Men's Basketball BIG EAST Quarterfinal Game Notes vs. No. 25 Villanova

Friars Looking To Capture Third BIG EAST Title: In the Friars' 39-year history at the BIG EAST Tournament, the team has captured the BIG EAST Championship title twice - 1994 and 2014. In the first appearance, the Friars defeated Georgetown, 74-64, on March 13, 1994 in the title game. In 2014, Providence earned a 65-58 win over Creighton in the Championship game. Last season, the Friars reached the Championship game before being defeated by eventual national champion, Villanova, 76-66, in overtime. It marked the Friars' third consecutive overtime game in the 2018 BIG EAST Tournament.

Friars To Play Villanova On March 14 In BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals: The Friars will play No. 25/25 Villanova on Thursday, March 14 at 12:00 p.m. on FS1 in the BIG EAST Quarterfinals. The Friars have posted a 39-65 mark all-time versus the Wildcats. The Friars are 25-21 at home, 13-32 on the road and 1-11 on neutral courts all-time against Villanova. The two teams first met on February 15, 1936 with the Friars earning a 46-37 win in Providence. In the first meeting between the two teams this season in Providence, the Wildcats earned a 65-59 win on January 5. In the second meeting this season, the Friars were defeated at Villanova, 85-67, on February 13. The last time the two teams met at the Big East Tournament, the Wildcats won the 2018 BIG EAST Championship game with a 76-66 overtime victory.

Friars To Play Villanova For The Fourth Time In Five Years At BE Tourney: The Friars will play the Villanova Wildcats for the fourth time in five years at the BIG EAST Tournament. The Friars have posted a 0-3 mark in those games, including two games in the Semifinals (2015 and 2016) and one game in the Championship (2018). The Friars are 1-9 all-time in the BIG EAST Tournament versus the Wildcats. The Friars lone win was a 77-66 victory in 1994.

Alpha Diallo Named Second Team All-BIG EAST: Junior guard Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) was named Second Team All-BIG EAST on March 10. Diallo is averaging 16.2 points and 8.2 rebounds. His 8.2 rebounds is tied for tops in the BIG EAST in overall action. He also ranks ninth in scoring and he is tied for first in the league in double doubles with nine. Diallo is the first Friar to earn All-BIG EAST honors since Rodney Bullock and Kyron Cartwright were named to the Second Team in 2017.

Alpha Diallo All-Time At Madison Square Garden: In nine career games at Madison Square Garden, New York City native Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) has averaged 15.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. His 18 points against Butler in the 2019 BIG EAST Tournament First Round on March 13 marked his third-highest scoring total at The Garden. Last season, he scored a personal-best of 22 points at MSG in the BIG EAST Championship game against Villanova. He started the 2018 BIG EAST Tournament with 19 points against Creighton in the Quarterfinals.

Alpha Diallo In The BIG EAST Tournament: Junior Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) has played five games in the BIG EAST Tournament during his career with the Friars. He has reached double figures in the scoring column in each game, including 18 points in Providence's most recent victory against Butler in the First Round in 2019 (March 13). In five BIG EAST Tournament games, he has averaged an impressive 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

Ed Cooley All-Time Coaching PC At MSG: Head Coach Ed Cooley has posted a 12-7 mark all-time as the Friar head coach at Madison Square Garden. He is 8-6 in the BIG EAST Tournament, 2-1 versus St. John's in regular season action and 2-0 in the 2017 2K Classic.

Friars Secure Seventh Consecutive Season At .500 Or Better: With the Friars' win at Butler on February 26, the team earned its 16th win of the season. The Friars now have 18 wins and they are assured of finishing above .500 for the seventh consecutive season. Seven consecutive seasons marks the fourth longest streak of consecutive .500 or better seasons in the 92-year history of Friar basketball. The other streaks are: 12 seasons (1956-67); 10 seasons (1969-78) and nine seasons (1929-37).

Jackson Reaches 1,000 Career Points: Senior Isaiah Jackson (Gainesville, Fla.) became the 51st Friar all-time to score 1,000 points for his career. Jackson, who transferred to Providence after spending his freshman season at George Mason, has registered 754 points in three seasons as a Friar. He also recorded 270 points in his first season at George Mason. With 1,024 career points, Jackson ranks 50th all-time in scoring at Providence.

Ed Cooley Ranks Third On The PC All-Time Win List: With the Friars' win versus Butler on March 9, Ed Cooley recorded his 161st victory as the Friar Head Coach and moved into third place on the all-time win list for PC Head Coaches. The two all-time winningest Friar head coaches are: Joe Mullaney (319-164), and Dave Gavitt (209-84). Cooley has a 162-108 mark in eight seasons as the Friars head coach.

Friar Defense Improved: The Friar defense has improved steadily this season. Through the team's 18 BIG EAST Conference games, the Friars ranked third in points allowed (71.3 ppg). The team also ranked second in steals (8.0 spg) and second in turnover margin (+1.4). Opponents averaged 14.7 turnovers per game versus the Friars, the highest rate in the league.

Diallo One Of Five Players To Lead Team in Points, Rebounds And Assists: Friar junior Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) is one of five players from a power conference (BIG EAST, ACC, SEC, Big 10, Big 12 and Pac 12) to lead their teams in points, rebounds and assists. Diallo is averaging 16.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg and 3.1 apg. The other four players are Ky Bowman of Boston College, Tres Tinkle of Oregon State, Jarrett Culver of Texas Tech and Ethan Happ of Wisconsin.

Reeves Returns After Missing Seven Weeks: Freshman guard A.J. Reeves (Roxbury, Mass.) returned to the Friar lineup on January 27 after missing seven weeks (nine games) with a foot injury. The freshman guard registered 11 points in 11 minutes of action in his return versus DePaul on January 27. Reeves was 3-6 from behind the arc. Reeves, who has been named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week three times this season, is third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.7 points per game. Reeves leads the Friars in three pointers made (44) and first in three-point field goal percentage (40.0 percent). He scored a game-high 24 points when he was 9-13 from the field, inlcuding 6-8 from three-point territory in the Friars' win over Butler on March 9.

Friars All-Time Versus Top-25 Teams: The Friars have posted a 116-264 (.305) mark all-time versus top-25 teams, including a 0-4 mark this season. In the Friars' first game versus a ranked team this season, Providence was defeated by No. 18/18 Michigan, 66-47, on November 18 at the Hall of Fame Tip Off in Uncasville, Conn. In the Friars' second game versus a ranked team, Providence was defeated at No. 15/13 Marquette, 79-68, on January 20. In the team's third game versus a ranked squad, the Friars were defeated at No. 13/13 Villanova, 85-67, on February 13. In the team's most recent game versus a ranked team, the Friars were defeated by No. 11/10 Marquette, 76-58, on February 23.

Diallo Surpases 1,000 Career Points: Junior Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) has recorded 1,129 career points in 97 games (11.6 ppg). He became 50th player in Friar history to score 1,000 or more career points. Diallo ranks 35th all-time in scoring at Providence.

Diallo Registers His Ninth Double-Double Of The Season: Junior forward Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the Friars' overtime loss at Creighton on March 6. For Diallo it was his ninth double-double of the season and the 15th of his career. He leads the Friars in scoring (16.2 ppg), rebounding (8.2 rpg) and assists (3.1 apg). He has recorded a team-best 10 games this season with 20 or more points. Diallo, who was named Preseason AllBIG EAST First Team, was named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team last March. He averaged 13.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game last season.

Diallo Ranks First In The BIG EAST In Rebounding: Junior forward Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) ranks first in the BIG EAST in rebounding in overall play (8.2 rpg). He has recorded 10 or more rebounds in nine games this season, including a career-high 15 boards at St. John's on February 9.

Watson Ties His Career-High With 21 Points at Butler: Sophomore Nate Watson (Arlington, Va.) tied his career high in points with 21 at Butler on February 23. He was 8-10 from the field and grabbed five rebounds in the win. It was the fourth time this season he scored 21 points in a game. He ranks second on the team in scoring (11.5 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.2 rpg). The sophomore center recorded his first career double-double when he scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds at Boston College on December 4. Watson earned BIG EAST All-Rookie Team honors last season.

Youth Movement: Through 32 games this season, Head Coach Ed Cooley has relied on his freshman class to help pace the Friars. Freshman David Duke (Providence, R.I.) has started all 32 games this season. Freshman A.J. Reeves ranks third on the team in scoring (10.3 ppg) and he leads the team in three-point shooting (40.0 percent). Duke is fifth on the team in scoring (7.1 ppg). Freshman Jimmy Nichols (Conway, S.C.) is first on the team in blocks with 26.

Jackson Comes Off The Bench: Red-shirt senior Isaiah Jackson (Gainesville, Fla.) has come off the bench in 25 of the team's 32 games this season. He has scored in double figures in 15 of the team's 32 games and he ranks fourth on the squad in scoring (9.7 ppg). Jackson is third on the team in rebounding at 4.9 rebounds per game. He had a game-high 21 points and he also added eight rebounds and four assists in the Friars' overtime loss at Creighton on March 6. Jackson followed that up with his second consecutive strong effort when he registered 20 points and five rebounds in a win over Butler on March 9.

Friars 60-3 In Non-Conference Action At The Dunk Under Ed Cooley: The Friars have posted a 60-3 mark in eight seasons under Ed Cooley in non-conference home games at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.

Top-70 Student Athlete Greg Gantt Signs NLI To Attend PC In 2019-20: Friar coach Ed Cooley announced on November 16 that student-athlete Greg Gantt, Jr., (Fayetteville, N.C.) signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Providence College beginning in September 2019. Gantt is ranked in the top-70 in every major ranking. Gantt, a 6-foot-7-inch, 195-pound forward attends Trinity Christian School in Fayetteville, N.C., where he is coached by Heath Vandevender. At Trinity Christian, he averaged 10.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game in 2018. He also played for the Team Felton AAU Team. On Team Felton, he was coached by Fred Cannon. During the summer, he was the leading scorer and rebounder for Team Felton on the Under Armour circuit. Gantt is rated as a four-star recruit by ESPN.com, Rivals.com and 247sports. com. ESPN (No. 62), Rivals (No. 63) and 247sports (No. 66) all have Gantt ranked as a top-70 recruit.

Reeves Had A Memorable Opening Night: Freshman guard AJ Reeves (Roxbury, Mass.) had an impressive opening night for the Friars versus Siena on November 6 when he scored 29 points, while shooting 10-13 from the field, including 7-9 from three-point territory. Reeves established a Friar record for most points by a freshman in an opening night game. He also became the first Friar to have seven or more three pointers in a game since Bryce Cotton had seven at Boston College on December 22, 2012.

New Home Of Friar Basketball - Friar Ruane Friar Development Center: Thanks to a generous gift from former Providence College Board of Trustees Chair Michael A. Ruane '71 & '13 Hon. and his wife, Elizabeth Ruane, Providence College began construction of the Ruane Friar Development Center in 2017, a new multi-purpose facility that will significantly enhance Friar athletics, student services, and College community life. The College began construction of Phase I of the project includes a new two-story structure attached to Alumni Hall. In September, the doors opened to the new facility which includes a basketball practice facility (with two courts), men's basketball offices, a strength and conditioning complex, a locker room, a state-of-the-art sports medicine center, a Hall of Fame and a dining room.

Friars In Overtime: The Friars have recorded a 2-2 mark this season in overtime games. The Friars have registered a 64-67 mark all-time in overtime games.
Friars Post Fifth Consecutive 20-Win Season In 2018: With the team's 72-68 win over Creighton in the BIG EAST Quarterfinals on March 8, the Friars earned their 20th victory on the season, which marked the squad's fifth consecutive season with 20 or more wins. The last time the Friars registered five consecutive 20-win seasons was 1973-74 to 1977-78. The Friar record for consecutive seasons with 20 or more wins is nine, which was established from 1958-59 to 1966-67.

Friars Make Fifth Consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearance For The First Time Ever: The Friars earned their fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2018. It marked the first time ever that the Friars made five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. The team advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the previous four seasons (2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017).

"DG" Patch On Friar Uniforms: In memory of former Friar Head Coach Dave Gavitt the Friars have worn a "DG" patch on their uniforms since the 2011-12 season. Gavitt led PC and Eastern basketball into the modern age. In 10 seasons as the head coach of the Friars, Gavitt led PC to 209 wins, including eight consecutive 20-win seasons, five NCAA appearances, three NIT appearances and five New England Coach of the Year honors. He led the Friars to 23 wins over Top-20 teams. His 1973 team made it to Final Four. In 1971, Gavitt was named Director of Athletics at PC, a position he held until 1982 when he resigned to be the director of the BIG EAST Conference. He also was named Head Coach of the 1980 USA Olympic basketball team. He was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Providence College Basketball: The 2018-19 campaign marks the 92nd season of basketball at Providence College. Since the program started in 1926-27, Providence has posted a 1,463-982 mark, good for a .598 winning percentage. The Friars have made the NCAA Tournament 20 times and the National Invitation Tournament on 19 occasions.

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Players Mentioned

Rodney Bullock

Kyron Cartwright

Alpha Diallo

David Duke

Isaiah Jackson

A.J. Reeves

Nate Watson