The Providence Friars will be without one of the best players in the Big East for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
The school announced Thursday morning that junior forward Bryce Hopkins, a First Team All-Big East selection a year ago, will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee. Hopkins sustained the injury early in the second half of Wednesday night’s game against Seton Hall, when his leg appeared to give out as he attempted to lead a fast break. Hopkins was down on the floor for several minutes before being helped off the floor, putting virtually no weight on his left leg.
"We all feel for Bryce and his family in this difficult time," head coach Kim English said in a press release. "We will be with him throughout this process to help him come back stronger than ever. We ask that all of Friartown keeps Bryce and his family in your thoughts and prayers."
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The loss of Hopkins is a brutal blow for a Providence team that had appeared in the AP Top 25 in each of the past two weeks and had emerged as a potential dark horse contender to win the Big East in English’s first season as head coach. Hopkins, who transferred in from Kentucky following the 2021-22 season, is one of the most productive players in the Big East, averaging more than 15 points and eight rebounds per game for a second consecutive season.
While fellow transfer Devin Carter has emerged into an All-American candidate, the Friars are a different team with Hopkins on the floor. Against top-100 opponents this season, Providence is nearly 18 points better per 100 possessions with Hopkins in the game than without, per Hoop Explorer.
Providence looked shellshocked after Hopkins left the game Wednesday, eventually falling to Seton Hall 61–57. It was just the fourth loss the Friars have endured in their last 50 home games. The injury also comes ahead of a difficult stretch of schedule for Providence, with the Friars set to play four of their next five games on the road.
