Men's Basketball Game Notes Versus Butler

Friar Notes:

*Providence holds a 20-9 mark all-time versus Butler.

*The Friars have posted a 10-2 mark all-time versus Butler in Providence.

*The Friars have posted a 0-1 mark this season versus Bulter.

*In PC's 113-110 double OT loss at Butler on Dec. 13, it marked the second-highest combined point total in a BIG EAST game ever and the highest combined total ever in a Providence game (223 pts.).

*Seven of the nine Friar BIG EAST defeats this season have been by six points or less, with three of the losses occurring in overtime.

*Stefan Vaaks is the first BIG EAST Freshman to start his career by scoring 10 or more points through his first 22 games since Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse) did it in all 35 games in 2002-03.

*Stefan Vaaks had a game-high 25 points at Villanova on Jan. 30.

*Oswin Erhunmwunse recorded 12 rebounds at Villanova on Jan. 30 for his fifth straight game with 10 or more rebounds.

*Jaylin Sellers scored 18 points at UConn on Jan. 27 and surpassed 1,500 points for his career.

*Jason Edwards has missed the last six games with a foot injury.

*Stefan Vaaks (21 points) and Jamier Jones (23 points) became the first freshmen duo to each score 20 or more points in the same game as they each scored 20 or more vs. Villanova on Jan. 13.

*Jaylin Sellers has made 88 of 100 free throw attempts and ranks first in the BIG EAST in free throw percentage (88.0 %).

*Oswin Erhunmwunse ranks first in the BIG EAST with 57 blocks through 22 games (2.6 bpg).

*Jamier Jones is shooting 64.1 % (98-153) from the field this season.

*The Friars lead the BIG EAST in scoring (88.0 ppg), and free-throw percentage (77.6, 399-514).

*The Friars have had five or more players finish in double figures in scoring in 11 of the 22 games.

*Stefan Vaaks earned his second BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honor on Jan. 19 after he averaged 22.5 points and 4.0 assists in two games on Jan. 13 and Jan. 16.

*Jamier Jones was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll on Jan. 19 after he averaged 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in the two games on Jan. 13 and Jan. 16.

*The Friars are 649 -253 (.721) all-time at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.

Friars To Host Butler On Wednesday: The Providence Friars and the Butler Bulldogs will be playing for the 30th time on Feb. 4. PC holds a 20-9 edge in the series, including a 10-2 mark in Providence versus the Bulldogs. The last time the two teams met, Butler defeated the Friars, 113-110, in double overtime in Indianapolis, Ind., on Dec. 13, 2025. The Friars posted a 1-2 mark versus the Bulldogs last season.

Friars Defeated At Villanova: The Providence College men's basketball team was defeated by the Villanova University Wildcats, 87-73, on Friday, Jan. 30 at Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, Pa. With the loss, Providence fell to 9-13 overall and 2-9 in BIG EAST play. Freshman Stefan Vaaks (Tabasula, Estonia) scored a game-high 25, recording five three-pointers. Graduate student Jaylin Sellers (Columbus, Ga.) chipped in with 16 points for Providence. Sophomore Ryan Mela (Natick, Mass.) added 14 points and seven rebounds.

Friars To Host DePaul On Saturday: Providence will play DePaul on Saturday, Feb. 7 on FS1 at 4 p.m. Providence and DePaul have met 55 times in school history, with the first meeting coming on February 16, 1961 when the Friars earned an 81-77 victory in Providence. The Friars lead the all-time series, 41-14. PC has recorded a 22-5 record versus DePaul in Providence, a 17-8 mark on the road and a 2-1 record on neutral courts. The teams have met 35 times since DePaul joined the BIG EAST with the Friars recording a 26-9 mark. In the first meeting between the two teams last season, the Friars defeated the Blue Demons, 70-63, in overtime on December 10, 2024. In the second game between the two teams last season, the Friars were defeated by DePaul, 80-77, on March 5, 2025.

Edwards Has Missed The Last Six Games: Graduate student Jason Edwards (Atlanta, Ga.) has not play ed in the Friars' last six games versus Villanova on Jan. 13, Creighton on Jan. 16, Marquette on Jan. 19, Georgetown on Jan. 24, UConn on Jan. 27 and Villanova on Jan. 30 as he had an injured foot. Edwards is averaging 17.2 points per game. He has scored 20 or more points six times this season - versus Virginia Tech (28 points) on Nov. 8, at Colorado (24 points) on Nov. 14, versus New Hampshire (25 points) on Nov. 18, versus Wisconsin (20 points) on Nov. 27, versus FDU (24 points) on Dec. 2 and at Butler (32 points) on Dec. 13. He also is averaging 3.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds through 16 games.

Sellers Is Producing On Offense: Graduate student Jaylin Sellers (Columbus, Ga.) is second on the team in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game. He ranks third in the BIG EAST in scoring. Sellers recorded a season high with 27 points at Marquette on Jan. 19. He scored a game-high 24 points versus Villanova on Jan. 13. In the team's loss at Butler on Dec. 13, he scored 26 points. On Dec. 6, Sellers recorded his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Rhode Island. He also is averaging 3.9 rebounds per game. Sellers has made 88 of 100 attempts from the free-throw line and ranks first in the BIG EAST at 88.0 percent.

Vaaks Leads The Friars From Behind The Arc: Freshman Stefan Vaaks (Tabasalu, Estonia) leads the Friars in three-point shooting having connected on a team-best 60 made threes on 181 attempts (33.1 percent). He made five threes versus Rhode Island on Dec. 6. Vaaks made two threes in the final two minutes to seal the Friar win versus Penn State on Nov. 22. Vaaks was 6-14 from three at Marquette on Jan. 19. He is third on the team in scoring, averaging 15.6 ppg. He recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 assists versus FDU on Dec. 2. He had 24 points and seven assists in the Friars' win over Creighton on Jan. 16. Vaaks recorded a career-high 26 points at Marquette on Jan. 19. It was his fourth consecutive game with 20 or more points. On Jan. 30, he was 5-11 from three at Villanova and recorded 25 points.

Erhunmwunse Leads The BIG EAST In Blocks: Sophomore Oswin Erhunmwunse (Benin City, Nigeria) leads the BIG EAST in blocks with 57 (2.6 bpg) in 22 games. He also is averaging 7.8 points per game and 8.1 rebounds. He recorded a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds versus Creighton on Jan. 16. Erhunmwunse also registered a double-double at No. 2/3 UConn on Jan. 27 as he had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Over the last five games, Erhunmwunse has grabbed 60 rebounds, including a career-high 15 at Marquette on Jan. 19.

Jones Heats Up Over His Last 12: Freshman Jamier Jones (Sarasota, Fla.) is averaging 15.7 points and 5.4 rebounds over his last 12 games for the Friars. Over the 12 games, he has shot 67.0 percent (69-103) from the field. For the season, he is shooting an impressive 64.1 percent from the field (98-153). He also is averaging 12.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He made his first career start versus Seton Hall on Dec. 19. Jones recorded his first career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds at St. John's on Jan. 3. He registered a career high of 23 points as he shot 8-12 from the field against Villanova on Jan 13. On Jan. 16, he added a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. On Jan. 27, Jones scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds at UConn.

Vaaks And Jones Honored By BIG EAST: It was announced on Jan. 19 that Providence College freshman guard Stefan Vaaks (Tabasalu, Estonia) and freshman forward Jamier Jones (Sarasota, Fla.) earned BIG EAST Weekly Honors. Vaaks was named BIG EAST Freshman of Week and Jones was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll. The two rookies each had a productive week as they helped the Friars post a 1-1 mark. For the week, Vaaks averaged 22.5 points and 4.0 assists in the two games. He registered 21 points on 8-14 shooting from the field in an 88-82 loss to Villanova on January 13. On January 16, he scored a career-high 24 points and added seven assists in the Friars' 93-88 victory over Creighton. With the 24-point effort against Creighton, Vaaks became the first BIG EAST freshman to record three consecutive 20-point games in conference play since Marcus Lovett of St. John's in 2017. Vaaks only committed one turnover in the two games while averaging 37.4 minutes played for the week. It marks the second Freshman of the Week accolade for Vaaks as he also earned the honor on November 10. Jones averaged 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in the two games. He scored a career-high 23 points as he shot 8-12 from the field in the Friars' loss to Villanova on January 13. Jones registered his second double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds in the win against Creighton on January 16. He also had three steals. Jones was 8-16 from the field. It marks his second BIG EAST Weekly Honor as he was named Freshman of the Week on January 5.

Aiden Derkack To Attend PC In 2026-27: Providence College Head Coach Kim English announced on Nov. 12 that Aiden Derkack (Colonia, N.J.) has signed a financial aid agreement to attend Providence College in 2026-27. Derkack, a 6-foot-6-inch, 195-pound forward attends Spire Academy in Geneva, Ohio. In 2024-25, Derkack played at Colonia High School and averaged 24.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. In three years at Colonia, Derkack established the school's all-time scoring record. During the summer of 2025, he played for Team Final on the Nike EYBL circuit. In 20 games for Team Final, he averaged 15.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists, while shooting 51.0 percent from the field. Derkack had a strong performance at Peach Jam as he concluded his AAU season. In five games at the Peach Jam, he averaged 21.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists. Derkack also shot 67.0 percent from the field. Derkack, a consensus four-star recruit, is the 45th ranked player in the nation and the No. 20 forward, according to ESPN.com. He also is ranked 52nd (fourth in his position) by 247Sports and 65th (19th in his position) by On3.

Friar Legend Lenny Wilkens Passed Away On Nov. 9: Former Friar All-American Lenny Wilkens '60 passed away on Nov. 9. Wilkens is one of the Friar all-time greats. In three seasons with the Friars, he scored 1,193 points in 80 games (14.9 ppg). He helped lead the Friars to the NIT in his junior and senior seasons. Wilkens was named All-American in 1959 and 1960. He was named MVP of the NIT in 1960. He played all three seasons as a Friar for legendary Head Coach Joe Mullaney. Wilkens was inducted in the Providence College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1972 and his number 14 was hung in the rafters of the Amica Mutual Pavilion in 1996. Upon graduating from Providence in 1960, Wilkens went on to have a long and prosperous career in the NBA as a player and a coach. He was the sixth overall pick in the 1960 NBA Draft when he was selected by the St. Louis Hawks. He would earn nine NBA All-Star selections over 15 seasons with the St. Louis Hawks (eight years), Seattle SuperSonics (four years), Cleveland Cavaliers (two years), and Portland Trail Blazers (one year). He also coached for 32 seasons in the NBA. His coaching career featured multiple stints with teams such as the Seattle SuperSonics, Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, and New York Knicks. Over those 32 seasons, he amassed 1,332 victories. He guided the 1979 Seattle Supersonics to the NBA title. He was inducted in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame three times. In 1989, Wilkens was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player. In 1998, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a coach. He earned his third induction in 2009 as an Assistant Coach to 1992 USA Olympic Dream Team.

Jones Named BIG EAST Rookies Of The Week: It was announced on Jan. 5 that freshman forward Jamier Jones (Sarasota, Fla.) was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week . Jones had 15 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals, while shooting 5-7 from the from the floor and 5-7 from the line in the Friars' 77-71 win at No. 25 St. John's on Jan. 3. It was his first career double-double. Jones, a 6-6, 218-pound forward, had nine points in the final 6:32 as the Friars erased a nine-point deficit (64-55) to earn the win.

Vaaks Named BIG EAST Freshman Of The Week On Nov. 10: It was announced on Nov. 10 that Providence College freshman guard Stefan Vaaks (Tabasalu, Estonia) was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week. Vaaks averaged 18 points, shooting 38.9 percent from three-point range as the Friars posted a 1-1 mark last week. In his collegiate debut on Nov. 3, Vaaks led Providence to an 89-79 home victory over Holy Cross, registering 19 points, two assists and two steals. He connected on three of seven attempts from beyond the three-point arc. On Nov. 8 at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun, Vaaks recorded 17 points, three rebounds and knocked down four three-pointers in the Friars' 107-101 overtime loss to Virginia Tech.

Edwards And Erhunmwunse Earn Preseason All-BIG EAST Honors: It was announced on Oct. 21 that Providence graduate student Jason Edwards (Atlanta, Ga.) and sophomore Oswin Erhunmwunse (Benin City, Nigeria) each earned All-BIG EAST Preseason Honors. Edwards, who transferred to Providence after spending the 2024-25 season at Vanderbilt, averaged 17.0 points and 2.0 rebounds last season for the Commodores. He was named Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team. Erhunmwunse was named to the 2025 BIG EAST All-Freshman Team after he averaged 6.8 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Friars last season. The sophomore center was named Preseason All-BIG EAST Third Team.

Friars All-Time Versus Top-25 Teams: The Friars have posted a 134-291 (.315) mark all-time versus top-25 teams, including a 1-2 mark this season.

Friars Have 10 Newcomers For 2025-26: Providence College Head Coach Kim English added 10 new players to the team for 2025-26. Graduate students Jason Edwards (Atlanta, Ga.), Jaylin Sellers (Columbus, Ga.) and Duncan Powell (Dallas, Texas) have all played at a high level. Edwards averaged 17.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game at Vanderbilt in 2024-25. Sellers, who was injured last season, averaged 15.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 2023-24 at UCF. Powell averaged 12.2 points and 5.4 rebounds at Georgia Tech. Senior Cole Hargrove (Norristown, Pa.) comes to the Friars after spending three years at Drexel. In his junior season at Drexel, the 6-8 forward averaged 9.9 points and 7.5 rebounds. Sophomore Daquan Davis (Baltimore, Md.) spent his freshman season at Florida State. The second-year point guard averaged 8.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game last season for the Seminoles. Freshmen Peteris Pinnis (Salaspils, Latvia) and Stefan Vaaks (Tabasalu, Estonia) both played in Europe last year. Pinnis averaged 7.2 points and 5.5 rebounds in the Latvia-Estonia Basketball League. Vaaks averaged 15.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 2024-25. Freshmen Jaylen Harrell (Boston, Mass.) and Jamier Jones (Sarasota, Fla.) were both ranked in the top-100 coming out of high school. Harrell, the 2025 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year, averaged 22.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists at Cambridge Arts, Technology and Science Academy. He was ranked in the top-100 by 247Sports (No. 85), Rivals (No. 85) and On3 (No. 88). On3 and 247Sports each ranked Harrell as the top recruit in Massachusetts for 2025. Jones averaged 20.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists at Oak Ridge High School. He was a consensus four-star recruit, was the 44th ranked player in the nation and the No. 12 forward, according to ESPN.com. He also ranked 37th (ninth in his position) by On3, 43rd by Rivals (15th in his position) and 45th (11th in his position) by 247Sports. Graduate student Jack Williams (Ann Arbor, Mich.) joins the team as a walk-on.

Friars Sell Out Season Tix Again In 2025-26: In 2023-24, the Friars sold out of season tickets at the Amica Mutual Pavilion for the first time ever. Again in 2025-26, the team sold its entire season ticket allotment for the arena. It marked the third consecutive season that the Friars sold out of season tickets. In 2024-25, a total of 167,978 fans watched the Friars at the AMP in 16 home games. It was an average of 10,499 fans - the ninth highest single season average at the AMP. The 2023-24 season marked the first time a complete sell out of season tickets 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 highest amount of 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.

Friars Are 116-6 In Non-Conference Home Games Over The Last 16 Years: The Friars have posted a 114-6 mark (.950) in their last 16 seasons in non-conference home games. The team's six losses over the last 16 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 39-1 in their last 40 non-conference home games (2025-26, 6-0; 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 0-4 record in overtime games this season. They have recorded an 80-75 mark all-time in overtime games. The Friars are 8-1 in their last nine overtime games at the AMP.

Friars At The Amica Mutual Pavilion: All-time, the Friars have recorded a 649-253 (.721) mark in 53 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 2025-26 campaign marks the 99th season of basketball at Providence College. Since the program started in 1926-27, Providence has posted a 1,585-1,074 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

Daquan Davis

Jason Edwards

Oswin Erhunmwunse

Cole Hargrove

Jaylen Harrell

Jamier Jones

Ryan Mela

Peteris Pinnis

Duncan Powell

Jaylin Sellers

Stefan Vaaks

Jack Williams

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Creighton on January 16, 2026 , Win , 93, to, 88

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Marquette on January 19, 2026 , Loss , 104, to, 105 , (OT)

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Georgetown on January 24, 2026 , Loss , 78, to, 81

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at #2/#3 Connecticut on January 27, 2026 , Loss , 81, to, 87

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Villanova on January 30, 2026 , Loss , 73, to, 87

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Butler on February 4, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus DePaul on February 7, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Seton Hall on February 11, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus St. John's on February 14, 2026 at 1:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at DePaul on February 21, 2026 at 8:00 p.m.

Providence College Athletics