UConn survives wild comeback attempt by rivals Providence, reach Big East Tournament semifinals 

A grudge match was guaranteed, because their story was not over. Providence College and the University of Connecticut (UConn) had two dramatically different results in their two regular season matchups and things had to be settled with a third game on Thursday afternoon.

The two bitter rivals separated by less than 60 miles on US Route 44 through the wooded north of Rhode Island and the eastern countryside of Connecticut traded heavy blows in their two regular season matchups. What better place to launch another than the best boxing venue ever.

First, Providence picked up a home win in front of an incendiary crowd at Amica Mutual Pavilion by a score of 73-61. Then, almost two months later, the Huskies returned the favor in front of a raucous fan base fueled by $2 beer at the Gampel Pavilion in Storrs with an 87-69 thrashing.

Yes, a grudge match was guaranteed. The Friars and Huskies haven’t met in the Big East Tournament since 1998, which ended in a UConn victory, en route to the school’s third conference title. The teams weren’t just stuck for the season, they’re stuck throughout their Big East Tournament history at two wins a piece. The story did not come to an end until this afternoon.

In front of a wild crowd at Madison Square Garden, UConn was up early, but had to fend off an inspired Providence comeback attempt to earn a close victory, 73-66. The Huskies led by 26 points at their peak, but saw the Friars fall back as low as five.

The participation of fans from Storrs, Connecticut offered more than one reason why UConn fans have christened Madison Square Garden ‘Gampel South.’

Anyone who needs more evidence of that need only look back to the second weekend of the 2014 NCAA Tournament, when national blue flag-clad crowds drowned out both Iowa State and Michigan State, boosting their team. to what would be his fourth national title.

But the fans who traveled from the Rhode Island capital were not silent. Friar fans are similarly known for their ability to blow off the roof of a building. Just look back at that UConn game in Providence that very well could have caused an earthquake due to noise.

The same crowds turned out today. For a game played on a Thursday midafternoon, the Garden was about 60 percent full by about 12 minutes into the first matchup of the day in the form of Marquette vs. St. Johns.

With the building packed as the Golden Eagles and Red Storm played in overtime, impatient Huskies fans began to chant.

When the pregame festivities began, both sets of fans were fully engaged, as were players hoping a win here could turn the tide of the season series. Both regular season games saw the winning teams have four players with double-digit points.

They went back and forth at the start of the first half. After scoring quickly, both teams suffered long droughts. Providence went through a dry spell of more than four minutes before Devin Carter hit a 3-pointer. In that time, they continually turned the ball over, as UConn scored on an Andre Jackson dunk.

The famous concave roof of the Garden was not safe from noise. A 3-pointer by UConn transfer guard Tristen Newton to make the game 16-7, gave the building its true coliseum feel. An explosion of sound kept coming from all corners of the room as it reflected off the court.

The proverbial wrestlers continued their match, but before long, UConn began landing hooks. A 3-pointer by San Diego transfer Joey Calcaterra put UConn up by eight just past the middle of the first quarter. A block by Huskies junior star Adama Sanogo continued to add pressure and volume.

By the time Providence snapped its second four-minute scoring drought, the sub-four-minute media timeout had occurred and UConn led by ten. Providence hit two of his next four shots after that, getting the game back in control for the time being. So UConn began to build momentum.

Starting with a Jackson dunk, a Friars turnover led to a Jordan Hawkins 3-pointer. A miss from Providence saw Calcaterra drain another from long range and at that point, the Huskies were in heaven. The players screamed as loud as the fans. Head coach Dan Hurley, a Seton Hall graduate, cheered on the crowd.

As the half closed, UConn was well-placed in the lead with a 35-19 lead. An outstanding first half rebounding performance by Jackson saw him have nine boards, the same as everyone on the Friars combined up to that point.

Providence forward Bryce Hopkins, who averages 8.5 rebounds per game, good for second-best in the conference, didn’t walk away with a single board in the first half.

The same trend continued early in the second half, when back-to-back 3-pointers by freshman Alex Karaban and Newton got the Huskies off to a good start. By media timeout of less than 16 minutes, UConn was up 21 while Providence had just seven points to the Huskies’ 12. That lead increased to 26 when a deep shot from Texas A&M transfer Nahiem Alleyne put them up 58-32 at the 12:31 mark of the second half.

It was at that moment that the friars turned the ship around. Providence tried to spark a comeback when former UConn guard Corey Floyd Jr. grabbed a basket for the Friars to end a 6-0 Huskies skid.

Forward Ed Croswell added to the barrage and guard Noah Locke kept the spark building with a crucial 3-pointer. With the Friars trailing by 18 at the time, it wasn’t a panacea, but it was a way to start building something bigger.

And from that moment on, it became a war of attrition. The umpires began using their whistles more frequently, with Hurley calling it a “whistle fest” at a postgame press conference.

The game turned physical. Elbows under the basket became more common and defensive schemes were changed, especially by Providence, who began to double-team.

Hopkins began to string together a good game, going from 3 points and no rebounds in the first half, to finishing the game with 16 points, seven boards and three assists.

A 20-5 run by Providence over the course of six and a half minutes cut UConn’s lead to 11 with just over five minutes to go.

“I thought the ball had a little bit of music when it started moving,” Providence coach Ed Cooley said. “He sounded like Barry White when the ball was moving. Everyone’s voice grew deep; everyone drew energy from that.’

Madison Square Garden went wild. It looked as if the building was going to fall to the ground. Wild sequences of fans on both sides yelling for trips, fouls and buckets bordered on insanity as the Friars scored six points over the course of a minute to cut the deficit to just five with 3:33 to go.

The teams began trading shots as time ran out. Hawkins hit a three. Locke hit a three. Sanogo’s layup put UConn up 68-61 with 1:39 to go. Hopkins’ spinning basket to convert the layup got him back within five points at the 1:26 mark.

But that was when Cooley used his last timeout. With their players left to fend for themselves, despair set in. Karaban hit a three-pointer with a minute to go. Locke responded in kind for PC with 0:48 to go.

But as the game drew to a close, the free throws proved to be the difference. Newton drained the lead from a 1 and 1 and then hit the second to go up 73-66. Providence’s last few attempts to trade were unsuccessful, and the UConn Huskies broke the season and tournament impasse. Hawkins finished the day for UConn with a team-high 19 points.

Cooley said it was an attitude adjustment that led to the return, and he credited UConn for not just being a good team, but for being the best in the country, something he attributes to the Huskies’ return to the conference they used to dominate.

‘The reason [UConn is] nationally ranked and [why] Have you seen a total transformation? [is] Big East brand power at its best,’ Cooley said. “Because to me I think they are the best team in the United States.”