Providence managed a rebound week after falling to DePaul last Tuesday night. They beat Seton Hall on Saturday night, and crushed Georgetown in DC on MLK Day, 74-56.
We’ll give Jalen Lindsey his due for the Friars’ write-up this week. After struggling with his shot for the first two years he spent in Providence, Lindsey has been lighting it up from beyond the arc this year. He’s canned 40 of his 86 (46.5 percent) 3-pointers so far, and has hit 50 percent in conference play. While he mainly functions as a spot-up guy, he’s been an important weapon on offense for the Friar so far.
Marquette was just a half away from a 3-0 perfect week in the Big East, with an upset over top-15 Butler to boot. Alas, despite a 41-25 halftime lead at Hinkle Fieldhouse, the Golden Eagles could not hang on for the win, hemorrhaging 63 points in the second frame to lose 88-80.
It’s a perfect snapshot of the Golden Eagles so far this season. Their offense is an incredibly dangerous shooting machine, 15th-best in the country per KenPom’s adjusted ratings. But the defense sits below average for ALL of D-I, and especially the ‘Power 6’ conference-type teams. It will lead to some incredible offensive fireworks — but also some regrets about what might have been, by the end of the game/season.