2018–19 Providence Friars men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Providence Friars men's basketball team represented Providence College in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Friars, led by eighth-year head coach Ed Cooley, played their home games at the Dunkin' Donuts Center as members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 18–16, 7–11 in Big East play to finish in a three-way tie for last place. As the No. 8 seed in the Big East tournament, they defeated Butler before losing to Villanova in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NIT where they lost in the first round to Arkansas.

2018–19 Providence Friars men's basketball
NIT, first round
Conference	Big East Conference
Record	18–16 (7–11 Big East)
Head coach	Ed Cooley (8th season)
Assistant coaches	Jeff Battle Brian Blaney Ivan Thomas
Home arena	Dunkin' Donuts Center

2018–19 Big East men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 23 Villanova †	13	–	5		.722			26	–	10		.722
Marquette	12	–	6		.667			24	–	10		.706
Seton Hall	9	–	9		.500			20	–	14		.588
Xavier	9	–	9		.500			19	–	16		.543
Creighton	9	–	9		.500			20	–	15		.571
Georgetown	9	–	9		.500			19	–	14		.576
St. John's	8	–	10		.444			21	–	13		.618
Providence	7	–	11		.389			18	–	16		.529
Butler	7	–	11		.389			16	–	17		.485
DePaul	7	–	11		.389			19	–	17		.528
† 2019 Big East tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

The Friars finished the 2017–18 season 21–14, 10–8 in Big East play to finish in a three-way tie for third place. As the No. 5 seed in the Big East tournament, they defeated Creighton and No. 1-seeded Xavier in back-to-back overtime games to advance to the championship game. In a third straight overtime game, the Friars fell to Villanova in the championship game. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 10 seed in the West region where they lost to Texas A&M in the first round.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Rodney Bullock	5	F	6'8"	225	RS Senior	Hampton, VA	Graduated
Jalen Lindsay	21	F	6'7"	227	Senior	Murfreesboro, TN	Graduated
Kyron Cartwright	24	G	5'11"	185	Senior	Compton, CA	Graduated
Dajour Dickens	33	C	7'0"	220	Freshman	Hampton, VA	Transferred to Old Dominion
Tom Planek	34	F	6'7"	210	Senior	Oak Park, IL	Graduated

2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
David Duke #15 PG	Providence, RI	Cushing Academy	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Oct 14, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 87
A. J. Reeves #6 SG	Chestnut Hill, MA	Brimmer and May School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jun 25, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 87
Kris Monroe #43 PF	Raleigh, NC	St. David's School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Aug 3, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Jimmy Nichols PF	Conway, SC	Conway High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Sep 5, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 30, 2018.

2019 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2019 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Greg Gantt #11 SF	Fayetteville, NC	Cushing Academy	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Oct 14, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 85
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 30, 2018.

Roster

2018–19 Providence Friars men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown C 0 Nate Watson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 260 lb (118 kg) So Bishop O'Connell High School Arlington, Virginia G 1 Makai Ashton-Langford 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Brewster Academy Worcester, Massachusetts F 2 Kris Monroe 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr St. David's School Creedmoor, North Carolina G 3 David Duke 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Cushing Academy Providence, Rhode Island G 4 Maliek White 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr George Wythe High School Richmond, Virginia F 5 Jimmy Nichols 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Conway High School Conway, South Carolina G 10 A. J. Reeves 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Brimmer and May School Roxbury, Massachusetts G 11 Alpha Diallo 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 211 lb (96 kg) Jr Brewster Academy New York, New York F 13 Kalif Young 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Jr Orangeville Prep Vaughan, Ontario F 15 Emmitt Holt 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Sr Webster Schroeder Indian Hills CC Webster, New York G 24 Andrew Fonts (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Portsmouth Abbey School Portsmouth, Rhode Island F 25 Drew Edwards 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Jr Calvert Hall Perry Hall, Maryland G 44 Isaiah Jackson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Sr Villages Charter School George Mason Gainesville, Florida	Head coach Ed Cooley (Stonehill) Assistant coach(es) Jeff Battle (Marshall) Brian Blaney (Roanoke) Ivan Thomas (VCU) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 19, 2018* 7:00 pm		Bridgeport	W 96–57		15 – Watson	9 – Diallo	4 – Tied	Dunkin' Donuts Center (3,045) Providence, RI
October 27, 2018* 4:00 pm		Bowie State	W 83–55		14 – Watson	9 – Holt	5 – Tied	Dunkin' Donuts Center (4,895) Providence, RI
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2018* 6:30 pm, FSN		Siena Hall of Fame Tip Off campus-site game	W 77–67	1–0	29 – Reeves	11 – Diallo	5 – Diallo	Dunkin' Donuts Center (8,021) Providence, RI
November 9, 2018* 6:00 pm, CBSSN		vs. Wichita State Veterans Classic	L 80–83	1–1	27 – Diallo	10 – Diallo	5 – Tied	Alumni Hall (5,710) Annapolis, MD
November 13, 2018* 7:00 pm, FS2		Holy Cross Hall of Fame Tip Off campus-site game	W 70–61	2–1	18 – Diallo	10 – Tied	5 – White	Dunkin' Donuts Center (6,042) Providence, RI
November 17, 2018* 2:30 pm, ESPN3		vs. South Carolina Hall of Fame Tip Off Naismith semifinals	W 76–67	3–1	20 – Duke	9 – Diallo	7 – Diallo	Mohegan Sun Arena (7,231) Uncasville, CT
November 18, 2018* 1:30 pm, ESPN		vs. No. 18 Michigan Hall of Fame Tip Off Naismith championship	L 47–66	3–2	12 – Duke	7 – Diallo	3 – Diallo	Mohegan Sun Arena  Uncasville, CT
November 24, 2018* 4:00 pm, FSN		Iona	W 91–79	4–2	23 – Diallo	9 – Diallo	6 – White	Dunkin' Donuts Center (8,187) Providence, RI
November 27, 2018* 8:30 pm, FS1		Fairleigh Dickinson	W 69–59	5–2	20 – Diallo	9 – Diallo	4 – Jackson	Dunkin' Donuts Center (4,879) Providence, RI
December 1, 2018* 5:00 pm, FS1		Rhode Island Ocean State Cup	W 59–50	6–2	15 – Reeves	9 – Jackson	3 – Tied	Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,997) Providence, RI
December 4, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN2		at Boston College	W 100–95 OT	7–2	24 – Reeves	10 – Watson	9 – Duke	Conte Forum (5,453) Chestnut Hill, MA
December 7, 2018* 7:00 pm, FS1		Massachusetts	L 78–79	7–3	21 – Diallo	7 – Diallo	5 – Diallo	Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,427) Providence, RI
December 16, 2018* 2:00 pm, FS1		Central Connecticut	W 87–63	8–3	18 – White	9 – Nichols Jr.	6 – White	Dunkin' Donuts Center (6,876) Providence, RI
December 18, 2018* 7:00 pm, FSN		Albany	W 73–43	9–3	20 – Diallo	10 – Diallo	5 – Ashton-Langford	Dunkin' Donuts Center (4,855) Providence, RI
December 21, 2018* 9:00 pm, ESPN2		at Texas	W 71–65	10–3	20 – Diallo	8 – Young	5 – White	Frank Erwin Center (8,610) Austin, TX
Big East regular season
December 31, 2018 4:00 pm, FS1		Creighton	L 68–79	10–4 (0–1)	18 – Diallo	10 – Diallo	4 – Tied	Dunkin' Donuts Center (11,343) Providence, RI
January 5, 2019 2:00 pm, FOX		Villanova	L 59–65	10–5 (0–2)	20 – Ashton-Langford	8 – Watson	3 – White	Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,410) Providence, RI
January 12, 2019 12:00 noon, FS1		at Georgetown	L 90–96 2OT	10–6 (0–3)	24 – Diallo	13 – Diallo	8 – Ashton-Langford	Capital One Arena (10,113) Washington, D.C.
January 15, 2019 6:30 pm, FS1		Seton Hall	W 72–63	11–6 (1–3)	18 – Duke	8 – Diallo	5 – Tied	Dunkin' Donuts Center (11,367) Providence, RI
January 20, 2019 12:00 pm, CBSSN		at No. 15 Marquette	L 68–79	11–7 (1–4)	21 – Watson	7 – Jackson	7 – Ashton-Langford	Fiserv Forum (17,524) Milwaukee, WI
January 23, 2019 6:30 pm, FS1		at Xavier	W 64–62	12–7 (2–4)	13 – Jackson	6 – Tied	5 – Diallo	Cintas Center (10,142) Cincinnati, OH
January 27, 2019 12:00 pm, FS1		DePaul	W 70–67	13–7 (3–4)	20 – Diallo	0 – Diallo	4 – Jackson	Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,009) Providence, RI
January 30, 2019 7:00 pm, FSN		at Seton Hall	L 63–65	13–8 (3–5)	21 – Diallo	7 – Jackson	5 – Ashton-Langford	Prudential Center (7,858) Newark, NJ
February 2, 2019 2:30 pm, FS1		at DePaul	L 55–67	13–9 (3–6)	17 – Duke	8 – Diallo	4 – Diallo	Wintrust Arena (5,173) Chicago, IL
February 6, 2019 7:30 pm, FS1		Georgetown	L 67–76	13–10 (3–7)	22 – Diallo	6 – Diallo	4 – Jackson	Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,115) Providence, RI
February 9, 2019 12:00 pm, CBSSN		at St. John's	W 70–56	14–10 (4–7)	18 – Watson	15 – Diallo	3 – Tied	Madison Square Garden (16,268) New York, NY
February 13, 2019 6:30 pm, FS1		at No. 13 Villanova	L 67–85	14–11 (4–8)	18 – Watson	7 – Diallo	6 – Jackson	Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA
February 16, 2019 2:00 pm, FOX		Xavier	L 61–75	14–12 (4–9)	16 – Watson	7 – Young	2 – Tied	Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,410) Providence, RI
February 20, 2019 8:30 pm, FS1		St. John's	W 78–59	15–12 (5–9)	21 – Watson	11 – Diallo	5 – Jackson	Dunkin' Donuts Center (9,872) Providence, RI
February 23, 2019 12:00 pm, FOX		No. 11 Marquette	L 58–76	15–13 (5–10)	19 – Diallo	8 – Duke	3 – Diallo	Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,890) Providence, RI
February 26, 2019 7:00 pm, FS1		at Butler	W 73–67	16–13 (6–10)	21 – Watson	7 – Diallo	4 – Ashton-Langford	Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,149) Indianapolis, IN
March 6, 2019 8:00 pm, CBSSN		at Creighton	L 70-76 OT	16-14 (6-11)	21 – Jackson	12 – Diallo	4 – Jackson	CHI Health Center Omaha (16,903) Omaha, NE
March 9, 2019 12:00 pm, FSN		Butler	W 83–70	17–14 (7–11)	24 – Reeves	9 – Diallo	6 – White	Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,004) Providence, RI
Big East tournament
March 13, 2019 7:00 pm, FS1	(8)	vs. (9) Butler First round	W 80–57	18–14	19 – White	8 – Diallo	5 – White	Madison Square Garden  New York, NY
March 14, 2019 12:00 pm, FS1	(8)	vs. (1) No. 25 Villanova Quarterfinals	L 62–73	18–15	15 – Watson	10 – Reeves	3 – Tied	Madison Square Garden  New York, NY
NIT
March 19, 2019* 9:00 pm, ESPN2	(4)	(5) Arkansas First round – Indiana bracket	L 72–84	18–16	19 – White	11 – Diallo	4 – Tied	Dunkin' Donuts Center (3,057) Providence, RI
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.