Providence basketball's season looked lost to injury. Now, Friars await word on NCAA invite

NEW YORK — Any realistic hopes of even having this debate should have ended on the first Wednesday night in January.

That’s when Providence College lost Bryce Hopkins to a season-ending left knee injury. Amica Mutual Pavilion fell to a hush while the junior forward screamed on the floor, a crushing blow to both his immediate personal future and, seemingly, his team’s prospects of reaching an eighth NCAA Tournament since 2014.

Somebody forgot to tell the Friars their year was over.

That’s how we arrived at Friday night inside Madison Square Garden, as an undermanned group with a new star scratched and clawed to the finish against Marquette.

Fairytales don’t always conclude with happy endings. The Golden Eagles were too much in the Big East Tournament semifinals, putting toughness of their own on display in a 79-68 triumph. It was the last line on a 34-game resumé Providence has submitted to the Selection Committee, and its future will be determined live on a 6 p.m. national broadcast Sunday night.

Friars coach Kim English is 'optimistic'

“I hate that our fate is out of our hands,” Providence coach Kim English said on Friday night. “We’ve got a little less than 48 hours to wait and see what our next destination is.”

Could it be Dayton for the First Four? The Friars slipped their way into UD Arena in 2017 only to be turned back by USC. The proper event itself — the Thursday pomp and circumstance, the Friday out of work, the weekend tickets punched to the Sweet 16 — went on without them.

And that’s the cruel nature of this unique beast. This reward at the back end of the bubble is far from certain or predictable. Providence is 21-13 overall with six victories against Quadrant 1 opponents. The strength of those foes is determined by the NET rankings, a system devised with the goal of choosing the worthiest possible contenders for a national championship.

“We’ll wait and see,” English said. “Excited to see where we end up. I’m very optimistic for when the Selection Committee gets to the bubble and they’re looking at teams at face value.”

Devin Carter told his coach he was ready to take over

This finale against Marquette saw Devin Carter step to the forefront yet again. He sent a text message to English when the bad news on Hopkins was confirmed, and a new reality was made clear. The junior guard was ready to take on a leadership role, and he’s done so brilliantly.

Carter is just the second conference Player of the Year in program history, joining Kris Dunn. Folks who’ve followed the Friars for decades liken Carter’s skillset to that of former great Eric Murdock — a complete offensive game at one end, a lockdown defender at the other. Carter's rapid development this season is a credit to his own hard work and the system put in place by English that’s allowed Carter to flourish.

The question when Ed Cooley made his shocking move to Georgetown was always this: Was Providence the creation of a special coach or something more lasting? The Friars last enjoyed a sustained run of success like this in the 1970s, and that’s the stone age when compared to modern college athletics. English has earned immediate trust from his players and backing from his fan base, which made the short trip this weekend in big numbers.

Hopkins missed his 20th straight game on Friday, a brace stretching from above his thigh to the middle of his calf. He’s recovering in advance of a potential return for the 2024-25 season, and he’ll find a strong culture in place. Providence managed to tread water without him, going 10-10 against a consensus top-5 conference in the sport.

Perhaps it needed to be more. We'll all find out together soon. But it certainly could have been — and arguably should have been — much less.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence basketball overcame key injury, now awaits NCAA tourney fate