Friar Basketball Newsletter: Providence Clinches the Big East Regular Season Title With a Convincing Win Over Creighton

“This game was over when the ball went up. The emotion, the energy in the building — I think everything was divine Providence why we won today — and this isn’t a win for our program, this is a win for our city, this is a win for our state. We still have a lot to play for, but we’re going to enjoy this today.”

Those were the words of Ed Cooley following Providence’s 72-51 victory over Creighton on Saturday night — a win that gave the Friars their first Big East regular season title in school history.

The numbers speak for themselves. The 11th ranked Friars are 24-3 on the season, and 14-2 in the Big East. They’ll finish this year with a 16-1 record at the Dunkin Donuts Center — a building that became the talk of college basketball, in many respects, over the past month. Not enough can be said about the support of Providence’s students, who turned every single game at the Dunk into a can’t-miss event.

Starring in the home finale was AJ Reeves. Reeves buried seven 3-pointers and led Providence with 23 points on Saturday night. Here is a deep dive into how Reeves persevered through adversity over his four years at PC. Reeves shining on that stage was a wonderful thing.

Not surprisingly, social media reaction poured in on Saturday night and Sunday morning, and we have a lot of the best reactions from Twitter here. Friar fans can also enjoy a six-minute highlight reel of the win over Creighton.

Need more? This week’s News and Notes column (for subscribers) includes some of the best quotes from Cooley’s emotional postgame press conference. The article also looks into the numbers behind PC’s improved offensive efficiency this year, as well as what spots on the floor Providence is doing the most damage from beyond the arc. Readers can see how the Friars are faring in a number of play types (in comparison to the rest of the country) on the offensive end as well.

Craig Leighton returns with his “Here and There in Friartown” article this week, and reflects on how the Dunk has compared to the great crowds of the 1970s. Craig also shares an assortment of opinions on the current group of Friars.

Earlier in the week, I appeared on a podcast to discuss all things Providence as we head toward the postseason. It’s a relatively quick listen that I think readers might enjoy. I also shared personal reflections on each of the players being honored on Senior Night.

Finally, let’s not forget that just a few days ago PC played a triple overtime thriller against Xavier at the Dunk. You can see that game condensed to ten minutes, and read about how Ed Cooley and his players are well aware of those who have constantly doubted them this season. This article touches on how the critics have fueled a Friar team that seemingly has a different star every night.

I’m starting to feel like a broken record, but it’s been beyond fulfilling to cover the program this season. I know a lot of you have been on this road with Friar Basketball for the past decade plus, and I hope our passion about the program is apparent in each week’s newsletter.

If you are enjoying what you have read here, please continue to let people know. Thanks so much for reading!