Providence will have at least one more game under coach Kim English, and it couldn’t feature a tougher opponent. The ninth-seeded Friars, led by a historic performance from freshman Stefan Vaaks, defeated eighth-seeded Butler in the Big East tournament on Wednesday, setting up a second-round matchup against top-seeded St. John's on Thursday in New York.

St. John's, ranked 13th nationally, went 18-2 in the league to capture a second straight regular-season title under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino. The Red Storm’s only league loss before the tournament came on Jan. 3 at Madison Square Garden against Providence, which rallied from a 13-point deficit to win 77-71 on Feb. 14.

The teams’ return game in Rhode Island turned contentious. Duncan Powell fouled former Providence forward Bryce Hopkins during a layup attempt, sparking a fight that resulted in six ejections before St. John's won 79-69. Powell served a three-game suspension.

“I think it was all, truthfully, blown out of proportion,” English said Wednesday. “It was a hard foul, a couple guys got in each other’s faces, there were some pushes. I think it got completely blown out of proportion.”

English emphasized there is no lingering animosity between the programs. “We have a game in the greatest arena in the world against one of the best coaches in college basketball history and the Big East Player of the Year, Zuby Ejiofor. We have a lot of respect for St. John's. That’s all it is. There’s no beef.”

Off the court, reports last week indicated Providence would part ways with English after the season. Rumors also circulated that Richard Pitino, Rick Pitino’s son and Xavier coach, might be interested in the Providence job, which both denied. Rick Pitino, who coached the Friars from 1985-87, confirmed his son would remain at Xavier.

Wednesday’s win over Butler saw Vaaks spark a comeback after Providence fell behind 15-2. Vaaks finished with career highs of 28 points and eight 3-pointers, tying the Big East tournament record for threes in a game. Ryan Mela contributed 23 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, while Jaylin Sellers added 23 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

Against St. John's, Vaaks scored 16 and 20 points in two matchups, while Sellers recorded 15 and 13 before being ejected in the second meeting. “No extra motivation,” Sellers said. “They’re on the list, so we have to take care of business to keep our season alive. Personally, I learned from the situation, and now it’s time to be a leader and make sure my guys are ready to play the next 40 minutes.”

Providence will focus on stopping Ejiofor, who was named Big East Player of the Year Wednesday. He scored 33 points with 15 rebounds in the first matchup against the Friars but managed just 14 points and four rebounds in the rematch. Ejiofor is averaging 16.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.0 blocks per game this season.

Former Friar Bryce Hopkins, now at St. John's, has averaged 13.3 points and six rebounds this season after three injury-plagued years at Providence. He revealed he had a feeling the Red Storm would face Providence again. “I don’t know why, but I had a feeling we’d match up again. So it is what it is,” Hopkins said.

Thursday’s game will take place at Madison Square Garden, which serves as St. John's home court and draws strong support from Providence fans. “I got my team together this morning to talk about the Big East tournament and how spectacular it is,” Pitino said. “You won’t fully appreciate it until you leave New York, but you guys just played 11 or 12 games in the World’s Greatest Arena.” -Field Level Media/Reuters