Sports
Men's Basketball Game Notes Vs. Columbia – Providence College Athletics
Men’s Basketball
Friars in Season Openers: The Friars will open their 97th season of basketball on Monday, November 6 versus Columbia at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. The Friars have posted an 85-11 (.885) mark all-time in regular-season openers. In addition, the Friars hold an 88-8 (.917) record in home openers. The Friars open the 2023-24 season at home for the 23rd time in 24 years. The only time in the past 24 seasons the Friars did not open at home was the 2007-08 season, when they played Temple in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Providence has won 20 of the last 21 openers, with the lone defeat coming in the 2008-09 game against Northeastern. Last season, the Friars opened the season with a 66-65 win over Rider at the AMP on November 8, 2022.
Friar Tid Bits:
*The Friars have seven newcomers on the roster this season.
*The Friars have two graduate students on the roster – Ticket Gaines and Josh Oduro.
*The Friars have 14 players on the roster and three of those players came via a transfer.
*On March 23, 2023 Kim English became the 16th Head Coach at Providence College.
*Bryce Hopkins was named to the 2023-24 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team.
*Devin Carter earned 2023-24 Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention honors.
*Bryce Hopkins was named to the CBS Sports Preseason All-America Third Team.
*Bryce Hopkins was named to the College Sports Today All-America Second Team.
*Bryce Hopkins was named to the NABC Division I Player of the Year Preseason Watch List.
*Bryce Hopkins was named to the Karl Malone Award Preseason Watch List.
*In 2023, the Friars made their 22nd NCAA Tournament appearance and seventh since 2014.
*In 2023, the Friars were defeated by Kentucky in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament (61-53).
*The Friars are 17-23 all time in the NCAA Tournament with two trips to the Final Four (1973 and 1987).
*In 2023, the Friars finished tied for 4th place with UConn in league standings with a 13-7 mark in BIG EAST play.
*In 2023, Bryce Hopkins was the 1st Friar to earn All-BIG EAST First Team honors since Ben Bentil/Kris Dunn (2016).
*PC was 8-2 in BIG EAST home games in 2022-23.
*The Friars were 6-6 in road games in 2022-23, including 5-5 in BIG EAST action.
*PC was 2-1 in overtime games in 2022-23 with both wins (Marquette and Creighton) coming in double OT.
*PC registered 13 BIG EAST wins for the second consecutive season and the second time in team history in 2023.
*PC has registered 20 or more wins in 30 of the team’s 96 seasons.
*Bryce Hopkins was a candidate for the 2023 Naismith POY, the Oscar Robertson Award and the Karl Malone Award.
*The Friars were 15-2 at home in 2022-23, 36-3 in their last 39 games at the AMP and 618-238 (.722) all-time.
*PC is 86-5 in non-conference home games over last 12 seasons, including a 19-game unbeaten streak since 2019.
*PC’s 73-61 win over No. 4/5 UConn on 1/4 was the team’s first victory over a top-5 team since March 9, 2018.
*Bryce Hopkins led the team in scoring (15.8) and rebounding (8.5) in 2023.
*PC has posted a 130-279 (.318) mark all-time versus top-25 teams, including a 3-5 mark in 2022-23.
*The Friars are 705-309 all-time versus New England opponents.
Friars Versus Columbia: The Friars have posted a 4-0 record all-time versus Columbia with all the games being played at the AMP in Providence. In the first meeting all-time, the Friars defeated Columbia, 74-61, on November 30, 1996 in Providence. In the most recent matchup, the Friars defeated Columbia, 78-64, on November 26, 2022 at the AMP in Providence.
Hopkins and Carter Earn Preseason All-BIG EAST Honors: It was announced on Oct. 24 that juniors Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, Ill.) and Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) each earned All-BIG EAST Preseason honors. Hopkins was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team and Carter earned Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention accolades. The two juniors helped the Friars post a 21-12 mark and advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2023.
Bryce Hopkins Earns Preseason All-America Honor: It was announced on October 18 that junior Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, III.) was named to the CBS Sports Preseason All-America Third Team. It marks the second Preseason All-America honor for Hopkins as he was named Preseason Second Team All-America by College Hoops Today on October 17.
Newcomers: The Friars have seven newcomers on the team — graduate students Ticket Gaines (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Josh Oduro (Gainesville, Va.), and sophomore Justyn Fernandez (Richmond, Va.), as well as, freshmen Garwey Dual (Houston, Texas), Rich Barron (Chicago, Ill.), Eli DeLaurier (Shipman, Va.), and Donovan Santoro (Los Angeles, Calif.).
How The Friars Got To The NCAA Tournament In 2023: The Friars made their 22nd appearance all-time in the NCAA Tournament in 2023. The Friars earned an at-large berth. They finished with a 21-12 mark overall (13-7/tied for 4th in BIG EAST). The team had a NET Ranking of 56 with Quad 1 wins over UConn (NET 8), Marquette (NET 12) and Creighton (NET 17). The Friars recorded a 15-2 mark at home, a 6-6 record on the road and a 0-4 mark in neutral site games.
Friars Defeated By No. 6 Seed Kentucky In First Round Of NCAA Tournament: The No. 11-seed Providence College men’s basketball team (21-12, 13-7 BIG EAST) was defeated by the No. 6-seed Kentucky Wildcats (22-11, 12-6 SEC), 61-53, on Friday, Mar. 17 in the First Round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. Ed Croswell (Philadelphia, Pa.) led the way for the Friars with 16 points and five rebounds. Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) finished with 10 points.
Bryce Hopkins Named First Team All-BIG EAST: It was announced on March 5 that Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, Ill.) was named First Team All-BIG EAST. Hopkins became the first Friar to earn All-BIG EAST First Team honors since Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil received the accolades in 2016. Hopkins, who was named BIG EAST Player of the Week twice in 2022-23, led the Friars in scoring (15.8 ppg), rebounding (8.5) and double-doubles (10). He was tied for sixth in scoring and he was second in rebounding amongst BIG EAST players in overall action. Hopkins also ranked third in the league in defensive rebounds (226, 6.8 rpg) and fourth in minutes played (34.9 mpg). In BIG EAST action, he finished third in scoring (16.7 ppg) and rebounding (8.6 rpg). He posted a team-best 10 double-doubles, including a 29-point, 23-rebound, three-steal effort in a double-overtime win over Marquette (103-98) on December 20. He played 47 of the 50 minutes in the game. Hopkins’ 20-20 game was the 34th in program history and the first since Jamine Peterson accomplished the feat when he posted 29 points and 20 rebounds versus Rutgers on Jan. 9, 2010. It also was the first in BIG EAST play since Angel Delgado (21 pts, 20 rbs.) of Seton Hall did it on January 22, 2017. Hopkins, who is in his first season with Friars after transferring from Kentucky last spring, was named a mid-season candidate for the Naismith Award, the Karl Malone Award and the Oscar Robertson Award.
Bryce Hopkins Earns More Honors: It was announced on March 7 that Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, Ill.) earned 2023 Associated Press All-BIG EAST First Team honors. It marked his second All-BIG EAST First Team honor as Hopkins was named First Team All-BIG EAST on March 5. On March 14, he earned USBWA District 1 Honors and NABC All-District 5 First Team accolades.
Devin Carter Named All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention: It was announced on March 5 that Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) earned All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention accolades. Carter, who transferred to Providence in 2022 after spending his freshman season at South Carolina, ranked third on the team in scoring (13.0 ppg) and rebounding (4.9). He also was first on the team in steals (59), second on the team in assists (81, 2.4 apg) and second on the squad in blocks (34). Carter ranked fifth in the BIG EAST in steals (1.8 spg) and 10th in blocks (1.1 bpg). In league play, the sophomore guard was third amongst all BIG EAST players in assist to turnover ratio (2.3). Carter scored 20 or more points four times in 2022-23, including a career-high 25 points in a double overtime win over Creighton on February 14.
Friars All-Time Versus Top-25 Teams: The Friars have posted a 130-279 (.318) mark all-time versus top-25 teams, including a 3-5 mark in 2022-23.
Friars In Overtime: The Friars recorded a 2-1 record in overtime games in 2022-23. On December 20, the Friars defeated Marquette, 103-98, in double overtime. On February 1, Providence was defeated at Xavier, 85-83, in overtime. On February 14, the Friars defeated Creighton, 94-86, in double overtime. They have registered a 73-68 mark all-time in overtime games, including 9-1 in their last 10 games.
Friars At The Amica Mutual Pavilion: All-time, the Friars have recorded a 618-238 (.722) mark in 50 seasons of games at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. The AMP, formerly the Providence Civic Center and the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, opened on November 3, 1972. The Friars had played their home games there for 48 consecutive seasons, prior to the 2020-21 season when the team played on campus at Alumni Hall with no fans in attendance due to the pandemic. PC posted a 15-2 mark at the AMP in 2022-23 and a 16-1 record in 2021-22 — the team’s best record at home since 1973-74.
Friars Are 86-5 In Non-Conference Home Over The Last 12 Years: The Friars have posted an 86-5 mark (.944) in their last 12 seasons in non-conference home games. The team’s five losses over the last 12 years were to Brown (77-67) on December 8, 2014, Minnesota (86-74) on November 13, 2017, UMass (79-78) on December 7, 2018, Arkansas (84-72) on March 19, 2019 and Penn (81-75) on November 23, 2019. The Friars are 19-0 in their last 19 non-conference home games (2022-23, 7-0; 2021-22, 8-0; 202-21, 2-0; 2019-20, 2-0).
Providence College Basketball: The 2023-24 campaign marks the 97th season of basketball at Providence College. Since the program started in 1926-27, Providence has posted a 1,543-1,027 mark, good for a .600 winning percentage. The Friars have made the NCAA Tournament 22 times and the National Invitation Tournament on 20 occasions.
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