Providence Friars will meet TCU Horned Frogs again this season

Bill Koch, The Providence Journal
·3 min read

Providence will make a familiar trip this fall to take part in the Big East-Big 12 Battle.

The Friars will visit Texas Christian University for the second time in three seasons and match up with the Horned Frogs on Nov. 30. It’s the latest piece of an emerging nonconference puzzle that has started to fill in this week.

Providence played a strong 40 minutes while downing TCU, 79-70, early in the 2020-21 season. The Friars closed just 13-13 overall before rebounding to a 27-6 mark in 2021-22. Providence enters next year as the Big East regular season champions for the first time and will be coming off a first Sweet 16 appearance since 1997.

Providence's Greg Gantt goes strong to the hoop against TCU's Kevin Easley Jr. during a game in 2021.
Providence's Greg Gantt goes strong to the hoop against TCU's Kevin Easley Jr. during a game in 2021.

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The Friars are a perfect 3-0 against Big 12 foes in this event. Providence knocked off Texas and TCU before taking out Texas Tech, 72-68, in front of a raucous Dunkin’ Donuts Center crowd in December. Al Durham netted 23 points and was 12-for-13 at the foul line while his team laid down an early marker for what became a special season.

TCU earned a second NCAA Tournament appearance in six seasons under Jamie Dixon, a Horned Frogs alum and former conference rival from his days coaching at Pittsburgh. The Red Raiders, Longhorns, Texas A&M and eventual national champion Kansas all fell against TCU last year in a 21-13 campaign. The Horned Frogs thumped Seton Hall in the opening round of March Madness and fell in overtime against No. 1 seed Arizona in a West Region thriller.

Baylor visits Marquette to open the event on Nov. 29. Georgetown at Texas Tech and Kansas State at Butler will both be played on the same night the Friars and TCU take the floor at Schollmaier Arena. Creighton at Texas, Oklahoma State at Connecticut, Seton Hall at Kansas, Oklahoma at Villanova, St. John’s at Iowa State and West Virginia at Xavier are the remaining matchups.

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Providence also has been drawn to face Miami in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament at Mohegan Sun, a two-day event that will be held Nov. 19 and 20. The Hurricanes reached the Elite Eight and fell short against the Jayhawks while bidding for a first Final Four berth. Maryland and Saint Louis are on the other side of the bracket.

Additional nonconference dates will be finalized in the coming weeks and months. The Friars could be drawn against a Big Ten opponent in the Gavitt Games – they slipped past Wisconsin, 63-58, to bank another strong early victory in November. Providence also will visit the University of Rhode Island at the Ryan Center for the first time since a 75-61 loss in 2019-20.

Visit friars.com for more ticketing information. 

bkoch@providencejournal.com    

On Twitter: @BillKoch25 

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence Friars will meet TCU Horned Frogs again this season