Old School Rivals Reunite on Tuesday Night

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- It is impossible for college basketball observers to forget the battles of the old Big East. The teams forged rivalries unlike anything that previously existed. Every game seemed like a referendum on the schools' very identities and individual possessions made offenses earn every inch of every point they scored.

Game Day Central - vs. Providence - 7 p.m. ET
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It helped grow and spawn the ever-changing sports landscape, and today, the original Big East endures through its old-school rivalries. Boston College, Syracuse, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh are all part of the ACC and they continue to play opponents who were all part of that original era. On Tuesday night, Boston College reignites its matchup with the Providence Friars.

"You know what you're getting from them," BC head coach Jim Christian said. "They're a tough, physical, well-coached team. They're going to play hard."

Tuesday's game is important because of the opponent, but this year's BC-PC game will likely entail heightened national tournament implications. The Friars are coming off five straight NCAA Tournament appearances and after beating in-state rival Rhode Island this past Saturday, Providence enters Tuesday at No. 64 in the KenPom rankings. Boston College enters Tuesday at No. 74 according to the same analytics, having dropped from No. 69 after an idle Saturday.

"It's a big game," Christian said. "It's a huge win for us if we can get it and it's the same for them. There's going to be some guys playing hard that night."

That singularly provides an additional backdrop for an annual meeting dating back to 1946. Tuesday marks the 112th game between two opponents representing the capital cities of neighboring states. Separated by approximately an hour, it's a natural rivalry for two Catholic institutions that's been augmented by a rich and compelling history.

Providence holds 61 victories for a .550 winning percentage over Boston College. A 12-game winning streak between 1959-1966 helped the Friars establish an early dominance, but the Eagles responded by winning eight out of nine games in the early Big East era. That lone win came in the 1981 Big East Tournament held at the Carrier Dome at Syracuse when the eighth-seeded Friars toppled the regular season conference champion Eagles.

That was the only postseason meeting until Boston College beat PC in the 1992 Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden, but the Friars responded the next year on a bigger stage by beating the Eagles in the NIT Quarterfinals at Conte Forum.

BC started pulling away from the Friars in later years, sweeping Providence in 2005. The Eagles were Big East regular season champions that year, and a 78-75 win over the Friars in the Ocean State pushed their record to 17-0 at the time, en route to a 20-0 start and a No. 3 ranking in the Associated Press poll.

That was the last time Boston College and Providence met as conference foes, and after the rivalry took a break in 2005-06, the Eagles and Friars resumed their basketball battles in a wild early-season matchup in 2006-07. Sean Williams blocked six shots in the first 13 minutes for BC and finished with 12 blocks overall, but Providence shot 50% in the second half en route to a 73-64 win. The next year, the intensity ratcheted up in a game played at TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, but the Friars again emerged victorious, winning 98-89 in overtime.

BC would win the next three years, until 2011, when the teams began trading home victories. Entering Tuesday, the last road win in the series came almost ten years ago, when the Eagles earned an 82-77 win at the Dunkin Donuts Center.

Tuesday's game promises to be no different and both rosters understand the importance of beating the other team. Providence has three players averaging double figures per game, including New York City native Alpha Diallo with 17 points per game. Diallo is just shy of a double-double per game average with 9.1 rebounds and provides a menacing presence as a six feet, seven inch guard. He's also capable of distributing through the offense, averaging 3.75 assists per game.

He is joined by freshman A.J. Reeves, a Roxbury native who matriculated from the Brimmer and May School in BC's backyard of Chestnut Hill. He quickly established his own resume by scoring 29 points in the season-opening game against Siena, hitting 7-of-9 from beyond the arc. Providence native David Duke completes the three-guard core for the Friars with an ability to pass in his own right. Though he's only shooting 38.7% from the field, he averages over two assists per game and will likely be a solid complement to the scoring threats up front.

It sets a tone for an old-school, Big East matchup, one that will have the added familiarity of players putting on uniforms that identify so heavily against the name on the other side. The Boston College-Providence matchup is always going to be a throwback to another time. It's the tradition of two Catholic institutions with the same core values going head-to-head on the hardwood. It's a throwback to the great players on the floor and Hall of Fame coaches on the sidelines. Two proud cities who are joined by a region, but separated by state boundaries. It harkens back to the New England basketball tradition and it plays out before those who remember it for what it was, those who love it for what it is and those who get excited for what it can become.

"This is definitely going to be a tough game," Tabbs said. "I'm looking forward to it."

Boston College takes on Providence at 7 p.m. on Tuesday from Conte Forum. The game can be seen on ESPN2 or be heard via the BC IMG Sports Network, locally on WEEI 850 AM.

Old School Rivals Reunite on Tuesday Night

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