the best 3-point shooting team in the country,” Providence center Nate Watson said. “We have to be well-prepared for that.”
The Friars entered Sunday at No. 33 in the NET and No. 49 per KenPom.com — those numbers would correspond with No. 9 and No. 13 seeds, respectively. The three teams directly ahead of them according to KenPom — Alabama-Birmingham, Marquette and Iowa State — received No. 12, No. 9 and No. 11 seeds. North Texas and BYU didn’t qualify directly behind them while Notre Dame and Creighton were No. 11 and No. 9 seeds, respectively.
That’s a long way of saying Providence will be selected by many to exit in a possible meeting with the Hawkeyes, a No. 5 seed that checks in at No. 14 in the NET and No. 13 per KenPom. Iowa is an offensive juggernaut that has dropped just one of its last 10 games and captured the Big 10 tournament title.
The Friars would be favored against No. 12 seed Richmond, the unlikely Atlantic 10 tournament champions after finishing sixth in the conference during the regular season. The Spiders are a top-20 team nationally in terms of experience, with veteran players like Grant Golden, Jacob Gilyard, Nick Sherod and Nathan Cayo in their lineup. Tyler Burton is a nearby Uxbridge, Mass., native and potential NBA prospect whose father, Quinton, played at Providence from 1986-90.
Kansas is the region’s top seed after winning its ninth Big 12 tournament title under Bill Self. The Jayhawks would be right at home in the Sweet 16 — they’ve played the season-opening Champions Classic at the United Center in Chicago three times with Duke, Kentucky and Michigan State. Auburn is generally considered the top No. 2 seed in the field and spent its first three weeks in program history at No. 1 in the national polls from Jan. 24 through Feb. 14.
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
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Publish date : 2022-03-14 03:00:00
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