PC Friars Earn #6 Seed in East Regional, To Play in Columbus, OH on Friday Night
PC news release…
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – It was announced on Sunday, March 15 that the Providence College men’s basketball team earned a No. 6 seed and will play 11th-seeded Boise State or Dayton on Friday, March 20 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The game will be televised on TruTV at 9:57 p.m. E.S.T. Boise State and Dayton will play in the NCAA First Round at 9:10 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18 at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, with the winner advancing to the Second Round.
The Friars, who have posted a 22-11 mark and an 11-7 record in BIG EAST play (fourth), earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Friars are led by senior LaDontae Henton (Lansing, Mich), who led the league in scoring with 19.7 points per game. Henton and sophomore Kris Dunn (New London, Conn.) were named First-Team All-BIG EAST. Dunn also was named BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. Dunn led the league in steals (2.8) and assists (7.6).
The Friars will be making their 17th appearance all-time at the NCAA Tournament. Last season, the Friars won the BIG EAST Championship and earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This season, the Friars will be making their second-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. The last time the Friars made consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament was in the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons. The team has made two trips to the Final Four (1973 and 1987), four appearances in the Elite Eight (1965, 1973, 1987and 1997) and five trips to the Sweet Sixteen (1965, 1973, 1974, 1987and 1997).
If Boise State advances to the Second Round, it would mark the first meeting all-time between Providence and the Broncos. The Broncos have posted a 25-8 record and finished conference play with a 14-4 mark to finish first. Boise State was defeated by Wyoming in overtime in the Mountain West Semifinal, 71-66. Senior Derrick Marks leads the Broncos with 19.3 points and 3.0 assists per game. Sophomore James Webb III has a team-best 7.9 rebounds per game.
If Dayton wins its First Round game and advances to the Second Round, it would be the eighth time Providence faced the Flyers. Providence and Dayton have never met in NCAA Tournament play, while the Flyers lead the all-time series, 5-2. Dayton has a 25-8 overall record and concluded Atlantic-10 play with a 13-5 mark to place second. The Flyers lost in the A-10 Championship game, dropping a 71-65 decision to VCU. Redshirt senior Jordan Sibert leads Dayton, averaging 16.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Junior Dyshawn Pierre leads the Flyers in rebounds at 8.2 per game.
Providence and Boise State/Dayton are playing in the East Regional and the winner of their game will take on the winner of No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 14 Albany. That Third Round game would be played on March 22. All game times are TBD.
