Men's Basketball Game Notes Vs. Butler

Friar Tid Bits:

*Oswin Erhunmwunse and Ryan Mela were named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team on March 9.

*PC captured the BIG EAST Tournament title in 1994 and 2014.

*PC has posted a 27-41 mark all-time in the BIG EAST Tournament.

*The Friars have registered a 20-7 mark all-time versus Butler, including a 3-0 record in the BE Tourney.

*The Friars won the first meeting this season against Butler, 84-65, on 1/8.

*The Friars were defeated in the second meeting this season at Butler, 82-81, on 2/8.

*The Friars were 1-1 versus Butler last season with each team winning at home.

*In the most recent meeting between the two teams in the BIG EAST Tourney, PC defeated Butler, 65-61, at MSG on 3/10/22.

*The Friars have had a number of players miss games this season with injuries. Friar players have missed a combined 59 games this season with injuries and illness.

*Bryce Hopkins and Jabri Abdur-Rahim are out for the season with injuries.

*Bensley Joseph needs 15 points to reach 1,000 for his career.

*Corey Floyd (25 points) and Ryan Mela (18 points) each posted career highs versus DePaul on 3/5.

*PC made 16 threes at Butler on 2/8 - it was the first time since 2019 PC made 16 threes in a game.

*The Friars have used 12 different starting lineups this season.

*PC is 7-6 when leading at halftime this season, which includes wins over Stonehill, Delaware State, BYU, Butler, Georgetown, Seton Hall and Villanova and losses to Oklahoma, URI, SJU, UConn, Villanova and DePaul.

*Oswin Erhunmwunse's five blocks vs. Seton Hall on 1/11 was just the sixth time ever a Friar freshman had five or more blocks in a game and just the second time in a BIG EAST game.

*PC has posted a 133-289 (.315) mark all-time versus top-25 teams, including a 0-5 mark this season.

*The Friars are 10-6 at home this season; 2-9 on the road and 0-4 in neutral site games.

*Kim English is one of 19 NCAA Div. 1 head coaches who played in the NBA.

*The Friars are 642 -249 (.722) all-time at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.

Friars Suffer Injuries: The Friars have had a number of injuries this season. Bryce Hopkins and Jabri Abdur-Rahim are out for the season with injuries. Providence players have missed a combined 59 games season due to injury and illness.

Friars In The 2024 BIG EAST Tournament: Last year, Providence posted a 2-1 mark at the BIG EAST Tournament. The Friars defeated Georgetown (74-56), and No. 8/6 Creighton (78-73) before losing to No. 10/10 Marquette (79-68) in the Semifinals at the BIG EAST Tournament in New York.

Friars Looking To Capture Third BIG EAST Title: In the Friars' 47-year history at the BIG EAST Tournament, the team has captured the BIG EAST Championship title twice - 1994 and 2014. When they captured their first title, the Friars defeated Georgetown, 74-64, on March 13, 1994 in the championship game. In 2014, Providence earned a 65-58 win over Creighton in the championship game. The Friars also reached the BIG EAST title game in 2018, where the team was defeated in overtime by Villanova, 76-66.

Friars To Play At Butler On March 12: The Friars will play Butler on Wednesday, March 12 at 4:00 p.m. on Peacock In the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament. Providence holds a 20-7 mark all-time versus Butler. The Friars have posted a 10-2 mark all-time versus Butler in Providence, a 7-5 record versus the Bulldogs at Butler and a 3-0 mark on neutral courts. This season, the Friars defeated the Bulldogs, 84-65, in Providence on January 8 and lost, 82-81, in Indianapolis on February 8. In the first matchup last season, the Friars defeated Butler, 85-75 in overtime, in Providence on December 23, 2023. In the second meeting last season, the Friars were defeated, 75-72, in Indianapolis on February 10, 2024.

Friars Vs. Butler In The BIG EAST Tournament: The Friars have posted a 3-0 mark versus Butler all-time in the BIG EAST Tournament. In the first meeting ever between the two teams in the BIG EAST Tournament, the No. 4 seed Friars defeated No. 5 seed Butler, 74-60, on March 10, 2016. In the most recent matchup, the No. 1 seed Friars defeated the No. 9 seed Bulldogs, 65-61, on March 10, 2022. In the other meeting, the No. 8 seed Friars defeated the No. 9 seed Bulldogs, 80-57, on March 13, 2019.

Friars Defeated By Xavier: The Providence College men's basketball team was defeated by the Xavier Musketeers (21-10, 13-7 BIG EAST), 76-68, on Saturday, March 8 at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Friars finished regular season play with a 12-19 overall and 6-14 in BIG EAST play. Bensley Joseph (Arlington, Mass.) led the Friars with a game-high 27 points and tied a career-best with seven threes. Ryan Mela (Natick, Mass.) anchored the team's defense with seven rebounds.

Mela And Erhunmwunse Named To BIG EAST All-Freshman Team: Freshmen Ryan Mela (Natick, Mass.) and Oswin Erhunmwunse (Benin City, Nigeria) were named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team, which was announced by the league office on March 9. This marks just the second time in program history that two Friar freshmen earned All-Freshman Team honors in the same season, joining the ranks of Sharaud Curry and Geoff McDermott who were named to the All-Freshman Team in 2006. Erhunmwunse leads the team in field goal percentage (71.9 percent), rebounds (168/5.42 rpg), and blocks (50/1.6 bpg). He has started 23 of 31 games this season, Erhunmwunse is averaging 6.5 ppg in his first season as a Friar . He ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in blocks per game (1.61) and offensive rebounding (2.32). At 71.9 percent, Erhunmwunse has connected on 87 of his 121 attempts from the field. He recorded his first double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds against Seton Hall on Jan. 11. Mela earned BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors twice in his rookie season (Jan. 13 and Jan. 20). He concluded the regular season with 172 points (6.1 points per game) and appeared in 28 games, starting eight. He is averaging 6.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. In league action, Mela leads all BIG EAST freshmen in rebounds per game (6.16) and defensive rebounds per game (4.29). He recorded two double-doubles this season, including his first one on Jan. 8 against Butler where Mela finished with 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.

Bensley Joseph Leads The Team In Scoring: Senior guard Bensley Joseph (Arlington, Mass.) leads the team in scoring as he averages 12.9 points per game. Joseph recorded 27 points on 7-10 shooting from three at Xavier on March 8. He recorded 25 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals in a loss at Georgetown on Feb. 19. He had 17 points, six rebounds and six assists in a win over Villanova on Feb. 15. He registered 26 points as he was 5-9 from three in the Friars' loss at Butler on Feb. 8. For his efforts, he was named to the league Honor Roll on Feb. 17. He scored 20 p oints as he was 4-7 from three-point territory versus Villanova on Jan. 17. He is third on the team in scoring at 12.6 ppg. He was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll on Jan. 13 after he led the Friars to a 2-0 week in BIG EAST play. He averaged 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He was 15-23 (.652) from field, including 10-15 (.667) from three-point territory. He also was 6-7 from the free throw line. On Jan. 11 in a 91-85 win over Seton Hall, he registered a career-high with 28 points as he was 8-10 from the field, 7-9 from three, and 5-6 from the line. He also had three rebounds and five assists off the bench in 26 minutes of action. His seven threes also were a career high. On Jan. 8, Joseph had 18 points and five rebounds in an 84-65 win over Butler. He shot 3-6 from beyond the three-point line. For the season, Joseph is averaging 12.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

Friars All-Time Versus Top-25 Teams: The Friars have posted a 133-289 (.315) mark all-time versus top-25 teams, including a 0-5 mark this season.

Erhunmwunse Contributing: Freshman center Oswin Erhunmwunse (Benin City, Nigeria) recorded eight points, eight rebounds and three blocks at Marquette on Feb. 25. He scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds versus Xavier on Feb. 12. He registered 11 points, four rebounds and three blocks in a win at Seton Hall on Jan. 28. He scored 10 points, grabbed six rebounds and had two blocks, while shooting 5-6 from the field in the Friars' win over Georgetown on Jan. 25. Erhunmwunse is shooting 71.6 percent (73-102) from the field this season. He recorded his first career double-double, contributing 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in the Friars' win over Seton Hall on Jan. 11. He also added a career-high five blocks. It marked the first time a Friar freshman had five blocks in a game since 2011. It also marked just the second time ever a Friar freshman had five blocks in a BIG EAST game. For the season, he is averaging 6.5 points and 5.4 rebounds.

Pierre Scoring For The Friars: Junior guard Jayden Pierre (Elizabeth, N.J.) is averaging 12.5 points per game this season for the Friars. On Feb. 15, Pierre scored a game-high 19 points and added four assists in a win over Villanova on Feb. 15. On Feb. 5, he registered 14 points and five assists versus Creighton. On Jan. 28, Pierre recorded 16 points and three assists at Seton Hall. He scored 18 points versus Butler on Jan. 8. On Jan. 5, he scored a career-high 24 points at UConn. On Dec. 20, Pierre scored16 points and grabbed five rebounds versus St. John's. He registered 22 points as he was 5-10 from three-point territory in the Friars' loss to No. 14/15 Indiana on Nov. 29. He averaged 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals while committing zero turnovers in the Friars' two wins on Nov. 12 and Nov. 16. For his efforts, he was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll on Nov. 18. Pierre shot 7-11 from three (.636) and was 12-18 (.667) overall from the field. He recorded a team-high 18 points after shooting 7-10 from the field and 4-6 from three in a win over Green Bay on Nov. 16.

Mela Scores A Career High: Freshman guard Ryan Mela (Natick, Mass.) recorded a career-high 18 points and six rebounds versus DePaul on March 5. He registered a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds versus Xavier on Feb. 12. He was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on Jan. 13 and Jan. 20. Mela became the first Friar to earn the accolade multiple times in a season since A.J. Reeves was named Freshman of the Week three times in 2019. Mela was named BIG EAST Freshman Of The Week on Monday, Jan. 20 after he scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds, added three assists and made one steal in the Friars' loss at Creighton on Jan. 14. Mela was ill and did not play in the Friars' game at Villanova on Jan. 17. Mela earned Freshman of the Week on Jan. 13, after he averaged 8.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals as the Friars posted a 2-0 mark. On Jan. 8 in a win over Butler, the freshman guard had 10 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and two steals. It marked the first time a Friar freshman had 15 rebounds since LaDontae Henton had 15 versus DePaul on Feb. 25, 2012. On Jan. 11, Mela recorded seven points, nine rebounds, five assists and one steal in a victory over Seton Hall. For the season, Mela is averaging 6.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

Friars Sign Two For 2025-26: Providence College Head Coach Kim English announced on Nov. 13 that Jamier Jones (Orlando, Fla.) and Jaylen Harrell (Roxbury, Mass.) each signed a financial aid agreement to attend Providence College in 2025-26. Jones, a 6-foot-6-inch, 210-pound forward attends Oak Ridge High School in Orlando. In 2023-24, he averaged 19.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game for Oak Ridge High School. Jones led the Pioneers to a 27-4 mark and a trip to the 2024 state championship game in Florida this past season, where his squad was defeated overtime by the No. 2 team in the nation Columbus. Oak Ridge finished the season ranked No. 7 in the nation, according to Max Preps. Jones played AAU basketball for the Florida Rebels. In 2024, he averaged 15.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game with the Rebels on the Nike EYBL circuit. Jones, a consensus four-star recruit, is the 32nd ranked player in the nation and the No. 10 forward, according to ESPN.com. He also is ranked 37th (ninth in his position) by 247Sports, 38th (ninth in his position) by On3, and 43rd by Rivals (15th in his position). Harrell, a 6-foot-5-inch, 210-pound guard/forward attends Cambridge Arts, Technology and Science Academy (CATS) in Cambridge, Mass. Last season, he averaged 24.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game for CATS while helping the Griffins to a 21-10 mark and a berth in the NEPSAC-AA playoffs. In recognition of his efforts, he was named 2024 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year. He began his high school career at St. Sebastian's in Needham, Mass. In his freshman and sophomore years with the Arrows, he helped lead the team to consecutive ISL titles while earning First Team accolades. During the AAU season Harrell played for Expressions Elite on the Nike EYBL circuit. With Expressions, he averaged 14.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 2024. On the recruiting circuit, he is ranked in the top-100 by Rivals (No. 85) and 247Sports (No. 93). He also is highly ranked by On3 (No. 101). On3 and 247Sports each rank Harrell as the top recruit in Massachusetts.

Friar Games On CBS, NBC And FOX: For the first time in the history of the program, the Friars will play national television games on CBS, NBC and FOX all in the same season. It also will mark the first time ever the Friars have had a game televised on Peacock and the first time the team has played a game on NBC since the 1997-98 season.

Kim English Guided Friars To A 21-14 Mark In First Year At PC: Friar Head Coach Kim English enters his second season at Providence in 2024-25. In his first-year in Providence, he became the first Friar head coach to win 20 or more games when the squad posted a 21-14 mark (10-10 BIG EAST).

Friars In 2023-24: The Friars, who finished the regular season in seventh place in the BIG EAST with a 10-10 record, recorded a 21-14 record overall in 2023-24. Providence posted a 2-1 mark in the BIG EAST Tournament. The Friars defeated Georgetown (74-56), and No. 8/6 Creighton (78-73) before losing to No. 10/10 Marquette (79-68) in the Semifinals at the BIG EAST Tournament in New York. The Friars advanced to the First Round of the NIT where the team was defeated by Boston College, 62-57, on March 19, 2024.

Friars Sell Out Season Tix Again In 2024-25 And Set Attendance Mark In 2023-24: In 2023-24, the Friars sold out of season tickets at the Amica Mutual Pavilion for the first time ever. Again in 2024-25, the team has sold its entire season ticket allotment for the arena. The 2023-24 season marked the first time a complete sell out of season tickets has occurred since the team moved to the AMP when it opened in 1972. As a result, the Friars had 211,147 fans watch the team play 19 games at the AMP. That average of 11,113 per game is the highest single-season mark in the history of the program. The total of 211,147 is the second most fans to watch the Friars at home in the history of the program. In 1991, 211,498 fans attended 20 home games at the AMP. The 211,147 fans in 2023-24, also marked just the second time in the history of the program that the team drew more than 200,000 fans in a single season.

Providence College To Host First And Second Rounds Of The NCAA Tournament In 2025: Providence College will host the First and Second Rounds of the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the Amica Mutual Pavilion on March 20-22. Providence is one of eight sites hosting First and Second Round games. It will mark the ninth time the Amica Mutual Pavilion has hosted the First and Second Rounds (1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1989, 1996, 2010 and 2016). The First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament has regularly sold out at the AMP in the past and it is expected to be a sell out again in 2025.

Friars Are 110-6 In Non-Conference Home Games Over The Last 15 Years: The Friars have posted a 110-6 mark (.948) in their last 15 seasons in non-conference home games. The team's six losses over the last 15 years were to Brown (77-67) on December 8, 2014, Minnesota (86-74) on November 13, 2017, UMass (79-78) on December 7, 2018, Arkansas (84-72) on March 19, 2019, Penn (81-75) on November 23, 2019 and Boston College (62-57) on March 19, 2024. The Friars are 32-1 in their last 33 non-conference home games (2024-25, 6-0; 2023-24, 8-1; 2022-23, 7-0; 2021-22, 8-0; 2020-21, 2-0; 2019-20, 2-0).

Friars In Overtime: The Friars have recorded a 1-0 record in overtime games this season. They have recorded a 80-71 mark all-time in overtime games, including 10-2 in their last 21 games. The Friars are 8-0 in their last eight overtime games at the AMP.

Friars At The Amica Mutual Pavilion: All-time, the Friars have recorded a 642-249 (.721) mark in 52 seasons of games at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. The AMP, formerly the Providence Civic Center and the Dunkin' Donuts Center, opened on November 3, 1972. The Friars had played their home games there for 48 consecutive seasons, prior to the 2020-21 season when the team played on campus at Alumni Hall with no fans in attendance due to the pandemic. PC posted a 15-2 mark at the AMP in 2022-23 and a 16-1 record in 2021-22 -- the team's best record at home since 1973-74.

Providence College Basketball: The 2024-25 campaign marks the 98th season of basketball at Providence College. Since the program started in 1926-27, Providence has posted a 1,576 -1,060 mark, good for a .600 winning percentage. The Friars have made the NCAA Tournament 22 times and the National Invitation Tournament on 21 occasions.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jabri Abdur-Rahim

Oswin Erhunmwunse

Bryce Hopkins

Bensley Joseph

Ryan Mela

Jayden Pierre

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Late Night Madness on October 4, 2025 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Pitt on October 19, 2025 at 2:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Harvard on October 25, 2025 at 4:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Holy Cross on November 3, 2025 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Virginia Tech on November 8, 2025 at 4:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Penn on November 11, 2025 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Colorado on November 14, 2025 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus New Hampshire on November 18, 2025 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Penn State on November 22, 2025 at 4:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus University of Wisconsin on November 27, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. ET

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