Ed Cooley’s Friars made history this Sunday, earning a well-fought victory over the Butler Bulldogs, improving to 16-2 overall and 6-1 in Big East play. This Providence squad is the first team since 1978 to boast a 16-2 record, and the first in school history to hold a 6-1 record in conference play at this point in the season. But the record-setting doesn’t stop there, as this win also marks Ed Cooley’s 210th as the Providence head coach, passing the late-great Dave Gavitt, for second-most wins in Providence College head coaching history.
This was a must-win game for both teams – Butler came into this one riding a three-game skid, all against ranked opponents, while the Friars came into this one riding a two-game win streak, separated by twelve days of COVID pause.