This was back in March, in the early days of the new world of Covid-19. Nate Watson and the rest of the Providence Friars basketball team were sitting on the team bus waiting to make the short trip from their hotel to Madison Square Garden for the annual four-day basketball feast known as The BIG EAST tournament.
And things were looking very promising for the Friars, who had just ended the regular season with six straight victories, including three over ranked teams, highlighted by a huge road win over then-No.12 Villanova.
Optimism was high at Providence.