Kentucky basketball: Five things to know about the Providence Friars

Five things to know about the Providence Friars, Kentucky basketball’s opponent in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

1. It’s Providence College and its mascot is scary

It’s Providence College, not Providence University. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and local diocese, the Rhode Island college has an enrollment of approximately 5,000 students. According to U.S. News and World Report, tuition and fees are $57,928. It has an acceptance rate of 58 percent.

The Friars nickname for the college’s athletic teams comes from the Dominican order. They were once known as “The Black and White” for the school colors or the “Dominicans.” The “Friars” name is a shortened version of “Blackfriars.” The current Friars’ mascot is said to be “ghoulish” and “terrifying” under a cape.

Notable alumni include former Connecticut senator Chris Dodd, six-term Chicago mayor Richard Daley, former U.S. representative Patrick J. Kennedy, actor John O’Hurley (J. Peterman on Seinfeld), comedian Janeane Garofalo, ESPN basketball commentator Doris Burke, and basketball Hall of Famers John Thompson and Lenny Wilkens.

2. Providence has been to two Final Fours

Coached by Dave Gavitt, the 1972-73 Providence Friars advanced to the Final Four thanks to star players Marvin Barnes and Ernie DiGregorio. The Friars went 27-4 that season with wins over Saint Joseph’s, Penn and Maryland in the NCAA Tournament to reach the national semifinals in St. Louis. There, Providence lost to Memphis State 98-85. Memphis went on to lose to UCLA 87-66 in the championship game when the Bruins’ Bill Walton made 21 of 22 shots.

It wasn’t until a young coach named Rick Pitino arrived on campus that Providence reached its second Final Four. Led by Billy Donovan (20.6 points per game) and Delray Brooks (14.4), Providence used a defense that deployed a full-court press and an offense that relied on three-point shooting to go 25-9 in 1986-87.

In the NCAA Tournament, Providence beat UAB 90-86, then squeaked past Austin Peay 90-87 in overtime to reach the Sweet 16 in Louisville. At Freedom Hall, Providence upset both Alabama 103-82 and Georgetown 88-73 to reach the Final Four in New Orleans, where the Friars lost to Pitino’s former boss Jim Boehiem and Syracuse 77-63.

The then 35-year-old Pitino departed to become the head coach of the NBA’s New York Knicks. Two years later, Pitino took over the probation-riddled program at Kentucky, where he took the Wildcats to three Final Fours, including a national championship in 1996.

3. Bryce Hopkins isn’t the only familiar Providence player

A lot of attention has been paid this week to Providence power forward Bryce Hopkins. After all, the 6-foot-6 Illinois native is a former Wildcat who after one year at Kentucky averaged 16.1 points and 8.5 rebounds for the Friars. Hopkins produced a 29-point, 23-rebound game against Xavier back in December.

But the Friars also have a couple of former SEC players familiar to Kentucky fans in guards Devin Carter and Noah Locke.

Carter is a 6-3 sophomore guard from Miami who is averaging 13.1 points and 31.8 minutes per game for the Friars after transferring from South Carolina. As a Gamecock playing for Frank Martin, Carter averaged 9.0 points and 18 minutes per game last season. Carter had seven points and six assists in South Carolina’s 86-76 loss to Kentucky last season.

A 6-3 senior from Baltimore, Locke played three seasons at Florida where he averaged 9.4 points in 2018-19, 10.6 points in 2019-20 and 10.6 again in 2020-21. Known as a three-point shooter, Locke shot 43.2 percent from behind the arc as a sophomore and 40.4 as a junior.

In six games against Kentucky as a Gator, Locke scored 36 points. He was 13-of-43 from the field, including 9-of-26 from three-point range.

Locke transferred to Louisville last season. As a Cardinal, he averaged 9.6 points and 26.1 minutes in 25 games. He did not play against Kentucky as a Cardinal as last year’s UK-U of L game was canceled because of COVID.

This year, Locke is averaging 11.1 points per game. He’s started 31 of Providence’s 32 games and averaged 27.8 minutes per game. He’s shooting 38.9 percent from three-point range.

Providence Friars basketball roster

4. Providence is a good offensive team

This has been mentioned before, but bears repeating: Providence is a top 20 adjusted offensive efficiency team according to Ken Pomeroy. The Friars rank 16th, in fact. And efficient offensive teams have given Kentucky’s defense problems this season.

Many of Providence’s points come off the glass. The Friars rank 16th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage. (Kentucky is second at 38.7 percent.) They also excel at the free-throw line, shooting 74.5 percent. They don’t shoot a lot of three-pointers. The Friars rank 317th in the percentage of their field goals that come from three — just 31.6 percent.

Defense is Providence’s weakness. That’s usual for an Ed Cooley team. But the Friars enter Friday night 106th in adjusted defensive efficiency and 256th in forcing turnovers.

5. This could be Ed Cooley’s last game as Providence coach

A 53-year-old Providence native, Cooley’s name is reportedly at the top of the list for the head coach opening at Georgetown. Hoyas’ coach Patrick Ewing was fired after going 75-109 in six seasons at his alma mater.

Cooley is 242-152 in 12 seasons at Providence. He’s 118-99 in the Big East. Cooley has coached the Friars to seven NCAA Tournaments. Last season was the first he reached the Sweet 16, where Providence lost 66-61 to eventual national champion Kansas.

After losing the bulk of last year’s team, Cooley relied heavily on the transfer portal to fashion a 21-11 squad that went 13-7 in the Big East and earned a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Cooley is 0-3 against UK Coach John Calipari. As the coach at Fairfield, his team lost to John Calipari and Memphis 90-63 in the 2008-09 opener. At Providence, Cooley lost to Calipari and Kentucky 79-65 on Dec. 1, 2013, in the Barclay Center in Brooklyn. The next season, UK beat Providence 58-38 at Rupp Arena.

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