Providence Friars – Buy
The Big East is loaded this year and it is stacked with Quad 1 opportunities. The Friars have had a strange season. Providence has moments when they look like one of the best teams in the Big East and other times when they look like the worst team in the country. Yet the Friars have an interesting resume that should warrant a look for the NCAA tournament.
The Friars had huge expectations this year, as this was the best roster that head coach Ed Cooley has ever had. The start of the year did not go as planned for Providence and many thought that Cooley would be well on his way out of job and Providence would be looking for a new coach.
Cooley and the Friars have turned it around and in the past few weeks have been able to rack up very impressive wins. They currently have six quad 1 wins. They have wins over Seton Hall, Butler, and Creighton. They have also beat Marquette and Georgetown on the road. The Friars have coupled those wins with one of the best schedules in the country. That is going to help them come selection Sunday.
Providence enters the weekend in good shape to get a bid. The one thing to watch for with the Friars is their overall record. While the total number of wins don’t matter, and it is who you beat. If the Friars finish .500 or worse, they won’t get a bid regardless of how many quad 1 wins they have.
The one other thing that is hurting the Friars right now is their three quad 3 losses and their one quad 4 loss. Those did happen early in the year and Providence is a different team, but those losses are still there. With their remaining schedule being mostly quad 1 games the Friars will still get a bid provided they win enough games to stay over .500 overall.