Providence looks to silence the doubters with Sweet 16 win over Kansas: 'We took that to heart'

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The Providence Friars are back in the Sweet 16 for this first time since 1997, but for senior Ed Croswell, it’s business as usual. 

Croswell, 22, told Fox News Digital in an interview following Thursday’s team practice in Chicago that Providence has been building up momentum all season long to prove the naysayers wrong, and that continues on Friday night when they take on the top-seeded Jayhawks. 

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"I feel like everything we do, we’re just making history, and we’re bringing back old memories for Providence fans," Croswell said. "It’s a great opportunity for us to make our name and make our impact on the program forever."

Ed Croswell of the Providence Friars gets a steal in the second half of the game against the Creighton Bluejays during the 2022 Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 11, 2022, in New York City.  (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

The Friars went 25-7 this season, including 14 Big East conference wins. They were certainly the underdogs heading into the NCAA Tournament, but after winning their first regular-season championship in Big East history, head coach Ed Cooley is drowning out the noise. 

"The narrative on doubt and luck and this and that, yeah, it plays on you," Cooley told reporters this week. "The players will come in the locker room and talk about it, and I tongue-in-cheek it a little bit, but, you know, you got some older guys out there just willing to try to compete for respect. I don’t have to be liked, but I’ll be damned if you’re not going to respect me."

Croswell is certainly one of those players. 

"When we focus