Providence defeated No. 7 Villanova 83-68 on Wednesday night for their second-straight victory over a ranked opponent.

It's been 12 years since the Friars had consecutive wins against ranked teams.

"We proved that we can compete against the best in the country when we play our hardest," Friars coach Keno Davis said.

Providence upset No. 19 Louisville over the weekend.

The last time the Friars won back-to-back games against ranked teams they beat ninth-ranked Purdue 87-82 on Dec. 27, 1998, and No. 23 Pittsburgh 83-68 three days later.

Providence freshman Gerard Coleman was named the BIG EAST Men's Basketball Rookie of the Week, it was announced on Monday.

It marks the second time this season the freshman has earned the award (November 29). Coleman is the first Friar rookie to earn the honor twice since Ryan Gomes in 2002.

Coleman scored 19 points in the Friars upset win over No. 19/15 Louisville on Saturday, January 22, at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.

He is averaging 11.3 points in 20 games this season, which is third on the team.

Marshon Brooks scored 27 points and Gerard Coleman had a career-high 19 to lead Providence to a shocking 72-67 victory over No. 15 Louisville on Saturday.

It was the first conference victory for the Friars in 51 weeks, and their first win over former coach Rick Pitino.

Pitino has faced Providence seven times since he led the school to the 1987 Final Four, then left to coach the New York Knicks. He never faced the Friars with Kentucky.

Keno Davis is on the hot seat in his third year as head coach at Providence.

The Friars are 0-6 in the Big East and riding a 17-game losing streak against conference foes.

“Three things are important here,” athletic director Bob Driscoll said. “First, Keno is my coach and we will support him and our players and the program. We have some great fans and they deserve to have a successful program that they’re proud of. But I’m disappointed in our results, clearly. Last in the Big East is unacceptable to me.”

Providence has never released any details of Davis’ deal, but he does have five years remaining.

Despite the public support, the Friars need to start winning if Davis is going to come close to remaining at the school throughout his contract.