PROVIDENCE — After two preview glimpses, there are some recurring, and disturbing, developments with the Providence College basketball team.

Over the last few years, the Friars were pinned with a “soft” label too often in the rough-and-tumble Big East. Scoring, no problem. Defending, no problem for the other team. That, in a nutshell, is the scouting report on the Friars.

Keno Davis was hired in large part to change that culture, but without any wholesale alterations to the team’s personnel, he’s playing with a group that is looking an awful lot like the one that stumbled to six conference wins a year ago.

The Friars tuned up for Davis’ first game as PC coach (next Saturday vs. Northeastern) with a 105-84 win last night over Slippery Rock, a Division II school from western Pennsylvania. The Friars shot the ball well, ran the floor nicely and saw five players score in double figures. They made 10 threes and a whopping 25 free throws on 37 chances (The Rock had 3 attempts).

But the other end of the floor looked scary. The Rock scored 47 points in the second half and shot 45 percent for the game. Despite a size advantage up and down the bench, PC outrebounded the visitors by only one, 43-42.

“Tonight we played well offensively. We shot the ball well as a team, but defensively we just have to play tougher for 40 minutes,” said senior Jeff Xavier. “We played about 10 minutes of toughness and the rest was lackadaisical.”

After being hounded all last season about defensive intensity by one coaching staff and then hearing it from Davis and his assistants for the last month, this group’s inability to scratch out loose balls, box out off the glass and hold off dribble penetration is repeating itself.

“It has everything to do with what you have inside. It’s your toughness,” said Xavier. “Coach can’t put it in you. Fans can’t put it in you. You have to come prepared. You need 40 minutes of energy. That team played well, they played tough. I think they out-toughed us tonight.”

Xavier led the Friars with 21 points and three 3-point shots. Weyinmi Efejuku (19), Brian McKenzie (17), Marshon Brooks (12) and Sharaud Curry (11) also hit double digits.

Davis has played 100-percent man-to-man defense in the two exhibitions but is promising other looks as the season unfolds. “We played all man-to-man defense in these games just because you can only be as good as you are in your halfcourt man defense, even if you’re going to play other defenses,” he said.

One look that came out in the second half was a trapping press. SRU shredded that press for long stretches, which resulted in too many open 3-point shots and layups. Davis promises more pressing, a little zone and anything else that can spark added intensity and production from his team’s defense.

Both the defense and rebounding woes could’ve been helped if it weren’t for a curious decision by the officials before the game even began. Senior forward Jonathan Kale suited up and prepared to play, but when the officials spotted the cast on his left wrist during warm-ups, they pulled him aside and told him they could not clear the use of the cast. Kale wore the same cast last week against Ottawa, but a different set of refs worked that game.

“I found that out about three minutes before the game started. I wasn’t in the best mood to start a game,” he said. “It’s a shame, because we all need the work. Jon needs the work and he was going to start tonight. He had earned that. We know we need him out there. His rebounding was missed.”

kmcnamar@projo.com