Providence @ Texas A&M preview

Providence advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive season, and the 10th-seeded Friars will meet No. 7 seed Texas A&M in the West Region on Friday in Charlotte, N.C. Providence finished in a three-way tie for third in the Big East before playing in three straight overtime games in the conference tournament, including a loss to Villanova in the championship game on Saturday.

The Aggies reached the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons, overcoming an 0-5 start in the SEC to finish 9-9 and tied for seventh with Mississippi State before losing on a buzzer-beater to Alabama in the conference tournament opener. Tyler Davis, a 6-10 junior center for Texas A&M who averages a team-high 14.5 points and 8.8 rebounds, was held to single digits for just the fifth time this season in the loss to Alabama on Thursday. Davis, second-leading scorer Admon Gilder (12.2 points) and third-leading scorer DJ Hogg (11.3) were all key members of the Texas A&M team that reached the Sweet 16 two years ago. Providence has only advanced past the first game once in the previous four years in this tournament, beating USC two years ago before losing to the Trojans in the first round last season.

TV: 12:15 p.m. ET, CBS

ABOUT PROVIDENCE (21-13): A key player for the Friars will be 6-7 sophomore guard Alpha Diallo, who's second on the team in scoring at 13 points per game and the top rebounder at 6.6. Diallo is coming off his sixth double-double of the season, posting 22 points and 10 rebounds in the overtime loss to Villanova. He played well while the Friars went 3-3 against Villanova and Xavier this season, a positive sign considering those conference foes earned top seeds for this tournament.

ABOUT TEXAS A&M (20-12): Davis should feel at ease in this environment, as he made 7-of-8 shots and led the Aggies with 17 points in their Sweet 16 loss to second-seeded Oklahoma two years ago. Providence will likely counter with 6-8 senior forward Rodney Bullock, but he'll be giving up two inches and about 40 pounds to Davis, and fellow frontcourt starter Kalif Young hasn't played more than eight minutes in the past four games for the Friars. The Aggies also have good size elsewhere in the starting lineup with Hogg (6-9) and Robert Williams (6-10), which will certainly pose problems for Providence.

TIP-INS

1. The winner of this game plays the winner of Lipscomb and defending champion North Carolina on Sunday.

2. Providence PG Kyron Cartwright averages 5.7 assists, and his season total of 187 ranks 23rd in the nation.

3. An SEC-record eight teams made the NCAA Tournament, but none were seeded higher than No. 3 Tennessee in the South Region.

PREDICTION: Texas A&M 75, Providence 70