Guard Play Can Lift USC Over Providence in NCAA Tournament First Four Game
Joe Calabro, GoLocalProv Sports Team
Guard Play Can Lift USC Over Providence in NCAA Tournament First Four Game
For USC, Stewart and McLaughlin combine to average nearly 26 points per game, while McLaughlin ranks 28th in the country with 5.5 assists per game.
"If USC gets great guard play than Providence can’t win. I don't think Providence is athletic enough to stay with them,” said James Steiner, sports producer at KABC in Los Angeles. He added "USC’s guard play is what fuels this team, how Stewart and McLaughlin go is how USC goes."
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTSteiner added, “I think it will be a pretty even matchup, Providence has won six of their last seven and USC has been playing well. The key to this game and to the NCAA Tournament is going to be guard play.”
Providence will match USC's guards with Kyron Cartwright, who ranks fourth in the country in assists with 6.7 per game and freshman Alpha Diallo, who averages 5.7 points per game.
"If Cartwright and Diallo have their typical games and McLaughlin and Stewart are off then it will be tough for the Trojans," said Steiner.
McLaughlin Dominated PC in 2016
In last year's NCAA Tournament game, McLaughlin was a dominant player for the Trojans.
Going head-to-head against Kris Dunn, McLaughlin posted 15 points, five assists, five rebounds and four steals in the game to lead the Trojans.
Despite McLaughlin's performance, Providence won the game on a last second layup by Rodney Bullock.
“I just remember Providence brought it for 40 minutes. I haven’t seen much of them this year, but I know they play blue collar, gritty basketball,” said USC radio play-by-play man Chris Fisher.
USC Trojans
The Trojans started the season by winning their first 14 games and were 21-4 a week into February before dropping four straight games, three of which were to #5 Oregon, #6 UCLA and #4 Arizona.
USC was eliminated by UCLA in their conference tournament. They finished the year with an overall record of 24-9.
Besides the guards, USC’s leading scorer is big man Bennie Boatright, who has scored 20 points in four straight games. He is also their best three-point shooter, launching between seven and nine three-pointers a game.
“The Trojans are a team that relies on jump shots. They are at their best when shots are going down and they are getting stops on the defensive end. The offense tends to fuel the defense,” said Fisher. “If they are hitting threes, they are tough to defend.”
PC's Top Post-season Teams
1972-73 NCAA Final Four
Led by Ernie DiGregorio, Marvin Barnes and Kevin Stacom, this was Providence's best shot at winning a National Title...until Barnes went down with a knee injury in the semifinals against Memphis State. An anticipated matchup for the championship with Bill Walton's legendary UCLA Bruins never materialized. But this team did finish 27-4, and entertained scores of fans across the country...while creating a buzz about PC hoops that still exists today. (rirhof.org)
1986-87 NCAA Final Four
This wasn't the best Friar team of all time...and probably not the most-talented. But it was, perhaps, the most magical. And it did have talent, led by Billy Donovan, Jacek Duda, Dave Kipfer, Ernie "Pop" Lewis and Delray Brooks. But the best attribute of this team was shooting the three, and believing in themselves. These Friars finished 25-9, and lost in the National semifinals to Syracuse. (realclearsports.com)
1996-97 NCAA Elite Eight
This Providence team was one of the most-talented teams ever assembled on Smith Hill...but as the legend goes, had a hard time getting along with each other. Pete Gillen led these Friars to within a missed jump-shot of a berth in the Final Four, but did get into overtime in the Regional Final against eventual national champ Arizona before falling. God Shammgod, Austin Croshere, Jamel Thomas, Ruben Garces and Derrick "Flight" Brown whipped Duke along the way to a 24-12 record, gaining legendary status, fame, and perhaps near-fortune. (friarbasketball.com)
1959-60 NIT Finalists
No, this team did not win the NIT...which at the time was considered the TRUE National Championship Tournament. But it was this team (along with the NIT team in 1959) that helped create the passion for Friar Basketball in Providence, and throughout the state of Rhode Island. Led by Hall-of-Famer Lenny Wilkens, and head coach Joe Mullaney, PC arrived on national scene as well. Big man James Hadnot led the Friars in scoring and rebounding. (providence.edu)
1960-61 NIT Champions
It wasn't the NCAA Championship, but at the time, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) WAS the national championship, and the Friars won it in 1961...defeating St. Louis 62-59 at Madison Square Garden in New York behind Vinny Ernst and James Hadnot. PC finished 24-5, Hadnot averaged nearly 20 points and more than 16 rebounds per game, while Ernst was a whirling dervish on the floor (look that one up)! (providence.edu)
1962-63 NIT Champions
There was one more championship team in Providence history, as two years after the first one, the '62-'63 Friars returned to the NIT throne room by winning 15 straight games to finish the season at 24-4. Former Boston mayor and US Ambassador to the Vatican Ray Flynn led PC in scoring, along with legendary Georgetown coach John Thompson, Jr. Vinny Ernst was also on this team as a senior, winning two titles in his Providence career. (Flynn & Ernst, providence.edu)
1993-94 Big East Champion
In the Big East era, it's tough to leave this team off of any list...even though they did not have success in the NCAA Tournament in 1994. But PC's first Big East title came after a talented team caught fire in the '94 event at the Garden, led by Rob Phelps, Eric Williams, former Central HS and CCRI star Abdul Abdullah, Dickey Simpkins and Michael Smith - one of the best rebounders the league has ever seen. The Friars finished 20-10, winning the Big East, but lost to Alabama in the NCAA Tournament 1st round. (Williams & Phelps, wordpress.com)
2013-14 Big East Champion
It's hard to say, when they have yet to prove much on the national stage...but this year's Friar team deserves to be ranked with the best in school history just from the story of their journey(s) alone. Bryce Cotton came from Arizona without another Division I offer; injury and suspension depleting the roster; two transfer players playing significant roles; Coach and Providence-native Ed Cooley, whose house caught on fire during the year...it goes on and on. One heck of a ride and a story...and it's still going. (Cotton, twcc.com)
1964-65 NCAA Reg. Finals
It wasn't known as the "Elite 8" then, but the '64-'65 Friars were certainly one of the best teams in the school's athletic history. Finishing 24-2 and ranked 4th in the national polls, the Jimmy Walker-led Friars were beaten by Bill Bradley's Princeton team in the NCAA's, just missing out on the Final Four. Sophomores Walker, Dexter Westbrook and future NY Knick Mike Riordan led this group of Friars, along with James Benedict and Bill Blair. This team may have been coach Joe Mullaney's most talented. (Westbrook & Walker, friarbasketball.com)
1973-74 NCAA Sweet 16
Like some of the other great Friar squads of the past, this team ultimately stubbed its' toes in the NCAA's. But these Friars deserve Top 10 mention as PC's winningest single-season team, finishing 28-4. On the heels of the Final Four, and behind Marvin Barnes, Kevin Stacom, Bob Cooper and Joe Hassett, they were ranked as high as 6th in the nation before losing to eventual national champ North Carolina State. (Gavitt, Barnes, DeGregorio, wordpress.com)
