YurView Expert Basketball analyst Adam Finkelstein sat down with Providence Friars head coach Ed Cooley and breaks down the season, the Big East tournament, and the tough loss to Texas A&M in round 1 of the NCAA tournament.
Texas A&M was able to wear Providence down with their size and, perhaps more importantly, fresher legs. Despite losing their first five conference games, the Aggies figured it out at the end of the season, winning of their last six games and now they’re firing on all cylinders at just the right time.
Providence College was coming off of three overtime games in the Big East tournament, defeating Creighton, Xavier, and losing to Villanova. After an up and down season, the Friars ran out of gas but the loss was put in perspective when A&M crushed North Carolina 86-65 in the round of 32. The Aggies should be a handful for Michigan in the Sweet 16.
Though the Friars lose three senior starters off of this year’s 21-14 team, the future looks bright for Coach Cooley and Providence College with a pair of top-50 guard recruits, David Duke & AJ Reeves, heading to Providence in the fall along with redshirt senior Emmitt Holt and 3-star recruits Kris Monroe and Jimmy Nichols.
