Providence looks to make the most of their opportunity in the NIT after being shut out of the NCAA Tournament
"The most important thing is which team is going to come out tomorrow and want to be there. Our guys really want to be there, and we’re going to play really hard.”
For the first time since 1993, the Big East is sending just three teams to the NCAA Tournament. The tournament committee respected the league enough to make Connecticut its top overall team, and gave Marquette a two seed and Creighton a three, but Seton Hall, St. John’s, and Providence found themselves on the outside looking in on Sunday night — and for the Johnnies and Friars it wasn’t particularly close.
After winning 13 games in conference play, Seton Hall found themselves among the “First Four Out” thanks to the tournament committee, alongside Oklahoma, Indiana State, and Pittsburgh.
Heading into Sunday night, an NCAA Tournament bid felt unlikely for Providence after a seemingly endless run of conference tournament upsets that led to surprise winners in the ACC (NC State), PAC-12 (Oregon), American (UAB), and Atlantic-10 (Duquesne) that made an already strong bubble even harder to overcome.
The Friars were hoping to get in off the quality of their Quad 1 victories, and the fact that they had zero losses to Quad 3 or 4 teams. They finished 6-9 in Quad 1 games, whereas tournament qualifiers like Virginia (2-7) and Dayton (3-4) came up well short of that number. Critics will point to the fact that 11 of PC’s 21 wins came against Quad 4 teams, but Dayton (a seven seed in the tourney) picked up 16 of its 24 victories against Q3 (9) and Q4 (7) clubs. Dayton didn’t beat one team that is in the NCAA Tournament field. The Friars beat a two seed, a three seed (twice), and a five seed.
We could twist these numbers every which way to benefit Providence and the Big East, but ultimately, the committee determined the Friars weren’t NCAA Tournament worthy — which means we won’t get the opportunity to see Big East Player of the Year Devin Carter on the biggest stage. And we might not see him again in a Friar uniform.
Carter is ranked as high as #10 on The Ringer’s 2024 NBA Draft board, and has little to gain (and a lot to lose) by playing in the NIT this March.
The NIT is where Providence is headed, opening up on Tuesday by hosting a Boston College team that is thrilled to be there after a six-year absence from postseason play. The Eagles finished 19-15 overall and 8-12 in ACC games, and are coming off of an ACC Tournament run in which they crushed Miami (81-65) and an NCAA Tournament team in Clemson (76-55), before falling to Virginia in overtime.
The Eagles are led by a very good seven footer in graduate transfer Quinten Post, who averaged 17.0 points and 8.2 rebounds, and hit 48 three pointers at a 43% clip this season.
Kim English told the media on Monday afternoon that Carter is not expected to play, as he is nursing a bad ankle and a variety of other injuries, while freshman Rich Barron is also out after sustaining an injury against Marquette. Barron will continue to be evaluated as long as Providence’s season continues.
If Carter does not play, the NIT will serve a duel purpose: a final farewell for Josh Oduro and Ticket Gaines, as well as an opportunity for Providence’s young guards to play big minutes in a postseason environment.
“I think so,” English responded when asked if his team could potentially carry momentum from a strong showing in the NIT into next season, citing the success Wisconsin had this year. “I think it’s great for these guys to experience postseason basketball, and just getting more reps. I’m especially looking at Jayden Pierre.”
As is the case so often in this tournament, how far teams make it is often directly correlated to their level of engagement. The Friars no-showed in their 2019 NIT loss to Arkansas at home, whereas the 2003 and 2013 clubs parlayed strong NIT performances into an NCAA Tournament appearance the following season. Of course, those two teams returned the core of the group that made up its NIT team, whereas in 2024 rosters are being overturned annually, so there may not be as much momentum to be gained.
Perhaps most significant to the future, the transfer portal opened on Monday and a number of teams have turned down invitations to the NIT (including St. John’s, Pitt, Memphis, Syracuse, and Ole Miss) to focus on roster building.
English noted that recruiting never stops in college basketball, and from his perspective, tracking the portal while coaching in a postseason tournament is “not much different” from what the Friar staff does throughout the year.
Shorthanded or not, disappointed about the NCAA Tournament or not, English expects his team to compete on Tuesday.
“It’s a little deflating to know your fate was sealed last night. You let it hurt until midnight, and then it’s time to move on. The most important thing is which team is going to come out tomorrow and want to be there. Our guys really want to be there, and we’re going to play really hard.”
“It’s a privilege to play basketball. It’s a privilege to be at Providence College, to play on Dave Gavitt Court, and our guys are excited about the opportunity.”