Four former players or coaches – Dave Gavitt, John Thompson, Rick Pitino, and Lenny Wilkens – are enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

In addition, two-time NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament champion, current Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan, helped lead the Friars (as a player) to the Final Four in 1987.

By 1955, Cuddy's record fell to 9–12 and he was replaced by Joe Mullaney; at the same time, the school opened its first on-campus gym, Alumni Hall.

In 1959, Mullaney and the Friars defeated ranked Villanova on the road, leading to their first-ever National Invitational Tournament bid.

The Friars reached the NIT Finals in 1960 with future hall-of-famer Lenny Wilkens being named MVP in his senior season before winning the tournament in 1961 behind Vin Ernst, John Egan, and Jim Hadnot.

In 1966–67, Jimmy Walker led the nation in scoring and became the school's first 2,000-point scorer as well as the first New England player selected first overall in the NBA draft.

That season was the Friars' best to date; led by Ernie DiGregorio and the troubled center Marvin Barnes, the team went on a 17-team game winning streak that ended in a Final Four loss to Memphis State.

The team continued its top-flight status with back-to-back 20-win seasons in 1976–77 and 1977–78, earning NCAA tournament bids each year, one coming after defeating top-ranked Michigan in 1976.

The conference originally consisted of Providence, Boston College, Georgetown, St. John's, Seton Hall, Syracuse, and Connecticut.

The next year, 1986–87, the Friars posted a 25–9 record behind Billy Donovan and made their second-ever Final Four appearance in the 1987 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

In 1987–88, the Friars posted a losing record under new head coach Gordie Chiesa, who was replaced by Rick Barnes after the season.

Behind Barnes and 2,000-point scorer Eric Murdock, the Friars made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in 1989 and 1990, as well as an NIT bid in 1991.

After defeating Duke in the 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, the Friars reached the Elite Eight before losing, in overtime, to eventual champion Arizona.

Davis' team posted a 19–14 record, including a win at home over top-ranked Pittsburgh, in 2008–09 en route to an NIT appearance.

In his third season at Providence, Cooley led the Friars to a 10–8 mark in the Big East Conference and finished tied for 3rd with Xavier and St. John's.

However, in addition to former Senior point guard Vincent Council's graduation and Ricky Ledo entering the draft, Sophomore point guard Kris Dunn faced another shoulder injury and had to sit out almost the entire year as a medical redshirt, Cleveland State transfer Sophomore guard Junior Lamomba had to sit out the NCAA-enforced one-year period, and incoming Freshmen Brandon Austin and Rodney Bullock were suspended for the entire season due to an unspecified violation of team rules.

They defeated St. John's in the Quarterfinals, Seton Hall in the semifinals, and Creighton in the thrilling final at Madison Square Garden, claiming PC's second tournament title in Big East history.

The Friars lost 77–79, but en route Bryce Cotton scored a career high 36 points, making him the 4th all-time leading scorer in Providence College basketball history.

Despite the loss, the season marked yet another major step forward by Ed Cooley & Co. in rebuilding the PC basketball program.

Renovations were also inclusive of a new Jumbotron, luxury suites, HVAC chiller, upgraded concessions, concourse updates, new seating bowl and other amenities.

The two smallest schools in the original Big East, Providence and the Villanova Wildcats, currently battle at least twice each year during conference play.

The annual Rhode Island State Championship game is played between these schools once a year and is considered often to be the highlight of the schedule for the Rams.

The game now alternates annually between Providence (The Amp) and Kingston The Ryan Center always resulting in a rare home sellout for Rhode Island in their year hosting.