It wasn't an exact replica of the famous Ryan Arcidiacono-to-Kris Jenkins pitch-back that allowed Villanova to win the 2016 NCAA Tournament. And the stakes weren't nearly as high, obviously.
But it was still nice and great.
Providence's Al Durham, in the final seconds of a tie game Wednesday night at Xavier, rushed the ball up the court and then pitched it back to Jared Bynum, who buried a jumper just before the last horn sounded.
Final score: Providence 65, Xavier 62.
The Friars are now 17-2.
"It was a high-level game," Bynum said. "It was going to come down to one shot. I was able to make the last shot, and I'm grateful for that."
𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲-𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆?
— BIG EAST Conference (@BIGEAST) January 27, 2022
Something they can agree on in Providence and Storrs.
What a night of #BIGEASThoops. pic.twitter.com/cAz2BUyGhe
As I noted Wednesday night on CBS Sports Network, Providence does not have great computer numbers. The Friars are 47th at KenPom, 39th in BPI, 36th in Sagarin and 33rd in the NET. That is worth noting. But the résumé, to this point, has to be respected. Providence is 4-1 in Quadrant 1 and 4-1 in Quadrant 2 — or 8-2 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. That's strong, and it's among the reasons I've advanced Ed Cooley's team to No. 15 in Thursday's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.
Providence's win, combined with Marquette moving up to No. 18 following Wednesday's 73-63 victory at Seton Hall, caused LSU, USC, Ohio State and BYU to be pushed down in the rankings though no fault of their own. Meantime, Davidson was removed from the Top 25 And 1 because of a 70-68 loss to VCU. The Wildcats have been replaced in the rankings by Illinois, which is 6-2 in its past eight games heading into Saturday's contest at Northwestern.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Auburn is 9-1 in the first two quadrants and on a 16-game winning streak. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma. | -- | 28-6 |
| 2 |  | Gonzaga has won eight straight games since losing to Alabama. The Zags' next game is Thursday against Loyola Marymount. | -- | 28-4 |
| 3 |  | Baylor leads the nation with seven Quadrant 1 wins and is 10-2 in the first two quadrants. The Bears' next game is Saturday at Alabama. | -- | 27-7 |
| 4 |  | Kansas is 10-2 in the first two quadrants with wins over Michigan State and Texas Tech. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Kentucky. | -- | 34-6 |
| 5 |  | UCLA is 7-2 in the first two quadrants thanks to a four-game winning streak highlighted by a victory over Arizona. The Bruins' next game is Thursday against California. | -- | 27-8 |
| 6 |  | Arizona is 6-2 in the first two quadrants with the losses coming at Tennessee and at UCLA. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Arizona State. | -- | 33-4 |
| 7 |  | Houston's nine-game winning streak features seven double-digit victories. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at UCF. | -- | 32-6 |
| 8 |  | Purdue is 6-3 in the first two quadrants with wins over Villanova and Illinois. The Boilermakers' next game is Thursday at Iowa. | -- | 29-8 |
| 9 |  | Kentucky is 5-4 in the first two quadrants with all four losses coming in Quadrant 1 games away from home. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Kansas. | -- | 26-8 |
| 10 |  | Wisconsin is 10-3 in the first two quadrants with wins over Purdue, Houston, Ohio State and Marquette. The Badgers' next game is Thursday at Nebraska. | -- | 25-8 |
| 11 |  | Villanova is 8-1 in its past nine games with the lone loss in that stretch coming to Marquette. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against St. John's. | -- | 30-8 |
| 12 |  | Michigan State is 10-2 in its past 12 games with a win over Wisconsin and losses to Northwestern and Illinois. The Spartans' next game is Saturday against Michigan. | -- | 23-13 |
| 13 |  | Texas Tech is 6-5 in the first two quadrants with all five losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday against Mississippi State. | -- | 27-10 |
| 14 |  | Duke is 5-3 in the first two quadrants with wins over Gonzaga and Kentucky and losses to Miami and Florida State. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at Louisville. | -- | 32-7 |
| 15 |  | Providence's 4-1 Quadrant 1 record includes wins over Wisconsin and Texas Tech. The Friars' next game is Sunday against Marquette. | 3 | 27-6 |
| 16 |  | LSU is 3-3 since losing Xavier Pinson to a knee injury that he's expected to return from soon. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at TCU. | 1 | 22-12 |
| 17 |  | USC's 6-2 record in the first two quadrants is highlighted by a win over San Diego State. The Trojans' next game is Thursday against Stanford. | 1 | 26-8 |
| 18 |  | Marquette is 8-6 in the first two quadrants and on a seven-game winning streak highlighted by victories over Villanova and Xavier. The Golden Eagles' next game is Sunday at Providence. | 2 | 19-13 |
| 19 |  | Ohio State's 4-4 record in the first two quadrants includes zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. The Buckeyes' next game is Thursday at Minnesota. | 2 | 20-12 |
| 20 |  | BYU is 7-1 in its past eight games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Gonzaga. The Cougars' next game is Thursday at Santa Clara. | 1 | 24-11 |
| 21 |  | Tennessee's 6-5 record in the first two quadrants includes zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Texas. | 1 | 27-8 |
| 22 |  | UConn is 4-4 in the first two quadrants and the only team with a win over Auburn. The Huskies' next game is Saturday at DePaul. | 1 | 23-10 |
| 23 |  | Iowa State is 6-4 in Quadrant 1 with wins over Texas Tech and Xavier. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday against Missouri. | 1 | 22-13 |
| 24 |  | Colorado State is 4-1 in the first two quadrants with the lone loss coming at San Diego State. The Rams' next game is Friday against UNLV. | 2 | 25-6 |
| 25 |  | Xavier is 7-5 in the first two quadrants with wins over Ohio State and Marquette. The Musketeers' next game is Saturday at Creighton. | 4 | 23-13 |
| 26 |  | Illinois is 6-5 in the first two quadrants with a win over Michigan State. The Illini's next game is Saturday at Northwestern. | NR | 23-10 |
