A note or two from Thursday’s Big East coaches’ conference call with reporters:
– Providence is nearly as hot as its opponent Saturday (UConn). The Friars are off to their best start in league play, at 6-2, since they started 7-2 in 2000-01.
PC knocked off No. 15 Syracuse Wednesday night and now they face the Huskies with the No. 1 ranking on the line for the home team.
“UConn is similar to a lot of teams we have to face in the Big East,” first-year PC coach Keno Davis said. “You could make a case for seven or eight teams that talent-wise alone could be No. 1 in the country. UConn is fighting for that battle.
“We’re looking forward to going on the road and trying to hang with them.”
Try to hang with them?
Davis knows, though he hasn’t yet experienced, that the Friars have done more than hang with the Huskies recently. PC has won five of the last seven meetings between the teams (both last season) and has won four straight games in the state of Connecticut (three in Hartford, one in Storrs).
The PC players are probably pretty confident they can win in Storrs.
“There might be a little sense of that,” Davis said. “Sometimes you feel you play better against certain teams.
“But our guys have a lot of confidence every time they go on the court, whether we’re the better team or not. That’s what you have to have.”
Keno apparently isn’t counting his winnings (OK, enough with the gambling puns) just yet.
“I would say we’re a confident group going in but we’re not over-confident,” Davis said. “You don’t look at UConn’s team and think that you deserve to go in there and win.”
– Villanova coach Jay Wright (who always gives informed, clear, interesting answers when asked questions by idiots like me) had some kind words for UConn forward Jeff Adrien when asked Thursday.
“He’s just a beast physically,” Wright said. “He looks like a linebacker.”
Wright recruited Adrien out of high school and continues to follow his career closely.
“I really like him as a kid. I’m really happy for him, to see him stay for four years and really grow,” Wright said.
– Georgetown has kind of hit the skids, losing four straight. The Hoyas lost to Seton Hall (the Pirates’ first league win) and just lost to Cincinnati Wednesday night.
“We’re struggling right now,” coach John Thompson III said. “We just have to figure out, with our backs against the wall, how to claw our way out of the situation.”
– St. John’s might get point guard Malik Boothe back soon. The sophomore will see a doctor Friday about his injured thumb.
“I’m praying we’ll get him back,” coach Norm Roberts said.
– Syracuse put up 94 points at Providence but still lost. The Orange lost mainly because guard Andy Rautins was out with an injury and center Arinze Onuaku was limited by one.
“We need, obviously, to get those guys back. The other guys played very well last night,” coach Jim Boeheim said. “We’re not deep enough or good enough to win without two starters…in this league.”
Boeheim says both “will be fine” and are likely to play in the Orange’s next game Wednesday.
- Neill
