Here’s when Providence basketball meets UConn, Ed Cooley and Rick Pitino this season

The first men’s basketball game in Big East play this season includes Providence.

The Friars and DePaul open the league schedule on Dec. 10, a standalone contest two days before the rest of the competition gets underway. It’s the start of 20 conference games for Kim English in his second season on the Providence sideline.

The home opener follows 10 days later, and it’s the first of several headlining matchups in the league. Former coach Rick Pitino visits with St. John’s on Dec. 20, and the Friars will be bidding for two straight wins against the Final Four darling from 1986-87. Two-time national champion Connecticut, Sweet 16 qualifier Creighton and Georgetown – with former coach Ed Cooley – are also featured over the final three months of 2024-25.

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The Providence Friars, and forward Bryce Hopkins (23), will look to get to the NCAA Tournament this season after not making the cut last spring.

Providence hosts Marquette on New Year’s Eve before visiting the Huskies, a Jan. 5 game that’s listed at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs. UConn bulldozed its competition to the tune of a 37-3 record last season and won all six of its March Madness games by double figures. Dan Hurley spurned the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason to sign a six-year, $50-million contract extension with the Huskies.

The Friars play two of their next four at home, including a Jan. 25 date with the Hoyas. Cooley was met with thunderous boos on his return to Amica Mutual Pavilion last season, an 84-76 defeat against the school he led for more than a decade. Georgetown staggered to just 9-23 overall and went 2-18 in league play, dumped out of the conference tournament by Providence in routine fashion.

Road trips to Seton Hall and St. John’s follow, as the Friars flip to February playing away from downtown. The Bluejays visit on…

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Author : The Providence Journal

Publish date : 2024-09-12 20:28:15

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