News and Notes: Teams and players on the way up and down in the Big East, the Friars' defensive stinginess in conference games, BC gone wild, Al Durham in the top five in the nation, and more

1. Raise your hand if you would have guessed this prior to the UConn game in mid-December: Jared Bynum is second on Providence in scoring in conference play.

Well, that’s the case through five games, at least. In 28.6 minutes per game, Bynum is averaging 12.4 points per game (second to Al Durham at 13.0), shooting 44% from the field, and is second on the…