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College basketball bubble watch: Week 7

By Nathaniel Reeves

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 19: Northwestern Men's Basketball Head Coach Chris Collins speaks at the 2017 Big Ten Basketball Media Day at Madison Square Garden on October 19, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 19: Northwestern Men's Basketball Head Coach Chris Collins speaks at the 2017 Big Ten Basketball Media Day at Madison Square Garden on October 19, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 17: Providence Friars head coach Ed Cooley during the first half of the 2K Classic Championship College Basketball game between the Saint Louis Billikens and the Providence Friars on November 17, 2017, at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 17: Providence Friars head coach Ed Cooley during the first half of the 2K Classic Championship College Basketball game between the Saint Louis Billikens and the Providence Friars on November 17, 2017, at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Providence Friars 

It’s been a difficult year for the Friars, who surprisingly find themselves on the bubble and needing a win this week ahead of the gauntlet of Big East play.

Providence opened the season just outside the top 25 of the AP Poll and expected to reach its fifth straight NCAA Tournament under head coach Ed Cooley. After a promising enough 6-1 start, the Friars have dropped two of their last four games to Rhode Island and Massachusetts while barely squeaking by the likes of Brown and Stony Brook.

Injuries have derailed the Friars in recent weeks, and they would be well out of the NCAA Tournament picture if it weren’t for a double-digit comeback against the Sea Wolves on Sunday. With a difficult Big East slate awaiting soon, Providence desperately needs to get back on track this week against Houston and Sacred Heart.

Starters Alpha Diallo and Maliek White were both out for the Stony Brook game, and the Friars could be without hobbled star Kyron Cartwright when they take on the Cougars on Wednesday evening. That’s going to put a ton of pressure on senior forward Rodney Bullock, who leads Providence with 14.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest this season.

As Houston will also be a likely bubble team down the road, a neutral court win could prove to be huge for the Friars. There’s enough talent to make an NCAA Tournament run when healthy, but Providence can’t afford too many more losses in the coming weeks.

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