Providence Basketball: Breaking down the Friars’ 2018-19 non-conference slate
Providence basketball looks poised for a solid campaign in 2018-19 and their non-conference schedule will play a role in their NCAA Tournament chances.
Providence basketball has been extremely consistent under head coach Ed Cooley. The program has reached the Big Dance in the last five years of his leadership with seeds ranging from a No. 6 (2014-15) to a No. 11 (2016-17, 2013-14). However, despite the regular season success that Cooley has experienced, he is yet to reach the second weekend of the Big Dance. Given the seeds of his teams, PC has never been a “favorite” to reach the Sweet 16 but there are No. 6-11 seeds who go that far every single year. Could 2018-19 be the year that the Friars finally reach the elusive Sweet 16? As of now, Providence has not reached the second weekend since 1996-97.
Obviously, the play on the court is what determines how successful a team is most but scheduling also plays a valuable role. The NCAA Tournament is all about matchups and teams can ensure quality ones with regular seasons that result in great seeds. Considering Providence plays in the Big East, one-half of the schedule is already above-average in the nation. In order to build a quality non-conference schedule, though, a program needs to be willing to negotiate with other teams to find time to play, locations, etc.
Without further ado, Providence basketball released its 2018-19 non-conference schedule on June 12, so let’s dive in.
Complete non-conference schedule
Nov. 6 – vs. Siena: Out of the MAAC, Siena had a rough go of things in 2017-18. The Saints finished the year at just 8-24 (4-14) and not a single player averaged scoring in double-figures per game. The leading scorer from last year also elected to transfer this offseason.
Nov. 9 – vs. Wichita State (neutral site): Unlike prior years, 2017-18 is expected to be a down season for Wichita State. While it is never smart to count out WSU, they lost a ton this offseason, including Landry Shamet. The neutral site for this non-conference matchup will be the Naval Academy.
Nov. 13 – vs. Holy Cross: Another mid-major coming off of a tough season, Holy Cross finished 12-19 (8-10 Patriot) a year ago. The Crusaders played fairly well in conference play but struggled tremendously in non-conference. The team does bring back a fair amount of talent as well, so they should be better overall.
Nov. 17 – vs. South Carolina (neutral site): This will be the first of two games for Providence at the Naismith Hall of Fame Tip Off Tournament in Connecticut. After making the Final Four in the year prior, South Carolina came back to Earth this past season. They ended the year at 17-16 (7-11 SEC).
Nov. 18 – vs. Michigan/George Washington (neutral site): From a strength of schedule point of view, Providence would much prefer to Michigan in the second game of this tournament. The Wolverines lose a fair amount of talent this offseason but will still be a contender in the Big Ten. As for George Washington, they are coming off of a 15-18 (7-11 A10) season.
Nov. 24 – vs. Iona: The Gaels are traditionally one of the better teams in the MAAC. This past season, the squad finished 20-14 (11-7 MAAC) and reached the NCAA Tournament as a No. 15 seed. They fell to Duke, 89-67.
Nov. 27 – vs. Fairleigh Dickinson: This is likely to be another easy win for Providence. Fairleigh Dickinson ended last season at 13-18 (9-9 NEC) while playing in one of the lowest-rated conferences in the nation. In the Knights’ lone matchup with a Big East team last season, they fell by 22 points to Seton Hall.
Dec. 1 – vs. Rhode Island: Due to this being an annual rivalry game, you can expect that both teams will be ready to go for this one. However, Rhode Island is not nearly the same team they were a year ago. Their talented senior class is gone and this time PC will have the home court advantage.
Dec. 4 – at Boston College: Boston College was solid last season but nothing special. They finished 19-16 (7-11 ACC) overall and showed signs of potential. Even without Jerome Robinson, there is a fair amount of talent returning for the Eagles. This will be a tough road game.
Dec. 7 – vs. UMass: The Atlantic 10 was good last season but UMass was not.The Minutemen struggled to get momentum all season long and fell to 13-20 (5-13 A10) on the year. This will be the second matchup of Providence’s non-conference schedule against the A-10. In some years, this would be a great job of scheduling but the A-10 will not be nearly as good as it was last year. Who knows, though?
Dec. 16 – vs. Central Connecticut: This is one of the last true “tune-up” games for Providence before heading into the Big East schedule. Central Connecticut, another team from the Northeast Conference, has not finished a season over .500 since 2010-11 and had suffered three straight seasons of only single-digit total wins before going 14-18 (7-11 NEC) this past year.
Dec. 18 – vs. Albany: At the conclusion of this past season, talks of Albany being one of the better mid-major teams in 2018-19 began. However, their star guards David Nichols and Joe Cremo, both of whom were poised to enter their senior seasons, elected to transfer in different directions. Because of this, it seems unlikely that the Great Danes will build on their 22-10 (10-6 AEC) season of last year.
Dec. 21 – at Texas: The final non-conference matchup of 2018-19 for Providence is likely going to be the most challenging as well. Texas boasts an elite group of freshmen and some talented returners as well. The Longhorns are a fringe preseason top-25 team in the nation and will prove to be a challenge on the road.
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What does this mean on paper?
By the numbers, Providence has a fairly pedestrian non-conference schedule for a major conference team. They are playing 13 games during November and December with eight of them being home games. Outside of the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, the Friars will play three games on neutral courts with two true road games. In addition, there are a few opportunities to snag high-quality wins during this stretch of the season.
In this schedule, Providence will be tested by five other major conference opponents. The opportunity to face Michigan, one of the top teams in the Big Ten, also lingers as one of the best matchups on the schedule. The game that jumps out the most, though, as Providence’s best chance for an elite non-conference win is their matchup with Texas. Shaka Smart once again has an elite recruiting class coming in for the Longhorns and they could be a top-25 team. Beating them on the road to conclude the non-conference slate could put Providence in a great place before tackling Big East play.
Next: Updated way-too-early Bracketology
While this non-conference schedule might not rank near the top in the country, it offers opportunities both for growing as a team and building an NCAA Tournament resume. Coach Cooley is likely pleased with how this turned out.