2026-27 Big East Men’s Basketball Summer Vibe Check: Providence Friars

2025-26 Big East Finish: Tied for seventh with Marquette and Butler, ended up as the #9 seed by way of head to head record against those two teams; one game behind DePaul, one game ahead of a tie for last between Xavier and Georgetown.

Postseason: The Friars checked out for the year after beating Butler in the first round of the Big East tournament and then losing by 13 to St. John's in the quarterfinals.

Only Returning Player: Yes, normally we start the player discussion with who is departing to set the table to discuss exactly what the team is losing from last year and/or what do the returning guys and newcomers have to replace. However, it's going to save us a whole bunch of time and energy to just tell you that Ryan Mela is the only returning player on the entire roster. He was in and out of the starting lineup as a sophomore this past year, ultimately averaging 9.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game while shooting a not-quite-helpful 32% on three-pointers. You might remember him from that time he got hit with a technical foul with less than a minute to play while down 29 points because he shoved Marquette walk-on Casey O'Malley to the ground.