PROVIDENCE’S DISTRACTIONS
The Friars – seeded 11th in the East – already have their hands plenty full against John Calipari, Oscar Tshiebwe and Kentucky as they prepare for a primetime tip on Friday, but there’s also some outside noise they’ll need to block out. Their best player, Bryce Hopkins, transferred from Kentucky after his freshman year last season due to a lack of minutes and now faces his old squad on the biggest stage. How he manages his emotions will be key for PC in Greensboro. “I have to stay level-headed,” Hopkins said on Tuesday. “I can’t come out and do too much because that’s when you get in trouble. People are saying it’s the Bryce revenge game, but I have to stay level-headed, stay focused, and do whatever my team needs me to do to win.”
There’s another bigger potential distraction. Ed Cooley, who has coached Providence since 2011 and made the Friars a perennial NCAA Tournament team, is rumored to be a strong candidate for the head coach opening at Georgetown, which fired Patrick Ewing. Cooley has not confirmed or denied interest and declined to end speculation about a potential move, so the whispers will only grow louder. “I don’t think it’s a distraction,” Cooley said Sunday night. “It’s part of the business. It’s part of what we do as coaches. It’s what you guys (the media) do to do your jobs. It’s part of what we do. … We’re sought after every single year. I answer these questions every year. I’m the Providence College coach, and Providence College is playing Kentucky on Friday.”