Providence men's basketball rolls over Butler with 20-point victory
There are three remaining unbeaten teams in Big East men’s basketball play, and one of them is the defending regular season league champion.
Providence started its two-game road swing to end the 2022 calendar year by dominating Butler. The Friars fully controlled the opening 20 minutes and were never seriously pushed in the second half.
The result was this 72-52 cruise at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Providence opens its 2023 calendar year with a trip to DePaul, and it could return unbeaten for what would be a showdown against Connecticut at Amica Insurance Pavilion next week.
“We played a desperate team, and I thought we matched their physicality and their urgency,” Providence coach Ed Cooley said. “We were able to stay connected defensively. That was one of our better defensive performances.”
The Bulldogs were fresh off 22-point losses to the Huskies and Creighton. This wasn’t the spot for them to turn things around — the Friars enjoyed a 30-point lead with 19:19 to play and stayed in front by at least 18 the rest of the way. Devin Carter netted 18 of his 21 points in the first half as Providence turned a 9-7 deficit into a 46-18 cushion at the break.
“I feel like my teammates, they all had confidence in me,” Carter said. “They all trust me.”
The Friars finished December a perfect 6-0 and have captured eight of their last nine. They’ll be thin favorites against the Blue Demons after opening 3-0 against conference foes for the third time in the last four seasons. Let’s take a deeper look at how Providence made light work of this Thursday night contest.
Providence was dominant in all phases early
The Friars (11-3, 3-0 Big East) had this one just about wrapped up at halftime.
The Friars shot 56.7% from the field while holding Butler to just 25%. The Bulldogs (8-6, 0-3) were shut out off turnovers by a 12-0 count and doubled up on the glass by a 23-11 margin.
It didn’t end there. Providence enjoyed an 18-6 advantage on points in the paint and missed just one of its four 3-point attempts. Carter was 8-for-12 from the field and was on the attack throughout — he attempted just one shot from 3-point range and connected.
“We were just trying to jell together,” Carter said. “We had a whole bunch of transfers coming in. We just needed some time.”
The Friars averaged 1.48 points per possession in the first half and allowed just 0.58. That’s 0.36 points higher than their offensive average to date and 0.39 points lower than their defensive average to date through 14 games.
“We got out in transition a little bit,” Cooley said. “We were able to make some early shots. It just kept going and going and going.”
Bryce Hopkins began his reign as league Player of the Week with a quiet six points and eight rebounds, but his teammates did plenty to compensate.
Carter finished one point off his career high while Ed Croswell notched his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Jared Bynum chipped in 11 points and seven assists while Clifton Moore came off the bench to total seven points and eight rebounds.
“It’s not going to be everybody’s night every night,” Carter said. “Some other guys have got to step up. We definitely saw what we’re capable of when not everybody is having the best game.”
Croswell finished plus-21 and Carter was plus-20 — both played 34 minutes, which was a team high. Moore’s output was his best showing since 16 points and eight rebounds in a Nov. 15 win over Stonehill.
“I thought Jared played a great floor game,” Cooley said. “Ed Croswell had a great game. I thought Clifton Moore had his best game in a long time for us — we're going to continue to need that.”
Providence, No. 2 Connecticut and No. 22 Xavier — that's the list of unblemished teams in the league entering the weekend.
The Friars appeared on a pair of Associated Press top-25 ballots entering the week. That number should grow if they’re able to dismiss DePaul (7-7, 1-2).
“We can’t rush what we wanted to do,” Carter said. “We needed those losses. It kind of made us stand back, look ourselves in the mirror and realize who we are.”
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence College men's basketball takes care of business against Butler with 20-point victory
