No. 17 Providence will try to extend their three-game winning streak when they face No. 16 Xavier on Wednesday night. The Friars lost their first two conference games of the season in the middle of January, but they have responded with wins over DePaul, Butler and Villanova. Xavier had won 13 of its last 14 games prior to its 84-67 loss at Creighton on Saturday.
Providence got off to a slow start to the season, going 5-3 through its first eight games. The Friars responded with a nine-game winning streak that included wins over then-No. 24 Marquette and then-No. 4 UConn. They won their first six Big East games of the season before losing to Creighton and Marquette by single digits in the middle of January. Providence was able to bounce back from those setbacks with consecutive wins over DePaul, Butler and Villanova. The Friars went on the road and beat the Wildcats in a 70-65 final on Sunday, picking up the win as 1-point favorites.
Grinding on a Monday…#gofriars pic.twitter.com/DOLwSvWqvg
— Providence MBB (@PCFriarsmbb) January 30, 2023
They have been an excellent offensive team this season, ranked No. 19 in the country in adjusted efficiency. Their strength has been on the offensive glass, as they are the eighth-best offensive rebounding team in the country. They have been able to achieve that success despite having a roster that is No. 262 in average height. This could be a challenging matchup, as it is facing a Xavier defense that is No. 24 in average height. Sophomore guard Bryce Hopkins leads Providence with 16.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Devin Carter (13.0), Ed Croswell (12.5) and Noah Locke (10.3) are each scoring in double digits as well.
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