Trial By Friar: New England Hoops Wrap-Up

1/18/2014

Photo: ANDREW THEODORAKIS/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

The Providence Friars are back on track.

After losing three straight games, including a 30-point drubbing against Villanova, The Friars rattled off back-to-back conference wins against Georgetown and St. John's, sending Ed Cooley's squad up the Big East ladder.

In their most recent challenge--a conference road game against St. John's--the Friars pulled off a double overtime win behind an inspired performance from Bryce Cotton. The Senior guard led the team in scoring (21), rebounds (9), and assists (8). LaDontae Henton and Kadeem Batts added 17 points and 9 assists apiece.

Expecting a win in the Friars' next challenge is a tall order. They host the two-loss, #20 ranked Creighton Jays on Saturday night.

Around the Region

2013-14 has been a great year for college hoops in New England. UMass, with just one loss (Florida State), has shown a return to prominence last seen in the Calipari/Camby era.

Providence--as mentioned above--went through a bit of a swoon in December, but seemed to have catch their stride in January. Depth may become an issue, as the Friars only play about eight men deep. In the double overtime win at St. John's, Bryce Cotton was on the court for the entire fifty minutes.

UConn is having another solid year under second-year coach Kevin Ollie. They have pulled off a couple of big wins, namely Florida, and more recently, Memphis on the road. However, all three of their losses (Stanford, SMU, Houston) were very winnable games.

Harvard and Rhode Island are both very exciting young teams. They have both shown the ability to hang-in with, and win, against tough opponents (TCU and LSU, respectively). However, both schools are still a step behind some of the competition in the region. But seeing two more New England teams return to relevance is exciting.

Ocean State Hoops Ahead

Providence
1/18 vs. #20 Creighton
1/21 vs. Butler
1/25 vs. Xavier

Rhode Island
1/22 @ St. Joseph's
1/25 vs. Dayton

Brown
1/25 v. Yale

Bryant
1/23 vs. Long Island University
1/25 vs. St. Francis (NY)

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