News and Notes: Why Providence isn't getting to the line, Red Storm Rising, Trouble at Marquette, and more

Photo courtesy of Carl Rizzo

In a number of Providence games this season, I found myself thinking back to Sean Miller’s rant last year about officiating in the Big East. Essentially, the Xavier coach (following a loss to the Friars in which he picked up a technical foul) argued that there is a pecking order when it comes to officiating and the league’s coaches.

Is there validity to it? Is there an element of young coaches like Providence’s Kim English (in his second year in the league) having to pay his dues, or the newer coaching additions to the league not getting a good whistle?

Let’s start with Miller’s statement:

I haven't been here long enough. I haven't been in the final four. Don't have enough championships or wins.

I get it. But I get a technical foul, and this is the second time on this, for saying that's five fouls in a row now. That's five fouls in a row.

That's a problem. That's a problem.

And I get it.

I'll take my rightful place on one knee, but what I'm not gonna do is sit and watch that other coach do anything different than sit on his one knee. Because when you get into these type of games at Creighton, in Providence, I don't wanna give Providence one point or two points. That technical foul came at the beginning, in the middle of the first half, and if that's the bench decorum, then let's even out these tiers.

Don't pick on the weak dudes like me. Spread that shit out. Get some more guys.

Friar fans have to find some irony in Miller’s inclusion of Providence in his rant — or the fact that this came after a game against the Friars. Sure, the Big East offices resided in Rhode Island forever, but the program certainly never felt like one of the “haves” in the league.

And between English’s recent ejection against Xavier (go figure), his tech the last time out at Georgetown, and a consistently negative disparity at the free throw line this season, it feels like the Friars can’t catch a break with the refs.

The feeling is compounded when English gets tossed from a game while other coaches in the league are far more demonstrative on the sideline.

But, does the free throw line disparity have more to do with Providence’s playing style, English still earning his stripes, or some other factor?

Here is where the Friars stand in key categories in terms of fouling and free throw shooting in league play this season:

On sheer FTA/FTM differential, it’s been rough, but from a Free Throw Rate perspective (free throws attempted as a percentage of their field goal attempts), PC trends more towards the middle of the pack.

During games, it often feels like English is paying his dues as a young coach, but when we look a little bit deeper and include Providence’s numbers from last season, that theory goes up in smoke. Check out the numbers from last year for the Friars:

With English in his first season in the league (and without Bryce Hopkins for 17 of their conference games), last season’s Friars certainly had no qualms with the officials — with the best Free Throw Attempt Rate and second most fouls drawn in the league.

While the numbers are stark, the disparity this year is likely more rooted in the makeup of Providence’s roster — undersized in the backcourt, down their more physical wings for long stretches, and replacing the guile and experience of Josh Oduro with three centers navigating their way through the league for the first time.

This year’s Friars don’t have anyone drawing fouls at a high clip. In Big East games, only Bensley Joseph (2.4), Jayden Pierre (2.3), and Wesley Cardet (2.3) are drawing more than two fouls per game — and Cardet has been sidelined for much of league play.

Last season Oduro drew 4.6 fouls per game, Devin Carter 4.8, and in the three games Bryce Hopkins played he was at nearly six in Big East play.

It’s probably not unfair to think Kim English doesn’t get the same whistle as a Rick Pitino, Dan Hurley, or Shaka Smart, but Providence drew more than its share of fouls with a more physical roster last season.

News and Notes:

• Providence is catching Marquette at a tough time. The Golden Eagles lost to Villanova on Friday night and have gone from 9-1 in the Big East to 11-5 thanks a 2-4 start to February. With four games left in the regular season, Shaka Smart’s group ends the year with games at UConn and against St. John’s, so they should be pretty desperate when Providence comes to town on Tuesday night. “We have a lot of getting better to do between now and our next game,” Smart said on Friday night.

• The Friars haven’t won in Milwaukee since 2020, including blowouts last year (91-69) and during the terrific 2021-22 season (88-56). PC is 3-15 all-time on the road versus Marquette.

• Providence commit Jaylen Harrell finished with 35 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in a 69-66 win over Worcester Academy on Saturday. His CATS Academy team is a favorite to win the NEPSAC AA championship this March. Their postseason starts on March 5.

• Fellow PC commit Jamier Jones and Oak Ridge lost a five-overtime heartbreaker to Windermere in regional play on Thursday.

• Georgetown power forward Drew Fielder and PC center Oswin Erhunmwunse were called for technicals when neither would let go following a jump call. When asked about the tech after the game Fielder deadpanned, “That’s my ball.”

• The Vice Sports series “Red Storm Rising” on Rick Pitino and St. John’s is a great watch. This week’s episode had all sorts of PC content — from Pitino’s halftime rant as the Johnnies trailed by double figures at halftime at the AMP in December to his history in Providence.

• Pitino’s club dominated UConn, 89-75, on Sunday afternoon, completing a sweep of the Huskies. St. John’s is 24-4 on the season and 15-2 in Big East play. They are 17-0 at home. Their 24 wins are already their most in a season since 2000 — the last time the Johnnies were ranked in the top 10 nationally and also the last year in which they won an NCAA Tournament game.