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Rhode Island
As March Madness looms, take a look at where Rhode Island’s Div. I basketball teams stand
Bryant coach Phil Martelli Jr. speaks after the Bulldogs beat UMBC
Top-seeded Bryant beats No. 8 UMBC 85-74 on Saturday to advance in the America East Tournament. They will host Albany in the semifinals next week.
With the March Madness Selection Show fast approaching (Sunday, March 16), let’s take a look at where our Division I men’s and women’s basketball teams stand in terms of their conference tournaments.
Some have seen their seasons come to an end (barring any invites to a postseason tournament), others are still chasing their conference crowns, and still others will begin conference tournament play this week.
Here’s a rundown of where Rhode Island’s teams stand:
🏀Women’s Basketball
∎The Bryant Bulldogs will play Tuesday, after dispatching Binghamton on Thursday, 66-63, in the America East Quarterfinals. No. 3 Bryant will travel to face No. 2 Vermont on Monday at 6 p.m.
∎The Brown Bears (12-15, 6-8 Ivy) ended their regular-season with a pair of wins, including Saturday’s 53-44 victory over the Yale Bulldogs in New Haven, Conn. Despite finishing with identical 6-8 conference records with Pennsylvania and tying for fourth place in the Ivy League, the Bears lost the tiebreaker (NET rankings) to the Quakers, and missed out on Ivy Madness, which will take place this week in Providence. The women’s teams playing for the Ivy League title will be Columbia, Princeton, Harvard and Penn.
∎The Providence Friars fell to Georgetown, 58-56, in the opening round of the Big East Tournament on Friday afternoon at Mohegan Sun. The loss ends the Friars season, who wrapped up the 2024-25 campaign at 13-19 overall, 6-12 in conference play.
∎After opening the Atlantic 10 Tournament with a 52-41 win over George Washington, the Rhode Island Rams fell to St. Joseph’s 53-50 in overtime on Friday, ending their tournament run. URI finishes the season at 17-16 overall, 11-7 in conference play.
🏀Men’s Basketball
∎The Bryant Bulldogs played like the No. 1 seed they are, topping UMBC 85-74 in Saturday’s quarterfinal round of the America East Tournament. Next up is another home game, against No. 4 Albany on Tuesday at 9 p.m. at the Chace Center.
∎The Providence Friars head to New York City’s Madison Square Garden as the No. 8 seed in the Big East Tournament. PC fell at Xavier 76-68 in Saturday’s regular-season finale to end their year at 12-19 overall, 6-14 in conference play, and will meet No. 9 Butler Wednesday at 4 p.m.
∎The Rhode Island Rams (18-12, 7-11 Atlantic 10) ended regular-season play on a high note Saturday, beating Fordham 86-67 on Senior Day. The two teams will meet again Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Atlantic 10 Tournament in Washington, D.C. Rhody is the No. 10 seed, Fordham is No.15.
∎The Brown Bears saw their season end on Saturday, falling at home to Yale, 70-61. The loss eliminated the Bears from contention in the upcoming Ivy Madness tournament, which tips off Friday at Pizzitola Sports Center. Brown ends the year at 14-13 overall, 6-8 in conference play. The men’s teams playing for the Ivy League title in Providence will be Yale, Cornell, Dartmouth and Princeton.
CUMBERLAND, R.I. (WPRI) — Rhode Island State Police are investigating a crash that happened on I-295 North in Cumberland Tuesday night.
The crash happened in the right lane near Exit 22 just before 9 p.m.
It’s unclear exactly what caused the crash or if anyone was injured.
12 News has reached out to Rhode Island State Police for more information but has not heard back.
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Scandals shake up Capitol Hill ahead of midterm elections
Congressional reporter Zachary Schermele dives into the latest scandals on Capitol Hill and how they’re shaking up politics ahead of midterms.
Rhode Island’s Democrat and Republican primary elections will officially be held on Wednesday, Sept. 9 this year, instead of the usual Tuesday election day.
Lawmakers passed the bill at the urging of state and local officials, who were concerned that an election day falling the day after Labor Day would not give them enough time to set up polls for the arrival of voters.
Gov. Dan McKee signed the bill on April 20, officially moving the primary day for 2026.
Which races will be on the ballot? The Republican and Democrat nominees for a swath of local offices – most notably governor but also lieutenant governor and attorney general.
Why was RI’s primary day moved?
At a hearing on the bill earlier this year, Randy Rossi, executive director of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns explained the “significant logistical and financial challenges” municipalities otherwise would have faced having an election the day after Labor Day.
“Beyond cost, municipalities face serious logistical challenges accessing and setting up more than 430 polling locations on a major federal holiday, a process that often requires many hours and access to facilities that are typically closed and unstaffed on Labor Day,” he said.
“Compounding these challenges, many municipalities conduct early voting in city or town halls that must also serve as primary day polling locations,” Rossi noted.
Without changes to current law, he said, “municipalities would be required to conduct early voting and primary day polling simultaneously, often in the same limited space and with the same poll workers, requiring additional staffing and facilities.”
By the time this legislative hearing took place in January, other states facing similar issues, including Massachusetts, had already adjusted their primary dates, “and Rhode Island itself has demonstrated that alternative scheduling can be successful, as occurred during the statewide Wednesday primary in 2018,” Rossi said.
EAST GREENWICH, R.I. (WPRI) — If you’re looking to satisfy you’re sweet tooth, look no further than Division Street.
Nothing Bundt Cakes opened its first Rhode Island bakery in East Greenwich earlier this month. The new bakery is situated within East Greenwich Square, which is also home to the Ocean State’s first Crumbl.
The bakery is known for its handcrafted specialty Bundt cakes, as well as smaller “Bundtlets,” and bite-sized “Bundtinis,” that come in a variety of flavors.
“There’s a strong sense of local pride, creativity, and community here that aligns perfectly with our values,” said Jake Williams, who owns the East Greenwich bakery. “We were drawn to the area’s vibrant small business culture and the opportunity to contribute something special.”
Nothing Bundt Cakes is also expected to open another bakery at Chapel View in Cranston later this year.
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Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app.
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