Providence Basketball: 2017-18 season preview

Providence returns their entire eight-man rotation from last season and adds multiple talented freshmen. What can we expect from the Friars in 17-18?

The Providence Friars defied preseason expectations to make the NCAA Tournament in what was considered a rebuilding season. The Friars lost to USC in the play-in round, but undeniably surpassed expectations.

Multiple players made huge improvements including Kyron Cartwright, Jalen Lindsey, and Rodney Bullock. All three players were in the rotation as sophomores but played supporting roles to Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil. As juniors, they established themselves as high-level Big East players and Cartwright and Bullock were rewarded with second-team All Big East honors.

The addition of Emmitt Holt cannot be overstated. Holt fit perfectly with the three upperclassmen to form a solid veteran core and all four players averaged double figures.

Providence not only returns their core four but also their entire eight-man rotation from last season. The only players who are no longer on the team are Ryan Fazekas and Ricky Council. Fazekas saw his role rapidly diminish from starter to consistent role player to sporadically used bench warmer. He was a very good shooter but lacked the aggressiveness or the ability to get open looks from distance. Council was billed as a shooter coming into Providence but failed to earn any playing time in his two seasons. Both players will be replaced very easily by Providence’s excellent recruiting class.

Providence has the 15th best-recruiting class in the nation according to Rivals and these freshmen combined with the returners form the deepest team Coach Ed Cooley has had at Providence.

This article will analyze Providence’s starting lineup, bench, and significant non-conference games. It will conclude with a team overview where I rank Providence nationally and in the Big East.