Big East Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2021-22 season
. Friars . 9. team. 476. .
2020-21 season record: 13-13 (9-10)
Few teams last season could boast two players who averaged nearly 17 ppg and Providence was one of them. David Duke and Nate Watson were All-Big East stars, with Watson really breaking out as a dominant low-post scorer.
The issue was the rest of the roster, as the transfers didn’t work out as well as hoped and there was little consistency anywhere outside of junior guard AJ Reeves. The Friars’ offense ended up being predictable and the lack of perimeter shooting really did them in.
The good news for the team is that Watson did elect to come back for a 5th year and is a preseason Big East Player of the Year contender. Unfortunately, his partner in crime Duke won’t be back, leaving a big void in the backcourt. Reeves is back and will look to help fill that void but will have to prove that he’s capable of being a double-digit scoring contributor.
The Friars also have a pair of transfers in Aljami Durham (Indiana) and Justin Minaya (South Carolina), a pair of role players at their previous spots. Freshman guard Alyn Breed averaged 5.0 ppg and started 13 games last season and has a chance to be a breakout performer for the team.
The frontcourt will need to be more than Watson and Noah Horcler next season, so look for freshman forwards Legend Getter and Rafael Castro to get minutes and have an impact for the Friars. But even if they do replace what Duke did last year, that still gets them to .500. They’ll need a lot more to get back into the NCAA Tournament.