Kentucky vs. Bryce Hopkins factor not lost on Providence players

“It’s made for television, it’ll be a primetime game,” Providence head coach Ed Cooley said earlier this week.

The NCAA Selection Committee may never admit that a first-round matchup between Kentucky and Providence was pre-planned, but when the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket was nearly completed on Sunday afternoon, it became clear what was going to happen. With just one region left and neither program announced as part of the field of 68, it felt inevitable.

Like it or not, the storyline surrounding former Wildcat Bryce Hopkins, who went from SEC bench warmer to a member of the All-Big East First Team in a single offseason, was just too much to pass up on for a primetime showdown in the Big Dance.

“I was messing with Bryce the whole day and I said we’re gonna play Kentucky,” Cooley added. “We’re gonna go play Kentucky.”

It’s a headline that is rightfully being beaten to death. Hopkins came to Kentucky as the lowest-ranked freshman recruit of a three-man group, but he was quickly heralded in summer practices as the most impressive. Unfortunately, an ill-timed injury bumped him down the rotation to begin the regular season, and he was never able to consistently crack John Calipari’s lineup the rest of the way. It was no shock to see him transfer out of the program not long into the offseason — and even less of a shock to see him shine in a new role on a new team under a new head coach.

Now, a shot at revenge is on the table. Calipari and the Kentucky players have raved about Hopkins since the matchup — set for Friday night in Greensboro, NC — became official, but it’s no secret that Hopkins still holds a slight grudge against the program. He said as much to Brian Hamilton of The Athletic just a couple of months ago. But Providence’s leading scorer (16. PPG) is still excited and is looking forward to the matchup.

“As I was watching it, I was on the edge of my seat,” Hopkins said. “Kentucky wasn’t called yet, we weren’t called yet. They got to that last region and I’ve been seeing a lot of mock drafts and stuff saying it was gonna be a six and 11 seed. So I was kinda feeling it and when both of the names popped up, you know, God works in mysterious ways.

“I can’t wait. It’s a lot of emotions gonna be in that game. A lot is gonna be going through my head but I’m ready to lock in, play in this big stage, and hopefully come out with the win.”

It’s certainly going to be an important moment for Hopkins. One where he can “prove himself” to the Kentucky program that he was worth more than he received during that lone season in Lexington. His Providence teammates understand the gravity of the situation, too. While it’s certainly a huge opportunity for the Friars as a whole, Hopkins has a little extra weight on his shoulders than the rest of the team.

“We’re very aware of it,” Providence senior forward Ed Croswell said. “I didn’t expect us to play Kentucky, but now that we’re playing Kentucky, man, we’re gonna ball our butts off for (Hopkins).”

“We’re excited for him,” Sophomore guard Devin Carter added. “That’s going to be a very emotional game for him as well. We just wanna let him know that we have his back, and then go from there.”

Nerves will be at an all-time high once Hopkins steps on the hardwood at Greensboro Coliseum, but he has a group of teammates ready to fight the battle alongside him. He’s clearly a well-liked individual by his teammates, which was the case when he was at UK. They’ll all go to bat for him. But again, as much as this game is about Hopkins vs. Kentucky, there is more at stake than just some revenge.

“I’m happy for him but it’s not about him. I’m happy for us,” Cooley said.