College Basketball Game of the Week: No. 9 Providence at No. 11 Villanova
March has arrived and the college basketball regular season is winding down, but the action is just heating up.
The action will be prevalent at Finneran Pavilion when the No. 11 Villanova Wildcats play host to the No. 9 Providence Friars on Tuesday night. The two teams sit atop of the Big East standings, with Providence leading the pack.
The two teams have navigated the gauntlet that is the Big East, a conference that is predicted to have as many as seven teams earn bids into the NCAA Tournament in just under two weeks.
Providence’s tough schedule has included four top-25 victories this season in five chances, while Villanova has posted a record of 6-5 in its top-25 matchups.
The Wildcats are coming off one of those losses as their five-game winning streak ended at the hands of the UConn Huskies.
Villanova is led by senior guard Collin Gillespie. The Pennsylvania native, who has earned a name for himself over his career, is in the midst of his best scoring and shooting season.
Gillespie is averaging 16.6 points per game on 45% shooting from the field, and he leads an offensive attack that incorporates a trio of double-digit scorers.
Justin Moore, a junior forward, is averaging 15.3 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game. Jermaine Samuels rounds out the three-headed attack with 10.2 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game.
The three help lead Jay Wright’s Wildcats to an average of 73.6 points per game.
On the other bench will be Ed Cooley and the veteran Providence Friars roster. Cooley relies on a quartet of seniors to lead the way.
Seniors Nate Watson, Al Durham and A.J. Reeves account for three of the four double-digit scorers for Providence. Fellow senior Noah Horchler, adds 9.7 points per game and leads the team with 8.6 rebounds per game.
The Friars have had a player score at least 20 points in their last six contests. Jared Bynum, the fourth of the double-digit scorers, has led the way with three of those games.
The junior forward holds the team high in points this season with his 32-point performance against Georgetown that started the scoring streak for Providence.
Providence has won 11 of its last 12 contests, with its one loss coming in the first meeting with Villinova in February.
The Wildcats were spearheaded by a 33-point outburst by Gillepsie. Gillespie scored 15 of those points on 62.5% shooting from beyond the arc and tallied another eight from the free-throw line.
Despite both teams scoring well above their season averages, it was the poor shooting performance by the Friars that prevented them from winning, as they shot just 21.7% from range.
The Wildcats shot nearly 50% from 3-point range, a difference that proved costly for the team from Rhode Island.
Aside from their woes from deep, the Friars kept the game even in nearly every statistical category. Providence, who has a negative turnover differential this season, was able to win the turnover battle during this meeting.
The Friars will look to do the same again in Tuesday’s matchup. A negative turnover differential can prove to be crucial in big games and the Friars will look to limit these going forward.
Villanova will look to keep the Friars from finding a shooting rhythm. The misses it forced in the first meeting helped propel the Wildcats to the five-point victory.
Fatigue could play a factor in this one. The Friars have gone into overtime in three of their last five games, including a three-overtime game against Xavier.
Villanova will come into the game on nearly a week of rest. That extra rest could lead to a hot start that would allow it to pull away early.
Justin Ciavolella is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jtc5751@psu.edu.
