Providence College Friars continue their home dominance; beat Butler in OT, 85-75

Ed who? It hasn’t taken long for the 2023-24 Providence College Friars and new head coach, Kim English, to forget about Ed Cooley. It may have taken only one Big East game. If that didn’t do the trick, the second Bog East game surely did.

The Friars beat the sixth-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles pretty easily, 71-55, last Tuesday night. On Saturday, Providence followed that up by beating Butler, 85-75, in a thriller at The Amp. Davonte “Ticket” Gaines hit a contested three-pointer from the top of the key with 2.1 seconds left in regulation to keep the Friars alive and send the game to overtime.

In overtime, Devin Carter took over. Carter is growing into a superstar right before our eyes. Carter scored 10 of his 24 points in overtime, including two three-pointers which iced the game.

The Butler Bulldogs got off to a slow start. The Friars scored the first 15 points of the game. It was an impossible pace to keep up and Butler would come back. Gaines got off to a hot start from three which was a portend to how regulation time would end. Gaines would end up making five three-pointers and a total of 17 points scored.

The beauty of this Friars’ team, though, is their depth. They don’t rely on any one player. At different times when they needed a big score, they would turn to Carter, Gaines, or big man Josh Oduro. And all of them came through when their name was called.

Oduro provided a steady, calming influence in the low post. The 23-year-old transfer from George Mason finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds. In a day and age when low post play has gone the way of dinosaurs, the six-foot-nine Oduro is a throwback to the days of Kevin McHale. He used a combination of power, patience, shifty footwork, and pump fakes to finish an efficient 8-of-14 from the field, including a three-pointer. He also had six assists and three blocks.

Devin Carter didn’t take his first shot until there was a little over four minutes left in the first half. He missed much of the half after taking a blow to his right ear as he fought through a screen. One of the concerns when Ed Cooley left for Georgetown was that Carter would choose to leave as well. Thankfully, Carter chose to return to Providence.

Carter has always been known as an elite defender, but he has emerged as a weapon offensively. The six-foot-three guard is always good for an electrifying dunk and Saturday was no exception. With 1:14 left in regulation and the game tied, 62-62, Carter sprinted from the left wing and soared in for a dunk following a missed shot by Oduro. The Providence home crowd was amped up to yet another level, not that they needed any help.

The Friars have now won a remarkable 46 of their last 49 games at home. Providence has become the best home court advantage in college basketball. Providence (11-2) next plays Seton Hall (8-5) at home on January 3.