#23 Providence Working to Take Care of Basketball vs Seton Hall

Friar Tid Bits:

*The Friars are ranked No. 23 in the AP Poll (Jan. 1) and No. 25 the Coaches Poll (Dec. 26).

*PC has been ranked at least one week for three consecutive seasons for the first time since 1976-78.

*The Friars are 11-0 this season when scoring 71 or more points.

*The Friars have made 10 or more threes in each of the last three games.

*The Friars are 5-0 this season when hitting 10 or more threes in a game

*The Friars rank second in the BIG EAST in scoring defense (63.9 ppg) and 32nd in the nation.

*At .379 (302-795), PC, which has the top field goal % defense in the BIG EAST, ranks 16th in the nation.

*PC finished 8-0 in non-conf. home games this season and has not lost a non-conf. home game since 2019.

*Three of the 14 players on the Friar roster (Rafael Castro, Corey Floyd and Jayden Pierre) are from N.J.

*The Friars are 1-1 vs. ranked teams this season and 131-280 (.319) all-time.

*PC’s 15-point win over No. 6 Marquette was the team’s largest win over a top-10 team since defeating No. 8 Villanova, 83-68, on 1/26/11.

*The Friars rank first in the BIG EAST and 10th in the nation in blocked shots, averaging 5.9 bpg.

*Josh Oduro leads the Friars with 1.5 blocks per game.

*PC held Brown to 13 points in the first half which was the fewest an opponent scored in a half since 11/25/97.

*Bryce Hopkins is leading the Friars in rebounding (8.7 rpg) and dbl-dbls (five).

*Bryce Hopkins ranks seventh in the BIG EAST in scoring (16.3 ppg) and second in rebounding (8.7 rpg)

*Bryce Hopkins recorded 12 pts/13 rbs for his 15th career double-double in PC’s win over Butler on 12/23.

*Devin Carter averaged 23.0 pts, 8.5 rbs, and 3.0 apg and was named BE Player of the Week on 12/27.

*Devin Carter is tied for first in the BIG EAST in defensive rebounds at 6.92 per game (83 total).

*Devin Carter ranks 26th nationally in defensive rebounds.

*Devin Carter is first on the team in scoring (16.8 ppg) and second in rebounding (7.9 rpg).

*Devin Carter ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in scoring and rebounding and third in 3-pt field goal percentage (.397).

*Devin Carter had a career-high five blocks at Oklahoma on 12/5.

*Devin Carter grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds and scored 10 points in a win over Wagner on 11/28.

*Devin Carter scored a career-high five threes in a win versus Marquette on 12/19.

*Garwey Dual has had seven assists in two of the last two of the last three games.

*Ticket Gaines made a career-high seven three pointers in a win over Wagner on 11/28.

*Josh Oduro ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage at .624 (73-117).

*Josh Oduro was 13-18 from the field and scored a season-best 29 points versus Lehigh on 11/24.

*PC shot a season best 24-41 (58.5%) versus Wisconsin on 11/14.

*The Friars have seven newcomers on the roster this season – two are grad students – Ticket Gaines and Josh Oduro.

*Bryce Hopkins was named to the 2023-24 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team.

*Devin Carter earned 2023-24 Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention honors.

*The Friars are 46-3 in their last 49 games at the AMP and 628-238 (.725) all-time.

*PC is 104-5 in non-conference home games over last 14 seasons, including a 27-game unbeaten streak since 2019.

Friars To Host Seton Hall On January 3: The Friars will play Seton Hall on Wednesday, January 3 at 6:30 p.m. on FS1. Providence holds a 57-55 mark all-time versus Seton Hall. The Friars have posted a 30-18 mark all-time versus Seton Hall in Providence, a 23-31 record versus the Pirates at Seton Hall and a 4-6 mark on neutral courts. The Pirates are the Friars’ fifth most common opponent with 112 games played against Seton Hall (URI-133, Brown-125, St. John’s-122 and BC-113). The Pirates are also one of the Friars’ oldest rivals with the first match up on February 26, 1927 when Seton Hall won, 25-24, in South Orange. In the first meeting last season, the Friars earned a 71-67 win at Seton Hall on December 17, 2022. The last time the two teams played in Providence, the Friars were defeated by the Pirates, 82-58, at the Amp on March 4, 2023.

Friars Defeat Butler In OT: The Friars defeated the Butler Bulldogs, 85-75, in overtime on Saturday, December 23 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I. With the win, the Friars improved to 11-2 overall and 2-0 in the BIG EAST. Junior Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) led the way for the Friars with 24 points, scoring 10 points in overtime while outscoring the Bulldogs in overtime. Graduate student Josh Oduro (Gainesville, Va.) and junior Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, Ill.) finished with double-doubles, scoring 19 and 12 points and grabbing 14 and 13 rebounds, respectively.

Friars Ranked No. 23 In Associated Press Poll And No. 25 In Coaches Poll: The Friars are ranked No. 23 in the most recent Associated Press Poll, which was released on January 1. The most recent USA Today Coaches Poll was released on December 26 and the Friars were ranked No. 25. Last week, the Friars debuted in both the Associated Press and the USA Today Coaches Poll at No. 25. By entering the rankings last week, Providence now has been ranked at least one week for three consecutive seasons for the first time since 1976-78.

Devin Carter Named BIG EAST Player of the Week: It was announced on December 27 that junior guard Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) was named BIG EAST Player of the Week. It marks the first time he has earned the honor in his career. Carter led the Friars to two wins as they defeated then No. 6/6 Marquette, 72-57, on December 19 and Butler, 85-75, in overtime on December 23. In the two wins, Carter averaged 23.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while shooting 56 percent (14-25) from the field, including 50 percent (9-18) from three-point territory. On December 19, he registered a game-high 22 points, eight rebounds and four assists in a 72-57 win over then No. 6/6 Marquette. He was 5-9 from three. On December 23, Carter had a game-high 24 points along with nine rebounds and two assists in the team’s 85-75 overtime win versus Butler. Carter scored 10 of the Friars’ 16 points in the five-minute overtime to lead the team to the win. For the game he was 4-9 from three and 8-15 from the field.

Hopkins Leads The Team In Rebounding: Junior Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, Ill.) leads the Friars in rebounding (8.7 rpg). He also has a team best five double-doubles and is second on the team in scoring (16.3 ppg). Hopkins ranks seventh in the BIG EAST in scoring and second in the league in rebounding. Hopkins also has posted four games with 20 or more points.

Carter Leads The BIG EAST In Defensive Rebounds: Junior Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) leads the BIG EAST in defensive rebounds at 6.9 per game (83 def. reb.). On December 19, Carter scored 22 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had four assists in the Friars’ win over No. 6/6 Marquette. On December 23, he recorded 24 points, nine rebounds and two assists in the Friars’ overtime win over Butler. He ranks third in the BIG EAST in three-point field goals percentage (31-78, .397). In the Friars’ win over Wagner on November 28, Carter recorded 10 points, a career-high 13 rebounds and tied his career-high with six assists. He has recorded three double-doubles this season. Carter is first on the team in scoring (16.8 ppg) and second on the squad in rebounding (7.9 rpg).

Dual Assists The Friars: Freshman Garwey Dual (Houston, Texas) has an assist/turnover ratio of 2.69 (35 assists/13 turnovers). Dual has registered seven assists in two of the last three games. On December 16, he recorded seven assists in a win over Sacred Heart. On December 19, the freshman guard had seven assists and +25 rating in a victory over No. 6/6 Marquette. He posted a season-best 14 points and three steals in a win over Milwaukee on November 11. For the season, he is averaging 3.9 points and 2.9 assists per game.

Oduro Fourth In The BIG EAST In Field Goal Percentage: Graduate student Josh Oduro (Gainesville, Va.) ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage at .624 (73-117). He is third on the team in scoring (14.1 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg). Oduro registered a season-high 29 points and seven rebounds on 13-18 shooting from the field in the Friars’ 78-64 win over Lehigh on November 24. He recorded 19 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in the Friars’ most recent win in overtime versus Butler on December 23.

Gaines Has Five Threes Versus Butler: Graduate student Ticket Gaines (Buffalo, N.Y.) scored 17 points, including a game-tying three with 2.1 seconds left, in the Friars’ overtime win over Butler on December 23. For the contest, Gaines was 5-12 from three-point territory. He has made five or more threes in each of the last two games. Gaines scored 18 points and was 5-10 from three-point territory in the Friars’ win over No. 6/6 Marquette on December 19. He had a career-best seven threes in a win over Wagner on November 28. Gaines is 24-69 (.348) from three-point territory the season. For his career, he is 103-295 (.349) from behind the arc. Gaines is averaging 8.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game this season.

Pierre Has Six Assists Vs. Butler: Sophomore Jayden Pierre (Elizabeth, N.J.) scored eight points and recorded six assists in a win over Butler in overtime on December 23. He returned to his point guard duties in the Friars’ win versus Rhode Island on December 2. The sophomore recorded 12 points, three assists and three rebounds in the win. Pierre had missed the previous three games with a leg injury. In 10 games this season, he is averaging 8.1 points and 2.8 assists.

Friars Play Shorthanded Versus Sacred Heart: The Friars played without junior Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) and sophomore Corey Floyd (Franklin, N.J.) in the team’s win over Sacred Heart on December 16. Carter was sidelined with a back injury and Floyd missed the game due to a leg injury. It marks the second time this season the Friars played without two of their top eight players. On November 19, the Friars defeated Georgia in Nassau, Bahamas with sophomore Jayden Pierre (Elizabeth, N.J.) and Garwey Dual (Houston, Texas) missing from the lineup. Pierre had a groin injury and Dual was suspended.

Carter Named To All-Tournament Team: Junior Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) helped the Friars to a 1-1 mark in two games at the Baha Mar Championship in Nassau, Bahamas. He posted his fourth career double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds versus SEC foe Georgia in a win in the consolation game on November 19. He had 17 points in an overtime loss to Big 12 opponent Kansas State on November 17.

Ryan Mela Signs A NLI To Attend PC: Providence College men’s basketball Head Coach Kim English announced on Nov. 8 that student-athlete Ryan Mela of Natick, Mass., signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Providence College beginning in September of 2024. Mela, a 6-foot-6-inch, 205-pound forward attends The Newman School in Boston, Mass. In 2022-23, he averaged 19.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.3 steals for The Newman School. He followed that up with a productive summer with the Middlesex Magic on the Under Armour Circuit. Mela averaged 15.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 steals. His 15.1 points per game were tops on his Middlesex Magic squad as he helped the team capture the UAA Circuit Championship. Prior to transferring to The Newman School, Mela attended Natick High School. In his final season at Natick, he averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds per game.

Hopkins and Carter Earn Preseason All-BIG EAST Honors: It was announced on Oct. 24 that juniors Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, Ill.) and Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) each earned All-BIG EAST Preseason honors. Hopkins was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team and Carter earned Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention accolades. The two juniors helped the Friars post a 21-12 mark and advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2023.

Bryce Hopkins Earns Preseason All-America Honor: It was announced on October 18 that junior Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, III.) was named to the CBS Sports Preseason All-America Third Team. It marks the second Preseason All-America honor for Hopkins as he was named Preseason Second Team All-America by College Hoops Today on October 17.

Newcomers: The Friars have seven newcomers on the team — graduate students Ticket Gaines (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Josh Oduro (Gainesville, Va.), and sophomore Justyn Fernandez (Richmond, Va.), as well as, freshmen Garwey Dual (Houston, Texas), Rich Barron (Chicago, Ill.), Eli DeLaurier (Shipman, Va.), and Donovan Santoro (Los Angeles, Calif.).

How The Friars Got To The NCAA Tournament In 2023: The Friars made their 22nd appearance all-time in the NCAA Tournament in 2023. The Friars earned an at-large berth. They finished with a 21-12 mark overall (13-7/tied for 4th in BIG EAST). The team had a NET Ranking of 56 with Quad 1 wins over UConn (NET 8), Marquette (NET 12) and Creighton (NET 17). The Friars recorded a 15-2 mark at home, a 6-6 record on the road and a 0-4 mark in neutral site games. The No. 11-seed Friars were defeated by the No. 6-seed Kentucky Wildcats (22-11, 12-6 SEC), 61-53, on Friday, Mar. 17 in the First Round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C.

Bryce Hopkins Named First Team All-BIG EAST: It was announced on March 5 that Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, Ill.) was named First Team All-BIG EAST. Hopkins became the first Friar to earn All-BIG EAST First Team honors since Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil received the accolades in 2016. Hopkins, who was named BIG EAST Player of the Week twice in 2022-23, led the Friars in scoring (15.8 ppg), rebounding (8.5) and double-doubles (10). He was tied for sixth in scoring and he was second in rebounding amongst BIG EAST players in overall action. Hopkins also ranked third in the league in defensive rebounds (226, 6.8 rpg) and fourth in minutes played (34.9 mpg). In BIG EAST action, he finished third in scoring (16.7 ppg) and rebounding (8.6 rpg). He posted a team-best 10 double-doubles, including a 29-point, 23-rebound, three-steal effort in a double-overtime win over Marquette (103-98) on December 20. Hopkins’ 20-20 game was the 34th in program history. It also was the first in BIG EAST play since Angel Delgado (21 pts, 20 rbs.) of Seton Hall did it on January 22, 2017.

Devin Carter Named All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention: It was announced on March 5 that Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) earned All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention accolades. Carter, who transferred to Providence in 2022 after spending his freshman season at South Carolina, ranked third on the team in scoring (13.0 ppg) and rebounding (4.9). He also was first on the team in steals (59), second on the team in assists (81, 2.4 apg) and second on the squad in blocks (34). Carter ranked fifth in the BIG EAST in steals (1.8 spg) and 10th in blocks (1.1 bpg). In league play, he was third amongst all BIG EAST players in assist to turnover ratio (2.3). Carter scored 20 or more points four times in 2022-23, including a career-high 25 points in a double overtime win over Creighton on February 14.

Friars All-Time Versus Top-25 Teams: The Friars have posted a 131-280 (.319) mark all-time versus top-25 teams, including a 1-1 mark this season.

Friars In Overtime: The Friars have recorded a 1-1 record in overtime games this season. They have recorded a 78-71 mark all-time in overtime games, including 8-2 in their last 10 games.

Friars At The Amica Mutual Pavilion: All-time, the Friars have recorded a 628-238 (.725) mark in 51 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.

Friars Are 104-5 In Non-Conference Home Over The Last 14 Years: The Friars have posted an 104-5 mark (.954) in their last 14 seasons in non-conference home games. The team’s five losses over the last 14 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 and Penn (81-75) on November 23, 2019. The Friars are 26-0 in their last 26 non-conference home games (2023-24, 8-0; 2022-23, 7-0; 2021-22, 8-0; 2020-21, 2-0; 2019-20, 2-0).

Providence College Basketball: The 2023-24 campaign marks the 97th season of basketball at Providence College. Since the program started in 1926-27, Providence has posted a 1,554-1,029 mark, good for a .600 winning percentage. The Friars have made the NCAA Tournament 22 times and the National Invitation Tournament on 20 occasions.