{
  "id": 7340406,
  "title": "Providence's Big East schedule is no easy start for new coach Hodgson",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/providences-big-east-schedule-is-no-easy-start-for-new-coach-hodgson",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-14T15:01:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/providences-big-east-schedule-no-150111389.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Providence will be forced to confront the challenging landscape of Big East men’s basketball with new coach Bryan Hodgson. Their opening eight league matches will take them to Villanova, St. John’s twice, and Connecticut. Hodgson assumes command for the first time in a Nov. 2 matchup against Maine. The Friars commence their new conference era with a Dec. 12 visit to Butler at Amica Mutual Pavilion. After a 10-day break, they travel to Philadelphia for a game against Villanova on Dec. 22. The season concludes with a Dec. 30 home game against St. John’s and Hodgson’s previous coach Rick Pitino's regular season and conference tournament championship win in 2025-26. St. John’s and Providence’s past meeting was marred by a fight in the second half, as St. John’s won 79-69. Providence faces DePaul and Marquette before a rematch against St. John’s at Madison Square Garden and a home game against the Huskies. Connecticut finished runner-up to Michigan last season, overcoming a late deficit before winning at Providence in overtime. The Friars will experience a rare three-game homestand against the Golden Eagles, Blue Demons, and Wildcats in February before facing Seton Hall and a home game against Georgetown. Former coach Ed Cooley is set to return as Providence tries to improve its performance. The Huskies will host the Friars to conclude February, and the Musketeers' road trip starts in March. Providence concludes the regular season with a March 6 home game against Creighton, the first road trip for new coach Alan Huss. Huss led High Point to the NCAA Tournament and a Round of 64 loss to Purdue in the 2024-25 season.",
  "summary": "The Friars visit Villanova, match up with St. John’s twice and host Connecticut through their first eight league games.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}