PC starts league play on road
PROVIDENCE — Ed Cooley had the Providence Friars officially have their marching orders for the 2017-18 season.
The Big East schedule was released on Tuesday and for the third straight season, the Friars will open league play on the road. They will spend the final week of 2017 playing games at St. John’s (Dec. 28) and Creighton (Dec. 31). St. John’s will welcome Providence to Carnesseca Arena, the program’s on-campus venue. The last time the Friars played a game in Queens, N.Y. was January 16, 2014.
After the conference-opening two-game road swing, the Friars return home for their Big East opener on Jan. 3 against Marquette. The contest against the Golden Eagles kicks off a stretch that will see Providence play four of five games at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
Of note, Providence’s Big East schedule will feature a three-game road swing followed by three straight games at The Dunk. The Friars will play three of their final five Big East games on the road but will close out the regular season with a home contest against St. John’s on March 3.
Some schedule highlights include the annual PC-URI game, which is slated for Dec. 2 at the Ryan Center. The Friars open the season on Nov. 10 with an on-campus game at Alumni Hall game against Houston Baptist as part of the 2K Classic. PC’s first game at The Dunk is Nov. 13 against a Minnesota squad that figures to challenge for the Big Ten title.
The toughest Big East ticket for Providence fans to acquire figures to be the Villanova game. The Friars host the Wildcats – winners of four straight Big East regular season titles – on Feb. 14. Last year, Providence drew 10,000 or more fans for their final six Big East contests, including 13,216 on Feb. 25 against Marquette.
There are 16 games at The Dunk, one at Alumni Hall, 11 games on the road, and three on a neutral court. Two of those neu- tral site contests are under the 2K Classic umbrella and will take place at Madison Square Garden. PC plays Washington on Nov. 16 and either Virginia Tech or St. Louis on Nov. 17. Getting a matchup against the Hokies would be a RPI boon since they’re are expected to be one of the better teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The third neutral site game will bring Providence to Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun for a Dec. 20 matchup against Houston. That game is part of the Holiday Showcase.
10 vs. Houston Baptist (Alumni Hall), 7 p.m.; 13 vs. Minnesota, 6:30 p.m.; 16 vs. Washington (2K Classic/MSG), 9:30 p.m.; 17 vs. Va. Tech/St. Louis at MSG, time TBA; 22 vs. Belmont, 7 p.m.; 25 vs. Boston College, 8 p.m.; 29 vs. Rider, 7 p.m.
2 at Rhode Island, TBA; 6 vs. Brown, 7 p.m.; 9 at UMass, TBA; 17 vs. Stony Brook, 2:30 p.m.; 20 vs. Houston (Mohegan Sun), 7 p.m.; 22 vs. Sacred Heart, 6:30 p.m.; 28 at St. John’s, 7 p.m.; 31 at Creighton, 2:30 p.m.
3 vs. Marquette, 6:30 p.m.; 6 vs. Xavier, Noon; 12 at DePaul, 8:30 p.m.; 15 vs. Butler, 4:30 p.m.; 20 vs. Creighton, 3 p.m.; 23 at Villanova, 6:30 p.m.; 31 at Seton Hall, 7 p.m.
3 at Marquette, 2:30 p.m.; 6 vs. Georgetown, 8:30 p.m.; 10 vs. DePaul, 4 p.m.; 14 vs. Villanova, 7 p.m.; 17 at Butler, Noon; 21 vs. Seton Hall, 6:30 p.m.; 24 at Georgetown, Noon; 28 at Xavier, 6:30 p.m.. 3 vs. St. John’s, TBA; 7-10 Big East Tournament