BUFFALO — Providence coach Ed Cooley knows it takes some good fortune to make a long run in the NCAA Tournament.

So if anyone wants to call his gritty Friars lucky, that’s fine by him.

Al Durham had 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists and Jared Bynum made three big free throws with 29.9 seconds left as Providence snapped the longest winning streak in the country by beating South Dakota State 66-57 Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The fourth-seeded Friars (26-5) advanced to face Richmond in the Midwest Region on Saturday.

“If luck is the narrative that continues to keep us connected and winning, we’ll take it,” said Cooley, who is in his 11th season at Providence.

It was a typical grind for the Big East regular-season champions. The Friars’ turnaround season after going 13-13 in 2020-21 now includes 16 victories by single-digit margins.

“We want to be in a close game,” said Cooley. “If we’re in a close game, I believe in our players, and I believe what we do as a staff.”

The 13th-seeded Jackrabbits (30-6) came in on a 21-game winning streak and were a popular pick to spring the tournament’s first upset. So popular that it really wouldn’t have been much of an upset. The Friars were only a two-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

“You know, we hear the noise that everybody says, but we can’t let that rattle us,” Durham said. “We knew what we were capable of.”

All those close games have led to some calling Providence the luckiest team in America. The Friars like to think of themselves as a tough and poised team that makes winning plays late — as they did Thursday.

The Friars were up three in the final minute when Bynum let loose a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left on the shot clock. The shot missed, but Doug Wilson was whistled for a foul. Bynum released the ball before contact, but Wilson appeared to hit the shooter’s arm and bump him before he landed.

“I thought he kicked his leg there, and I sort of ran into him, but I don’t make the calls,” Wilson said.

SDSU coach Eric Henderson put his head in his hands in frustration and then argued the call after watching it on the big screen.

“It was a tough call,” Henderson said. “Just like one game is not going to define our season, one call is not going to determine the outcome of the game. I would have liked it to be different, but …”

Bynum knocked down all three shots to give Providence a six-point lead. Bynum finished with 12 points and Noah Horchler had 13 for the Providence.