"Our goal today was double digit attempts in front of the rim.” On PC's dominance inside (and more) in our '10 Things' following a victory over Villanova
Recapping Providence’s 85-72 victory over Villanova, a win that gave PC its first sweep of the Wildcats since the 2012-13 season…
1. “I think these two guys have great chemistry that’s come a long, long way since the summer. We wanted to try to score in front of the rim. Our goal today was double digit attempts in front of the rim… They (Hopkins and Croswell) are the reason why we won today.”
That was Ed Cooley summing up what ultimately made the difference on Saturday. Ed Croswell and Bryce Hopkins combined for 40 points and 22 rebounds against a Villanova club that couldn’t match up with them on the interior.
Providence more than met their goal against Nova. PC shot 15-17 on shots at the rim, and ended the day by making 17-20 in the paint.
Croswell (21 points, 10 boards) versus Eric Dixon was destined to be an interior battle, but Kyle Neptune didn’t have a natural match up for Hopkins, who played the full 40 minutes and finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds, four steals, and two blocks.
Hopkins logged 50 minutes in two games this week.
2. Cooley and Hopkins had a fun-loving moment in the postgame press conference after Hopkins was asked about his defensive numbers on Saturday. Hopkins smiled as the question was being asked, then joked that Cooley said he can’t play defense, to which Cooley retorted by saying that if Gary Payton was “The Glove” then Hopkins is “The Mitten.”
3. While his numbers won’t bear it out, freshman Corey Floyd Jr. had an impact in this game on the defensive end. Nova loves posting their guards, and Floyd Jr. gave PC another strong body in the backcourt to help take away that part of their attack.
“I don’t even know if he scored, but I do know he made a major, major impact on the game today,” Cooley said.
Between Floyd Jr. and Devin Carter, this Providence team has two players who can hold up against most guards in the post.
Floyd Jr. has come a long way since seeing spot minutes over the first two months of the season, while fellow frosh Jayden Pierre once again flashed his mid-range game in the first half. The two first-year players could have an impact down the stretch.