The first men’s basketball game in Big East play this season includes Providence.
The Friars and DePaul open the league schedule on Dec. 10, a standalone contest two days before the rest of the competition gets underway. It’s the start of 20 conference games for head coach Kim English in his second season on the Providence sideline.
The home opener follows 10 days later, and it’s the first of several headlining matchups in the league. Former coach Rick Pitino visits with St. John’s on Dec. 20, and the Friars will be bidding for two straight wins against the Final Four darling from 1986-87. Two-time national champion Connecticut, Sweet 16 qualifier Creighton and Georgetown — with former coach Ed Cooley — are also featured over the final three months of 2024-25.
More: Providence basketball coaches take mound at Fenway ahead of Red Sox-Orioles.
More: Providence basketball will host New England foe ahead of its season opener. Who is it?
Providence hosts Marquette on New Year’s Eve before visiting the Huskies, a Jan. 5 game that’s listed at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs. UConn bulldozed its competition to the tune of a 37-3 record last season and won all six of its March Madness games by double figures. Dan Hurley spurned the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason to sign a six-year, $50-million contract extension with the Huskies.
The Friars play two of their next four at home, including a Jan. 25 date with the Hoyas. Cooley was met with thunderous boos on his return to Amica Mutual Pavilion last season, an 84-76 defeat against the school he led for more than a decade. Georgetown staggered to just 9-23 overall and went 2-18 in league play, dumped out of the conference tournament by Providence in routine fashion.
Road trips to Seton Hall and St. John’s follow, as the Friars flip to February playing away from downtown. The Bluejays visit on Feb. 5, and recent history suggests some drama will accompany them. Providence has won four straight in its home building against Creighton, but the Friars needed overtime last season and two overtimes in 2022-23 to get it done.
More: Rhode Island basketball to face a national power in a cancer fundraiser at Mohegan Sun.
The last four games prior to the conference tournament figure to offer a guide as to whether or not Providence will have the steel to make a deep run in New York and beyond. The Blue Demons offer the only breather on March 5 — at Marquette, UConn at home and at Xavier all project to be much stiffer challenges. The Friars have won two of their last three at the Musketeers, including on a last-second 3-pointer by Jared Bynum in 2021-22.
Providence closed 21-14 overall and 10-10 in league play last season. The Friars opened 2-0 against conference opponents before a four-game losing streak, and the first of those defeats was the most painful. The Pirates grinded to a 61-57 road triumph and Bryce Hopkins suffered his season-ending left knee injury early in the second half.
Providence didn’t rise more than two games above .500 in league play the rest of the season. The Friars peaked at 9-7 before dropping three of their last four, including the finale at home against the Huskies. Providence captured a pair of games in the conference tournament before falling to Marquette in the semifinals at Madison Square Garden.
Hopkins will be a game-to-game decision at the start of the year — he’s unlikely to play in at least the opener against Central Connecticut State on Nov. 4. Jayden Pierre, Rich Barron and Corey Floyd Jr. all return after playing meaningful roles last season. Wesley Cardet Jr. (Chicago State), Christ Essandoko (Saint Joseph’s), Jabri Abdur-Rahim (Georgia) and Bensley Joseph (Miami) all arrived via the transfer portal, Justyn Fernandez should debut after missing last season because of a knee injury and Oswin Erhunmwunse moved up from the Class of 2025 to join the Friars immediately this fall.
Game times and broadcast information will be available at a later date.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On X: @BillKoch25
Providence men’s basketball conference schedule
Dec. 10 – at DePaulDec. 20 – St. John’sDec. 31 – MarquetteJan. 5 – at Connecticut (Gampel Pavilion)Jan. 8 – ButlerJan. 11 – Seton HallJan. 14 – at CreightonJan. 17 – at VillanovaJan. 25 – GeorgetownJan. 28 – at Seton HallFeb. 1 – at St. John’s (Madison Square Garden)Feb. 5 – CreightonFeb. 8 – at ButlerFeb. 12 – XavierFeb. 15 – VillanovaFeb. 19 – at GeorgetownFeb. 25 – at MarquetteMarch 1 – ConnecticutMarch 5 – DePaulMarch 8 – at Xavier
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence Friars men’s basketball Big East schedule for 2024-25
