Friars "Tidbits" Before Tip-Off - What to Know as PC Squares Off Against Richmond Saturday Night
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Friars "Tidbits" Before Tip-Off - What to Know as PC Squares Off Against Richmond Saturday Night
On Thursday, the Friars fended off the hot shooting South Dakota State University from wire-to-wire and won 66-57 in the opening round of the tournament.
A win over Richmond (24-12) would give the Friars a spot in the Midwest Regional semifinals on March 25 in Chicago.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTProvidence hasn't advanced past the first weekend of the NCAAs since reaching the Elite Eight under coach Pete Gillen in 1997.
Head to Head
The Friars and the Spiders are meeting for the sixth time ever on Saturday and the first time in the NCAA Tournament. The Friars have posted a 3-2 mark all-time versus Richmond.
The Friars are 1-1 at home versus the Spiders and 2-1 on the road versus Richmond. In the first game ever between the two teams, Richmond defeated the Friars, 55-54, on February 19, 1983 in Richmond. The last time the two teams met, the Friars earned a 57-56 win at Richmond on December 23, 2003.
In the only post-season game between the two teams, the Friars earned a 67-49 win in the NIT at Richmond on March 19, 2003.
Quick Hitters
*The Friars are making their 21st NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2018.
*The Friars have advanced to the NCAA Second Round for the first time since 2016.
*The Friars are 16-21 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with two trips to the Final Four (1973 and 1987).
*Ed Cooley has led the Friars to SIX NCAA Tourneys in 11 years, which is more than any other coach at PC.
*The Friars are making their FIRST appearance as a No. 4 seed, which is the highest seed they have achieved.
*The Friars won the BIG EAST regular-season title for the FIRST time ever in 2022.
*The Friars won 14 games in BIG EAST play for the FIRST time ever in 2022.
*The Friars are 11-2 in games decided by five points or less.
*Since the 2013-14 season (nine years), the Friars are 68-27 (.716) in games decided by 5 points or less.
*Friars are 4-2 vs. ranked teams - (Wins at No. 20 UConn, vs. No. 15 Seton Hall, at No. 21 Xavier, vs. No. 22 Marquette).
*The Friars are 3-0 in overtime games this season.
*The Friars have earned 26 wins in a season for the for the frist time since 1973-74.
*The Friars are attempting to reach 27 wins in a season for the first time since 1973-74 (28-4).
*The Friars have earned 20 wins in a season for the first time since 2017-18 and the sixth time under Ed Cooley.
*The Friars have won 20 or more games in a season for the 28th time.
*The Friars finished the season with a 16-1 mark at home, which is the best mark since 1973-74 (16-0).
*Jared Bynum is the 1st BIG EAST player in 25 years with 3 games of 25+ points off the bench in the same season.
*The Friars are ranked #13/#13 (13th week being ranked). The Friars entered the polls at #22/#23 on Dec. 20.
*The highest the Friars have been ranked this season was #8/#9 on Feb. 14 and #9/#8 on Feb. 28
*Prior to entering the poll on Dec. 20, 2021, the last time the Friars had been ranked was Feb. 22, 2016.
*Al Durham leads the BIG EAST in free throws made (160) and attempted (189).
*Record in unis this season: white (11-1); black (5-1); grey (4-0); retro white (3-1); retro black (3-1); pinkout (0-1).
*Nate Watson and Jared Bynum were named All-BIG EAST Second Team.
*Jared Bynum earned the BIG EAST Sixth Man Award.
*Ed Cooley was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year.
*On March. 1 at Villanova, Nate Watson (1,738 points) became the 11th player at PC to score 1,700 or more points.
*On Jan. 23 in PC's win over Butler, Ed Cooley surpassed Dave Gavitt as he posted his 210th win.
*Ed Cooley (220-140) trails Joe Mullaney (319-164) for all-time wins as a head coach at Providence.
*The Friars posted a 6-1 mark in Nov., a 6-0 mark in Dec., a 6-1 record in Jan. and a 6-1 mark in Feb.
*On Jan. 8 versus St. John's, Ed Cooley earned his 300th victory (312-209) as a head coach.
*The Friars are 1-0 vs. the Big 12 this season. The Friars are 2-0 vs. the Big Ten this season.
*It marks the first time ever that the Friars have posted two wins over Big Ten teams in the same season.
*The Friars' win over Wisconsin on Nov. 15 was just the fourth time PC has won a road game versus a Big Ten team and the first since winning at Wisconsin on December 23, 1996.
*The Friars win over No. 20/22 UConn on Dec. 18 was the team's 700th win over a New England team (700-307).
*With the win over Marquette on Jan. 30, Ed Cooley posted the 100th BIG EAST win (106-92) of his career.
*The Friars have a team record of five graduate students on the roster this season.
*The average age of the Friars' top seven players is 23.0 years.
*Andrew and Luke Fonts are the first brothers to suit up at the same time for the Friars in 70 years.
More Intel
How The Friars Got To The NCAA Tournament: The Friars earned an at-large bid as a four seed to their 21st NCAA Tournament overall and sixth in 11 years under Head Coach Ed Cooley. Providence has posted a 26-5 mark and a 14-3 record in BIG EAST play. The Friars won the BIG EAST Regular Season Title for the first time in the 43-year history of the league. Providence has a NET Ranking of 32 entering the NCAA Tournament.
Friars All-Time In The NCAA Tourney: The Friars are making their 21st appearance all-time in the NCAA Tournament in 2022. It is the Friars' sixth trip to the NCAA Tournament under Head Coach Ed Cooley (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022). The Friars have posted a 16-21 mark all-time in NCAA Tournament play. The team has made two trips to the Final Four (1973 and 1987), four appearances in the Elite Eight (1965, 1973, 1987 and 1997) and five trips to the Sweet Sixteen (1965, 1973, 1974, 1987 and 1997).
Friars Versus The Tournament Field: The Friars have faced nine teams in the NCAA Tournament field this season and have posted an 9-4 mark against those teams. The Friars faced South Dakota State (1-0), Wisconsin (1-0), Saint Peter's (1-0), Texas Tech (1-0), Vermont (1-0), Connecticut (1-0), Seton Hall (1-0), Marquette (1-1), Creighton (1-1) and Villanova (0-2). All-time, the Friars have faced 51 of the 68 teams in this year's NCAA Tournament Field. Providence has registered a 290-306 record all-time against those 50 teams, including a 5-9 mark in NCAA play.
Friars Earn Highest Seed All-Time In The NCAA Tournament: Providence's No. 4 seed is the highest in program history since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The Friars' highest seed prior to this year's tournament was a No. 5 seed in 2015.
Head Coach Ed Cooley Breaks Dave Gavitt's Mark Of Five Friar NCAA Tournament Appearances: The Friars are making their sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament under Head Coach Ed Cooley in 2022. With this season's appearance, Cooley eclipsed former Friar Head Coach Dave Gavitt's mark of five tournament appearances - which was the most for any Friar head coach all-time. Other former Friar head coaches who reached the NCAA Tournament are Joe Mullaney (three NCAA appearances), Rick Pitino (one NCAA appearance), Rick Barnes (three NCAA appearances), Pete Gillen (one NCAA appearance), and Tim Welsh (two NCAA appearances).
After Nine Years, Friars Have Fourth Best Record In BIG EAST Action: Since the formation of the new BIG EAST, the Friars have posted the fourth-best mark in league play over the last nine years. The Friars' 93-69 mark (.574) trails only Villanova's 130-31 record (.808), UConn's 24-12 record (.667) and Creighton's 95-70 record (.576).
Providence College Basketball: The 2021-22 campaign marks the 95th season of basketball at Providence College. Since the program started in 1926-27, Providence has posted a 1,521-1,013 mark, good for a .600 winning percentage. The Friars have made the NCAA Tournament 21 times and the National Invitation Tournament on 20 occasions.
Veteran Lineup: The Friars' roster features five graduate students. It marks the first time ever the Friars have had five graduate students on the roster. The Friars' top seven players - Nate Watson (152 games), Noah Horchler (117 games), Al Durham (151 games), AJ Reeves (104 games), Jared Bynum (76 games), Justin Minaya (108 games) and Ed Croswell (113 games) have combined to play 828 collegiate games.
Brothers In The Lineup: For the first time since 1941 when Eddie and John Lee of Attleboro, Mass. suited up for the Friars, the Providence men's basketball team will have brothers playing together. Graduate student Andrew Fonts (Portsmouth, R.I.) and his brother, freshman Luke Fonts, are the first sibling combo for the Friars in 81 years
"DG" Patch On Friar Uniforms: In memory of former Friar Head Coach Dave Gavitt the Friars have worn a "DG" patch on their uniforms since the 2011-12 season. Gavitt led PC and Eastern basketball into the modern age. In 10 seasons as the head coach of the Friars, Gavitt led PC to 209 wins, including eight consecutive 20-win seasons, five NCAA appearances, three NIT appearances and five New England Coach of the Year honors. He led the Friars to 23 wins over Top-20 teams. His 1973 team made it to Final Four. In 1971, Gavitt was named Director of Athletics at PC, a position he held until 1982 when he resigned to be the director of the BIG EAST Conference. He also was named Head Coach of the 1980 USA Olympic basketball team. He was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.