Men's Basketball Game Notes vs. No. 25 Creighton

Friars To Play At Creighton On January 22: The Friars will play at Creighton on Saturday, January 18 at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Providence has posted a 15-10 mark all-time versus the Bluejays, including a 9-6 record since Creighton joined the BIG EAST in 2013-14. The Friars are 8-3 at home versus Creighton, 5-5 on the road and 2-2 in neutral arenas. In the first meeting last season, Creighton registered a 79-68 win on December 31, 2018. The last time the two teams met in Omaha, Creighton earned a 76-70 win on March 6, 2019. The Friars' last win over the Blue Jays was a 72-68 win in the BIG EAST Tournament on March 8, 2018 at MSG. The Friars' most recent win in Omaha was a 68-66 victory on February 22, 2017.

Friar Tid Bits Entering Saturday's Game:
*Friars are 4-1 in BIG EAST play this season (2-1 at home, 2-0 on the road).
*The Friars have won five of their last six games.
*Saturday will mark the Friars' second game this season against a ranked opponent (0-1).
*The Friars are looking for their first win over a ranked team since 3/9/18 - defeated No. 3/2 Xavier.
*The Friars' last win over a ranked team on the road was a 68-66 win at No. 23/23 Creighton on 2/22/17.
*The Friars are a combined 10-2 on Tuesdays (4-1), Saturdays (5-1) and Sundays (1-0).
*The Friars are a combined 1-5 on Wednesdays (1-1), Thursdays (0-1) and Fridays (0-3).
*The Friars posted a 4-4 mark in Nov., a 4-2 record in Dec. and have a 3-1 record in Jan.
*The Friars are shooting 36.6 percent (79-210) from three-point territory at home (10 games) and 27.5 percent (47-171) in eight games away from the Dunkin' Donuts Center.
*The Friars rank second in the BIG EAST in assists (15.9 apg).
*The Friars rank third in the BIG EAST in steals (9.1 spg).
*The Friars rank second in the BIG EAST in turnover margin (+2.6).
*Friar senior Alpha Diallo leads all active BIG EAST players in rebounding with 379 boards in league regular-season games.

Reeves And Holt Scratched From SJU Game WIth Injuries: Sophomore guard AJ Reeves (Roxbury, Mass.) and graduate forward Emmitt Holt (Rochester, N.Y.) both were injured and did not play in the Friars' most recent game versus St. John's on January 15. Reeves missed the game due to a head injury and Holt was scratched from the lineup due to an ankle injury. Both players are listed as day to day.

Diallo Leads Team In Scoring And Rebounding: Senior forward Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) is averaging 14.3 points and 8.5 rebounds through 18 games this season. He leads the team in scoring and rebounding. Diallo has posted a double-double in seven of the Friars' 18 games, including a 12-point, 11-rebound effort at Marquette on January 7. Diallo ranks fourth in the BIG EAST this season with seven double-doubles. He has registered 22 double-doubles in his four seasons at Providence.

White Picking Up Pace In League Play: Senior guard Maliek White (Richmond, Va.) has come off the bench in BIG EAST play to help lead the Friars. He scored 16 points in a win at DePaul on January 4 and he had a team-high 19 points in a win at Marquette on January 7. He ranks second the team in scoring in BIG EAST play, averaging 11.6 points per game. White is 7-18 (38.9 percent) from three-point territory in league play.

Duke Scoring And Assisting: Sophomore guard David Duke (Providence, R.I.) ranks second on the team in scoring (11.7 ppg) and assists (3.8 apg). He recorded his BIG EAST career high when he posted eight assists in the Friars' win over Georgetown on December 31. Duke also is shooting a team best 45.3 percent (24-53) from three-point territory.

Friars Win When Pipkins Registers Assists: Graduate student Luwane Pipkins (Chicago, Ill.) has led the Friars to an 8-2 mark when he registers four or more assists in a game. Pipkins, who is in his first season with the Friars after transferring from UMass, is averaging 8.8 points per game.

Friars Earn A Pair Of Road WIns: Providence concluded a two-game road swing on January 7 that featured two, one-point wins - both of which were won with free throws. The Friars won 66- 65 at DePaul on January 4 and 81-80 in overtime at Marquette on January 7. It marked the first time the Friars won back-to-back games on the road in league play since the 2013-14 season.

Diallo Surpassed 1,000 Career Points: Senior Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) has recorded 1,413 career points in 117 games (12.0 ppg). He became the 50th player in Friar history to score 1,000 or more career points. Diallo ranks 21st all-time in scoring at Providence.

Watson Returns To The Lineup: Junior Nate Watson (Portsmouth, Va.), who missed the first four games of the season with a knee injury, returned to the lineup versus Merrimack on November 19. The junior center is third on the team in scoring (9.4 ppg). Last season, Watson ranked first on the team in field goal percentage (59 percent), second in scoring (11.7 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.2 rpg).

Friars Forcing Turnovers: The Friars are forcing turnovers this season. The team ranks second in the BIG EAST in turnover margin at +2.6. The Friars rank third in the BIG EAST in steals at 9.2 per game. PC is averaging 13.7 turnovers per game compared to 16.2 by its opponents.

Friars All-Time Versus Top-25 Teams: The Friars have posted a 116-266 (.304) mark all-time versus top-25 teams, including a 0-1 mark this season.

Breed Signs NLI To Attend Providence: Ed Cooley announced on November 13 that student-athlete Alyn Breed (Powder Springs, Ga.) has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Providence College beginning in September 2020. Breed attends IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Breed, a 6-foot-3-inch, 185-pound shooting guard, enters his first season at IMG. In 2018-19, he attended McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Ga. Breed, who averaged 14.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists last season, helped lead McEachern to a 32-0 mark with wins over eight nationally ranked high schools. The squad captured the Georgia Class 7A State Championship. The team also won tournament titles at the City of Palms Classic, the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions and the Hoophall Classic. In the summer of 2019, Breed played for the AOT Running Rebels.

Diallo Named To Naismith And Wooden Watch List: It was announced November 5 that Providence College senior forward Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) was named one of 50 players to the 2020 Naismith Trophy Watch List. He also has been named one of 50 players for the 2020 Wooden Award Watch List. The Naismith Trophy will be awarded in the hometown of the Atlanta Tipoff Club during the Final Four at the Naismith Awards Brunch on April 5, 2020. The winner of the 2020 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy's during the ESPN College Basketball Awards on Friday, April 10, 2020.

Diallo Named Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team: It was announced on October 10 that senior forward Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team. Diallo was a unanimous First Team selection as voted on by the coaches. The senior forward was named Second Team All-BIG EAST in 2018-19.

Diallo And Watson On Watch Lists: Senior Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) and junior Nate Watson (Portsmouth, Va.) have been named to Watch Lists. Diallo was named to the 2020 Julius Erving Award Watch List. The annual award recognizes the top small forward in Division I men's basket- ball. Watson was named to the 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List. The annual award recognizes the top center in Division I men's basketball. Both awards are organized by the Nai- smith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be presented on April 10.

Ed Cooley Was Inducted Into The Stonehill Hall of Fame On Nov. 1: Providence College men's basketball Head Coach Ed Cooley was inducted into the Stonehill College Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, November 1. Cooley, a product of Central High School in Providence, was a member of the men's basketball program at Stonehill between 1989 and 1994, serving as team captain for three seasons. He finished his career with 795 points, 594 rebounds and over 100 assists in 107 career games. Cooley helped Stonehill to four Northeast-10 Tournament appearances, reaching the semifinals his senior year, when he finished seventh among Northeast-10 Conference leaders with 7.0 rebounds per game.

Ed Cooley And Four Friars Help USA Pan Am Games Team To A Bronze Medal In August: A select team of men's basketball standouts from the BIG EAST Conference represented the United States at the 2019 Pan American Games. Head Coach Ed Cooley served as the head coach of the team and led the squad to a Bronze Medal. Four Friars were members of the team -- Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.), David Duke (Providence, R.I.), A.J. Reeves (Roxbury, Ma.) and Nate Watson (Portsmouth, Va.). It represented the first time a team from a single Division l conference represented the U.S. in the sport of men's basketball in Pan American Games competition. Diallo led the team in scoring (15.0 ppg) and rebounding 5.6 (rpg).

Ed Cooley Ranks Third On The PC All-Time Win List: With the Friars' win versus Butler on March 9, 2019, 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 173-117 mark in nine seasons as the Friars head coach.

Friars 66-5 In Non-Conference Action At The Dunk Under Ed Cooley: The Friars have posted a 66-5 mark in nine seasons under Ed Cooley in non-conference home games at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.

"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.

Friars In Overtime: The Friars recorded a 1-0 mark in overtime games this season. They have registered a 65-67 mark all-time in overtime games.

Providence College Basketball: The 2019-20 campaign marks the 93rd season of basketball at Providence College. Since the program started in 1926-27, Providence has posted a 1,474-991 mark, good for a .598 winning percentage. The Friars have made the NCAA Tournament 20 times and the National Invitation Tournament on 20 occasions.

-GO FRIARS-

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Players Mentioned

Alpha Diallo

David Duke

Emmitt Holt

Luwane Pipkins

A.J. Reeves

Nate Watson

Maliek White