Providence Friars: 21-13, 10-8 in the Big East
Head coach: Ed Cooley (6th season)
Players to watch: Rodney Bullock (14.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG); Alpha Diallo (13.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG); Kyron Cartwright (11.8 PPG, 5.7 APG)
Season recap: With a relatively easy schedule to begin the season and a pair of bad nonconference losses to Creighton and Minnesota, Providence needed to show the NCAA selection committee its worthiness for a tournament bid in the second half of their season. Once January came around, the Friars did just that.
Thanks to the team’s leading assist man, senior Kyron Cartwright, Providence earned a significant 81-72 win against the top-seeded Xavier, which sparked a fire under the Friars throughout the rest of their season.
Providence went on to beat two more top Big East teams with a 70-60 win against Butler and a 76-71 win against No. 4 Villanova. It then pulled a shocker in the Big East tournament semifinals, knocking off Xavier 75-72 to get another shot at the Wildcats in the conference title game before losing in overtime.
How they make a run: While Providence is well-coached and performs well under the spotlight, the team lacks explosiveness and a clear star to carry the offensive load in crunch time. If Cartwright figures out how to consistently get it done on the offensive side of the ball, the Friars send some of the big-named teams packing early on in the tournament.
How they falter: Even though Providence has the defense to earn victories, its offense can't provide enough to slip into the second round.
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