Quote:
Originally Posted by Chas in Cinti
Had Providence really dropped off? They were #12 in your pre-conference post... and no ranking by end of Jan?
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Providence were indeed riding high as the Big East season began, undefeated in 11 games and nationally ranked. Their first seven Big East games were absolutely brutal:
Code:
01/09/30 Cincinnati 11-8 59 W 82-63 12-0 (1-0)
01/12/30 at #3 West Virginia 17-2 2 L 75-67 12-1 (1-1)
01/16/30 at DePaul 8-10 17 L 79-71 12-2 (1-2)
01/19/30 #3 West Virginia 17-2 2 L 82-47 12-3 (1-3)
01/23/30 #9 Pittsburgh 13-5 10 L 79-75 12-4 (1-4)
01/26/30 #1 Villanova 19-0 1 L 83-75 12-5 (1-5)
01/30/30 #12 Louisville 14-4 15 W 82-73 13-5 (2-5)
Those losses hurt their ranking much more than I expected. They didn't even receive votes in the last poll. I think the Friars are probably a better team than several of the other 5- and 6-loss teams who
are ranked. UNLV, TCU, and Michigan State come to mind right away, and while I hate to say it, Providence is probaby better than Lafayette right now, too. I'd be surprised if Providence is still in 12th place when the Big East season ends.
Thanks for stopping by, Chas. I really enjoy communicating with any of you who are reading, so please feel free to comment anytime.