Malik Mack's Commitment to Providence Creates New Twist in Rivalry with Georgetown

The heated games between the Hoyas and Friars will have a new development next season

Jan 24, 2026; Providence, Rhode Island, USA; Georgetown Hoyas guard Malik Mack (2) gestures during the second half against the Providence Friars at Amica Mutual Pavilion. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The series between Providence and Georgetown has become one of the most underrated rivalries in college basketball since Ed Cooley left the Friars for the Hoyas but now those games will have a different meaning.

Providence is on its second head coach since Cooley’s departure after firing Kim English in March and new coach Bryan Hodgson has already reinvigorated the Friar fanbase with his roster transformation in the transfer portal but now it will have to accept one of Cooley’s guys.

Hodgson landed Georgetown transfer Malik Mack as he continues to solidify his backcourt this offseason. Mack becomes the eighth player to join the Friars this offseason.

Typically, anybody or anything associated with Ed Cooley would get a villain’s welcome inside the Amica Mutual Pavilion but it’s safe to assume the tide will turn quickly for the former Hoya.

Now, it’ll be the Georgetown fanbase – albeit typically a small one at Capital One Arena – will likely turn on its ex-guard.

Malik Mack, an Oxon Hill, Maryland native, was a two-year starter for Ed Cooley, averaging 13.6 points and 4.1 assists per game this season after beginning his career in the New England area at Harvard where he spent one season.

On the opposite side, Ed Cooley will be under a ton of pressure to try and get Georgetown back in the NCAA Tournament after not earning a bid in any of his three seasons in Washington D.C. and will have to do so with a new roster.

The Hoyas have seen 11 players enter the portal and only have added two commitments, Kentucky point guard Jaland Lowe and Kansas guard Elmarko Jackson. Cooley’s tenure has not been what anybody expected and questions surrounding his job will arise if the team has another poor season.

Nevertheless, the atmosphere when the two teams meet twice this season will be one of the games to watch in the Big East with an extra layer of a storyline.