When Providence knocked off Villanova at the Wells Fargo Center on January 24, it looked like they were going to be the Wildcats’ top challenger for the Big East crown. However, the Friars went 5-6 to finish the regular season and landed on the NCAA Tournament bubble entering March.
But with three straight wins against teams in the bottom half of the conference standings, Providence regained its stride heading into the Big East Tournament. On Thursday afternoon, the fourth-seeded Friars took care of fifth-seeded Butler 74-60 to advance to the semifinals and face No. 1 seed Villanova.
After a tough stretch, junior guard Kris Dunn and sophomore forward Ben Bentil reasserted themselves as the most dominant duo in the Big East.