Despite Huge Nights from Devin Carter and Josh Oduro, Providence's Approach to DePaul was Lacking
Well, it was a win.
It was a win Providence needed to improve to 17-9 on the season, and get back over .500 in the Big East with an 8-7 conference record, yet outside of outbursts from the Friars’ two stars, PC’s approach to their 81-70 victory over DePaul left a lot to be desired.
We should start by acknowledging two more terrific efforts from Devin Carter and Josh Oduro.
Carter shot a sizzling 7-10 from beyond the 3-point arc, and scored 31 points on just 14 field goal attempts (10-14). He also added 13 rebounds, marking just the third time in the last 15 years that a Friar has scored at least 30 points and grabbed 13 boards.
The first came when Ben Bentil went for 31/13 in an overtime win at Villanova in 2016, while Carter did it for the second time this season on Saturday night.
Carter’s late three-point barrage helped Providence open up a 22-point lead with two minutes left in the game.
Oduro emphatically returned to the Friar lineup on Tuesday, scoring 26 of his 28 points in the second half of a narrow victory over St. John’s. Saturday was more of the same, with Oduro scoring 27 points on an efficient 10-12 shooting from the field and 2-3 from beyond the arc.
Typically, this type of dominance from Carter and Oduro is a formula for a great night in Friartown, and while PC will take a February victory in almost any form, their approach to this one was lacking both early and late.