Villanova Wildcats 13-3 (4-1) at Providence Friars 8-8 (1-4)
Where: Amica Pavilion (Providence, RI)
When: Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 6:30 PM
Betting Line: TBD
How to Watch: FS1
How to Listen: Villanova Sports Radio Network
Net Rankings: Villanova 29, Providence 86 (Quad 2)
KenPom: Villanova 25, Providence 67
Torvik: Villanova 33, Providence 77
About Providence: While the last opponent was selected fifth in the Big East Preseason Poll (Marquette), the Friars were selected fourth. Those teams currently occupy the last two
spots in the conference at 1-4 respectively. Outside of the big win at St. John’s and a near-win against UConn, things have not been going well in year three for head coach Kim English.
Providence is led by senior guards Jason Edwards and Jaylin Sellers, as well as standout freshman Stefan Vaaks. Edwards, a 6’1” transfer from Vanderbilt, averages 17.2 points and connects on 35.6% of his attempts from three. Sellers, a 6’5” transfer from UCF, averages 15.4 points and makes 42.1% of his shots from deep. You have to wonder if those two are regretting their transfer decisions right now. Vaaks averages 13.8 points per game and makes 34.7% from range on 7.8 attempts. As you can tell by these three alone: the Friars depend heavily on the three-ball. Freshman Jamier Jones is also averaging double-digits, coming in at 10.9 points. He is shooting 61.5% from three, but only on 13 total attempts. Jones also shoots 68.5% overall, so he mostly takes high-percentage shots. He missed the game against Xavier, so that will be something to monitor.
Providence typically goes nine-deep in their rotation, with the vast majority of their production coming from the perimeter. Sophomore center Oswin Erhunmwunse provides a defensive presence averaging 2.7 blocks per game, as well as chipping in 7.5 points and 7.1 rebounds. At 6’10”, Erhunmwunse is at least two inches taller than everyone else in the standard rotation.
The Friars are currently 16th in the nation in points per game, so this could be a track meet. They also rank in the top 90 in field goal percentage, three-point percentage, rebounds per game, assists per game, assist/turnover ratio and blocks per game. So why are they struggling? Well, that’s due to the other end of the court. Torvik ranks Providence as 195th in adjusted defensive efficiency, whereas they are 29th on offense. Villanova should be able to get whatever they want on that end.
As far as common opponents go, the Friars have beaten Penn, but they have lost to Wisconsin, Seton Hall and Butler. They are coming off of a 97-84 road loss at Xavier.
Notes on Nova: Villanova bounced back on the road at Marquette, and will look to keep the momentum going in a tough environment. Providence could (and should) have beaten UConn at their place just a week ago, so the Wildcats will need to be on their game to win. The Friars want this game to be in the upper 80s, so if Villanova can keep them to below 80 I like their chances of coming home with a win. The ‘‘Cats have held every opponent not named Michigan below 78 points this year. Look for Bryce Lindsay to have a get-right game.
