Let’s get this out of the way now. No one expected an NCAA Tournament appearance out of a Providence team that was widely viewed as rebuilding this season. Even PC coach Ed Cooley told the media yesterday that he was surprised to be in Dayton preparing for his fourth straight NCAA Tournament.
This was a team with one true playmaker in the backcourt, a lack of depth and size at the 4/5 positions, and as we’ve heard so often over the past few months, the Friars were picked to finish 9th in the ten team Big East in October.