Providence’s Big East schedule is no easy start for new coach Hodgson

Providence will have no choice but to make an early dive into the Big East men’s basketball deep end under new coach Bryan Hodgson.

The Friars visit Villanova, match up with St. John’s twice and host Connecticut through their first eight league games, a grueling start to the schedule released Monday morning.

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Providence hosts Butler on Dec. 12 at Amica Mutual Pavilion to begin a new conference era under Hodgson, who will man the sidelines for the first time in a Nov. 2 guarantee game against Maine. The Friars follow with a 10-day exam break before traveling to Philadelphia to tip with the Wildcats on Dec. 22. Villanova jumped to third place in the league last year under Kevin Willard, who returned to the conference from Maryland after a previous tenure at Seton Hall.

Providence ends its calendar 2026 with a Dec. 30 home game against the Red Storm, and former coach Rick Pitino is coming off a sweep of regular season and conference tournament crowns. St. John’s was a 30-game winner in 2025-26, including a 79-69 road triumph against the Friars that was marred by a melee in the second half. Duncan Powell’s hard foul on former Providence forward Bryce Hopkins preceded an unraveling, as the Friars melted away over the final 15 minutes.

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Take a look: New Providence basketball coach Bryan Hodgson introduced

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Trips to DePaul and Marquette and a home game against Xavier precede a rematch with St. John’s at Madison Square Garden and a home date with the Huskies. Connecticut closed national runner-up to Michigan last season and overcame a late 11-point deficit in regulation before winning at Providence in overtime. The Huskies sizzled from 3-point range in a 103-98 victory, a game in which they carried just a 3.2% chance of winning with 3:12 left in the second half according to KenPom.com.

The Friars will enjoy a rare three-game homestand against the Golden Eagles, Blue Demons and Wildcats in February before a road date with Seton Hall and a home game with Georgetown. Former coach Ed Cooley returns to his native city still looking to get the Hoyas on track toward something approaching their past success. He’s just 16-44 in league play through three seasons but has captured three of his last four against Providence, including a 21-point comeback in an 81-78 stunner downtown in late January.

Connecticut hosts the Friars to end February and a road trip to take on the Musketeers begins March. Providence closes the regular season with a March 6 home game against Creighton, a first road trip here for new coach Alan Huss. He led High Point to an NCAA Tournament berth and a Round of 64 loss to Purdue here in 2024-25.

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The Friars fired former coach Kim English and hired Hodgson away from South Florida after a 15-18 overall mark and a 7-13 finish in the league last season. Providence beat Butler in the opening round of the conference tournament before being eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Red Storm. Hopkins and Zuby Ejiofor both collected double-doubles in an 85-72 win.

Tip times and broadcast information will be released at a later date. The Friars will be available on WPRO and The Score through the 2027-28 season after signing a two-year extension with Cumulus Media Providence last week. John Rooke and Joe Hassett will continue their decades long partnership on game nights while Kevin McNamara will tag in for Rooke as the host of the Bryan Hodgson Radio Show.

Providence basketball’s Big East schedule

Dec. 12 – Butler

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Dec. 22 – at Villanova

Dec. 30 – St. John’s

Jan. 2 – at DePaul

Jan. 5 – at Marquette

Jan. 9 – Xavier

Jan. 13 – at St. John’s

Jan. 20 – Connecticut

Jan. 23 – at Georgetown

Jan. 27 – at Butler

Jan. 30 – Seton Hall

Feb. 3 – at Creighton

Feb. 10 – Marquette

Feb. 13 – DePaul

Feb. 17 – Villanova

Feb. 20 – at Seton Hall

Feb. 23 – Georgetown

Feb. 27 – at Connecticut

March 3 – at Xavier

March 6 – Creighton

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence’s Big East schedule is no easy start for new coach Hodgson