Loss to Friars is a bad omen for Rhody
Sunday, December 05, 2010
After watching Providence dismantle Rhode Island in every way imaginable Saturday at The Dunkin’ Donuts Center, it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to believe this is the year the Rams snap their 10-year NCAA Tournament drought. The Rams looked lethargic in an 87-74 loss to their intra-state rivals, dropping to 5-3 overall – their worst start since the 2007 season when they finished 19-13 and couldn’t even secure an NIT bid, which has become an annual rite of passage in recent years.
Say what you will about the Friars’ heart, desire and determination – pick whatever corny adjective you’d like – but there’s no excuse for a deeper, more experienced Rhode Island team to suffer a loss in such humiliating fashion to a team that has struggled to beat the likes of Yale and Northeastern this season.
These are games you absolutely must win if you’re serious about making a run to the NCAAs, not only because the Friars have a woeful RPI of 107, but because this was one of those gut-check games played in a hostile environment against an underdog with nothing to lose, and the Rams fell flat on their faces in their first real litmus test of the season. The NCAA selection committee doesn’t dig that deep when evaluating bubble teams, but we, the fans, do, and if Saturday is a sign of things to come, then the Rhody faithful has every reason to be worried about what’s in store when conference play begins next month.
While it’s senseless to sound the alarm in Kingston less than a week into December, there’s legitimate cause for concern if you factor in Rhode Island’s recent track record in February and March. The Rams haven’t done enough in big games over the past three years – we’re talking critical conference games that ultimately decide a team’s fate – to earn the benefit of a doubt. All we know is what we see in front of us right now, and the reality is it’s equal parts potential and peril.
I’ve never questioned a team’s desire, and I won’t start now, but if someone were to tell me Providence “wanted it more” Saturday, I’d have a hard time coming up with an argument to debunk such a ridiculous theory. The Friars lost three key players during a tumultuous offseason. Two were kicked out of school for assaulting another student. Their leading scorer and rebounder, Jamine Peterson, earned his dismissal for what head coach Keno Davis called “a violation of team rules.” All signs pointed to a long year for Providence, and the team did little to change that perception through its first eight games, losing its only real test against La Salle and struggling in wins against aforementioned Yale, Northeastern and Division II Bentley.
And yet here we are on the Sunday following the biggest college basketball game in Rhode Island trying to figure out how a veteran team with three senior starters looked completely petrified under the bright lights at The Dunk against an opponent with only one senior (Marshon Brooks) who averages more than three minutes per game. If the Rams were ever going to snap their three-game losing streak in Providence, this was the year to do it. Their depth and experience should’ve been overwhelming factors Saturday, but the Rams looked more like a team that hadn’t played a big game before rather than one that has been down this road several times.
From the opening tip-off, the Friars took advantage of the Rams’ inability to defend or rebound. Point guard Vincent Council absolutely obliterated Rhode Island’s perimeter defenders, as did everyone else in a Friar uniform who either chose to drive the lane or cruise the baseline for uncontested baskets. The majority of the first half resembled a layup drill for Providence while Rhode Island’s leading scorer Delroy James spent most of his time watching the carnage from the bench after getting himself into early foul trouble – again, the result of not defending well enough to stop anybody without committing a foul.
While the Friars scored at will, the Rams had to work for every basket. Providence blocked 10 shots Saturday – six came from sophomore center Bilal Dixon. The Rams had so much trouble scoring in the paint that they eventually stopped trying to be aggressive, instead settling for their usual diet of rushed 3-pointers and awkward fade-away jumpers.
With just under eight minutes remaining and the Rams trailing by nine, Nikola Malesevic broke free in transition and had an open lane in front of him with a chance to trim Providence’s lead to seven. Instead of driving to the basket, Malesevic hesitated long enough to allow the Friars to collapse defensively; by the time he made his move Brooks was there to swat it away. Council sank a 3-pointer on the other end to stretch Providence’s lead to 12. One play doesn’t decide a game, but that one stood out as a microcosm of Rhode Island’s inability to build any sort of momentum Saturday.
The Friars eventually led by as many as 17 points before the end of the night. They were simply more aggressive and opportunistic than Rhode Island, which is alarming considering the Rams’ substantial edge in veteran leadership. What this will all mean three months from now remains to be seen, but it’s hard not to envision the Friars as prototypical overachievers while wondering whether the Rams will ever reach their full potential.
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