2023-24 Schedule Update

The Eternal Strength of Schedule Debate Continues.

It’s the dog days of summer Friartown. If you’re like me and the summer consists of a constant back and forth between the golf course and the pool, life is pretty good! However, there is one Nate Watson sized whole in my life right now, and that of course is Providence College basketball. The season tips off in exactly 16 weeks, but who’s counting?! To help pass the time, we have almost all of the non-conference schedule to evaluate, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Before we begin, a quick point on the caliber of opponents for the Providence College Friars.

The schedule you’ll see below is fine. Average at best. There’s still room for 3-4 non conference games to be added and at least one of them MUST be a high major opponent. If the rest of this non conference slate is filled out with the likes of Merrimack and Central Connecticut, it is at best a massive missed opportunity. I don’t need to tell you the momentum that’s behind the Program right now, combine that with the talent of this roster and now seems like the perfect opportunity to level up the strength of schedule. If I were the General Manager of PC Basketball (my application is pending) I’d be looking into starting a home and home series with the likes of Michigan State, UVA, or Tennessee, perennial Top 25 teams that give fans a marquee home game to look forward to, with a not-impossible opportunity to travel to the away game next season. I’m not asking to put Duke and Kentucky on the schedule every week, but I am asking to not make fans suffer through Rider, Manhattan and Columbia again. The last guy to coach this Program was notorious for scheduling a cupcake non conference schedule and it repeatedly came back to bite his teams in March. That is fact. FWIW, he seems to have continued the early season cupcake trend down in Georgetown:

Deary me. Alas, we’re onto bigger and better here in Friartown. Without further ado, grab a pen, mark up that calendar, and start day dreaming of Saturday’s at the AMP.

2023 Providence College Friars Men’s Basketball Non Conference Schedule:

Tuesday, November 14th vs. Wisconsin

Analysis: The final year of the current Gavitt Games contract sees the Friars with a familiar opponent, the Wisconsin Badgers. Providence and Wisconsin have played some fantastic games over the years, and I’d bet we see another this season.

Wisconsin projects to be a top 35ish team this season, with a good amount of returning talent and a few impact transfers. Great game for the strength of schedule, great home game for fans to circle on the calendar. Divine Friars will certainly be in the building for this one.

Friday, November 17th vs. Kansas State (in Nassau, Bahamas; Baha Mar Invitational)

Analysis: There are few teams in the country who have benefitted more from NIL than Kansas State (Miami, another team in this early season bracket, is one of em). The Wildcats were seconds away from a Final 4 appearance last season, and have brought in Creighton transfer Arthur Kaluma to add to a pretty stacked team. This should be a great game and a nice test for the Friars. There’s no reason they can’t come out of the Baha Mar Invitational 2-0. Flights look a little steep right now ($800 round trip from Boston / New York) but the Bahamas in November? Sign me up.

Sunday, November 19th vs. Georgia / Miami (in Nassau, Bahamas; Baha Mar Invitational)

Analysis: The other side of the Baha Mir Invitational bracket features one team that projects to be top 25ish in Miami, and a clear fourth place team in terms of talent in Georgia. Whoever the Friars end up facing (my money is on a rematch, and revenge for last season’s dismal performance against Miami), this should be a weekend in paradise full of high level basketball. Start saving those pennies.

Saturday, December 2nd vs. University of Rhode Island

Analysis: Rhode Island projects to be pretty bad, again, this year. However, this rivalry always gets the people fired up. I’d expect the line at Murphy’s to be out the door by 10am. I seriously doubt the Rams will be doing much for Providence’s strength of schedule this season, but this game has become a stable on the schedule and isn’t going anywhere. Personally this game isn’t for me, I’d expect a pretty comfortable Friars win, but if you have the opportunity to be in the building for a Providence vs. URI home game you absolutely should, it’s a blast.

Tuesday, December 5th at Oklahoma

Analysis: This is the matchup that left me massively disappointed when it was announced. The Big East / Big 12 Battle, the two best basketball conferences in the country, and the Friars get paired with Oklahoma, the worst team in the Big 12 by a healthy margin. That reality is made all the more bitter because the top of the Big 12, Texas, Baylor, Kansas, Houston are all perennial Final 4 contenders, and will be again next season. Even if you ignore the caliber of opponent, a Tuesday night in Norman, Oklahoma is a trip I can’t in good faith recommend to even the most die hard of Friar fans. If it was a weekend game and it overlapped with college football season, fuck it, make the trip. But Oklahoma’s college football season will wrap up a week earlier, and the Friar contingent making the trek for this one will be light. A missed opportunity in more ways than one.

Sunday, December 10th vs. Brown

Analysis: The battle of Providence resumes for the first time in more than 5 years. I understand why the Program scheduled this game, great for the city, and for the wider Rhode Island college hoops scene. If we’re going to schedule an Ivy League opponent, might as well be Brown. Great game to bring the entire family to, and given the local ties, this one may be closer to a sellout then you would think at first glance. Won’t do the strength of schedule any favors, but for a buy-game, this is about as good as it gets.

Saturday, December 16th vs. Sacred Heart

Analysis: Meh. Wake me up when Big East play starts at this point in the calendar. I can promise you Sacred Heart will be a watch from the couch game for me.

Date Unknown: vs. Lehigh

Analysis: While the date hasn’t yet been confirmed for the Lehigh game, I’d suspect this one gets played sometime in November prior to the Wisconsin matchup. Early season tune up game. Watch from the couch game.

With the exception of Wisconsin and the Baha Mar Invitational, none of these games are really getting my juices flowing. I think there is a unique opportunity for the Program here to schedule another high major opponent in the non conference. The last 24 months (for better and for worse) have put Providence Hoops on the national map, there’s not a program out there that wouldn’t take a home and home against the Friars. 8 games have been announced, which means there’s room for 3 more. Here’s to hoping one of them is a marquee matchup.