Providence Friar’s last win was against the Villanova Wildcats which most recently beat the Marquette Golden Eagles.
It might sound confusing but it did happen and one thing head coach Shaka Smart wants to do better in their next game, which is against Providence, is for his starting line up to do better.
Only Kam Jones and Chase Ross reached double digits in scoring in their last game. For the former, his total was way below his season averages of 18 points.
Ben Gold, David Joplin, and Stevie Mitchell combined for just nine points out of combined 15 field goal attempts.
The loss, which led to the team dropping in in latest AP Poll Ranking, is their fourth this month. It all started when they lost to UConn Huskies on National Marquette Day.
Shaka Smart on most pressing Marquette Golden Eagles issue
Zaide Lowery received praises for his excellent and efficient game against Villanova despite the loss. However, everything still points to the starting unit.
Smart said the key to getting back to winning ways for them is for the main guys to show up and show a level of desperation.
“We have a lot to figure out with our starting lineup in terms of coming into the game with a level of hunger and passion that we have to have,” Smart said ahead of their hosting of the Friars.
His latest words is just a reiteration of what he said shortly after the loss to Wildcats. He previously discussed how incohesive the team has been, suggesting they lack connectivity.
“I don’t think that, as a group, we haven’t had enough true connectivity around what exactly we have to do in the moment,” Smart said.
“You can fill in the blank for that, there’s offensive things, there are defensive things. A desperation, if you will.”
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