Providence Friars fall to Kentucky in NCAA's first-round. Will Ed Cooley be back?

Providence College was eliminated from the NCAA tournament in Friday night's first-round matchup with No. 6 Kentucky, 61-53.

Kentucky's Antonio Reeves led all scorers with 22 points and Jacob Toppin, a former URI Ram, checked in with 18 points. Oscar Tshiebwe was a force on the glass for Kentucky with 24 rebounds.

Providence was led by Ed Croswell, with 16 points, and Devin Carter, was the only other Friar in double figures, with 10 points.

Kentucky out-rebounded the Friars 47-31.

Big East coaching carousel spins. What's next for Ed Cooley?

With Friday's loss, the Friars coach just completed his 12th season at the helm in Providence. Cooley was once a candidate for the Michigan job, a position that ultimately went to Juwan Howard. Now, with Georgetown firing Patrick Ewing as its coach, speculation has tied Cooley with that opening.

The Big East also has another vacancy — at St. John's University, and there are reports that Rick Pitino will be the Red Storm's next coach.

More:Ed Cooley staying at Providence as Michigan basketball search continues

With 10 minutes to play, Providence trails Kentucky, 46-38

Kentucky's Antonio Reeves leads all scorers with 17 points. Devin Carter leads Providence with 10 points. The story of the game so far as been the Wildcats' dominance on the glass. Kentucky has 35 rebounds to Providence's 22. Oscar Tshiebwe has been a monster with 17 rebounds for the Wildcats.

Compared with the first half, scoring has slowed to a crawl.

Friars hanging tough at the half: Kentucky 38, Providence 31

The No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats ended the first half pulling away from the Providence Friars, using a 10-0 run to create some space. Kentucky's Jacob Toppin has been a force on both sides of the court, with 12 points, Antonio Reeves has a game-high 14 points. The Wildcats are winning the battle of the boards big time, out-rebounding the Friars, 25-13. Oscar Tshiebwe has 13 rebounds.

For Providence, Devin Carter has been a spark-plug, scoring 9 points, including a pair of breakaway dunks. He has a pair of steals, and fed Corey Floyd an alley-oop for a highlight-reel dunk.

Bryce Hopkins - the former Kentucky player - suffered a cut on a finger on his left hand. He ended the half with 5 points, while Ed Croswell and Jared Bynum each had 6. Bynum ended the half nailing a 3-pointed to bring the Friars within 7 points at the horn.

Have you ever seen this before?

Clifton Moore's foul shot spun around the rim… then just came to rest on the rim's frame.

Friars and Wildcats almost knotted up

The Friars are doing more than holding their own against the No. 6 Wildcats. At the 10-minute mark, Providence is up 16-15. Devin Carter has 7 points, including a pair of breakaway dunks, Ed Croswell has 5 points and Bryce Hopkins, who transferred from Kentucky last season, has 3 points.

For the Wildcats, Jacob Toppin, who once played for the University of Rhode Island, leads with 6 points.

Did Charles Barkley just throw some shade at Providence?

The NBA Hall of Famer and CBS studio analyst said he sees both Kentucky and Gonzaga as "two sleepers" in this year's tournament. "I got both of them going to the Final Four," he said.

Because the Wildcats are a No. 6 seed this season — rather than a 1 or 2 seed — Barkley said the team is playing with less pressure on them in this tournament, and they should be able to go deep in the tourney. Of course, Providence coach Ed Cooley may feel differently about that, as his Friars just tipped off with the Wildcats.

Fellow studio analyst Clark Kellogg credited Cooley with getting his Friars to exceed preseason expectations.

What channel is the Providence-Kentucky game on?

We’re only a few minutes away from tip off. If you’re wondering how to watch the game, here’s how.

Tonight’s starters have been announced, as well:

For Providence: Alyn Breed, Devin Carter, Noah Locke, Bryce Hopkins, Ed CroswellLate change - Jared Bynum was added as a PC starter

For Kentucky: Cason Wallace, Antonio Reeves, Chris Livingston, Jacob Toppin, Oscar Tshiebwe

Officials: John Gaffney, Patrick Evans, KB Burdett

ProJo’s Bill Koch is the house, and so are the Friars

The Providence College Friars have taken the floor at the Greensboro Coliseum to warm up ahead of their 7:10 p.m. game against Kentucky. Follow @BillKoch25 for all the courtside action from tonight’s game.

Wondering about the underdog Friars' chances in the East Region? Well, our college basketball writer did all the hard work so you don’t have to. Bill breaks down all the teams — and potential Providence foes — in the East Region right here.

Ocean State makes its NCAA mark

Providence — and head coach Ed Cooley, a city native — are the most obvious Rhode Island connections to this year’s NCAA Tournament, but they’re hardly the only ones. There are Rhode Island natives playing for other teams in this year’s tourney, along with a handful of coaches who once drew up plays for both Providence and the University of Rhode Island.

Here’s a look at Little Rhody at the Big Dance.

Providence-Kentucky tip-off is one hour away

No. 11 Providence College is one hour away from its 7:10 tip-off against No. 6 Kentucky. While the Friars are excited to get their NCAA tournament rolling, the program is certainly no stranger to the Big Dance. Providence boasts a long, proud history in the NCAA tourney, and even reached the sacred Final Four round a couple of times — most recently under Coach Rick Pitino in 1987. Pitino, by the way, is back in the tournament this year with his No. 13 Iona Gaels, who finished first in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Iona lost to Friars-foe UConn, a No. 4 seed, 87-63, this afternoon.

Here’s a look at Providence 5 best NCAA Tournament appearances.

Here's how Providence basketball got to the NCAA tournament

The Friars came out of the gate blazing hot, notching six straight conference wins before dropping a pair of road games at Creighton and Marquette. But PC’s home record was unblemished until a March 1 loss to Xavier.

Here are the five biggest wins of the Friars season, and a big reason why — despite a rough finish to their season (losing 4 of 5) — they still wound up securing an at-large bid.

Bryce Hopkins holds no grudges

The Associated Press caught up with Providence Friars star, Bryce Hopkins on Thursday. The seldom-used Kentucky reserve who transferred to Providence ahead of this season says he holds no ill will toward his former team. Of course, he'd love to help his Friars upset the No. 6 Wildcats tonight and keep Providence playing in this year's NCAA tournament.

More:Bryce Hopkins knows about upsets and he's hoping Providence basketball can pull one off

Take a crash course in Providence Friars basketball history

Are you a long-time Providence Friars fan who can recite the stats of Ernie D., Marvin Barnes, Billy Donovan or a list of other PC greats? Or have you come to the party more recently, watching Ed Cooley take his Friars to the NCAA tournament on a regular basis.

Either way, here’s a look at Providence College’s rich basketball heritage.

More:Former Friars star Austin Croshere meeting up with his old team in North Carolina

What’s your take on Providence vs. Kentucky?

Most people in our online poll think the Friars will lose tonight’s game to Kentucky, but nearly as many are much more confident, saying Providence will repeat their performance of a season ago and reach the Sweet 16 round on the NCAA tournament. What do you say? Take our poll:

Where can I watch the Providence-Kentucky game?

Did you make the trek to Greensboro to catch your Friars in person against Kentucky? From bars and restaurants to visit, to other things to do while you’re in Greensboro, here’s a handy guide for your stay in the Gate City.

Or maybe you opted against the flight or 11-hour drive, but still want gather with other Friar fans to (hopefully) enjoy the game together. There’s plenty of fan-favorite spots around Rhode Island to catch the Friars on TV  — and still time to get there!

Here’s a list of RI restaurants and bars who will be showing the big game.

More:Jacob Toppin beat Providence as a URI basketball reserve. Can he do it as a Kentucky star?

Will Providence basketball survive and advance in March Madness?

The Kentucky Wildcats take on the Providence Friars in the first round of the NCAA Tournament tonight in Greensboro, N.C.

There is no next home game or headlining event to turn around this 2022-23 campaign. The Friars will either capitalize on this chance to compete in the NCAA Tournament or vanish into the spring wondering where it went wrong.

Providence doesn’t have much in the way of momentum entering this 7:10 p.m. tip at Greensboro Coliseum, but motivation shouldn’t be an issue. That’s generally the case when a national power like Kentucky is on the opposing bench and, in that respect, it’s an East Region dream match for coach Ed Cooley and his team.

“Let's face it — we haven't played well the last five games,” Cooley said. “We haven't played as well as we want to. We haven't had the success we wanted.

More:For Providence basketball, it's win or go home vs. Kentucky in NCAA tournament

Heading into the game

• The Wildcats' record in SEC games is 12-6, and their record is 9-5 against non-conference opponents.

• Kentucky is third in the SEC scoring 75.1 points while shooting 45.9% from the field.

• The Friars are 13-7 against Big East opponents.

• Providence is fourth in the Big East scoring 36.9 points per game in the paint led by Ed Croswell averaging 10.2.

More:Kentucky coach John Calipari is well-versed on Providence basketball roster

Top performers

Oscar Tshiebwe is averaging 16.5 points, 13.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals for the Wildcats, and Antonio Reeves is averaging 16.7 points over the last 10 games for Kentucky. Bryce Hopkins, who played from Kentucky a season ago, is averaging 16.1 points and 8.5 rebounds for the Friars. Croswell is averaging 14.6 points over the last 10 games for Providence. Some experts see this 6-11 matchup as ripe for an upset. USA Today chose it as one of the potential upsets in the first round.

The winner of Friday's game advances to face the winner of No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 14 Montana State, who meet at 9:40 p.m. on Friday.

More:Here are the 5 wins that got Providence basketball into the NCAA Tournament

When and where does PC play Kentucky?

Greensboro, North Carolina; Friday, 7:10 p.m.

How to watch the Providence Friars against Kentucky Wildcats?

The game will be televised on CBS network.

How to listen to the PC vs. Kentucky game?

The game will be aired on WPRO.

What is the betting line for the PC-Kentucky game?

Odds will be posted here.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence Friars fall to Kentucky in NCAA's first-round, 61-53