Providence vs. UConn: The Rivalry Renews for Real on Saturday
To this day, the angriest I can recall seeing Ed Cooley in a postgame press conference came at the end of Providence’s 63-59 overtime loss against Connecticut in Storrs in March of 2013.
Cooley was in just his second year at Providence, and his Friars were making a frantic push toward an NCAA Tournament berth by winning eight of their previous nine games heading into the matchup with UConn.
PC was 17-12 on the season, and 9-8 in the old Big East, and going up against a UConn team that was ineligible for postseason play under first-year head coach Kevin Ollie due to years of poor scores on the Academic Progress Rate (APR).
Providence had found its footing behind the veteran backcourt of Vincent Council and Bryce Cotton, as well as the Big East’s Most Improved Player in Kadeem Batts, and a pair of youngsters in sophomore LaDontae Henton and freshman Kris Dunn. The Friar bench was short, playing just Brice Kofane, Josh Fortune, and Ted Bancroft on that afternoon.
Henton was huge for Providence down the stretch, tying the game with a 3-pointer with under two minutes to play in regulation, and knotting things up once again with 45 seconds left in OT after hitting a pair of free throws.
What made Cooley so upset? PC was up by a bucket when Dunn was whistled for a questionable foul on Ryan Boatright with 32 seconds left in regulation — but what truly set Cooley off was a bump that was called on a Boatright fadeaway with 19 seconds to go in overtime.
Boatright snapped a tie game by hitting the fadeaway and making the ensuing free throw. After Cotton missed a great look at the top of the key in the waning seconds that would have tied the game, Providence’s NCAA Tournament hopes were all but dashed.
"That should have been a no-call," Cooley said in one of the calmer moments of the presser. "I thought they both created the contact."
That game signified so much at the time. In just two years, Cooley had taken Providence from doormat to a team that had NCAA Tournament hopes.
There was a genuine excitement about the Ollie Era at UConn, and he hopped on the microphone after the game (their final game of the season due to the postseason ban) and riled up an already raucous Connecticut crowd with a speech promising a return to power for the Huskies.
It also marked what we thought would be UConn’s final Big East game ever.
The “Catholic 7” would be joined by Xavier, Creighton, and Butler in the reconfigured Big East the following season, UConn was off to the new American Conference, and we didn’t know when we’d ever see Providence take the court against UConn again.
A year later, both programs had seemingly moved on well enough. Connecticut knocked off Kentucky in the 2014 national championship, while Providence won the Big East Tournament for the second time in program history.
The time apart has done nothing to diminish the feelings and history that exist between these two programs.
Sure, Providence and UConn played twice a season ago — splitting a pair of games in empty gymnasiums — but the rivalry returns for real Saturday afternoon in Hartford.
And what a way to return. UConn has battled through the recent losses of big man Adama Sonogo and former URI wing Tyrese Martin to start 9-2 on the season — that’s good for a #20 national ranking.
The Huskies dropped five spots in the AP poll by losing at West Virginia in the closing seconds without a pair of starters last week, then took care of business against a good St. Bonaventure team three days later.
Providence has also started strong, winning ten of its eleven non-conference games behind the veteran core of Nate Watson, Al Durham, Noah Horchler, and AJ Reeves.
The XL Center is sold out, and UConn fans will witness their first Big East game in-person since that March afternoon in 2013 against the Friars.
This isn’t the same Providence program that Connecticut saw eight years ago. Those Friars hadn’t reached the NCAA Tournament in nine seasons. Cooley has since made it five times, and would have had number six had the 2020 season not been cut short.
UConn, with its four national championships since 1999, rolls its eyes at tournament appearances — and with a 45-29 head-to-head advantage in the all-time series they hardly see the Friars as a threat.
PC supporters would argue they deserve a little more respect, given Providence’s 8-7 record against UConn dating back to the time Connecticut native Ryan Gomes torched them for 26 points in March 2003.
The storylines for this one are numerous, highlighted by Ed Cooley and Dan Hurley’s familiarity dating back to Hurley’s tenure as the head coach at URI, and the Watson/Sonogo matchup.
The greatest subplot heading into this one, however, is the feeling out of Connecticut that Providence was keeping their seat warm while the Huskies were away.
Providence wasn’t regularly contending for NCAA Tournament berths prior to the formation of the new Big East, and with Hurley at the helm, and the Huskies now back in the Big East, UConn looks as though they are building a national power once again.
They are out to prove that things are reverting back to the way they should be.
Providence wants to let them know times have changed. UConn may be on the way up, but PC isn’t the same program Connecticut fans remember from their last go around in the Big East.
Expect emotions to be as high as they were way back in 2013 when Storrs was delirious following an overtime victory over PC, and Cooley was enraged over a whistle that didn’t go his way, and an opportunity that slipped through his fingers.
By the numbers…
Providence is 9-6 all-time against UConn in Hartford.
UConn’s NET rating is 14th as of Friday night. Providence is ranked 41. PC’s mark is fifth best in the Big East, behind Villanova (10), Xavier (13), UConn, and Seton Hall (24).
Connecticut is ranked 22nd overall by Ken Pomeroy. Their offense is 27th and their defense 26th per KenPom.
Providence is 57th on KenPom, while their offense is 61st and defense is 69th in terms of efficiency.
How have things changed for UConn under Hurley? Their defensive efficiency national ranking was 178th per Pomeroy in Kevin Ollie’s last year. Since then that number has risen from 129 to 59, 29, and now 26 in Hurley’s four years.
Senior guard RJ Cole leads UConn in scoring at 16 points per game, followed by the burly sophomore Sanogo (15.6), and the versatile Martin (12.9).
This could be one of the bigger games of the season for transfer Justin Minaya. The big wing will have to help PC keep Martin and small forward Andre Jackson off the glass. Both Jackson and Martin average over seven boards a game.
Providence and UConn average an identical .941 points per possession (the fifth best mark in the league). PC has the highest free throw rate in the league, while Connecticut is third.
UConn’s .756 points per possession against is the best defensive mark in the Big East to date. The Friars are giving up .876 points per possession.