Providence basketball goes missing against Seton Hall; what went wrong?
PROVIDENCE — It’s not just a one-game anomaly anymore.
Providence is officially in a tailspin heading to the Big East Tournament. The Friars went missing on defense earlier in the week against Xavier and followed that loss with another dud against Seton Hall on Saturday.
The Pirates unleashed an early assault and simply protected their advantage through the final 20 minutes. The result was an 82-58 stunner at Amica Mutual Pavilion, one that prevented Providence from immediately clinching the No. 3 seed at Madison Square Garden.
Seton Hall shot 65.4% in the first half and opened a 24-point lead early in the second. The Friars drew to within 13 but came no closer, suffering consecutive defeats at this venue for the first time since the 2018-19 season. That campaign ended with an NIT loss against Arkansas. This one seemed to promise so much more as recently as a couple of short weeks ago.
“We’ve got to fight,” Providence coach Ed Cooley said. “In life, you get what you fight for. We’re not fighting like the team I know that we have.”
Wednesday night's game marked the most points allowed in regulation under Cooley, as Xavier remained in control throughout a 94-89 victory. The Musketeers shot 72.0% in the second half to get over the line and averaged 1.32 points per possession. That came off the back of an 87-69 loss at Connecticut on Feb. 22 in which Providence allowed a season-worst 1.36 points per possession.
“There’s not one positive thing I can say about our defense,” Cooley said. “Our defense is soft, not connected, non-verbal. We’re not in gaps. We’re not contesting shots.”
This occasion now represents the worst home defeat the Friars have suffered under Cooley, a tenure that stretches to the 2011-12 season. Providence dropped an 80-63 stinker against DePaul in February 2018 — the hosts hadn’t lost by more than 20 points here since a 92-70 setback against Louisville in January 2010. Pittsburgh inflicted the most pain in recent times, an 88-61 thrashing in March 2004 on the way to a Sweet 16.
“That’s clearly on me,” Cooley said. “I’ve got to look myself in the mirror here and ask if I’m playing the right guys.
“Am I playing guys who have a will, a want, a passion, a plan? Very, very disappointed in the group. Very disappointed in our preparation.”
The Pirates bullied Providence inside early with a smaller lineup and methodically found their way to the rim. Seton Hall went 14-for-19 from 2-point range prior to the break and all but one of those field goals came in the paint. The Friars were booed to the home locker room by some of the 11,589 fans on hand facing a 44-25 deficit and never made a credible threat to regain the lead.
“I’m very hurt for our fans,” Cooley said. “I did not expect a team to perform like that with so much to play for.”
Xavier is a top-10 national offense, according to KenPom.com, and features a pair of backcourt stars in Souley Boum and Colby Jones. The Pirates have no such pedigree; they're 177th nationally entering this tip, and Kadary Richmond (back) missed his third straight game. The point guard finished with a career-high 28 points in the first meeting this season, a tense 71-67 victory for Providence in Newark.
Coach Shaheen Holloway secured a .500 league finish in his debut season at his alma mater, as Seton Hall (17-14, 10-10 Big East) snapped a three-game losing streak. The visitors were locked already into the No. 7 seed in Manhattan and played like a team looking to build some last-chance momentum. Dre Davis came off the bench to lead all scorers with 24 points, missing just one of his 10 shots from the field.
“There’s concern when you’re not playing well,” Cooley said. “Very rarely in our tenure have we had losses going into the Big East Tournament. Normally, we’re hitting our stride.”
The Friars (21-10, 13-7 Big East) held realistic hopes of defending their league crown after 11 games. Providence was 17-5 overall and 9-2 in conference play — a prime NCAA Tournament seed also beckoned. What’s followed is a 4-5 skid down the stretch and a tumble toward the bottom of the at-large selections into the March Madness field.
Later results elsewhere will dictate who and when Providence plays in its Thursday quarterfinal. Connecticut visited Villanova and Creighton traveled to DePaul for night games and carried the chance to pass the Friars in the standings via tiebreakers. Providence will start at either 2:30 p.m. or 9:30 p.m. — the late game would be against the Wildcats.
“I love adversity because it brings about an opportunity to change,” Cooley said. “It brings about opportunity to find out who we really are.
“Are we frauds? Who knows? But adversity brings out the best in some people and, hopefully, it will bring out the best in this group.”
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
SETON HALL (82): Ndefo 5-8 4-4 15, Samuel 2-2 2-4 6, Dawes 4-11 0-0 11, Jam.Harris 1-4 0-0 3, Odukale 7-10 4-7 19, D.Davis 9-10 2-2 24, T.Davis 2-2 0-0 4, Gabriel 0-1 0-0 0, Mercado 0-0 0-0 0, Muhammad 0-0 0-0 0, Sanders 0-0 0-0 0; totals 30-48 12-17 82.
PROVIDENCE (21-10): Croswell 6-10 1-3 13, Hopkins 2-9 0-0 4, Bynum 4-8 2-3 12, Carter 5-12 3-5 14, Locke 1-9 0-0 2, Breed 2-4 0-0 5, Floyd 0-1 2-2 2, Moore 1-1 0-0 2, Pierre 1-2 0-0 2, Castro 1-1 0-0 2; totals 23-57 8-13 58.
Halftime — Seton Hall 44-25. 3-pt. goals — Seton Hall 10-18 (D.Davis 4-4, Dawes 3-7, Ndefo 1-1, Odukale 1-1, Jam.Harris 1-4, Gabriel 0-1), Providence 4-23 (Bynum 2-6, Breed 1-3, Carter 1-5, Hopkins 0-3, Locke 0-6). Rebounds — Seton Hall 30 (Odukale 8), Providence 24 (Croswell 9). Assists — Seton Hall 18 (Odukale 5), Providence 13 (Bynum, Carter 3). Total fouls — Seton Hall 16, Providence 13. Records — Seton Hal 17-14, Providence 21-10.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Seton Hall hands Providence basketball its second straight home loss
