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NCAAB Preview: Providence vs. Marquette byThe Sports Network.
Providence (15-16) vs. Marquette (18-13)
The Sports Network
DATE & TIME: Tuesday, March 8th, 9:00 p.m. (et)
FACTS & STATS: Site: Madison Square Garden (19,763) — New York, New York. Television: ESPNU. Home Record: Providence 14-5, Marquette 14-4. Away Record: Providence 0-10, Marquette 4-7. Neutral Record: Providence 1-1, Marquette 0-2. Conference Record: Providence 4-14, Marquette 9-9. Series Record: Marquette leads, 9-4.
GAME NOTES: First-round action of the 2011 Big East Conference Tournament pits the 11th-seeded Marquette Golden Eagles against the 14th-seeded Providence Friars.
Awaiting the winner of this clash is a second-round showdown with the sixth- seeded West Virginia Mountaineers.
Providence has won the Big East Conference Tournament just once, as the lone title came back in 1994. The program is 16-29 all-time in this event, and this year’s team doesn’t seem like much of a threat to capture the crown. The Friars are 15-16 overall, including 4-14 against league foes, and managed to halt a seven-game losing streak in the regular-season finale against Rutgers.
As for Marquette, it has never won this tournament and is 6-5 in the event since joining the Big East. The Golden Eagles are 18-13 overall, but they fell to an even 9-9 against conference foes after losing their final two regular- season games.
Marquette holds a 9-4 series edge over Providence, which includes an 86-62 romp over the Friars earlier this season.
While conference victories came few and far between for Providence during the regular season, the team does have a chance to win every time it takes the court because of the presence of Marshon Brooks. The Big East’s leading scorer, Brooks is netting 24.8 ppg, and he averaged 26 ppg in league games alone. More than just a scorer, Brooks is ripping down 7.2 rpg and has posted 77 assists and 48 steals. Vincent Council provides 13.5 ppg for the Friars, and he ranks second in the conference with 5.9 apg. As for Gerard Coleman, the third and final double-digit scorer on the roster, he checks in with 10.3 ppg. The Friars are netting 76.1 ppg while allowing 75.0 ppg this season, but they are being outscored by 7.5 ppg in conference outings alone.
Jimmy Butler is the top offensive performer for Marquette, as he is netting 16.2 ppg through the 31 games he has played. Darius Johnson-Odom is close behind with 15.9 ppg, and Jae Crowder provides 12.1 ppg and a team-best 6.9 rpg. Thanks in large part to the efforts of those three individuals, the Golden Eagles are the top scoring team in the league at 76.7 ppg. Unfortunately, they rank 14th in scoring defense, yielding 69.0 ppg. Marquette is not one of the better rebounding teams in the Big East, but the club does rank near the top in assists/turnover ratio. Butler, a senior, is the seventh- leading scorer in the conference, while Johnson-Odom places eighth. A big effort will be needed by both to get out of this first round.
Brooks will be the best player on the court as he typically is, but Marquette is simply a better all-around team than Providence and will get the job done today. Expect a balanced offensive effort from the high-scoring Golden Eagles.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Marquette 79, Providence 69
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