CHARLOTTE, N.C. — They might not have won it, but a surprise appearance in the Big East Tournament final might be the kind of springboard a team like Providence needs to make a splash in the NCAA Tournament.
The Friars started that tournament by beating Creighton in overtime in the quarterfinals. They followed that up with another overtime win, this time over No. 1 seed Xavier, which went on to be one of the four No. 1 seeds in the Big Dance. And although they lost to Villanova (another NCAA No. 1 seed) they, too, took the Wildcats to overtime.
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"We were playing just about as well as anybody in the country," said Friars senior Kyron Cartwright during Thursday's workout day press conference at Spectrum Center. "Even with our shots not falling we were still right there in every game.
"It gave us a lot of confidence knowing we can play with those top teams if those two teams (Xavier and Villanova) were No. 1 seeds."
And things like confidence and momentum can be all a team needs to make a surprise run in March.
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Providence's 21-13 record was enough to get it a 10-seed in the tournament bracket. Its most impressive wins of the season came against Big East opponents; the Friars took down Xavier twice and Villanova once, with those schools ranked in the top five in the country each time.
Those wins show this Providence team, led by Cartwright, fellow senior Rodney Bullock and sophomore Alpha Diallo, is no stranger to big-game situations against top ranked teams.
"We can't get too high on our horse and think that we're better than anybody," said forward Kalif Young. "But I think we have to come in with the thought that we can compete with anybody and be confident in ourselves."
Against West No. 7 seed Texas A&M, Providence will need to use that confidence on the glass as the powerful big-man combo of Tyler Davis and Robert Williams both stand 6-10 and weigh 240-plus pounds. That duo alone accounts for nearly 20 rebounds per game for the Aggies and stopping them is one of the Friars' main points of focus for Friday.
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"When we woke up (Thursday) morning, everybody saw what the scouting report was in their room," Cartwright said. "Big yellow paper right in front of the TV that says, 'Box out.' That's the scouting report: 'Box out.'"
Coach Ed Cooley, who has now taken Providence to five straight NCAA Tournaments, reiterated that game plan.
"It's no secret, Texas A&M is a very physical team, they have NBA size in a lot of different positions, and we feel if you allow them second, third and fourth opportunities, they're going to have a chance to really beat you," he said.
Cooley also touched on the versatility of his squad and pointed out that having players who can play position-less basketball is one way to be able to combat an opponent's size advantage. And against the Aggies' frontcourt, they'll need to be fresh and use some of that confidence and momentum to their advantage.
"We have young kids who are passionate, they're hungry. We have no time to be tired," Cooley said. "This stage is not about being tired. It's about opportunity to advance. Having a senior like Kyron, Jalen [Lindsey] and Rodney [Bullock], they've been in this situation before and all we're trying to do is get to the next game."