The Big East Conference Tournament 2012 tips off Tuesday afternoon at Madison Square Garden, and this SB Nation New York StoryStream is the place to come for every tidbit of information. For a full schedule with results and updates of the bracket, click here.
The Providence Friars men's basketball program entered the season with low expectations, as they lost their best player and the Big East's leading scorer, Marshon Brooks, and with a brand new head coach, Ed Cooley.
Despite the odds stacked against them, the Friars began the season 11-2 and entered Big East Conference play with a lot of confidence. However, reality quickly set in with a league-opening loss at the St. John's Red Storm, Dec. 27, which was quickly followed by losses in 12 of their next 14 contests.
Providence did win two of its final three to end the regular season to finish 15-16 overall and 4-14 in the Big East.
Head Coach: Ed Cooley, first season
Cooley coached at Fairfield for five seasons before taking his "dream job" at Providence, a place where he grew up.
Team MVP: Vincent Council, junior guard
Council (6-foot-2, 180 pounds) entered the year trying to fill the huge hole of Brooks. In the end, Council wasn't that, however, it was clear he was the Friars best player tallying a team-best 16.2 points per game and 7.5 assists per game.
As he went, so did the Providence offense. And that's going to be the case in the Big East Tournament if the Friars are going to be a run at the title and the automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Playing For: Pride
Unless the Friars run the table in the Big East Tournament, which is very unlikely, there's no shot of qualifying for a at-large postseason berth in the NCAA or NIT Tournaments. Coach Cooley is hoping that his young squad can earn a few victories that can build momentum for next season.
Breakdown: Providence ended its regular season with victories in two of its last three games, including, a victory over the Connecticut Huskies, who could now miss the NCAA Tournament.
The Friars also feature sophomore guards Gerard Coleman and Bryce Cotton, both have the ability to score. Inside, sophomore forward Kadeem Batts does the dirty work.
Big East Tournament Seed: No 15, will play No. 10 Seton Hall Pirates in first round (7 p.m. ET).
Roster and stats:
For a SB Nation New York preview of other Big East schools, click on its respective links: Syracuse, Marquette, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Georgetown, South Florida, Louisville, West Virginia, Connecticut, Seton Hall, Rutgers, St. John's, Pittsburgh, Villanova, Providence, DePaul.