Providence set to rule Big East
OUT of nowhere, the Providence Friars were starring in a real-life “Hoosiers” being filmed at Madison Sqaure Garden. Virtually all of them suddenly taking turns being Jimmy Chitwood, and a perfect storm was raining down hard on Xavier’s Musketeers and drowning them in panic and blowing them out of the Garden and out of the Big East Tournament.
Xavier had resembled a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and then Xavier didn’t, and a 52-35 lead was only a heartbreaking, shellshocked memory by the time the Friars had begun dancing on the court, when an improbable berth in the Big East Tournament final on Saturday night against mighty Villanova was secured. A court that coach Ed Cooley told a jubilant locker room sounded like their Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
Once upon a time, Chris Mullin and St. John’s fed off the Garden crowd. On this night, a Delicious March Madness appetizer, the Garden belonged to a fearless point guard named Kyron Cartwright and Providence College, a stunning 75-72 OT winner.
“I’ve got the goosebumps still from the energy in this building,” Cooley said.
When his Friars had caught Xavier at 64-64 with 3:33 left, Cooley was on the court roaring with delight and pumping his fist as bathed in the sweet sound the Garden can make for a scrappy underdog with fire and heart and welcomed his surging team to the sideline during a timeout.
The difference in body language between the teams was apparent. Cooley gambled with a small lineup after intermission and the Musketeers slowly became unglued. The Friars looked as if they wanted it more. The Friars knocked the swag out of the Musketeers. The Friars began oozing belief. The Musketeers oozed disbelief.
“I saw fear in their eyes,” Nate Watson told The Post. “They were scared, I could feel they were scared. They were missing a lot of shots down the stretch. We just came out and executed.”
Cartwright unleashed a late thunder dunk and took a charge on fastbreaking J.P. Macura with 7.7 seconds left in overtime and willed his team to the finish line along with Providence Square Garden. Xavier star Trevon Bluiett was virtually invisible during crunch time,
“I just wanted to make everything tough for him, make his catches tough, and when he shot the ball, just contest it heavy,” Alpha Diallo said.
It was 43-29 at the half. “We were letting them take it to us instead of us going to them, and it just took us a second to wake up ... thank God we did,” Edwards said. Thank Cooley they did. “We’re not going out like that,” Cooley told his team.
No they weren’t. Makai AshtonLangford provided a spark off the bench. Watson became a force underneath.
“I don’t know why they didn’t stop me from getting the ball,” Watson said. “Yeah, I just kept scoring and that just brought me energy, I had to keep doing it.”
The Friars were getting easy looks around the basket. Xavier shoot only 29.6 percent in the second half.
“It’s the look in their eyes — they were playing hesitant, we were attacking, attacking, attacking, you could feel it,” Drew Edwards said.
It ended with Quentin Goodin beginning a drive before passing back to Kerem Kanter behind the arc on the right wing. Kanter swished it. After the horn.
“Once it got into overtime we felt like we had it,” Diallo said.
“Before we got down here, we said, ‘Pack for five days,’ and our five days isn’t up,” Diallo said.
Word had circulated that Enes Kanter, Kerem’s big Knicks brother, had a courtside seat waiting for him for what everyone expected to be a Xavier-Villanova Championship game. If he shows up, he’ll be watching Villanova-Providence.
“I think we can make a long run in the tournament too when we get in,” Edwards said.