PC Needed More than a Helping Hand on Wednesday Night

In a game that featured several exotic twists, the Cardinals made sure they saved the best for last and were able to foil any upset plans the Friars may have had on Wednesday night. So what did last night show to Friar fans?

Well, for one it proved that our freshman talent is for real. Bilal Dixon had a great game before picking up his third foul early in the second half which forced him to almost become a non-factor throughout the rest of the game. Vincent Council was key in the initial comeback, as his ability to beat the press helped eliminate some of the pressure off of Sharaud Curry’s shoulders. And finally, Duke Mondy awoke from his long hiatus and hit some shots, something we had been missing from him for a while.

The game also seemed to prove that with more patience, maybe we can win without a legitimate big man. Against strong big men like Luke Harangody and Samardo Samuels, the Friars gave up some points, but were ultimately beaten by the long ball than the post game. Defensive rotation seems to lack at times and that leads to breakdowns, which can happen with a matchup zone.  However, this has proven that the Friars are capable of maybe not stopping opposing big men, but at least limiting them substantially considering the height difference.  Remember, the Friars are doing this with an extremely young front-court, so with time the Friars can only improve.  However, this is not a legitimate reason to excuse Coach Keno Davis from not recruiting a big men to place out on the court.

Is Marshon Brooks going to start playing like a captain? Last night was a start, but we need that type of effort every night out of him, and he has certainly proven that he can bring it if he wants to.  However besides Marshon, we need one of our other big two (either Jamine “Greedy” Peterson or Curry) to step up along with Marshon and lead the team.  The Friars cannot be considered a legitimate team when every game it seems that one of their legitimate scorers decides to take the night off.

Also, there are increasing rumors that Jamine Peterson is not happy with his teammates or the coaching staff.  It is common knowledge that Greedy and his teammates have not been getting along at times, and due to his inconsistent efforts, he has also been getting into it with the coaching staff.  As much as Peterson frustrates me, this is not a guy that the Friars can afford to lose given their lack of size and athleticism in the front-court.

So yes, last night was an awful way to lose, but there were some positives, as all of the negatives could be found in my reaction to the game last night. Lets hope we can put it together and take out the Scarlet Knights on Saturday.