PROVIDENCE — According to Providence College senior guard Kyron Cartwright, it’s not how you start a basketball game, it’s how you finish on the floor.
Except the Friars can’t help but think how much better of a position that they could have placed themselves in by making a few shots, getting off to stronger starts and not having to play from behind.
“Shooters shoot, that‘s what we do. Nobody‘s scared to shoot,” Cartwright said at Alumni Hall where the Friars assembled in preparation for facing Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
“We’re just out there playing,” said Cartwright, the chief architect of the Friars’ offense as well as the Big East assists leader the past two seasons with 637 career assists. “If you’re open, you’re going to take the shot. It’s not how you start, but how you finish — we’re playing to win.”
At the Big East Tournament, the Friars trailed Creighton by seven points, shooting just 31 percent (10-for-32) during the first half and made just five of 22 3-point shots.
In the semifinal game against Xavier, PC found itself in a 17-point hole, shooting just 33 percent (10-for-30) during the first half and making just three of 19 3-point shots.
In the title game, the Friars trailed Villanova by as many as 12 points. While shooting 42 percent (11-for-26) during the first half, PC made just six of its 23 3-point shots. In overtime, the Friars shot just 1-for-10.
“We didn’t shoot the ball from 3 (-point range) particularly well, what did we make 14 in three games,?” PC coach Ed Cooley said, adding that starting strong from the opening tip is, “very important in tournament play. You can’t always come from behind.
“There have been games this year where we have started off well, but the last couple of games, we haven’t. We have to do a better job coming out of the gate and making shots. You‘re not going to win when the ball is not going in the basket.”
The Friars rank No. 8 in the Big East in 3-point shooting (33 percent), while scoring points (a 73.7 per game rate) has been a struggle.
“I tell our players it’s a long season that goes fast, there are so many ups and downs,” Cooley said. “It’s about how you finish and I think we’re finishing on a strong note. Advancing in the tournament is the next stepping stone for this program. With this team, we’ve had some inconsistent moments — this group went about its business and played well when we had to, to get us to this point.”
While the Friars are 11-1 in games decided by margins of five points or less, the Friars have been out-rebounded in 14 games (winning eight of those) and have won nine games when trailing at intermission.
“The character of this group, how tough we are mentally and physically,” Cartwright said of the Friars ability to grind out 21 wins overall with grittiness. “We never stop fighting.”
PC is one of six Big East teams in the NCAA Tournament, Texas A&M is one of eight Southeastern Conference teams in the field. PC has an RPI of 40, the Aggies an RPI of 29. PC’s “strength of schedule” rating is No. 16, Texas A&M’s is No. 12. The Friars are 7-10 against top 50 teams, the Aggies 7-7 against top 50 teams.
“We’re missing some really easy shots,” Cooley said of the Friars’ offensive inconsistencies. PC went to the free throw line 71 times in the Big East Tournament, but made only 51 charity chances — shooting 70 percent as a team from the line on the season.
“Hopefully, the ball will fall for us,” Cooley said. “It’s not just 3’s, it’s just putting the ball in the basket — layups, free throws, mid-range shots, 3’s — we have to keep putting points on the board.”
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