1982. Head coach Joe Mullaney had just returned to Providence in the earliest days of the Big East. This was Year Three for the conference and it marked a breakthrough, as Georgetown became the first school in league history to reach the Final Four.
The Hoyas, led by outstanding freshman Patrick Ewing, fell 63-62 to a North Carolina team featuring 1982 1st overall pick James Worthy and freshman Michael Jordan in the national championship. But you knew that.
The league was close to placing one or two more teams in the Final Four that year — a win away to be precise.