NO. 2 UCONN AT PROVIDENCE MEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY
Saturday, 8 p.m.
Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence UConn 27-3 (17-2 Big East), Providence 19-11 (10-9 Big East)
FOX
UConn Sports Network, WAVZ-New Haven (1300 AM), WGCH- Greenwich (1490 AM), WATR-Waterbury (1320 AM), WICHNorwich (1310 AM, 94.5 FM), WILI-Willimantic (1400 AM, 95.3 FM), Fox Sports 97.9 FM Hartford, SiriusXM-983, SXM App 973
KEEP AN EYE ON
Talking the talk: Dan Hurley wasn’t happy with Cam Spencer after the grad guard picked up a technical foul for shouting towards either Marquette’s bench or fans behind the bench on Wednesday night.
It wasn’t so much the emotion Spencer showed that peeved the coach. Heck, Hurley has a long history of “interacting” with rival fan bases. It’s just that Hurley didn’t think Marquette’s fan base deserved such treatment.
“There are some other fan bases and programs that I don’t mind him (bleep)-talking them,” the UConn men’s basketball coach noted.
Hurley didn’t offer which fan bases might deserve to be “talked” to in such a way. But it’s a good bet Providence’s is one of them.
So when the Huskies face PC in the Big East’s regular-season finale on Saturday night at Amica Mutual Pavilion, Hurley probably shouldn’t expect a warm greeting from the Friar faithful.
Amica Mutual Pavilion (a.k.a. the Dunkin’ Donuts Center or simply Providence Civic Center) has never been an easy place for opponents to play. The Friars are 45-6 inside their home building the past three seasons, though they have dropped three of those contests this season, including a 71-60 loss to Villanova on Saturday that put a severe pin to their NCAA Tournament bubble hopes.
A win over UConn on Saturday, of course, could firmly put the Friars back on the right side of the bubble. UConn is 0-2 at Providence since returning to the Big East. Hurley is 0-4 inside the AMP, 0-3 while at Rhode Island and 0-1 at UConn (the teams played at PC’s on-campus arena, Alumni Hall, during the pandemic in 2021, and didn’t play in Providence in 2022).
Providence has plenty to play for, obviously, with its NCAA tourney hopes still very much in the air. For UConn, Big East regular-season title and likely East Region No. 1 seed locked up, it’s about staying sharp (and injury-free) entering its Big East tourney opener next Thursday at noon. Certainly, the Huskies could be a little ornery after encountering some serious travel issues following their win at Marquette on Wednesday night.
But there is one more thing.
A win would complete the Huskies’ Big East record at 18-2 and set a new program record for most conference wins in a season. Now that’s something to play for.