The Season in Review: A Tone-setting Win Over Texas Tech

When asked to reflect on a 2021-22 season that eventually concluded with 27 wins and a trip to the Sweet 16, so many of the players on last season’s Providence Friars shared that they knew as far back as last summer that their team could do something special.

It’s one thing to believe it, but it’s another to see it come together. That’s just what happened when Texas Tech came to the Dunkin Donuts Center on Dec. 1.

The Red Raiders weren’t yet ranked in the top 25 (like Providence, they would spend from late December though the end of the season in the top 25, peaking at #9) and they were a bit unproven with seven new players and a 6-0 record against weak competition.

But this Tech team had talent and seemingly endless length. Everyone knew that coming in.

The Friars were 6-1, and Nate Watson had dominated throughout November. Providence was coming off of a somewhat turbulent 2-1 week in which they knocked off Northwestern, no-showed against Virginia, and defeated St. Peter’s — all while missing players like Justin Minaya, Brycen Goodine, and AJ Reeves at times due to illness, and seeing Jared Bynum go down with an injury.

Bynum would miss the Texas Tech game, and the three games that followed (URI, Vermont, Central Connecticut), and Providence turned to Al Durham to run the point.

Durham was more than up for the challenge, scoring 23 points (making 12-13 at the free throw line), including four points in the final two minutes to push PC ahead for good in their 72-68 victory.

Much like he would do three months later against Kansas in the Sweet 16, Ed Croswell turned this game around with his energy and physical presence.

Up to this point of the season, the trimmed down version of Croswell had yet to make an impact, but he saved Providence in the first half with his work on the offensive glass. Tech swarmed Watson inside, but Croswell flipped the game almost instantly upon his arrival.

Croswell’s first four possessions of the game:

• Made an offensive rebound and a put-back to make it a 13-7 game

• Drew a charge

• Scored on the ensuing possession on another offensive rebound

• Blocked a shot out of bounds

Later in the half, Croswell drove through the lane and scored after a hesitation dribble, followed up by a steal and dunk by Justin Minaya (who came off the bench) to make it a 15-13 game.

Tech took control shortly after, forging ahead 27-13 before Ed Cooley switched to a zone defense that slowed the Raiders’ offense to a halt.

Providence just chipped away from there — a Minaya three, Durham and Croswell getting to the free throw line — and PC was hanging around at 27-20.

AJ Reeves capped a 15-3 Friar spurt with a four-point play to make it a 30-28 game at the half.

It was your classic “feels like we’re down 20, but we’re feeling great headed to the locker room” game. Texas Tech had scored just three points over the final eight minutes of the first half, allowing PC to hang around despite shooting 27% from the field and 2-13 from distance.

Durham hit a three out of the locker room to give PC an improbable lead, then Cooley made his second critical coaching decision by leaving Durham in the game at the 16:45 mark after picking up his third foul.

PC led 44-37 minutes later, a stretch that included a pull-up jumper, a score on a drive, and a trip to the free throw line from Durham. Croswell continued his outstanding play with a tip in and a pretty pass to Noah Horchler for a dunk.

The Friars led 47-39 after Alyn Breed finished one of PC’s best possessions of the year (with the ball flying around to all five men on the court) by knocking down a three.

Tech ripped off a 12-4 run to tie the game, then Reeves hit a pair of huge threes (tying it 56-all with 5:32 to go, and breaking a 58-58 tie with 4:21 left) to push Providence back ahead.

Watson came up with a big-time offensive rebound and two free throws at the 2:45 mark to give Providence a 64-63 lead, then Durham helped close it out with a jumper at the 1:48 mark (67-65 Providence) and a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession.

Tech got to within a point after a Terrence Shannon 3-pointer made it 69-68, but that would be their final point of the game, as Reeves hit a free throw and Breed made two more with five seconds left to close it out.

Both programs took off after this game. Tech swept defending champion Baylor and won 27 games of their own before falling to Duke in a terrific Sweet 16 game, while Providence won 16 of 17 games from late November until a mid-February meeting with Villanova.