Daily Briefing: Are you ready for college basketball season?

ALSO: The latest on everything following the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine. Advertisement [eNewspaper]( | [Crosswords]( | [Horoscopes]( [Read in browser]( [Read in browser]( The Daily Briefing YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP Fri Oct 27 2023 Will Richmond | Managing Editor Communities & R.I. [@Will_Richmond]( Good morning, I'm Will Richmond at The Providence Journal and this is the Daily Briefing. One of my favorite times of the year is about to begin, the start of the college basketball season. A fan of any sport knows the beginning of the season offers hope for all. Sure there are pre-season polls and rankings, but ultimately they are pretty meaningless by the end of the year. Consider that North Carolina started last year as the number 1 ranked team in the Associated Press poll, while Connecticut was unranked. By the time the season wrapped up in April, the Huskies were celebrating a national championship, while the Tar Heels were watching from home. It's with that hope that I hold high expectations for my alma mater Syracuse and the team I grew up rooting for URI. There's been some lean years lately, but it feels like there's light on the horizon for both squads. [Providence College Friars Big East Media Day] Providence College Friars basketball players at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday for Big East Media Day. From left, Devin Carter, Bryce Hopkins, coach Kim English, Josh Oduro. PC Athletics While the games haven't tipped off yet, the buzz is building and The Journal's pre-season coverage has me getting excited. The Journal's Bill Koch was at Madison Square Garden this week for the Big East Media Day at Madison Square Garden and there were a lot of Rhode Island ties, even beyond this year's Providence Friars. On the coaching side, there's Rick Pitino's return to the Big East with St. John's and native son Ed Cooley taking Georgetown. Cumberland's Tyler Kolek was also named the Big East Pre-season Player of the Year – though I'd note Kolek agrees with me about the difference between the beginning and end of the season. “Honestly, it doesn’t make me feel any type of way,” said Kolek. “Last year, I wasn’t voted anything and ended up winning Player of the Year. The end of the year is what really matters.” While PC gets the majority of headlines right now in Rhode Island there are always storylines coming out of Brown and Bryant, along with the women's program's across the state – including URI, which is hoping to make that vote as the number one team in the Atlantic 10 a reality at the end of the year. The good news is you can catch up on all of the reporting from Koch and The Journal staff in our handy [Rhode Island-themed college basketball primer.]( Check it out and you'll be ready before the ball hits the court. Kingston to Providence to Smithfield we've got the court covered this season. [A subscription to The Providence Journal will have you in the know until the final buzzer.]( WORTH A READ 📰 [Find the latest on everything following the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, here.]( 👻 WWE superstars recently spent the night in Fall River, Massachusetts. [You won't believe what they saw.]( 🎣 East Bay Bike Path bridges are finally getting replaced, but [will fishermen lose out?]( Today's Weather 🌤️ Partly sunny and warm with the temperature approaching the record of 82 set in 1947. Highs in the upper 70s. TOP STORIES [Why HUD is taking Woonsocket to court and trying to get a property back]( [House at 194 Rhode Island Ave in Woonsocket for story on a lawsuit between HUD and city of Woonsocket. Photographed on Oct 26, 2023.]( HUD says the city illegally sold a Rhode Island Avenue house the agency owned. The city says the agency owed taxes, ignored the property. 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