News and Notes: Early season games of note, a look ahead at UMass, what Net Rating tells us about last year's Friars, some early doubters, and more
News and Notes: Early season games of note, a look ahead at UMass, what Net Rating tells us about last year's Friars, some early doubters, and more
News and notes with just three weeks left until the start of the season…
1. Perhaps no national publication does a better job covering the college game than the team at CBS Sports, and earlier this week they released their Big East preview. Specific to Providence, CBS likes Bryce Hopkins to return to 1st Team All-Big East status, assuming a healthy season in 2024-25, and they pick Providence to come in sixth, between Xavier (5) and Villanova (7).
Gary Parrish is highest on PC, predicting a fifth place finish for the Friars, while their other six writers have Kim English’s group finishing sixth.
Connecticut will be the favorite in virtually every publication this fall, as it is on CBS, yet what’s interesting about the league is that the teams slotted 2-6 feel very much interchangeable.
2. I went down a Net Rating rabbit hole over the weekend in an effort to see how the former teams of Providence’s incoming transfers fared when those players were on and off the floor a season ago.
This thought was sparked after listening to a not-so-glistening preview of Providence’s roster by The Three Man Weave. The hosts, Jim Root and Matt Cox, took Providence’s transfer haul to task. Here were some of the more notable thoughts:
Christ Essandoko: “I don’t love the vibes I’m getting from St. Joe’s fans, and the hints from the staff. It was very clear that they were worse with him on the floor… I think he’s been a little overrated in this offseason cycle.”
“Yeah, I don’t like him. I’ll just come out and say it. I’m not an Essandoko fan, not a fan of his game.”
Bensley Joseph: “A guy like Bensley Joseph, come on, that Miami team was bad last year when he was a starter. I know he was on the Final Four team, but he wasn’t a major piece.”
Jabri Abdur-Rahim: “A known commodity. Solid. Not fantastic, not elite.”
Wesley Cardet: “You’re going to rely on Wesley Cardet to be your guy? I think that’s a huge, huge red flag.”
Not that Providence needs any additional motivation this fall, but this podcast certainly provided some. Criticism is fair game, but it’s rare that you hear a podcast go so hard after every member of a transfer class.
The Three Man Weave group has some sort of history with Kim English dating back to their Missouri days that certainly played into this, but their commentary did lead to an idea to look into the Net Ratings for each of PC’s transfers from last season.