1972 Providence Basketball: Reaching The NCAA Tournament

Providence basketball entered Dave Gavitt’s third year on an upward trajectory. The Friars were coming off a 20-win season that saw them reach the quarterfinals of the NIT. In 1972 Providence kept on improving, making the NCAA Tournament, and setting the stage for even bigger things in the immediate future.

BARNES & DIGREGORIO TAKE CENTER STAGE

When we talk about NIT or NCAA Tournament qualification, it’s important to remember how different the world of college basketball was. Only 25 teams went to the NCAAs. The NIT chose just 16. That’s 41 teams combined in both tournaments, as opposed to the 68 who make the NCAA field today.

In other words, you had to be really good to get a ticket to March Madness (a term that didn’t yet exist). And the key to the Friars’ continued progress was the emergence of Marvin Barnes. The 6’8” sophomore forward averaged 22 points/16 rebounds per game.

Barnes was one part of a great inside-out duo. Ernie DiGregorio was the other half. The junior guard knocked down 17ppg and handed out eight assists per night. Providence got further support from DiGregorio’s running mate in the backcourt—senior Donald Lewis was a double-digit scorer and going just 6’0” didn’t stop him from grabbing five rebounds per game.

TESTING THE WATERS

Providence opened the season by beating crosstown rival Brown. The Friars beat a respectable Penn State team on a neutral floor and mostly took care of business. But you also saw the shortcomings. Providence went to a St. Joe’s to a play a 19-win Hawks team and lost 72-65. The Friars dropped a 77-72 decision to a pretty good Fordham squad on the road.

In other words, they were winning the games they should, but not more than that. Providence went into January with a record of 6-2.

JANUARY MOMENTUM

January saw this Friar group start to come into their own. They went to Villanova, who was ranked #11 in the country and bound for the NCAA field. Providence got a big 76-69 road win. They hosted Niagara, coached by future Utah Jazz mentor Frank Layden and headed for 21 win,s and got an 89-79 victory. And in the biggest win of them all, the Friars went west to face seventh-ranked USC and came home with a 70-66 win.

Providence closed January with a 12-2 record and got to #16 in the national polls.

AN UP-AND-DOWN FEBRUARY

February was a little more up and down. The Friars split two games with Rhode Island, who ultimately won the Yankee Conference. Providence was beaten decisively at St. Bonaventure, a good-but-not-great team. And the Friars suffered a five-point loss at 20-win Duquesne.

But there were also positives, highlighted by a 104-68 beatdown of a respectable Holy Cross squad. As the calendar flipped to March, Providence was still 15-5 and had a shot at the postseason.

FINISHING WITH A FLOURISH

Momentum returned at the right time. A game with St. John’s, who was also fighting for an NCAA invite, saw Providence get a 73-65 win. Given that in this era, the NCAA Selection Committee gave greater weight to regional balance, it’s at least possible that this ended up being a decisive game in who got a bid and who did not, given the Redmen fell short.

A late-season trip south brought the Friars to Jacksonville University. That may not sound significant to the modern reader, but in the world of 1972, the Dolphins were just two years removed from making the NCAA championship game with Artis Gilmore. While Artis was gone, Jacksonville still won 20 games this year. But not against Providence, who went home with a 90-76 victory.

The regular season ended as it had begun—with a victory over Brown. The Friars’ 20-5 record got them a ticket to the East Regional in the NCAA Tournament.

A SHORT NCAA STAY

There were seven teams in the East and there was no formal seeding. Providence was paired up against Ivy League champion Penn in a game played at St. John’s Alumni Hall (today’s Carnesecca Arena). The Quakers were coached by Chuck Daly, the future leader of the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons and the 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream team.

Penn was 22-3 and, like Providence, had beaten USC. The Friars didn’t play well. While DiGregorio got 17 points, Barnes struggled to a 3-for-10 afternoon. And there was no defense, with the Quakers shooting 68 percent. It was close for a half, but Penn pulled away to win 76-60.

THE UPWARD TRAJECTORY

It was still a season of continued progress for Gavitt’s Providence program, and it was only going to get better. With DiGregorio and Barnes back in the fold, the Friars made the Final Four in 1973.