Game: Providence at Creighton, February 22, 2017
Where the Friars Stood: With back-to-back wins over Butler and Xavier, Providence was talking Tournament again. Prior to heading to Omaha to take on #23 Creighton, the Friars had a five game stretch in which they won for the first time ever at Marquette, fell in the closing seconds of overtime at Seton Hall, played #4 Villanova to the wire, and defeated Xavier and Butler.
Creighton was trending in a different direction, having gone 4-4 after losing point guard Mo Watson for the season. The Jays were once 18-1 and ranked in the top 10 nationally, but entered this one at 22-5.