PC - the Latest and Laughs by Mike Rusconi

3/9/2025

Providence ended the 2024-2025 regular season bid with an impressive 5 game losing streak.  This week, they somehow managed to lose to DePaul in exhilarating fashion (the last 2 minutes were something to behold).  Next up was Xavier, who is the hottest team in the Big East going into the tournament.  I don't think Providence actually ever led so there was no suspense in that loss either, which capped the season.  After what will no doubt be a Big East first round exit,  I will be free of writing about how bad they stink this year and on to following social media updates about who they recruit to come here before they get noticed and transfer somewhere else.  

3/2/2025

The Friars played two games this week.  That's basically the nicest way I can describe their performances. Of course when I say "played" I mean "showed up and got murdered."  First up was #21 Marquette, and that game was only mildly terrible at half time, with PC down 11.  Things really went off the rails in the second half and the final tally was a 30 point margin of victory to the Golden Eagles. 

UConn was next, and this can be another addition to my "Should you hate this person? (yes)" bit due to the presence of Dan Hurley.  Anyway, UConn isn't really all that good this year for once, but that doesn't mean they couldn't stomp all over PC, at the AMP (America Mutual Pavilion) no less. Double digit losses have been the standard for the last several weeks, so at least they aren't keeping the fans in suspense anymore. However there was a silver lining to this loss: Human victory cigar Wayne Fonts got his first career point.  Nowadays his presence on the court is a victory cigar for the other team though. 

I don't even know who PC has up next for the last week of the regular season. 

2/21/2025

Providence traveled to our nation's capital to face-off against Ed Cooley, I mean, Georgetown again.  Elon Musk's DOGE team would've been disgraced with the amount of inefficiency the Friars displayed, and this is coming from someone that is convinced that DOGE has a difficult time identifying what anything is (sorry Dave, I know this is an apolitical website). 

I turned it off after the first half where PC was able to keep the deficit under 20, and turned on Netflix and watched the first episode of a NASCAR docuseries.  Did you know the kid that won the Daytona 500 this year, and last year apparently, learned how to race on a race simulator in his living room??? That has to piss off NASCAR purists.  Probably not as much as watching PC head into halftime the way they did, but close. 

I tuned back in to see PC down by 21, and called it a night. Bensley Joseph continues to play really well, dropping 25.  So there's that.  I sat down at my electronic chessboard for a quick game before bed. The board identifies all the openings, like the Sicilian Defense, etc.  If there were a name for the worst opening for black it would probably be called the Friar Defense.   PC plays #16 Marquette next week.  I'd say "I can't wait."  But that's a lie, I can wait. 

2/16/2025

Providence went 1-1 this week, which at this point is just fine with me.  I didn't watch the Xavier loss because I stopped sacrificing my early bed time right around Christmas when it was apparent that a tournament berth was not in the cards for the Friars this year.  The scoreboard suggests it was a mildly competitive game though, with PC coming within single digits of winning.  Yup, that's where I am now, a single digit loss to a middling conference opponent is acceptable.  Beating Villanova on Saturday was nice though, because beating Nova is always nice, especially when it's by a wide margin, even if they can't seem to do it when it actually matters. 

It was a nice little segue into the royal rumble that was USA-Canada in the 4 nations cup.  I think fighting in basketball would be something to watch.  Maybe PC would excel at that more than actually putting the ball in the hoop more times than the other team. PC has only one game on schedule this week, but it's against Ed Cooley. I mean, Georgetown...albeit it's at Georgetown so there will likely be less projectile water bottles and chants about cheating on your wife, but you never know, maybe the Friar faithful will travel to our nation's capital for this one. 

Side note: seriously how many teams in the Big East have some variant of blue as their color? It's almost, like, all of them. 

2/9/2025

"Jabri Abdur-Rahim followed up his 27 point coming out party with a stellar performance against Creighton on Wednesday"  is what I was hoping to write this week. Of course I can't write that because he tore his meniscus last week and is out for the season.  Because, of course he did.  I had the flu this week so I didn't get to watch Creighton bury PC, but I will assume it wasn't a great watch if you are a Friar. 

(Side Note, the Blue Jay is a sneaky good mascot.  Did you know that a Blue Jay will attack an Eagle to defend its nest? Seriously, look it up, there are some great pics online). 

At least PC had Butler (also known as "that place Brad Stevens coached") on the docket for Saturday, a team on their tier of crappiness. I've already analyzed the Bulldog as a mascot enough this season, which probably speaks to how unoriginal a bulldog is for a mascot. 

So let's skip to the actual game, which was pretty entertaining if you don't prioritize "winning the game."  PC lost by a point, but there was promise. It was Bensley Joseph's turn to break out by lighting it up from 3 point land and finishing with 26, which probably means he will tear his knee getting out of bed this weekend or something.  PC will continue it's march to the merciful end of the season when it takes on Xavier and Villanova this week. 

Now, in honor of Super Sunday, I'd like to make a quick point.  The comp for Pat Mahomes is not Tom Brady: it's Joe Montana. I've had about enough of the debate this week.  Montana was 4-0 in Super Bowls and never threw an interception, not to mention needing to beat teams like the Giants, Redskins and Bears in the 80s.  

Also here are the five best Super Bowls I can remember watching that didn't involve the Patriots in no particular order:

Giants-Bills 

49ers-Bengals (1989) (this one gets extra points for introducing the "Bud Bowl")

Pitt - Arizona 

49ers - Ravens

KC - SF part 2

2/2/2025

It was a status quo week for the Friars.  You read that correctly, I am not going to crap on them this week.  They beat the lowly Seton Hall Pirates, as they should have, and actually turned in an impressive losing performance against #15 St. John's, on the road.  As nice as a W would have been against Rick Pitino (Add him to the list of people you should hate, along with Ed Cooley...in fact, I might start a new segment called "Should you hate this person? ( Yup)." 

The first half was a garbage-fest with SJ up 25-21.  An offensive explosion ensued after PC was down about 20.  Don't bank on me using the phrase "offensive explosion" in the same sentence as PC again anytime soon. 

PC was able to tie the game late, but left St John's best player, Kadary Richmond, wide open for a last second jump shot.  Kabri Abdur-Rahim led the Friars with 27.  Maybe they are learning to adapt to life without Bryce Hopkins now that he is out for the season.  Next up, Creighton and Butler.  

1/26/2025

Oh boy do I hate Ed Cooley.  And you should too. 

I know hate is a strong word because it takes energy to actually hate someone.  However it does make it all the more satisfying when something bad happens to that person, like yesterday when PC upset Georgetown at the AMP center. There were beer showers in the student section, projectile water bottles, chants about marital infidelity...just a great college atmosphere.  Even the Fox commentators were in on it. Jayden Pierre looks ready to be the team's go-to guy, since Bryce Hopkins was still on the bench, for what real reason I am not entirely sure.   

Also, I finally Googled "Hoya" because i don't know what that is.  Add that to the list of mascots that aren't things.  Apparently a "Hoya" is not an actual dog breed, it's just the name of a bulldog that someone brought to Georgetown games in the 1920s.  So they are basically the Georgetown Bulldogs, the most useless of dog breeds. 

Now before you tell me "Mike, a 'Friar' is a lame mascot too,"   Yes, it is, but it has meaning and historical context as Providence was founded by the Dominican Friar order of priests.  Just because the mascot at the games looks like something David Lynch created after a fever dream doesn't mean it is terrible.   

PC will square off against the Seton Hall Pirates (real mascot) and the St. John's Johnnies (not a real mascot) this week in Big East play. 

1/19/2025

To steal a phrase from one of the great background Simpsons characters (Disco Stu), the Friars went Oo-zo for Two-zo this week, dropping games to conference rivals Creighton and Villanova.  Creighton was an embarrassment 20 pt loss, with Ryan Kalkbrenner leading the charge against the silver and black.  I guess it's a compliment to him that I feel like he's been playing for Creighton for a decade. 

Providence managed to blow a decent halftime lead against the Wildcats on Friday night in what was actually an entertaining game, but for all the missed three point attempts down the stretch.  75-73 was the final margin. So, only two points. That's not bad. This is where I am now, instead of rating games as win/loss I am just rating losses as "embarrassment" and "not bad."  I guess it could be worse, I could be from Detroit this morning. 

1/12/2025

Providence won their two games this week.   Seven words I did not expect to be typing.  The first W came via a blow out 84-65 win against Butler, who has taken over for DePaul as the Big East team that doesn't win any Big East games.  Jayden Pierre seems to be slightly more comfortable functioning without Bryce Hopkins. 

They followed it up with a narrow 91-85 margin against the Seton Hall Pirates. These are the games PC absolutely has to win to offset every time they get waxed by an actual team. 

Seton Hall has an  objectively cool mascot though, a pirate. It's really tough to go wrong with that.  Top 5 Pirate-related mascots that I am aware of: 

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Both the creamsicle fancy boy pirate and the new look.  Buccaneer doesn't sound like it should be a badass name but it works. And the orange guy with the flowing long hair that is winking at you definitely should not be badass but it somehow is. 

2. Las Vegas Raiders.  This would be number 1, except you can't be 100% sure if the "Raider" jolly-roger is a true mariner privateer or someone from Thunderdome (Gen Z will have to Google that). 

3. Seton Hall.  I wouldn't pick blue to be a good pirate color, but here we are.  They have the whole look..the pirate, the flag, the swords, it all works. 

4. East Carolina Pirates - Something about the skull and cross bones in place of a human pirate is pretty cool.

5.  Pittsburgh Pirates -  This one is kinda goofy looking, but the crossed baseball bats are a nice MLB - relevant touch. 

This week the "things to do instead of watch PC" was going to be the AFC Wild card round, but the late window game was on Amazon Prime, and I refuse to support this streaming movement for sports...even though I already have Amazon Prime.  

1/5/2025

On New Year's Eve, #8 Marquette handed Providence their worst home loss since George H.W. was in the White House. 

This was a perfect opportunity to put into practice my "things to do instead of watch PC basketball" recommendations, as I was invited to an early gathering at my neighbor's for NYE. So this submission is titled "Things to do instead of watch PC basketball: Go to a New Year's Eve Party." 

The guests at the party, however, are apparently not familiar with my weekly submissions here, because I was in the kitchen when someone walked in from the living room and said "Hey, are you watching this massacre in here?" 

At that point I decided I probably didn't need to watch the game.  The final score was 78-50 but I hear it felt like 178 - 50.  Bryce Hopkins didn't play, again. 

The Friars capped off the week by dropping another game to #11 UConn.  Jayden Pierre finished with 24 points which was nice, considering Bryce Hopkins once again was out.  The score was 39-27 at halftime, with the Friars inexplicably in the lead. I texted my college friends "How  quickly does this lead evaporate?"   Someone responded with the answer : "11 minutes, apparently." 

This game wasn't on tv, or if it was, I couldn't find it so I was actually forced into doing something besides watching PC basketball.  So instead I watched the Patriots, who clearly did not understand today's assignment and beat Buffalo 23-17. 

PC will face off against Butler and Seton Hall this week.  I usually hang my Friars flag outside my house to offset my neighbor's Seton Hall flag, but I don't think I am going to bother this year. 

12/28/2024

Providence's gift to its fan base this week was not playing any basketball, a disappointing consolation for failing to give the gift of a competitive season.  It reminds me of when I was 8 and I wanted a "Bigfoot Power Wheel" (anyone under the age of 40 will have to Google that) and instead I got a matchbox monster truck. 

That said, this week was a perfect opportunity to really get into my "things to do instead of watching PC basketball" agenda, which will be more prominently featured now that PC has effectively cashed in their chips this season. 

Dexter: Original Sin...surprisingly pretty not bad.  It takes a minute to get used to Michael C. Hall's voiceover, given that his character is played on screen by someone else.  The guy that plays young Batista is a dead ringer though, right down to the stupid fedora. 

Also, Churchill at War on Netflix was a great watch. I didn't realize that FDR strategically basically took turns making fun of the guy with Stalin.  Kind of like how I feel when I hang out with anyone from Villanova and UConn, except there is no strategy to it. 

Tupelo Kings was also a great watch..I can't even begin to get into that madness here, you just have to watch.  It involves Elvis impersonators, body part trafficking, and Mensa, apparently, which must have lowered their standards in the 1990s. 

Providence will step back onto the court against #8 Marquette at 6 P.M. on New Year's Eve.  I'll probably get through 10 minutes of it before switching over to watch Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen in hopes that CNN lets them get really drunk on camera like they used to a few years ago. 

12/22/2024

The Friars mercifully only had one game this week after a last second loss to the Bonnies on Saturday, this time they faced off against another team named after something that isn't a thing...the St. John's Johnnies.  Bryce Hopkins seems content to just collect NIL money and sit on the bench, so it was a pleasant surprise that PC led by 13 points at halftime.  An unpleasant non-surprise, however, was that they blew the lead behind the momentum of 12 turnovers.  Perhaps they took the whole "season of giving" thing too seriously, with one turnover for each of the twelve days of Christmas. 

In true PC fashion though, they made you think they might pull it out, with Bensley Joseph finally hitting a 3 ball to tie the game with seconds left...only to inexplicably collapse at the other end of the court (literally, he fell down to give SJ an open look at a rebound/put-back shot) allowing the Johnnie's a buzzer-beater to win it.  This likely effectively ends any chance of PC making the Tournament, so it's no pressure viewing for the rest of the season. 

Something to do instead of watching PC play basketball this week :  Rewatch Christmas themed sitcom episodes...30 Rock, Community, Seinfeld all have some great ones.  

12/15/2024

This week, the Friars managed a come from behind win in OT against vaunted DePaul...the perennial punching bag of the Big East. Their game plan so far this season has been to basically just jack as many three point attempts as possible, which is fine, if you have anyone on the team that can hit one on occasion. 

When Bryce Hopkins plays, they are a functioning team...which brings me to Saturday's game at Mohegan against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies.  I still don't know what a "Bonnie" is...much in the way I still don't know what a "turtle dove" is.  Anyways, your intrepid PC supporter had a chance to report live from Mohegan Sun Arena (which is a pretty fantastic place to watch a game).  As a special treat, I took notes in real time:

5 PM - just before tip off -  This is basically a home game for Providence.  There might be 12 St Bona's fans here. Probably because the only reason to go to St. Bonaventure is to get directions on how to get away from there.  Hopkins isn't in the starting lineup and I was not aware of this before placing my bet at the sports book so I'm kissing that money good-bye. 

5:15 PM - PC is down by a lot.  Some guy named "Council Jr." looks like Clyde Drexler and is scoring at will.

5:20 PM - PC is down by even more than a lot...I have started double fisting the Coors lights now.

-  scene missing -

730 AM Sunday -  I woke up and googled the score, PC lost but it ended up being close, and I somehow have a wad of cash on my nightstand and still have both of my kidneys.  Successful trip to Mohegan.  Highly recommend attending for a sporting event. 

12/8/2024

Providence got back into the win column against BYU, also known as "the place Steve Young attended" or "the Mormon college."  The PC twitter page (I will not call it "X") had it billed as "Catholics v. Mormons."  I can't think of a less exciting promotion...maybe Catholics v. Jehovah's would be less exciting...I don't know.   Anyway, the return of Bryce Hopkins was a triumphant one, however, the shine wore off quickly on Saturday night, when they came up short in the battle of Rhode Island to URI.  With 4 losses already and it's not Christmas yet, the uphill climb to get to the tournament just became a little more up-hilly...and God Shammgod isn't walking through that door. 

11/30/2024

The Friars participated in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament this weekend in the Bahamas.  "Participated" is really the only word that describes their performance, as they lost all 3 games and two of them were not close. The Oklahoma game was a buzzer beater away from victory, but Davidson and Indiana separated pretty early and PC couldn't close the gap. 

Quick history lesson, Atlantis, (besides being a swanky resort) is an alleged lost civilization that historians often suggest was a utopian society...so basically just like things are today, except the opposite.  Atlantis is also the song playing the background when Tommy DiSimone beats Billy Bats to death in Goodfellas. It's the other song Donovan wrote that isn't Season of the Witch. Sometimes being a Friars fan is like that scene where Tommy walks into the room thinking he is about to get made and then...well, you know.  It's how I feel every year PC is projected to have a good season. 

In light of Providence's dismal performance this weekend, I am going to start a segment called "things to do instead of watching Providence."  You can also just insert whatever team you follow that also happens to be terrible.  This weekend, I watched The Penguin.  Highly recommend.  Sofia Falconi is my new favorite villain.  I also had to keep reminding myself that the guy playing Oz Cobb was in fact Colin Farrell.  Much like I had to keep reminding myself that Bryce Hopkins hasn't played for Providence yet this season, so maybe there is hope.  

11/23/2024

The Friars continued the "opponents anonymous" leg of the season by thumping Delaware State by 30 points. Next week the "colleges that I've heard of" part of the season begins.  The one thing that ever stood out about Delaware to me was that, according to the Simpsons, Delaware is known for its world famous screen-door factory... I've been to Delaware, once, for a wedding.  The church was in the middle of the college neighborhood near University of Delaware.  I was in the wedding party and recall all of us playing flip cup with some college kids in the parking lot.  The "old men in their 30s" from PC impressed the Delaware students.  Providence also produces very skilled flip cup graduates. We didn't even need the transfer portal.  Oklahoma is up on the 29th.  The real part of the season can't come any Sooner (see what I did there?). 

11/17/2024

The Friars continued the "Wake me up when I've heard of one of these opponents" part of the season by beating Hampton and Green Bay.  No, not the fancy Hampton, home to George Costanza's fake vacation house...and no, not the Packers.  Did you know either of those schools existed? Me neither.  For that reason I didn't watch either game and instead watched season 6, part 2 of Cobra Kai on Netflix. 

11/9/2024

Providence almost started off the season by nearly basically ending the season, with a narrow win against the Blue Devils (no, not THOSE Blue Devils).  A loss to Central Connecticut State would have basically said "you're not making the tournament this year."   But seriously, CC couldn't find a different mascot? Maybe the purple devils? It even looks more or less just like the Duke devil.  Also, Providence has a guy named "Christ."  That must have helped.  It also caused some confusion when I kept muttering "Jesus Christ" after one 3 ball after another clanged off the rim. 

Thankfully a thorough mauling of Stonehill quieted the nerves that maybe PC will be decent this year. Thanks to that transfer portal I still haven't learned all the players names.