A Healthy Shaurad Curry Excels In Big East Play

Via ProJo Sports:

Curry’s stats didn’t begin to pick up until PC’s final nonconference game, against Bryant University on Dec. 22. He hit three 3-pointers and scored a then-season-high 16 points against the Bulldogs. The difference in Curry’s play before and after conference play opened is great. Curry averaged 8.3 points on 35 percent shooting (30 percent on threes) in 12 nonleague games. Against Big East foes, Curry has boosted his production to 13.9 points a game on 44 percent shooting. His season high came in a 94-91 home loss to Villanova, during which he sank six 3-pointers and finished with 25 points and five assists.

"Of course, I knew in the back of my head that I wasn’t 100 percent," he said, "but I kept working to get stronger. My legs were weak and I felt like I was rusty. I just never said that. As the season went on, I could see it coming around."

While Curry and the Friars still have their postseason fate in their own hands, the Big East is in the process of making sure the NCAA’s selection committee understands the impact of Curry’s injury on PC's season. The committee does take in-season injuries into account when picking teams. But while Curry wasn’t injured, he clearly was not himself for the first month of the season.

Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese and associate commissioner Dan Gavitt say that they have told committee members about Curry’s injury. George Mason athletic director Tom O’Connor is the committee’s point man for the Big East. "Providence played the first month of the season with a player who was coming off a major injury, and he’s turned into their best player," said Tranghese, a former chair of the selection committee. "Tom O'Connor will know that, and he could raise that if Providence is discussed. In a real tight call, that may get considered."

I didn't realize that Curry played so poorly in the non-conference, but he has really stepped it up in Big East play. You have to wonder if PC might have been able to knock off Northeastern, Baylor, BC, or St. Mary's had Curry been 100% healthy. If they had split those 4 games, they probably would be in the tournament right now without question.

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