Friar Basketball Newsletter: Recapping a Tough Week for the Friars, Kayvaun Mulready Off to the NEPSAC Title Game, Bryce Hopkins and Devin Carter Earn Big East Honors
Providence entered this week hoping to lock up the second seed in the Big East Tournament with wins over Xavier and Seton Hall. Instead, their defense failed them in both games, as they fell to the Musketeers on Wednesday and played without any energy or spirit on Senior Day against the Pirates.
As a result, Providence is now playing Connecticut in the 4/5 game of the Big East Tournament on Thursday afternoon (2:30pm), while the coaching staff is left looking for answers as to why this team’s defense has fallen apart over the past couple of weeks.
“I think this is the worst home loss in my tenure here, and that’s clearly on me,” Ed Cooley said following the 82-58 loss on Saturday. “I think I’ve got to look myself in the mirror — am I playing the right guys? Am I playing guys that have a will, a want, passion, a plan?”
“We haven’t guarded anybody in two weeks — it started at Connecticut…Seton Hall played an arrogant team today. That’s who they played. They played a complacent, arrogant team today.”
We recap the Seton Hall loss, with a focus on the defensive slide that has come in February.
Providence had been undefeated at home prior to hosting Xavier and Seton Hall this week. In fact, they’d lost just one game at the AMP over the past two seasons.
We also detailed the Xavier loss, including how the Musketeers shot 72% in the second half against PC. The Friars sliced a 19-point halftime deficit to two early in the second half, but could not slow All Big East performers Souley Boum (33 points) and Colby Jones (29 points on 10-11 shooting).
There will undoubtedly be some soul-searching taking place over the next week, and it will be beyond interesting to see how this group responds with a hot UConn team awaiting them.
Providence still looks to be an NCAA Tournament team, despite losing three of its last four games. The surprising ending to the season has overshadowed the fact that PC finished 21-10 overall and 13-7 in the Big East after graduating all five starters from last season’s Sweet 16 club. As of Sunday night, they are a nine seed in the NCAA Tournament, according to Bracket Matrix.
The Big East announced its all conference teams on Sunday afternoon, and Providence sophomores Bryce Hopkins and Devin Carter were both recognized. Hopkins was one of two unanimous picks for 1st Team All Big East, while Carter made the Honorable Mention Team. They are the first underclassmen from Providence to earn All Big East honors since Ben Bentil was 1st Team in 2016. Carter should also be in the running for Big East Defensive Player of the Year, which will be announced later this week.
The future remains bright in Friartown. Star point guard Garwey Dual visited Providence this weekend, while 2024 PC commit Kayvaun Mulready played a strong game in leading Worcester Academy to the NEPSAC AA Finals. Friar Basketball was in attendance on Saturday night to see Mulready and WA take on a Brimmer and May team with a pair of top 150 prospects in the class of 2024. Mulready’s athleticism and passing ability really stood out.
This wasn’t the finish to the regular season that anyone in Providence hoped for, but we have a fascinating week ahead as we’ll see how PC responds during the Big East Tournament, plus Selection Sunday is just a week away!
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