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This Is Year 3: Looking Back at Cooley’s Decision

When it happened no one actually had a clue how it would work out.

On March 20th, 2023 it was announced that Ed Cooley would leave Providence College after 12 seasons to coach at Georgetown University. It was the first and only time in the history of the Big East a coach left one Big East program for another. At the time the college basketball national media pundits would tell you that Georgetown, with their tradition and history, was a better job than Providence. Providence fans would chirp back whether or not that was actually the case given the Hoyas epic fall from college basketball glory, while the support and fan base of Providence had never been stronger.

Georgetown fans, for the most part, agreed with the national media and felt with Georgetown’s “war chest” of resources and Cooley’s coaching acumen the Hoyas would be back to national prominence in no time.

So, 2.5 years later, is that the case?

House of Horrors: Friars Can’t Close in Regulation, Lose to Marquette 105-104 in OT

Milwaukee has always been a difficult place for the Friars to play. Entering Martin Luther King Day’s early evening tip against Marquette, the Friars posted a 3-15 record for road games against the Golden Eagles and hadn’t won since 2020. With 37 seconds remaining in regulation and PC up 4, it seemed like PC would snap its 5-game losing streak at Marquette and perhaps Friar fans would make the comparison to the 2020 team who was struggling going into the Marquette game only to complete a big turnaround by season’s end. Instead PC made crucial error after crucial error late in regulation and in overtime and fell to a struggling Golden Eagles club.

With the loss PC fell to 9-10 (2-6) on the season in which it’s getting harder and harder to glean any positives. PC once again got great contributions from their freshmen duo of Stefan Vaaks (26 points) and Jamier Jones (17 points), but they both made key errors in crunch time. Senior captain Corey Floyd Jr had the ball for what seemingly should’ve been the last shot of overtime in a game tied at 104, but he turned it over and fouled allowing Marquette to hit a free throw to secure the win. Providence is now 0-4 on the season in overtime games and 1-6 in games decided by 6 points or less.

Postgame Press Conference
Presented by: @BreezeAirways & @IFlyRhodeIsland https://t.co/MZZ2KE9xEO
— Providence MBB (@PCFriarsmbb) January 20, 2026

Friars Fall to Villanova 88-82

The Friars were looking to bounce back after a lackluster performance in Cincinnati over the weekend when they hosted the Villanova Wildcats Tuesday night at the AMP. However, that same lackluster effort spilled over into the first half where the Friars committed countless turnovers, let Villanova stroke it from deep, and found themselves in 12-point hole at the break.

PC put forth a much better effort in the second half cutting the deficit to 5 points on a few occasions, but couldn’t make enough plays or get enough defensive rebounds to complete the comeback. The Friars have now lost three straight games after knocking off St. Johns in Madison Square Garden 10 days ago. With the loss PC is now 8-9 on the season, 1-5 in league play and are 0-3 in league games at Amica Mutual Pavillion. Clearly it appears we are in for another long winter in Friartown.

Postgame Press Conference
Presented by: @BreezeAirways & @IFlyRhodeIsland https://t.co/jd6zZTEBiq
— Providence MBB (@PCFriarsmbb) January 14, 2026

Heartbreaker in Friartown: PC Falls to UConn 103-98 in OT

It was a game that we all knew would be tough to get however for the first 37 minutes of gameplay it appeared to be one they would get. PC held a 11-point lead with three minutes to play against the 4th ranked Huskies Wednesday night but couldn’t close it out and fell in overtime. As I texted in our Big East Fantasy Hoops group message it was just a cavalcade of errors and whacky shit in the final 3 minutes of regulation. PC now is 0-3 in overtime games and either a play here or there would’ve been the difference in not only them winning but perhaps avoiding OT all together.

Friars Drop Big East Home Opener to Seton Hall 72-67

The sense around the PC basketball program after a disappointing 7-4 non-conference slate would be for them to get at least one of their first two games of the Big East schedule to save their season. After a heartbreaking loss to Butler in double overtime, 113-110, the Friars still had an opportunity with the 10-1 Seton Hall Pirates coming to town to get one.

Instead, another frustrating close game loss that now has the Friars at 7-6 on the season and a 0-2 start to league play. PC opened the game making only two of their first twelve shots from the floor. They would settle in offensively but let the defense slip, and Hall entered halftime with a 7-point lead.

After a timeout early in the second half, Providence finally made their push, even taking a 46-45 lead. Seton Hall behind their stout defense punched back and got their lead to the halftime margin of 7 with 5 minutes to go. Providence then made one final push taking a 67-66 lead after two Jaylin Sellers free throws with 1:16 remaining. That would be the last point PC would score as Seton Hall closed the final 76 seconds on a 6-0 run.

We recap the game in more detail below.

Kings of RI: PC Defeats Brown 86-79

The Friars wrapped up their 2025 non-conference schedule on Tuesday night but it wasn’t in the emphatic fashion fans were probably hoping for. The Brown Bears (5-7) came to town and although it was essentially a wire-to-wire win for PC, the Bears gave the Friars more than they bargained for. Head Coach Mike Martin had his team ready to go in this one and despite the Friars extending their lead countless times the Bears kept punching back.

PC raced out to a 9-2 lead, Brown tied it. PC would extend their 5-point halftime lead to 13 at 55-42, Brown responded with a 16-7 run. PC responded to push it back to 9 but then the Bears scored the next 5 points. Ultimately the Friars would get the 86-79 victory over Brown ending their non-conference slate with a 7-4 record.

Friars win 86-79 to round out non-conference to 7-4.

Offense continues to be a top national unit; however, the defense still leaves a lot to be desired, and the turnovers continue to hurt this squad.

We’re going to learn a lot about this team the rest of the way in 2025.
— BOC Friars (@BOCallday) December 10, 2025

We break down the game below along with our main takeaways.

Providence Looks to End Non-Conference on High Note: Brown Bears Game Preview

Rams Slammed: Friars best URI 90-71

The Ocean State Rivalry renewed for the 134th time on Saturday at the AMP with an unfamiliar feeling going in. The Friars entered the weekend with a 5-4 record and in desperate need for a victory. URI, on the other hand, was off to a 7-2 start and had solid footing in the metrics. It was a rare situation where Providence arguably had more to gain in this one than Rhode Island.

Providence would answer the call, especially in the second half, where a 49-34 advantage would allow them to cruise to a 90-71 victory.

We break down the game and what we took away from it for the Friars moving forward.

This @RhodyMBB vs @PCFriarsmbb rivalry has some lore behind it 😮@TheAndyKatz breaks it all down ahead of game time 👊 pic.twitter.com/fbviidytOI
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) December 6, 2025

Friars Play Some Defense, Rout FDU

After a disastrous Thanksgiving weekend that saw the Friars drop games to Wisconsin and Florida and gave up 100 points in regulation for the first time since 2009, the team was in dire need of a “cupcake” on the schedule to get the season back on track. Luckily for the Friars the FDU Knights, who entered Tuesday’s contest 1-6 (0-5 against D1 competition), came to town.

Right out of the gate the Friars jumped on the Knights with a 18-5 start, having the Knights burn their first timeout before the first media timeout. PC would finish off their best first half of the season with a 52-21 lead.

The Friars would extend the lead to as many as 36 points but they let go of the leash a bit and FDU responded with a 10-0 run. Some of the defensive lapses that have plagued PC all season long crept back up again, but all in all the Friars would get a 94-64 win and had their best defensive effort of the season.

We recap the game in more detail below.

Friars’ Thanksgiving Woes Continue in Wisconsin Runaway

In the Friars prior two victories over Wisconsin, they did it by playing physical and tough. In the two teams meeting on Thanksgiving Day in San Diego, the Badgers totally flipped the script. Not only was Wisconsin tougher on the glass and getting what they wanted in the paint, but they beat the Friars at their own game. The Badgers forced Providence into 14 turnovers and cashed those in for 18 points.

They also surprisingly smoked the Friars in fast break points 32-14. The Badgers also launched 40 threes in this game connecting on 14 of them, each one made their lead feel more insurmountable.

In summation the Badgers really outclassed the Friars in essentially every facet en route to a 104-83 victory.

We break down the bludgeoning below and where the Friars go from here.

2025 Rady Children’s Invitational: Sizing Up the Field

It’s MTE season, and the Providence Friars are heading west this year for the Rady Children’s Invitational in sunny San Diego, CA. It’s a four team field with Wisconsin, TCU, and Florida as the competition. As discussed on the most recent episode of the Providence Crier Podcast, it will be pivotal for the Friars to get at least one game in their two days in “America’s Finest City”.

Obviously the Friars won’t face all of these three teams this week but it’s best to be prepared so we take a look at each one.

Friars Flip the Script in Second Half Vs UNH

DEALIN’ DUCKS

The Friars figured to be a hungry team that would get after it from the jump as they hosted the University of New Hampshire on Tuesday night at the AMP. One would think that would be the case after a disheartening road loss to Colorado where they gave up 97 points to a young Buffaloes team. Yet it didn’t always look to be the case early as UNH, who had been beaten rather decisively in all of their games against D1 opponents, only trailed the Friars 32-31 with 1:20 left in the first half. The Friars would close the half on a 6-0 run and never looked back en route to a 98-66 rout of the Wildcats.

PC now finds themselves at 3-2 on the year with what oddly feels like a season defining game against Penn State on Saturday at Mohegan Sun.

Friars Race Past Quakers 106-81

After a few days of exhausting online discourse following PC’s loss to Virginia Tech at Mohegan Sun on Saturday, it was great to see the Friars back on the court and in the win column. PC didn’t disappoint as they cruised past the Penn Quakers 106-81 at the AMP on Tuesday night.

Friars Look to Bounce Back Against Quakers: Penn Preview

For the Friars it is the first time since the 2008-2009 season that they have scored at least 100 points in back-to-back games. The captain, Corey Floyd Jr, led the team in scoring with 20 points and once again PC showed a balanced offensive attack. With the win the Friars improved to 2-1 on the season and continue to take care of business against teams that they have no business losing to.

We recap the game below.