3 Things We Learned: Providence 91 Seton Hall 85

Friars bounce back from rock bottom with a 2-0 week

At long last, the Friars pulled out a close one in the second half. What had become an all too familiar trend of Kim English’s team coming up short in the second half finally reversed itself on Saturday night as the Friars came out on top against Seton Hall. This was the most resilient the Friars have looked all year, and while I won’t make too much out of a win against one of the worst power conference teams in college basketball, a win is a win.

In the short term, it was great to see this team bounce back from the rock-bottom performance that was the Marquette game. We will likely go several seasons without seeing a performance that bad again, but it’s always tough to know how a group of 18-23 year olds is going to respond after getting utterly embarrassed. Providence has responded well. A shoulda-coulda-woulda loss against UConn, a beatdown of Butler, and a hard-fought win against Seton Hall has the general vibes in Friartown much more positive than they were 10 days ago.

In the long term, yes, this Friars team is still 9-8, their only realistic path to the NCAA Tournament is to win the Big East Tournament, and if each remaining game goes according to the probabilities, this will still be the worst Providence basketball season in more than a decade. I’m not going to tell you after two wins against the bottom of the Big East it’s all sunshine and rainbows, it’s not.

However, the other side of the long term coin are the two freshmen, Ryan Mela and Oswin Erhunmwunse, that continue to improve each game. Both Mela and Erhunmwunse are clearly starting to get comfortable with the pace and physicality of college basketball, and their trajectory has me exceedingly optimistic about what next season is Friartown could look like. When you combine the production those two freshman have given, the resources (cough, cough.. money!) that have been put behind the program, and a 2024 recruiting class highlighted by Jamier Jones and Jaylen Harrell, there are more than a few glimmers of hope on the horizon. Plenty of time for all that though, here’s 3 things we learned from Providence’s gritty win over Seton Hall.

1. Friartown is going to desperately miss Bensley Joseph.

   It all started more than two months ago, the season opener against Central Connecticut. That game, the first on the calendar, was when it was clear that Joseph was going to be a major asset to this team. His heroics that night saved Providence from a humiliating loss, and with his career high 28 points (8/10 FG, 7/9 3PT, 2/4 FT) the Miami transfer did it again on Saturday evening.

   Look at the time and score here. This is, excuse my French, nut-crunching time. I’ve said it before and it’s one of my timeless basketball truisms, not everybody wants to have the ball in their hands in these moments. Bensley Joseph does. Honestly, there isn’t really much to break down here from an X’s and O’s perspective, Pierre does a nice job of drawing two defenders but Joseph’s initial pump fake gives his defender time to recover. This is just pure confident in your shot making ability. There is no defense for a step-back 3 with a hand in your face. None.

   Once again, 4 point game, 6 minutes left. These are the moments that decide outcomes of games. Making or missing shots in these possessions is literally the difference between winning and losing. Joseph’s quickness here combined with Oswin’s ghost screen give just enough daylight for him to get his shot off, bottom of the net, ballgame.

   

   The issue with Joseph this year has been consistency. He’s scored 5 points or less (again St. Bonaventure, Indiana, and Marquette) as many times as he’s scored more than 20 (Central Connecticut, DePaul, Seton Hall). I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Providence’s is record is 0-3 vs. 3-0 in those matchups. With Hopkins out for the year, Joseph should continue to get enough shot attempts to keep the Friars in most games.

2. Oswin Erhunmwunse graduated from boy to man.

   Erhunmwunse did not have a good first half. He committed a few turnovers that were the result of him being sped up and not comfortable with the physicality of Seton Hall.

   These are called growing pains. Erhunmwunse has to go up and attack the rim as soon as he catches the ball from Joseph here. The moment he hesitates, it’s too late, and Hall swarms him. To be expected from a player in theory supposed to be a senior is high school, but frustrating nonetheless.

   Whatever was said to Erhunmwunse during halftime clearly hit the mark though, because he came out and had his best 20 minutes of the season in the second half.