Friar Basketball Newsletter: Xavier is coming to town with a lot on the line...which typically means madness in Providence
Hold on tight, Friartown. Wednesday night figures to be a wild one when Xavier comes to town in a matchup of Big East programs with a whole lot to play for.
Providence and Xavier are both currently tied for second place in the Big East with matching 13-5 records, and both clubs are 21-8 overall. Ed Cooley’s group has two games left in the regular season — Wednesday versus Xavier and Saturday when they host Seton Hall. If they win both games they will lock up the second seed in the Big East Tournament, while also finishing a remarkable 17-0 at home this season.
But knocking off Xavier won’t be easy. Sean Miller’s group features one of the best offenses in the country, and whenever the Friars and Musketeers meet it seemingly always comes down to the final possession.
The two clubs played into overtime on Feb. 1, with Jared Bynum’s corner 3-pointer rimming out at the buzzer, and X escaping with an 85-83 victory. Of course, that game followed two classics a year ago when Bynum hit a shot in the final second to win it on the road, and then PC came out on top in a triple overtime thriller late in the season.
And it hasn’t just been the most recent history that has led to outstanding games since Xavier joined the Big East. Who could forget when the two teams were both ranked in the top ten and met at the Dunkin Donuts Center in 2016, Kyron Cartwright’s Big East Tournament heroics in 2018, Luwane Pipkins making late shots in 2020, or Colby Jones burying a buzzer beater in ’21?
We break down the great history of this matchup over the past decade, while also previewing Wednesday’s game.
In the highlight reel above you’ll see clips of Kris Dunn, who went for 16 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and seven steals in the top 10 matchup against Xavier in 2016. Dunn is back in the NBA after having signed a 10-day contract with the Utah Jazz, and we take a look at the early impact he has had so far. Dunn is certainly making a good impression early.
This week’s newsletter not only includes the highlights above of Providence and Xavier from the past decade, but also the best from PC’s 88-68 win over Georgetown on Sunday. Jared Bynum hit six 3-pointers, while Ed Croswell had a career day with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. The 25 points and six assists were both career highs for Croswell, who seemingly gets better by the week.
We also detail Croswell’s impact, and break down all facets of the win over Georgetown here.
Our News and Notes column takes a look at which national media members shined while covering the Alabama/Brandon Miller situation (CBS Sports’ Eye on College Basketball) and those that shied away from tackling a difficult story.
We also took a look at Providence’s tough day at Storrs last week.
We hope you are enjoying the content here are Friar Basketball. Please don’t hesitate to share this site with fellow Friar fans, or anyone who enjoys Big East hoops. We’re so excited to dig into the final week of the season and the postseason this March.