If the Providence College Friars upset top-seeded Kansas on Friday night in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament, perhaps the New England Patriots will be credited with an assist.
On Thursday, one of the Patriots' planes was waiting on the tarmac of TF Green Airport, ready to take Providence support staff and others to Chicago. The Friars, who flew to the Windy City on Wednesday and held a practice there on Thursday morning, reached the final 16 round of the NCAAs for the first time in 25 years — and the first under head coach Ed Cooley.