As another college basketball season comes to a close, I thought it would be appropriate to put forth some random thoughts about the season. To be clear, I am a life-long Friar fan and am always supportive of my team, so I am not one to be overly critical. There will be honest opinions, but I am a Friar forever. Season Overview ​Not making the NCAA tournament was both a disappointment and a disgrace. The committee will likely be making changes to the selection process after their indefensible job this year. None of that should detract from the overall accomplishments of this year’s Friar ..read more

As I did my final NCAA prediction ballot yesterday, for the first time since I started doing this, I had no confidence in my results. The final number of missing three teams (Michigan St, Florida Atlantic, and Virginia) doesn’t sound bad, but it’s more than that. The reality is that there are 32 automatic bids, and at-large teams in the first 8 or 9 seed lines should be automatic. That normally accounts for close to 60 teams being non-controversial. So, for someone who rarely misses more than one team, three misses are not good. Additionally, one if my misses was an 8 seed and another was a 9 ..read more

In what was Providence’s first time playing on Wednesday of the Big East Tournament since a disastrous loss against DePaul in the strange 2020-21 season, the first one since COVID-19 shut down the world as the 2020 Big East Tournament began action. That team went 13-13 overall in a season filled with cancelled and re-scheduled games. This team, Kim English’s first at the helm in Friartown, went 10-10 in Big East play and that eanred them the 7-seed in the Big East Tournament. After a third win over former Friar head coach Ed Cooley and Georgetown in the first round on Wednesday night, Providen ..read more

Since I just learned that the Academy Awards (the Oscars) are happening this Sunday evening, I believe it is time for me to present the Big East Awards (the Gavitts). Some of these categories just pooped into my head, so I apologize if they do not make sense. I will also state that in terms of college production, this is the most talented group of players in any year since realignment, which necessitates more recognition. Big East Player of the Year – Devin Carter, Providence There is no shortage of qualified candidates this year, probably the largest group of potential winners in recent memor ..read more

1 Seeds – Purdue, Connecticut, Houston, Tennessee 2 Seeds – Arizona, North Carolina, Baylor, Marquette 3 Seeds – Kansas, Creighton, Alabama, Iowa St 4 Seeds – Duke, Illinois, Auburn, BYU 5 Seeds – Texas Tech San Diego St., Kentucky, Dayton 6 Seeds – Washington St, Wisconsin Florida, South Carolina 7 Seeds – Clemson, Colorado St, Utah St, Boise St 8 Seeds – Northwestern, Mississippi St, Texas Christian, St. Mary 9 Seeds – Oklahoma, Florida Atlantic, Texas, Nebraska 10 Seeds – New Mexico, Villanova, Michigan St, Gonzaga 11 Seeds – Nevada, Providence, Virginia, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Colorado 12 ..read more

1 Seeds – Purdue, Connecticut, Houston, Arizona 2 Seeds – Tennessee, Marquette, North Carolina, Kansas 3 Seeds – Baylor, Alabama, Iowa St, Creighton 4 Seeds – Duke, Illinois, Auburn, BYU 5 Seeds – Wisconsin, San Diego St., Kentucky, Dayton 6 Seeds – Texas Tech, Florida, Colorado St., Washington St 7 Seeds – Clemson, St. Mary, South Carolina, Utah St 8 Seeds – Northwestern, Mississippi St, Texas Christian, Boise St 9 Seeds – Oklahoma, Florida Atlantic, Michigan St, Nebraska 10 Seeds – New Mexico, Providence, Seton Hall, Texas 11 Seeds – Nevada, Gonzaga, Virginia, Villanova, St. John’s, Colorado ..read more

1 Seeds – Purdue, Connecticut, Houston, Arizona 2 Seeds – Tennessee, Marquette, Kansas, North Carolina 3 Seeds – Baylor, Alabama, Iowa St, Creighton 4 Seeds – Duke, Illinois, Auburn, San Diego St 5 Seeds – Wisconsin, Utah St, Kentucky, Dayton 6 Seeds – BYU, Texas Tech, Florida, Colorado St. 7 Seeds – Clemson, Colorado St., St. Mary, South Carolina 8 Seeds – Oklahoma, New Mexico, Washington St. Texas Christian 9 Seeds – Northwestern, Boise St, Florida Atlantic, Michigan St 10 Seeds – Providence, Butler, Seton Hall, Grand Canyon 11 Seeds – Nevada, Mississippi St, Gonzaga, Texas, Villanova, Texas ..read more

The first Providence Friar game I attended was in January of 1970 at Alumni Hall. I was five years old and haven’t stopped cheering for them since. A couple of years later, I helped out with a paper route, and would often use my money to take the number 26 RIPTA bus to the then new Providence Civic Center to attend Saturday afternoon games. The bus was $0.35 each way, and tickets were $3.50, I think. I didn’t appreciate at the time how lucky I was to see a Friar team featuring three all-Americans, playing the top teams in the country when most schools played regional schedules. Providence had ..read more

Basketball is an escape; it always has been, it always will be. The second I walk inside an arena, a gym, a basketball court in a church- step onto an outdoor court at a park- I can turn off my brain and focus on just one thing, 94 feet of hardwood. The Providence College Friars have been my team as long as I can remember. I vividly have flashbacks of waiting outside of some event, a family gathering, a high school game (my father was  the stand in athletic director where he taught often) in my dad’s red Buick in the 90’s, listening to John and Joe call a Friar game on the radio before we ..read more

​This week is the week that many Friar fans have been waiting for since the Big East schedule was released in September. It has gotten national attention, and was mentioned on Fox Sports, ESPN, and the Field of 68 as the most anticipated game of the year. It will be covered by every sports network in the country. It is the opener on Fox Sports as the national game of the week (Fox 64 locally at noon). Ticket prices on reseller sites are through the roof, and watch parties are being planned throughout Friartown and the entire region. Georgetown fans online are getting cocky since the injur ..read more