Here's how Ed Cooley's Providence Friars are surprising the college basketball world — again
PROVIDENCE — Ed Cooley appears to have found the sweet spot.
Providence College’s coach has his men’s basketball program humming like never before. The Friars have tasted their fair share of success during his tenure, but this second decade in Cooley’s home city finds the ceiling being lifted in real time.
Consider the circumstances entering Saturday’s noon tip against St. John’s. Providence almost certainly would break into the national rankings with a victory. The Friars would keep pace with Xavier atop the league — they're the only two programs with perfect conference records.
Cooley’s previous NCAA Tournament teams in the 2010s didn’t seem to carry this upside. They never made an extended challenge for a regular-season title. Winning the first in school history last season came two years after a sizzling close to the 2019-20 season — COVID-19 and the canceled edition of March Madness was the only thing that stopped Providence down the stretch.
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No. 4 Connecticut controlled quality opponents like Alabama, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Florida and Villanova earlier in the season. The Friars refused to yield on Wednesday night in front of an electric sellout crowd — the gathering of 12,400 fans has become the expectation. Providence pulled away over the course of the second half for a 73-61 victory, an eighth straight overall.
“We beat a hell of a team today,” Cooley said. “That team is going to win a lot of basketball games.”
Huskies coach Dan Hurley might well have said the same had he been on the right side of the final score. Providence will improve to 41-9 in its last 50 games with a victory over the struggling Red Storm — 21-4 in its last 25 conference meetings. The Wildcats are the only team to escape the Friars in that span, and they look ripe for the picking in 2022-23 with Jay Wright retired and Kyle Neptune trying to find his way. UConn, Creighton, the Musketeers, Marquette — that's the new iron, and Providence isn’t taking a back seat to any of them.
The Friars downed Merrimack and Columbia by 14 points apiece in November, but they didn’t dominate the action. Losses to Miami and TCU didn’t carry any real threat of breaking through for a signature win. Throwing away what should have been a confidence builder against Saint Louis was watching growing pains in real time.
Manhattan and Albany were slaughtered at home before a conference win at Seton Hall — maybe that should have been the warning. Persevering against the Golden Eagles in double-overtime led to cruises past Butler and DePaul on the road. Providence dismissed the Bulldogs and Blue Demons like the rebuilder and doormat they are, respectively. Real contenders do that.
Bryce Hopkins has blossomed into a star before our eyes. Devin Carter is a two-way threat who carries a hint of nasty with his game — he wants to punish you with his defense. Ed Croswell is bedrock inside, the sort of pillar who allows everyone else to simply settle in.
Cooley and his staff — associate head coach Jeff Battle, assistant coaches Brian Blaney and Ivan Thomas — have assembled a team with characteristics that mesh. They’ve identified, as Cooley likes to say, players who can play for him — not those with the most recruiting stars next to their respective names. Will you be coachable, tough, sacrifice your body and buy into the collective? There’s a place for you on his team.
The Red Storm could use this spot to turn around their season. Four straight losses have pushed them out of any realistic NCAA Tournament hopes, and Mike Anderson could be in the process of losing his grip on his job in Queens. Past editions of the Friars might have been vulnerable against a desperate team with seemingly nothing to lose.
This current group? You wouldn’t bet against them at the moment. These are the good times.
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
St. John's Red Storm (11-5, 1-4 Big East) at Providence Friars (13-3, 5-0 Big East)
Providence, Saturday, noon
BOTTOM LINE: Providence takes on the St. John's (NY) Red Storm after Bryce Hopkins scored 27 points in Providence's 73-61 victory over the UConn Huskies. The Friars are 9-0 on their home court. Providence ranks fourth in the Big East with 25.6 defensive rebounds per game led by Hopkins averaging 7.1. The Red Storm have gone 1-4 against Big East opponents. St. John's (NY) ranks second in the Big East scoring 41.8 points per game in the paint led by Joel Soriano averaging 10.4.
TOP PERFORMERS: Noah Locke averages 1.9 made 3-pointers per game for the Friars, scoring 9.4 points while shooting 34.5% from beyond the arc. Hopkins is averaging 16.4 points and 9.2 rebounds over the past 10 games for Providence. Andre Curbelo is averaging 10.4 points, 5.2 assists and 1.9 steals for the Red Storm. Soriano is averaging 16.2 points over the last 10 games for St. John's (NY).
LAST 10 GAMES: Friars: 9-1, averaging 81.3 points, 38.4 rebounds, 15.4 assists, 8.1 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 47.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.4 points per game. Red Storm: 5-5, averaging 76.9 points, 37.0 rebounds, 15.2 assists, 8.5 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 44.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.2 points.
Associated Press
![Published Caption: Bill Koch, sports writer. [The Providence Journal / Steve Szydlowski] Original Caption: Providence--Oct. 20, 2014--- Bill Koch, Sports writer. The Providence Journal/Steve Szydlowski](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/XOhpj4wWDc2EuE.pMypZ1Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTExNTg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-providence-journal/31172fa1acc9a7986c4f463cbd45e54d)
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Bill Koch won't bet against another magical run for Providence basketball
