In order for PC head coach Tim Welsh to keep his job, the Friars are probably going to have to pull off a couple of upsets in the Big East Tournament, which begins today at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The Providence Journal / Glenn Osmundson

NEW YORK — Truth be told, Tim Welsh loves the Big Apple.

Providence College’s basketball coach enjoys the restaurants, the sports-crazed feel that rises from the city’s streets and the dozens of old friends he sees dating back to his days at Iona College.

Welsh loves the feel of a packed Madison Square Garden, the world’s most famous arena. He registered one of his biggest wins ever as the Friars’ coach at MSG when PC blew out nationally ranked Illinois in the Jimmy V Classic in 2003. He’s been known to sneak into the Garden during Big East Tournament week to view intriguing matchups, especially ones involving his mentor, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim.

But when it’s the Friars’ turn to toss it up under the Big East Tournament spotlight, things haven’t gone well for Welsh. In fact, they haven’t gone well at all. Providence is 1-8 under Welsh in the tournament. The only win came in 2003 as the Friars made their way into the NIT.

PC is back at MSG and in the Big East Tournament this afternoon, but it just may be Welsh’s last roundup as the Friars’ coach when the 12th-eeded Friars play No. 5 West Virginia in a first-round game at 2 p.m. Now in his 10th season, Welsh has just one year left on his contract, and with a 15-15 record (6-12 Big East), the Friars don’t appear headed to any postseason tournament.

Athletic director Bob Driscoll and school officials have been up-front about their plans for Welsh. Driscoll said back in October that he’d “evaluate this season” and then make a decision about the coach’s future. Welsh has met with the school’s president, Rev. Brian J. Shanley, in the last few weeks; the two frequently have lunch together.

Both Shanley and Driscoll, as well as other PC officials, have heard from waves of Friar boosters and fans over the last few months concerning Welsh’s future. Many have expressed their displeasure with the team’s success rate. Others have pushed for Welsh to coach next year. No definitive decision on Welsh’s status has been made, several PC officials insist.

What happens today, and potentially over the next few days, here in the Big Apple will help clarify Welsh’s status. If the Friars were to upset West Virginia, they’d face Connecticut tomorrow. Beating both teams would be a major achievement and place the Friars back in the discussion for a berth in the NIT or the new College Basketball Invitation Tournament.

A quick loss to the Mountaineers, however, could spell the end of the coach’s decade leading the program.

The Friar players know there’s a lot riding on today’s game, not only for themselves but for their coach. They’ve heard the boos from the fans at The Dunk, listened to unsatisfied friends on campus and checked out the raging criticism of Welsh on some Web sites. The only player to discuss Welsh’s situation recently was Pawtucket’s Jeff Xavier.

“We’ve had to fight through adversity,” said Xavier. “You know, ‘Coach Welsh this, Coach Welsh that.’ Sharaud Curry [getting injured] was the first blow. Then me getting hurt and Geoff [McDermott’s] knee. A lot of things.”

Told that some fans consider injuries to three of the team’s best players as excuses, Xavier shook his head in disgust.

“We surf the ’net. We see what people say,” he said. “Some guys, I don’t know who they are, they don’t know anything. I want [Welsh] back, to be honest. If we don’t make it this year, we can get to the NCAA Tournament next year. With him as the coach.”

The Friars face a tall task in trying to keep their season alive today. West Virginia has handled PC twice, the last time coming on Feb. 23 in an 80-53 shellacking. PC was handcuffed by the Mountaineers’ defense that night in Morgantown and struggled to even make solid passes in an ugly second half.

That effort sparked Welsh to alter his offense and install McDermott as the primary ballhandler. Xavier says the move has helped the offense and McDermott agrees.

“With me playing point guard, hopefully it’ll relieve pressure (on the other guards) and we won’t be so stagnant [offensively],” McDermott said. “We played well the first time that we played West Virginia, but they deny the passing lanes. They make it tough to get into the offense.”

McDermott and Xavier say they’re happy that the Big East Tournament supplies “a fresh start,” for the Friars in a season filled with more downs than ups. It’s that inconsistency that has put the season, and Welsh’s career at PC, on the line.

kmcnamar@projo.com