Providence Friars
Wednesday, December 31, 6:30pm (Providence)
Saturday, January 17, 6:30pm (Omaha)
Last Season: Providence finished with a 23-12 (10-8 Big East) record, won the Big East Tournament by defeating the Jays in the title game, and then lost to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the 2nd Round of the NCAA Tournament.
Last Meeting/All-Time Series: These two became quick rivals a year ago, playing three spirited battles. In the first meeting, Providence beat the Jays 81-68 thanks to 23 points and six assists from Bryce Cotton, and 19 points and 6 boards from LaDontae Henton. In the rematch in Omaha, Cotton and Henton once again had big nights (23 and 21, respectively) but Doug McDermott outscored them by himself with 45 in a Senior Night for the ages. And in the rubber match, Providence combined a frustrating 2-3 zone 23 points (again!) from Cotton to win the Big East Tourney, 65-58.
Head Coach: Ed Cooley enters his fourth season at Providence with a 57-44 mark after taking them to the NIT Quarterfinals in 2013 and the NCAA Tourney in 2014. Previously, he won 92 games in five seasons as head coach at Fairfield, where his 2009-10 team was eliminated in the second round of the CIT by…Creighton.
Top Returners: LaDontae Henton, a preseason All-Big East second team honoree, enters his senior season as the go-to player on offense after a season where he finished second in scoring (14.0 PPG) behind Bryce Cotton. Henton had massive performances against Creighton a year ago, averaging 16.3 points in three games. He’s also moving up the career stat charts at PC; Henton ranks 20th all-time in scoring at Providence with 1,390 career points, and has 832 rebounds, which ranks ninth all-time.
Junior Tyler Harris finished fourth on the team in scoring and third in rebounding, averaging 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds. He started all 35 games for the Friars in his first season of action after transferring from NC State in 2012.
Kris Dunn, who missed 40 games (out of 69) the last two seasons with shoulder injuries, is finally healthy, which is great news for PC. Dunn is a former McDonald’s All-American, and as a freshman in 2012-13, he averaged 5.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.
Key Losses: With the exception of Doug McDermott, Bryce Cotton will be the toughest player in the Big East to replace. Cotton finished his career ranked fourth all-time in scoring at Providence with 1,975 career points, and the two-time First Team All-Big East guard earned the Dave Gavitt Trophy as the Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player. He averaged 21.8 points per game as a senior, and put the team on his back down the stretch to lead them to the NCAA Tournament.
Kadeem Batts, who finished third on the team with 12.4 points a game and second with 7.4 rebounds, is now playing in the NBA, and Josh Fortune transferred to the Colorado Buffaloes, leaving Providence with some holes to fill.
Key Additions: The six-man recruiting class that Cooley and his staff have brought in to fill those holes ranks as the 26th-best class in the country according to ESPN.com. The six newcomers: Ben Bentil (6’8″ F, ranked #86 overall by Scout, #89 by Rivals), Paschal Chukwu (7’2″ center, ranked #61 by Rivals and #64 by Scout), Jalen Lindsey (ranked #69 by Rivals, #84 by Scout), Kyron Cartwright, Tyree Chambers, and Tom Planek.
