Providence is basically out of time to make a push for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid, but at least the Friars can say they’re healthy and remembering how to win again.
Providence chased a four-game losing streak with back-to-back home wins and heads to Newark, N.J., to challenge plummeting Seton Hall on Wednesday.
The Friars (11-13, 4-9 Big East) vanquished Butler 97-87 in double overtime last Wednesday before turning back DePaul 90-72 on Saturday. They know they can be competitive in any Big East game, as seven of Providence’s nine conference losses have come by six points or fewer.
It helps to have their star scorer back in the lineup. Jason Edwards (plantar fasciitis) had missed seven games before returning against DePaul and picking up where he left off. He scored 25 points and shot 5 of 8 from 3-point range in 24 minutes.
“It was eating me alive watching them play and I wasn’t there,” Edwards told reporters. “I wanted to be out there, I wanted to help the guys, I wanted to help Coach Kim. It was a tough time, but I put in a lot of work to get back healthy in terms of my recovery.”
Jaylin Sellers added 21 points and Oswin Erhunmwunse provided 10 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks to the cause. Sellers, Corey Floyd Jr. and freshman standout Stefan Vaaks all played after being banged up.
Edwards leads Providence at 17.1 points per game. But on Dec. 19, he was held to 10 points and 1-of-6 shooting from deep when Seton Hall prevailed 72-67 at Providence.
The Pirates (16-8, 6-7) have dropped six of eight, most recently last week’s critical Quad 1 opportunities at Villanova and Creighton. They frittered away a 63-53 lead with 3:30 to go at Creighton and Nik Graves hit a 30-footer in the final seconds in the Bluejays’ 69-68 stunner.
“Is this disappointing? Yes. Does this mean our season is over? No,” Seton Hall assistant coach Corey Lowery said in a postgame radio interview. “We’re going to battle. Does this hurt? Yes, it’s supposed to hurt.”
Though considered one of the best defensive teams in the country — 12th-best in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.com — Seton Hall has been getting exploited from outside. The Pirates held Providence to 5 of 23 from the arc in December, but in their past three games opponents have made 33 of 78 from deep (42.3%). Meanwhile, the Pirates made just 11 3-pointers in the same span.
Adam “Budd” Clark scored 20 against Creighton to lead Seton Hall for the third straight game. He has a team-high 11.9 points per game average as seven players average at least 6.3.
