University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Providence College
No. 11 Huskies Open BIG EAST Tournament Vs. Providence
3/8/2023 8:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UConn Athletic Communications / March 8, 2023
NEW YORK – On the list of six tie-breakers used by the BIG EAST Conference to determine the seeding for the BIG EAST Tournament in case of a tie in the standings, it went all the way down to the next-to-last one to break the tie for fourth place between UConn and Providence.
Both teams finished 13-7 in league play.
Head-to-head play during the regular season? Each beat the other at home.
Each team's winning percentage against the team occupying the highest position in the standings? Equal. Winning percentage against each team moving down the standings? Equal.
Each team's total wins in conference play? Dead even, 13 each.
Each team's total wins against the highest team in the standings? Both defeated Marquette once, both lost to Xavier twice, and so on down the standings – every total the same.
Finally, the fifth tie-breaker on the list – NET ranking as published by NCAA.com – gave UConn the edge. The only tie-breaker remaining on the list after that is a coin flip.
And what did the Huskies gain by winning the tie-breaker? The right to wear their white uniforms as the No. 4 seed, with Providence in away uniforms as No. 5. The game was always going to be UConn vs. Providence – it was just a matter of which team would have which designation.
The New England rivals meet in the BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. (FS1) at Madison Square Garden. The winner advances to Friday night's semifinal game.
No. 11/14 UConn (24-7 overall, 13-7 BIG EAST) enters its 36th BIG EAST Tournament with seven championships on its resume and riding a five-game winning streak. When it's UConn against Providence, however, hot streaks and records mean little.
"It's going to be an intense game," UConn Coach Dan Hurley said. "I think with the new Big East, it accentuates the rivalry. With the old Big East, there were so many others – Syracuse, Boston College. And now, particularly with the old Big East teams – the Villanovas, the Providences – you feel like those games have a little extra.
"The game's got a lot of juice to it., That's what makes college basketball fun."
Providence won the first game between the teams, 73-61, at Amica Mutual Pavilion on Jan. 4. UConn returned the favor on Feb. 22 at Gampel Pavilion, 87-69.
Sophomore forward Bryce Hopkins, a First Team All-Big East selection, leads the Friars in scoring (16.1) and rebounding (8.5) and Jared Bynum leads the team in assists (4.4).
Likewise, UConn junior Adama Sanogo, also a First Team All-Big East pick, leads the Huskies in scoring (16.9) and rebounding (7.2), while Tristen Newton is the assist leader (4.5). Soph Jordan Hawkins, another First Team All-Big East player, is the team's second-leading scorer (16.4) and top three-point threat.
And even though UConn has a five-game winning streak and Providence has lost its last two, Hurley knows every team is 0-0 when the BIG EAST Tournament begins.
"It's a fresh start, it's a reset, that you get with going to the Big East Tournament and playing in New York City," Hurley said. "It's that new life that you get when you end the regular season and you get rejuvenated.
"We know we're going to see the best version of Providence and hopefully, they see the best version of us."
