PC Battles Villanova With Return Trip to Title Game on Line
Friday, March 13, 2015
The Providence College Friars defeated the St. John's Red Storm 74-57 in the quarterfinal round of the Big East Tournament. With the win, the Friars now advance to the semifinals and a show down with the top seeded Villanova Wildcats on Friday night.
"We know we are playing a juggernaut, I'm pretty sure that nobody in this room is giving us a chance, but we've been in this position before," Friars head coach Ed Cooley said after the victory over St. John's.
The Villanova Wildcats
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe Wildcats are the top seed in the Big East and are currently projected to be one of four number one seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
"Villanova is the team to beat, but, they were the team to beat last year to, them and Creighton, and they both lost so," said Friar great Joe Hassett.
Villanova is coming off an 84-49 victory over Marquette in their quarterfinal game, in fact, the Wildcats have not lost a game since mid-January.
The Wildcats are led by Darrun Hillard who averages 14 points per game while Ryan Arcidiacono, the co-Big East Player of the Year, averages 11 points and four assists per game.
PC vs Villanova - Feb. 24 - Nova Wins 89-61
The Wildcats jumped out to a 28-13 lead in the first half but the Friars only trailed by nine, 35-24 at the half.
In the second, Providence got as close as six points, 38-32, before the Wildcats went on a 10-2 run to go up 48-34 and win in blowout fashion, 89-61.
Darrun Hilliard led Villanova with 24 points while Tyler Harris led the Friars with 18 off the bench.
Villanova vs PC - Feb. 11 - Nova wins 74-68
The Friars trailed 37-34 with 11 minutes to go in the half before the Wildcats used an 11-0 run to go up 48-34 with 7:38 left to play.
Providence would climb back to within six points but would not be able to get over the hump. Wildcats would win 74-68.
Ryan Arcidiacono led Nova with 20 points in the game while LaDontae Henton led the Friars with 23 points.
PC vs Villanova
Two major keys for the Friars in if they want to advance to Saturday night. PC has to limit turnovers and therefore limit the Wildcats fast break opportunities. The Wildcats are a great offensive team, they don't need help.
The other key is defending the three-point line. In Villanova's last two games, the Wildcats have knocked down 17 and 11 three-pointers against Marquette and St. John's respectively. Villanova knocked down 13 three-pointers against Providence in the February 24 game.
If Providence can do those two things, they will have a chance to win the game.
Return trip to the title game on the line
The Friars and Wildcats tip off on Friday night at 7 p.m. in the Big East semifinals at Madison Square Garden. The winner will head to the championship game on Saturday night against either Xavier or Georgetown. For Providence, a win would give them a return trip to the title game.
As Ed Cooley said in regards to the Friars Friday night date with Villanova at the Garden.
"There's no better place to play on a Friday night than in this building"
The game can be seen on Fox Sports 1.
Related Slideshow: Providence College Friars 2014-2015 Projected Starting Lineup
The Providence College Friars went on a magical run last year that saw them win the Big East Championship at Madison Square Garden in New York City. This year they look to defend their title and get back to the big dance. Here is the 2014-2015 projected starting lineup for the Friars.
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