For the first time in years, it's midway through February and both the Providence Friars and Rhode Island Rams still have legitimate NCAA Tournament hopes.
This news is greeted quite differently, however, on Smith Hill and in the village of Kingston.
At Providence, there is a renewed sense of hope heading into Wednesday night's game against Xavier. It's the Friars' second straight game against a top-15 RPI foe and an upset of the Musketeers on top of last Saturday's win over Butler would keep Ed Cooley's team pointed in the right direction toward a fourth straight NCAA bid.