March 14, 2001

By BRIAN CAROVILLANO
Associated Press Writer

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Providence coach Tim Welsh sees a lot of his Friars' qualities when he looks at Penn State.

Both teams harken back to a bygone era in college basketball with their three-guard offense and aggressive man-to-man defense. And both have sharpshooting guards that can blow a game wide open in a hurry.

"We mirror each other in a lot of ways," Welsh said.

Providence, the No. 10 seed in the South, will face the seventh-seeded Nittany Lions in New Orleans on Friday night. Welsh and his staff have spent the past 2 1/2 days analyzing video of Penn State (19-11), looking for weaknesses they might exploit.

"I don't think we have any definite advantages," Welsh said. "They play an up-tempo style and shoot the three with great range. It's a team you can't give up on, because they never give up."

Penn State senior guard Joe Crispin led the Big Ten in scoring at 19.9 points per game. He and his brother Jon, a sophomore, are a dangerous 1-2 punch, the centerpiece of the Penn State attack.

Providence (21-9) counters with John Linehan, a 5-foot-9 junior point guard who shoots 43 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. Linehan was also the unanimous selection for Big East Defensive Player of the Year.

The Friars' inside game hinges on 7-2 center Karim Shabazz and forward Erron Maxey, a 6-6 senior who led the team in scoring with 11.2 points per game. Maxey doesn't think Providence will be intimidated playing in the cavernous Super Dome.

"It doesn't matter if there are 100,000 people in the stands or just two," Maxey said. "When you're a hard-core player, you breathe and eat basketball for this moment. Who is in the building doesn't matter."

If Providence has a disadvantage, Welsh said, it may be rebounding. Penn State forward Gyasi Cline-Heard (8.1 rebounds per game) could create problems for the Friars on the glass. Many of his 15.9 points per game came on second chances off the offensive boards.

Welsh quickly dispelled a media report he may be headed to the University of Massachusetts, where Bruiser Flint resigned Monday after five years as head coach.

Welsh said no one has contacted him about the job and if they did, he wouldn't be interested.

"I don't even know where that came from," Welsh said. "I'm very happy here."

For Providence, it is the first trip to the tournament since 1997, when they upset Duke and advanced to the last eight, finally losing in overtime to eventual champion Arizona, 96-92.

The Friars will fly south Wednesday morning to prepare for Friday's game. Linehan, for one, is ready to stop talking and get down to playing some basketball.

"I wish we were leaving today," Linehan said. "I can't wait to get down there. This may be a once-in-a-lifetime thing for us."