Wisconsin Feasts on Friars in Thanksgiving Rout

Plus, a look at Providence's struggles in multi-team events in recent seasons

Thanksgiving proved unkind to Providence once again. A year after stumbling on the holiday stage, the Friars were overwhelmed by Wisconsin in San Diego, falling 104–83 as the Badgers carved them up on both ends of the floor.

Almost nothing went right for the Friars on Thursday, as they surrendered a whopping 32 fast-break points and saw Wisconsin star Nick Boyd torch them for a career-high 36 points (with 7 assists, and 7 rebounds) in a game that was over by halftime.

“Disappointed doesn’t even do it justice,” Kim English shared in his postgame presser. “Our effort, our defense, our hustle, our focus, our selflessness was all really bad tonight.”

Anyone looking for bright spots from this one would have to squint. The Friars trailed, 51-32, by halftime after shooting 2-10 from beyond the arc and committing nine turnovers through 20 minutes.

Boyd won’t have an easier game this season. He made 11 shots inside the arc, four beyond it, and didn’t turn the ball over once in 32 minutes. Sophomore big man Austin Rapp had his best game as a Badger, making 5-11 from three and finishing with 20 points of his own. Wisconsin center Nolan Winter also dominated his paint matchup with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and four offensive boards.

Providence watched their opponents score 104 points in regulation, as they dropped to 4-3 on the season with defending national champion Florida awaiting on Friday, after the Gators were upset by former Friar Jayden Pierre and TCU earlier in the day.

Providence fans eager to turn the page from last season couldn’t help but think back to the prior Thanksgiving. The Friars were coming off a 79-77 heartbreaker to Oklahoma when they no-showed against Davidson on Turkey Day. They trailed that one by 20 at the break after scoring just 18 points on 5-28 shooting from the field.

This year’s loss to Wisconsin saw PC struggle on both ends, with English continuing to emphasize how their offense added to the defensive struggles: “A bad shot and a turnover are the first passes to your opponent on a fast break.”

Any question that existed about this offense prior to the season came to fruition against Wisconsin. The Friars added a pair of talented, score-first guards in the offseason, but the roster didn’t have a guard who’d ever averaged more than two assists per game at the D1 level. And with Duncan Powell sidelined, their bigs don’t offer much scoring punch. PC needed someone to stabilize things offensively on Thursday and no one proved capable.

There weren’t many highlights for PC in this one. Jason Edwards got off to a sizzling start before seeing his decision-making unravel as the game slipped away (20 points, a season-high 5 turnovers), while freshman Jamier Jones played with some force (10 points, 7 rebounds in 21 minutes).

For Providence to rebound less than 24 hours after this loss, they’ll have to buck recent history. They went 0-3 at the Battle 4 Atlantis last season — a frustrating showing that saw Bryce Hopkins sit out after the likes of John Fanta and Jeff Goodman reported he would participate.

Last season continued the trend of them struggling in these early-season events.

Providence is 5-13 at multi-team events since beating Washington and St. Louis to win the 2K Classic at MSG in 2017:

2018 – Hall of Fame Tip-Off (Uncasville, CT):

• Providence 76, South Carolina 67

• Michigan 66, Providence 47

• Record: 1-1

2019 – Wooden Legacy (Anaheim, CA):

• Long Beach State 66, Providence 65

• Charleston 63, Providence 55

• Providence 80, Pepperdine 77

• Record: 1–2

2020 – Maui Invitational (North Carolina):

• Indiana 79, Providence 58

• Providence 63, Davidson 62

• Alabama 88, Providence 71

• Record: 1–2

2021 – Legends Classic (Newark, NJ):

• Providence 77, Northwestern 72

• Virginia 58, Providence 40

• Record: 1–1

2022 – Hall of Fame Tip‑Off (Uncasville, CT):

• Miami 74, Providence 64

• Saint Louis 76, Providence 73

• Record: 0–2

2023 – Baha Mar Championship (Bahamas):

• Kansas State 73, Providence 70 (OT)

• Providence 71, Georgia 64

• Record: 1–1

2024 – Battle 4 Atlantis (Bahamas):

• Oklahoma 79, Providence 77

• Davidson 69, Providence 58

• Indiana 89, Providence 73

• Record: 0-3

2025 – Rady Children’s Invitational (San Diego, CA):

• Wisconsin 104, Providence 83

• Record: 0–1

Prior to 2018, Providence had been solid in these tournaments since Big East realignment, going 2-1 in the Paradise Jam in 2013 (wins over Vanderbilt and La Salle), 2-0 at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off in 2014 (wins over Florida State and Notre Dame), 2-1 at the Wooden Legacy (wins over Evansville and Arizona) in 2015, and 1-1 at the Emerald Coast Classic (with a win over Memphis) in 2016.

It’s been a struggle since.

A win over Florida would mark the program’s best victory in an MTE since they took out Arizona a decade ago.

They’ll need to be far better to have a shot against the national champs on Friday.