Friar Basketball Newsletter: An opportunity in Wisconsin, PC commits kick off their seasons, old faces in new places, Al Durham's early impact, PC's defense, and more.

Following a 2-0 start to their season last week, Providence now has a great opportunity to make an early season statement when they travel to Wisconsin on Monday night. The Badgers have an unusually young team this season, but have been extremely tough to beat historically at the Kohl Center. You can read about the significance of this matchup for Providence, as well as more on key Big East games and PC’s other opponent this week (UNH) in our look at the week ahead.

Our news and notes column is filled with information on Providence’s opening week, tidbits on Big East clubs, info on how former Friars fared to start their seasons, and impressions of PC commits Quante Berry and Christ Essandoko from over the weekend. Berry and Essandoko have already played a number of top level teams, including Overtime Elite, Oak Hill Academy, and Moravian Prep. The duo will officially sign with Providence on November 16.

Here is a look at Berry and Essandoko against Overtime Elite:

Miss any of last week’s action? Want to see it again? Highlights from the wins over Fairfield and Sacred Heart can be seen here.

One week into his Providence career, Al Durham has been as good as advertised for the Friars. Here we take a look at the pressure Durham puts on opposing defenses with his speed and attacking style (video included). The Indiana transfer certainly looks like a recruiting hit for the Friars.

Defense has been a real strength for Providence under Ed Cooley. In fact, a case can be made that they have been the second best defensive team in the Big East since the realignment of 2013. Here we take a look at how PC’s defense has ranked in comparison to the rest of the Big East since realignment, and how they will need to bounce back from a down year defensively a season ago.

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