Providence Wins Third Straight with Road Win at Xavier
Photo/NBC Sports
On Wednesday night, the Providence Friars traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio to take on the Xavier Musketeers for the second time this season. They were able to escape with a four point win behind Devin Carter’s 22-points, 11-rebounds, 7-assists, and 4-block performance. He became just the third Division 1 player in the last 20 years to record this stat line. While the Friars are 14-2 at home this season, they did suffer a 20-point loss to Xavier at home in early January. When they were handed only their second loss at home this season by Xavier, it was the Friar’s third game without Bryce Hopkins since he was ruled out for the season, they were 0-3 without him, and they were still trying to figure out how to navigate around his injury and be able to win games without him. They fell in the Big East rankings, but it seems that they have finally figured out how to move on without Hopkins.
After Wednesday’s road win, Providence has found themselves in the middle of a three-game win streak, and with the season winding down, it could not have come at a better time. They are currently sitting at fifth in the Big East with a conference record of 9-7. This team has been willed by Devin Carter, Josh Oduro, and good coaching from first year head coach Kim English. In mid-February, Devin Carter was named to the Naismith Player of the Year Midseason team, and just last week he was named Big East Conference Player of the Week. Carter ranks first in the Big East in scoring, third in rebounding, and sixth in steals. He certainly has a chance to win Big East Player of the Year, but what would really help his case is if they can continue to win games behind his stellar play, and make a run in the Big East tournament.
Photo/Providence Friars
Providence has a week break before their next game against 7th ranked Marquette this upcoming Wednesday, as they only have four regular season games remaining. The Friars are looking to finish the season strong with hopes of finishing top five in a stacked Big East conference. Before they lost Bryce Hopkins I’m sure they had higher hopes, but given the circumstances, they have fought back to put together an impressive season. Once they get to the Big East tournament, if Devin Carter and Josh Oduro can put together a special run, this will be a hard team to beat, even for teams like UConn and Marquette. Not to mention if they can impress people enough, they should make the cherished March Madness tournament, where anything can happen.
