Providence Friars Stats at Insiders Betting Digest

Friars

Providence Friars

NCAAB – BIG EAST

Arena: Dunkin’ Donuts Center
Coach: Ed Cooley

TEAM LEADERS

Providence Friars

Team Summary

Providence is among the teams contending for the Big East men’s basketball championship this season. The Friars, who are off to a 14-2 start and 4-1 record in conference, have already appeared in the Top 25 and are a threat to stay there all season.

Eleventh-year coach Ed Cooley has made Providence a consistent contender during his tenure. Cooley’s only losing season was during his first season in 2011-12.

Providence’s 2021-22 team showed its mettle from the season’s outset. The Friars beat Wisconsin by five to help the Big East knock off the Big Ten in the Gavitt Tip-Off games and would later collect non-conference victories against major conference opponents Northwestern and Texas Tech.

The Friars took a strange loss in the non-conference against Virginia, which plays an unconventional slow-down style that can be hard to adjust to.

Providence Friars Standings

Providence Friars Betting Trends

Team History

Much like many of the teams that joined up to form the Big East during the 1979-80 season, Providence had long been a proud independent school. Joining the newly-formed conference showed the Friars wanted to be a player on the national stage.

While Providence has struggled for stretches to compete against the more prominent, more well-funded schools in the conference, the Friars have had their share of success. Since joining the Big East, Providence has gone to the NCAA Tournament 14 times, including a 1987 run to the Final Four.

Providence also had some success before joining the Big East. The Friars made the Final Four in 1973. Providence also made eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament between 1964 and 1978. Before that, the Friars had never made the NCAA Tournament.

Providence does have a long history with the NIT, having appeared in the event 20 times.

2022 Key Stats

Providence is led by traditional big man Nate Watson. Watson, a center, hasn’t attempted a shot from the 3-point line this season but leads the team by averaging 16.1 points per game. Watson also grabs 6.3 rebounds per contest.

Forward Justin Minaya leads Providence with 8.4 rebounds per game. The Friars also have two other players — Alijami Durham (13.3 points per game) and A.J. Reeves (10.7) — who average in double digits scoring.

Providence has a stingy defense, limiting opponents to 63.6 points per game and a 39.8 field goal percentage. The Friars have also been effective at not fouling, allowing their opponents only 9.8 trips to the free-throw line per game on average.

The Friars don’t threaten their opponents much from the outside on offense. Providence shoots 32.4 percent from the perimeter and only averages 6.4 made 3-pointers per game.

Championships Won by the Team

While Providence never made the final of the NCAA Tournament, the Friars had plenty of success in the NIT. In 1961, Providence won its first title knocking off DePaul, Niagara, Holy Cross, and Saint Louis en route to the championship.

After losing in the first round of the 1962 version, the Friars returned with a vengeance in 1963. Providence beat Miami (Fla.), Marquette, and Canisius to collect its second crown in three years.

Providence has won the Big East Conference tournament twice, in 1994 and 2004. The 1994 victory would prove especially sweet. Playing long-time tormentors Georgetown, the Friars came away with a 74-64 win over Georgetown.

Michael Smith was named the game’s MVP for Providence. The fourth-seeded Friars upset No. 2 nationally ranked and top-seeded UConn 69-67 in the semifinals that year.

Important Team Events

Rick Pitino may not be the kind of guy you want to introduce to friends and family, but he is a premier college basketball coach. In his second year with Providence, Pitino urged his players to take advantage of the 3-point line, and they happily obliged.

Only four schools attempted more than 500 treys during the first year of the 3-point line. Providence shot 665, which was second in the NCAA behind UNLV’s 781 attempts.

The Friars would finish 25-9 overall and 10-6 in the Big East Conference. But where that Friars team made its mark was in the NCAA Tournament.

Providence knocked off UAB, Austin Peay, Alabama, and Big East champion Georgetown en route to the Final Four. The Friars were finally knocked out by Syracuse, 77-63. Let’s wait and see what they have prepared for this years March Madness.

Top Players

Marvin Barnes was a terrific player for Providence, whose career would ultimately be undone by what he did off the court. While playing at Providence, Barnes helped the Friars reach the 1973 Final Four. He also led the NCAA in rebounding during the 1973-74 season.

Barnes averaged 20.9 points and 17.9 rebounds per game during his Providence career. Choosing to play for the ABA’s Spirits of St. Louis over the Philadelphia 76ers, Barnes would be a two-time ABA All-Star and was Rookie of the Year.

However, drug problems and behavior issues would have Barnes out of the ABA by 1980, with his career averages sitting at 16 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.

More recently, Kris Dunn and Ryan Gomes both parlayed productive careers at Providence into solid careers in the NBA. John Thompson Jr. played for the Friars before later becoming a successful coach at Georgetown.

Top Coaches

Dave Gavitt helped bring Barnes to Providence. It led to one of the most successful coaching stints in school history. The Friars were 209-84 in 10 seasons under Gavitt, including a trip to the Final Four in 1973, resulting in a victory over Indiana in the third-place game.

Gavitt took Providence to the NCAA Tournament five times and guided them to a runner-up finish in the NIT during the 1974-75 season.

Cooley is in line to break Gavitt’s record for coaching wins this season. Cooley has guided Providence to the NCAA Tournament five times and led them to the NIT once. Cooley led Providence to the 2013-14 Big East Tournament title with a 65-58 victory over Creighton. It was Providence’s first conference title in 20 years.

Cooley entered this season needing 16 wins to top Gavit’s record.