5 things to know about No. 11 Providence for the NCAA Tournament
The is the Friars' fourth consecutive tournament appearance.
Providence faces one of most difficult paths to glory in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The Friars must win one of the “First Four” games to achieve a spot in the field of 64. From there, the bracket doesn’t get any easier.
The No. 11 Friars face No. 11 USC on Wednesday at 9:10 p.m in Dayton, Ohio, to determine which team will face No. 6 SMU on Friday at 3:10 p.m in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Providence head coach Ed Cooley’s team was in last year’s tournament, led by two players who were taken in the 2016 NBA draft: Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil. For fans just trying to get a grasp on the team before Wednesday night, here are a few quick points:
Youth movement: After losing its two primary scorers from a year ago, Providence’s offense has diversified: Four players are averaging double digits in points (up from 2015-2016). All of the primary contributors could potentially return next season. Casey Woodring, a guard from Darien, Connecticut, is the team’s only senior.
Historic run: Providence has participated in the NCAA Tournament for four consecutive seasons. That’s officially the longest such run in school history, topping the previous record (1972-1974, which included one of the Friars’ two Final Four appearances).
A famous name: One of Providence’s freshmen walk-ons is Brian Donovan. Friars fans will undoubtedly recognize the last name, as Brian is the son of former Providence standout and current Oklahoma City Thunder coach, Billy Donovan. Here’s Brian’s freshman video, where the Florida native explains that he chose Providence because of “the weather”:
Three seasons: Providence’s season has been characterized by several streaks. From the start of the season through Dec. 20, the Friars went 10-2, including wins over tournament teams Rhode Island and Vermont. Yet from Dec. 23-Feb. 8, Providence went only 4-9, losing to Villanova twice, but also against lesser competition. Finally, from Feb. 11 until the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament, Cooley’s team went 6-1. The only loss came to Creighton in the conference tournament.
Player to know: Kyron Cartwright. The 5’11” guard from Compton, California has been a tremendous playmaker for the Friars this season. Averaging 6.7 assists per-game, Cartwright ranks third nationally in that category. He’s also third on the team in scoring (11.4 points per-game). One of Cartwright’s highlights from this season was his late three-pointer against Creighton to secure a vital victory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPDSKtGXjQU
