DePaul @ Providence preview
Madison Square Garden
Last Meeting ( Feb 13, 2021 ) Providence 57, DePaul 47
Providence will try to bolster its postseason credentials when it tips off against DePaul on Wednesday night in the opening round of the Big East Conference tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The sixth-seeded Friars (13-12, 9-10 Big East) likely will need to make a deep run and possibly win the conference tournament to have a chance at reaching their first NCAA Tournament since 2018.
Providence's first Big East tournament test comes against 11th-seeded DePaul (4-13, 2-13), which hopes to keep its season alive for at least one more day. The Blue Demons have lost three straight games.
The winner of Wednesday's matchup will play third-seeded Connecticut (14-6, 11-6) on Thursday night.
Providence coach Ed Cooley acknowledged this season has been the most challenging of his career.
"Unequivocally, yes," he said. "This has been challenging, not just from the basketball standpoint, but from your players coming and talking to you one-on-one, what they're going through, what their families are going through. Every time that we test. Are we positive? Are we negative? Every time that we take a test, there is anxiety. And when you look around the country, this one is on pause, that one is on pause.
"Then we have the missing games and not rescheduling this game; do we want to play another game? A losing streak, a win here, a setback here, an injury here, which is normal every year. But given what the pandemic has done, it paralyzes you daily."
The Friars have forged through, led by top scorers David Duke (17.2 points per game) and Nate Watson (16.8). Duke also averages 6.4 rebounds and Watson 6.6.
The duo helped the Friars knock off then-No. 10 Villanova 54-52 Saturday in their most recent game. Duke made a tip-in with five seconds left to lift Providence, which led by 17 points at halftime.
DePaul's top scorers are Charlie Moore (14.4) and Javon Freeman-Liberty (13.4). Pauly Paulicap is the top rebounder at 6.1 per game.
Freeman-Liberty has missed the past five games while in concussion protocol but hopes to play Wednesday night.
Each of the Blue Demons' past two losses have come by single digits, including a 77-71 defeat against Marquette last Tuesday. Paulicap finished with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field.
"He's one of the hardest-playing guys around," DePaul coach Dave Leitao said.
Cooley knows his team will have to be ready in order to keep a turbulent season from ending.
"Normally, we're an organization based upon connection to our players," he said. "We don't have that intimate relationship with them night in and night out. On the plane we're socially distant, on the bus we're socially distant, in the hotel, watching film, we're in the gym rather than a room.
"I feel good about our team -- we're in a better place physically and emotionally. We're trying to push the pace, accentuate the strengths of some of the people on our team. There are a lot of things that have to happen (to get an NCAA Tournament bid). Is there a possibility? Yes."
--Field Level Media