The Providence Friars received their seeding in the 2016 NCAA Tournament, and it comes as a slight surprise to be seeded as low as a number 9 seed in the East region. Their opponent will be the USC Trojans, who are appearing in their first NCAA Tournament since the 2009 season.
We'll have a more detailed look at the matchup later in the week; for now, here's a quick look at how these two teams stack up against one another.
| Stat | Providence | USC |
| Seed | 9 | 8 |
| Record | 23-10 | 21-12 |
| RPI (ESPN) | 38 | 48 |
| Good Wins | vs. Arizona (Wooden Legacy), at Villanova, Butler (x3) | Yale, Wichita State, Colorado, Oregon State |
| Bad Losses | at DePaul | None |