I am sorry for the pessimistic things I have said! Still worried about shooting and turnovers as main weaknesses this year. For 2nd game of year and on the road I think it was solid.
Over the years, especially in the Dutcher years and Clem years I had a huge amount of passion for the team (plus once in a while during the Tubby era (win at Wisc/ BT Tourney run) , and found myself getting frustrated and yelling at the TV a lot during games. (scaring the cats and alarming my GF)
I was in the same place last spring, especially during the MTSU game, but again in the late first half/ early second tonight. That is a good thing, it is good to care about the team. Apathy and being depressed about the team sucks, much like it had to be being a fan of Iowa during the Lickliter era.
Thankfully I refrained from positing anything, and at one time after an another typical dumb Lynch foul, awful Konote play, Mason missed FTs, and flurry of Providence 3s and improbable step backs/ fade aways by PC I just smiled and realized we were not down my that much and Coffey and others would heat up, and there was a lot of time left on the clock. It was great tonight night and only will get better. Ftizgerald will knock off the rust and be a good replacement for the loss Eric Curry. Mason and Washington will start to get more comfortable on the court together. Maybe Lynch will figure out that it OK to give up a 2 pt basket and pass on a foul once in a while. . It all is looking up.
I am happy that I was able to stop back and take stock of the situation and realize we had a solid group and could overcome the situation, even without the great Akeem Springs. My brief thought in a moment of clarity was that if this group could win at Purdue and Maryland, they probably could get it together in Providence and they proved me right.
The reality is Providence is a very impressive and tough team. Their coach is great and they play loose, but also are disciplined in terms of turnovers, defense and rebounding. They appear to have a number of stout, promising power players and a number of shooters and slashers. I bet they end up top 3 in the Big East. It was a great win tonight in front of a very fired up crowd.
PS. I really like the new FOX/ FS1/ BTN arrangement. Having Tim Brando, Rafferty, Jackson, Gus Johnson and others calling the games, and acting like it is a big deal, is heads above the old ESPN tired act, when it wasn't Duke or Kansas playing. I know they all worked for ESPN over the years, but at least the pro SEC/ pro-ACC agenda of ESPN is being blunted, and someone else is giving them a run for their fleeting money. The PAC 12 and Big Ten are the winners in these new TV arrangements. Better TV times, better production, better commentators, and no ACC all day crap.