The Friars men's basketball team is an original member of the Big East Conference, which was created in 1979 by a group led by former Providence coach Dave Gavitt and headquartered in Providence.[44] The Friars play their home games at the 13,000-seat Dunkin' Donuts Center in downtown Providence, a facility that underwent an $80 million renovation completed in 2008.[45] Despite having the smallest enrollment of any Big East Conference school, the Friars have routinely averaged over 10,000 fans per game during the 30-plus year history of the facility,[46] all while earning postseason berths and placing many players in the National Basketball Association. In addition to producing NBA players, former Friars players and coaches have also gone on to become basketball icons in the coaching world, such as Rick Pitino, Billy Donovan, Lenny Wilkens, Pete Gillen, Rick Barnes, and John Thompson.
Providence College won the 1961 and 1963 NIT championship and participated in the 1973 and 1987 Final Four, and the 1997 squad advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight.[46] Overall, the team has earned 15 NCAA basketball tournament berths and 18 NIT berths,[46] as well as having numerous players named All-Americans.