Thursday brought a major non-conference men’s basketball schedule upgrade for Providence.
What was known for the last couple weeks has become official. The Friars will replace Big East rival Creighton in the Battle 4 Atlantis, one of the sport’s premier showcase events during the Thanksgiving break.
Providence joins Arizona, Davidson, Gonzaga, Indiana, Louisville, Oklahoma and West Virginia in the expected eight-team field in the Bahamas. The Friars will play three games from Nov. 27-29, with exact matchups and broadcast times on ESPN’s television and streaming outlets yet to be announced.
CBS Sports first reported the possibility of this change for Providence. The Bluejays look to have secured a place in the Players Era Festival, a Las Vegas event focused on funneling name, image and likeness cash to the participants. Creighton’s departure from the Atlantis field left an opening for a fellow league member.
The Friars will also be trading up with respect to their exposure over multiple games. They were originally included in a four-team event with Boston College, Temple and Massachusetts at Mohegan Sun. That short trip looks unlikely to happen now, with a first visit to Paradise Island on tap.
The Wildcats, Bulldogs and Sooners all finished inside the national top 50 last season according to KenPom.com. The Hoosiers scraped into the top 100 while the Wildcats and Mountaineers both closed in the top 150. Multiple victories against the field could help Providence reach its first NCAA Tournament under head coach Kim English.
The Friars lost to Oklahoma as part of the Big East-Big 12 Battle in 2023-24, a 72-51 road thumping that featured a particularly tough final 10 minutes. That was the only top-50 road or neutral game Providence played prior to conference action. The Friars came in at No. 230 in nonconference NET strength of schedule, a sore spot that could have been used against them while deciding the final bubble spots on Selection Sunday.
It will be the second straight year Providence travels to the Bahamas. The Friars took part in the Baha Mar event in November, losing in overtime to Kansas State and beating Georgia. The Wildcats were coming off an Elite Eight appearance – they regressed to just a 19-15 mark in their attempt at an encore.
Providence counts considerable history with multiple members of the Atlantis field. The Friars have experienced bitter postseason disappointment against Arizona and Indiana, called Louisville and West Virginia conference rivals in a past version of the Big East and took on both the Hoosiers and Davidson as part of a relocated 2020 Maui Invitational in Asheville, N.C.
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