Xavier v. Providence: Preview and keys to the game

As an author whose name I can’t be bothered to look up wrote in a book I haven’t read, all happy families are alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. By the same token, most good basketball teams have a certain overlap in skill sets, but there are a million ways to be bad at basketball.

Since the sustained excellence Xavier had enjoyed since the days came to an end with the departure of Chris Mack to Louisville, the Muskies have had a variety of shortcomings hold them back. From injuries to a pandemic to – worst of all – Brian O’Connell, there has been a different issue every time they’ve fallen short of the Sweet 16 bid that once seemed like a birthright. This year, it has been a simple inability to put the ball in the bucket that has most often hampered the team’s success.

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By the same token, Providence has been struggling to find the right formula for success since Xavier man Pete Gillen took them to an Elite 8 well before their current players’ parents met. Sure Ed Cooley schmoozed the media and advanced his own brand, but he stole money for more than a decade and returned a paltry three (3) tournament wins for the trouble. Now Kim English has brought his #mindset to the Friars, but three years in, his seat is warming.

Both of these teams represent fan bases who have grown to expect a higher level of play than they’ve gotten in recent years. Both of them are basically dead in the water in terms of at-large consideration this season. It’s settled fact that someone has to win this game; whether that will end up mattering at all is significantly more debatable.

Team fingerprint

The Friars love to play fast. They’re 21st in the nation in tempo and average just a hair over 15 seconds per offensive possession. They’re a solid shooting team, with above-average but not elite numbers inside and beyond the arc and an exceptional 78.4% team FT%. They’re just inside the top 100 in ball security. Their offensive rebounding and free…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/xavier-v-providence-preview-keys-174430035.html

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Publish date : 2026-01-10 17:44:00

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