Providence Getting Healthy And Potentially Dangerous

Providence, who has been playing with just six scholarship players for all but a few minutes of the year, is on the verge of getting some much needed depth, and some talented reinforcements at that.

Kris Dunn, the top point guard in the 2012 class, is getting set to make his debut tonight after being out since June with a shoulder injury. With their star player and point guard, Vincent Council, out with a hamstring injury, the Friars have been forced to play Bryce Cotton at the point and run a very short rotation. Cotton, who is more of a two guard, has stuck to his scoring ways by leading the conference in scoring with 20.8 points per game. And while he does average just over two turnovers per contest, he is dishing out twice the amount of assists (4.8). Not terrible and not great, but it's been getting the job done in the interim.

However, with Dunn ready to make his debut tonight against Colgate, Cotton will be able to slide back over to shooting guard, granted that Dunn can step in right away and take control. Dunn is a gifted play-maker who should bring an added dimension to the team.

Also, Arizona transfer and former top-100 recruit, Sidiki Johnson, is slated to make his Friar debut tonight. Johnson, a 6-foot-10 forward, is a bit of a question mark as he played just seven minutes for Arizona before being suspended by the team and eventually electing to leave the school. Since he's barely even played, it wouldn't be fair to call him a bust, but there is no way of knowing how good he will actually be. At the very least he will provide much needed size and depth to the rotation, with top-100 upside to go along with it.

While the Friars are 7-2, it is nearly impossible to gauge how good this team is given the weak schedule they have played to date. According to KenPom they are ranked 71st, but their average opponent is ranked 194, with Massachusetts being the highest ranked team at 107; a game Providence lost on a neutral court by two.

Getting Dunn and Johnson on the court will be extremely beneficial, but Friar fans are also desperately awaiting the return of their star, Vincent Council. Council strained his hamstring minutes into the team's first game of the year, and initial diagnosis speculated that he would sidelined around five weeks (which was about five weeks ago). There's no telling when he will be back (whispers are any day now, maybe even tonight), but when and if he does, the Friars should have one of the most exciting back courts in the country with Council, Cotton and Dunn.

The Friars aren't expected to immediately become one of the best teams in the conference, but excitement is on the way. With conference play quickly approaching (only three more games before they start Big East play) the reinforcements are more than needed. And finishing in the top half of the Big East is not out of the question.

Twitter:  @shane_t_mac