Baylor advances to NIT title game

NEW YORK - Before getting to New York, Baylor captured three NIT games on their home floor. Following the 76-70 semifinal win over BYU, Coach Scott Drew was asked about playing at a neutral site. “Back in 2009 we faced Penn State in the (NIT) finals,” drew said. “They brought about 18 busloads of fans so it didn’t appear too neutral to us,” he added with a laugh.

Now, Baylor has the following, momentum and eyes on pursuing the prize. They will battle Iowa, 71-60 winners over Maryland in the other semifinal, for the championship.

Three things we observed from the Baylor-BYU matchup:

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As Providence advances in the NIT, rebuilding picks up steam

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – After his team’s 77-68 win to advance to the quarterfinals of the NIT, Providence head coach Ed Cooley got on the microphone and had a message for the Friar faithful.  It was a “Thank You” message, as it’s their final game in the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in 2012-13, and he told them the Friars need them to pack the building like this more often because they are tough to beat when that happens.

A few fans later chanted, “Ledo, Ledo,” to implore heralded recruit Ricky Ledo to stick around for next season.  That’s a conversation for another time.  For now, however, whether Ledo is around next season or not, the Friar faithful have reason to be optimistic based on what this season’s team has done.

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Providence needs to keep growing to win more in New York

NEW YORK – Providence head coach Ed Cooley talked a lot about his program making progress but still having work to do. Whether or not more of that work will come this season in another game will have to wait a few days, as Providence bowed out of the Big East Tournament on Wednesday with a 61-44 loss to Cincinnati in which they didn’t play well, especially at the offensive end.

At this point, it’s a given that Providence won’t be in the NCAA Tournament. The Friars needed to make a run in New York for any chance, especially since a win on Wednesday would have given them a great opportunity for a quality win as Georgetown would be next. Instead, the Friars’ difficulties winning in New York continued as Wednesday’s loss was their fifth straight in the Big East Tournament. For that matter, their last win broke another five-game losing streak in the tournament.

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Providence could work their way onto the bubble

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Could Providence become a bubble team?  The answer to that might not be as easy as you think, or may have thought not so long ago.  Providence’s 76-66 win over Seton Hall on Tuesday night is certainly not a resume builder, but it puts them above .500 in Big East play, something that likewise seemed unthinkable once upon a time.

It wasn’t all that long ago that some might have written this team off as far as postseason play was concerned.  The Friars started Big East play 2-7 with a pair of three-game losing streaks, and they simply didn’t look good.  The two wins came at Seton Hall and at home against Villanova, neither of which seemed very impressive at the time and still don’t now.  A 5-1 month of February changed all of that, and now they are 2-0 in March to stay on a roll.

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Providence is hitting their stride in February

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey wasted no time heaping praise on the team that beat his Fighting Irish convincingly on Saturday. He had barely sat down when he started.

“I think they are the most underrated team in our league, quite frankly,” said Brey. “They are really hard to guard. I think Ed’s done a fabulous job with them.”

Providence is clearly hitting its stride at long last, and Saturday was the best exhibition of that. After battling personnel issues through the early part of Big East play, this team finally seems to have settled into what they are. The Friars are healthy, have found their roles, they know what’s expected and they have found a rotation that is working. And it probably doesn’t hurt from an intangible standpoint that one of the players they were eager to get eligible is not with them now.

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Missed opportunities make for a missed opportunity for Providence

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Thursday night was a missed opportunity for Providence.  The Friars had a lot of those on the evening, actually, but that’s what the 82-79 overtime loss to Connecticut amounted to as a result.

It was a missed opportunity to get back above .500 overall and simultaneously send Connecticut below .500 in the Big East.  It was an opportunity to stop a two-game losing streak and to do so against their rivals from one state away, at a time when they are very beatable.  And most of all, it was an opportunity to win a game where effort wasn’t the biggest issue.

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Providence has some growing pains with more players available

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The theory went that once Providence got their entire roster together, the Friars could be pretty good.  They were winning, albeit against a light schedule, with six or seven players and having to start a walk-on once.  They were winning with some of them playing out of position, and one of the players they were without was their senior leader.

That hasn’t happened, however, as Tuesday’s 68-64 loss to Pittsburgh was their seventh in nine games after running out to a 8-2 start.  Instead, they have been humbled since getting their entire roster together.

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Concerns for Providence illuminated in loss at Brown

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Even before Friday night’s 69-68 loss at cross-town rival Brown, there were reasons to be concerned about Providence. There were reasons to believe that the team’s record was more a reflection of a team over-achieving and playing a light, home-heavy non-conference schedule than that of a team primed to contend in the Big East. And as Big East play beckons, those reasons for concern are right there for all to see and were reflected in the post-game press conference, where an often upbeat and spirited Ed Cooley was nowhere to be found. Instead, a clearly frustrated and subdued Cooley addressed reporters.

“We found a way to lose again on the road,” said the Providence mentor.

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Anderson, guards lead BC past Friars

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – In a battle between the two dominant Jesuit institutions in New England only one earned its Christmas eggnog.

Boston College, paced by a monster game by sophomore Ryan Anderson, held off Providence to take an entertaining 71-68 affair in front of 6,102 Saturday afternoon at Conte Forum.

Anderson finished with 24 points and seven rebounds.

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Providence gets reinforcements at a good time

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – This was just what Providence needed.  Not just the game, although the Friars will gladly take the easy 79-45 win over Colgate on Tuesday night.  But much more than that, for once the Friars were not a team badly in need of more bodies, and they hope it’s the beginning of a trend.

“This may be the first time since I’ve coached here that we’ve had some balanced minutes,” said head coach Ed Cooley.

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