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Marquette Survives, Advances

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NEW YORK  – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Marquette’s Kam Jones scored 18 points, David Joplin provided six of his 14 points in overtime and nationally ranked No. 10 Marquette survived a challenge from Villanova to prevail 71-65 in the Big East tournament quarterfinals on Thursday night.

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The third-seeded Golden Eagles (24-8) advanced to face seventh-seeded Providence in the semis despite being without Tyler Kolek, last season’s Big East Player of the Year, due to an oblique injury.

Stevie Mitchell put up 15 points, Chase Ross scored 11 and Joplin added a team-high eight rebounds for Marquette, which had to play five extra minutes to pull out the win after a would-be game-winning shot was waved off.

Eric Dixon had 19 points and 11 rebounds for sixth-seeded Villanova (18-15), which put up a fight one night after barely escaping last-place DePaul. Mark Armstrong tallied 15 points, TJ Bamba had 12 points and Justin Moore finished with four points, 11 rebounds and six assists.

With the score tied at 58 and 2.8 seconds left in regulation, Marquette had an inbounds under its basket and spent just half a second to get it past halfcourt before using a timeout. Ross then inbounded to Oso Ighodaro at the foul line, and Ighodaro bounced it behind him to Jones driving down the left side.

Jones’ floater hit high off the glass and rolled in. But Marquette’s celebration was premature — officials ruled upon review that the ball had not completely left Jones’ hand when the clock hit zeroes.

Joplin had an early jumper and a 3-pointer for Marquette’s first five points of overtime, but Villanova tied the score each time with free throws. Ross’ open 3-pointer finally put Marquette ahead for good.

Ighodaro’s only field goal of the night, off a set play under the basket with 18 seconds remaining, sealed the victory.

Dixon’s short jumper put the Wildcats on top 29-28 at halftime. Marquette opened the second half on an 11-2 run, with Mitchell getting to the rim for three layups.

Jones’ 3-pointer made it 45-36 Marquette with 12:33 left, which is where Villanova started its charge. Dixon knocked down a straightaway 3-pointer, and before long Bamba connected on two triples to cut the deficit to one.

Moore — Villanova’s second-leading scorer — had missed his first six shots of the night but made his seventh to put the Wildcats on top 51-50 with 7:07 to go.

Jones went coast-to-coast to start an 8-2 run for Marquette to lead 58-53 at the 3:15 mark. But Armstrong scored in the paint, and Bamba was fouled on a 3-point shot and he made all three free throws to tie the score with 1:50 left.

–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media

Providence Stuns Creighton

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Big East Player of the Year Devin Carter had 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead seventh-seeded Providence to a 78-73 victory over No. 8-ranked Creighton on Thursday evening in the Big East quarterfinals.

The Friars fended off a late comeback by the second-seeded Bluejays to hang on for the victory.

Providence (21-12) is headed to its second Big East tournament semifinals in three years.

Creighton (23-9) trailed by as many as 13 points early in the second half before using a 13-2 run to rally. Trey Alexander sparked the run and ended it with a jumper to give the Bluejays a 64-63 lead, with 5:37 remaining.

It didn’t last long though, as there were five lead changes in the next two minutes, including Jayden Pierre’s go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:37 left to give the Friars a 70-68 lead.

Providence stayed in front and made Creighton pay for missing potential game-tying free-throw opportunities. Ryan Kalkbrenner missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Trey Alexander went 0-for-2 at the free-throw line down the stretch. Carter and Josh Oduro responded with back-to-back layups to help Providence pull away.

Oduro had 17 points and nine rebounds, while Pierre finished with 15 points, four rebounds and seven assists. The Friars shot 29 of 70 (41.4 percent) and 6 of 23 (26.1 percent) from the 3-point arc.

Creighton struggled offensively early on. A stingy defensive effort by the Friars restricted the Bluejays to shooting just 25.8 percent in the first half, as Providence held a 33-30 halftime lead.

The Bluejays regrouped in a much improved second half and shot 14 of 27 (51.9 percent) after the break. Four players scored in double figures in the loss.

Kalkbrenner, the three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, played a key role in the comeback effort with his play on both ends, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds, five blocks and two steals. Alexander also had 19 points for the Bluejays. Baylor Scheierman and Steven Ashworth each had 16 points.

–Eugene Rapay, Field Level Media

Celtics, Brown Continue to Dominate

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jaylen Brown made five 3-pointers and scored a game-high 37 points to help the Boston Celtics extend their winning streak to four games with a 127-112 decision against the visiting Phoenix Suns.

Jayson Tatum added 26 for Boston, which shot 25 of 50 from behind the 3-point arc. Al Horford tossed in six 3-pointers and finished with a season-high 24 points. The Celtics (52-14) also received 10 assists and nine points from Jrue Holiday.

Boston, which improved to 30-3 at home, has won 15 of its past 17 games. Boston is the first team in the NBA to mathematically qualify for the playoffs as they raised their regular season record to 52-14.

Devin Booker scored a team-high 23 points for the Suns. He was in his second game back from an ankle injury that kept him out of four games, including Phoenix’s 117-107 home loss to Boston on Saturday.

Phoenix (38-28) received 22 points from Bradley Beal plus 20 from both Kevin Durant and Grayson Allen. Jusuf Nurkic collected 20 rebounds, the top single-game total for a Celtics opponent this season.

The Suns lost despite having a 51-33 advantage in rebounds, as they were outscored 75-33 from 3-point range.

Boston center Kristaps Porzingis missed his fourth straight game with a right hamstring strain. Before the game, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said Porzingis was improving but there was no timetable for his return.

Phoenix bolted to a 26-18 lead, but Boston closed the first quarter hot and led 35-32 after 12 minutes.

Bol Bol capped a 19-9 run with a 3-pointer that put the Suns in front 51-50 with 4:58 to play in the second quarter. Boston made 12 of its 24 3-point attempts in the first half, however, and led 65-60 at halftime.

A 9-0 run gave the Celtics a 77-65 lead with 8:50 to play in the third, the first time either team led by double digits. Boston stretched its advantage to 95-75 on a Horford 3-pointer with 2:45 left in the third. The Celtics had a 102-85 edge heading into the fourth.

–Field Level Media

DeBrusk Beats Habs in OT

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MONTREAL – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jake DeBrusk scored the game-winning goal 25 seconds into overtime as the Boston Bruins beat the host Canadiens 2-1 on Thursday night.

DeBrusk drove to the net and slipped home a backhand shot after taking a pass from Boston captain Brad Marchand on a two-on-one rush.

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Danton Heinen scored his fourth goal against Montreal this season, helping Boston go 3-0-1 against the Canadiens.

Linus Ullmark made 18 saves as the Bruins logged their third victory in four games.

Boston had a 24-19 advantage in shots on goal, scoring on the only shot of overtime.

Nick Suzuki scored Montreal’s lone goal, and Sam Montembeault stopped 22 shots.

The Canadiens have lost three of four (1-2-1).

Boston (24) and Montreal (21) have played the first and third-most overtime games, respectively, in the NHL this season.

The Bruins went 0-for-4 on the power play. The Canadiens were 0-for-3.

The Bruins scored first 4:49 into the first period when Heinen slotted home his own rebound while falling to the ice low in the left circle. Montembeault made saves on David Pastrnak’s drive from the opposite side and then initially on Heinen before the goal.

Three Boston hit the post in the first period to keep the Bruins from furthering their lead, including a Charlie Coyle backhander at the 8:03 mark early on the opening power play.

Suzuki’s goal at 14:37 made it a 1-1 game entering the first intermission. Boston defenseman Brandon Carlo turned the puck over to Suzuki in the left circle, where an initial shot was blocked to Juraj Slafkovsky and passed back through traffic for an open shot.

The teams combined for just 11 shots in a scoreless second period, with Montembeault nearly getting a piece of Pastrnak’s shot on the breakaway that hit the outside of the post.

Montreal killed Suzuki’s four-minute penalty for a high stick to the face of Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy in the last eight minutes of regulation, despite Boston rookie Justin Brazeau’s hard work at the net front looking for a go-ahead goal.

–Field Level Media

BIG EAST: Marquette vs Villanova

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NEW YORK  – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – No. 10 Marquette won’t have Tyler Kolek when it faces Villanova in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament tonight.

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Last season’s Big East Player of the Year hasn’t played since Feb. 28 due to an oblique injury. After Kolek missed the final three games of the regular season, Marquette coach Shaka Smart said Wednesday that Kolek would sit out at least the first game of the conference tournament.

“The plan is absolutely for him to play next week (in the NCAA Tournament),” Smart said Wednesday.

The third-seeded Golden Eagles (23-8) enter this game against the sixth-seeded Wildcats (18-14) without much room to improve their NCAA Tournament seed. They figure to be a No. 2 or 3 seed when their name is called on Selection Sunday, so resting Kolek is a tradeoff for the long term.

Kolek averaged career highs of 15.0 points and 7.6 assists per game in 28 games this season. He went for 21 points and 11 assists when Marquette beat Villanova 87-74 at home on Jan. 15, and followed that with 32 points and nine assists in the Golden Eagles’ 85-80 road win over Villanova on Jan. 30.

Marquette is no one-man show.

Oso Ighodaro (14.4 ppg, 7.2 rebounds per game) is an NBA prospect, and Kam Jones has been on fire. The team leader at 16.7 ppg, Jones had three 30-point performances over the last six games of the regular season.

Jones dropped 30 on 12-for-17 shooting plus nine assists in Marquette’s regular-season finale, a back-and-forth, 86-80 win over Xavier. Ighodaro went 11-for-15 for 24 points.

“Sometimes you can be a little bit like the little engine that could, and particularly when you have the reigning Big East Player of the Year on the bench in street clothes,” Smart said postgame. “I thought that our guys did a really good job helping each other just continue to believe and feel like we could do it.”

Marquette won the Big East tournament title last year, beating eventual national champion UConn in the semifinals and Xavier in the final.

Villanova squarely is on the NCAA Tournament bubble due to its unusual mix of great wins — North Carolina on a neutral floor, Creighton on the road — and bad losses to Philadelphia Big 5 rivals Penn, Saint Joseph’s and Drexel.

So, Wednesday night’s nailbiter against DePaul probably didn’t help its case.

DePaul went 0-20 in the Big East during the regular season, yet the Wildcats trailed the Blue Demons for 10:39 of their first-round contest and needed a late 3-pointer by Justin Moore to escape with a 58-57 win.

Eric Dixon finished with 21 points and nine rebounds, raising his team-high season average to 16.4 points per game.

Second-year coach Kyle Neptune took a half-glass-full view of the near-upset.

“We got another game,” Neptune said. “We got another opportunity to play, like I said, for the people in our locker room. We’ve had — it’s now towards the end of the season. We feel like we got a lot of basketball left. We feel like we can get a lot better from this game.

“We look at it like, all right, who else can go and miss the shots we did and still get stops and hold a team at 57 points and find a way to win in the end? And that’s how we’re going to look at it.”

–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media

BIG EAST: Creighton vs Providence

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Eighth-ranked Creighton is ready to make its entrance at Madison Square Garden after a Big East tournament opening-round bye. The Bluejays (23-8), the tournament’s second seed, will take on seventh-seeded Providence (20-12) in tonight’s quarterfinals.

Creighton closed the regular season by winning three games in a row and seven of eight, a stretch that included a 19-point win over defending national champion UConn on Feb. 20.

Creighton has reached at least the Big East tournament semifinals in each of the past three years, including a finals appearance in 2022. The Bluejays have made the championship game four times since joining the Big East in 2013 but hope to capture their first tournament title.

“Madison Square Garden is the best arena in the country and the world, in my opinion,” Creighton guard Trey Alexander said. “Kids dream of playing in that type of arena, with that atmosphere, and I think the Big East Conference this year is the best in the country. … For those teams that are kind of in the bubble area, that gives them that win-or-go-home type of mentality and it makes the stakes even higher for everybody.”

Creighton is headlined by first-team All-Big East selection Baylor Scheierman, who leads the Bluejays with 18.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Alexander was given All-Big East second-team honors, while 7-foot-1 center Ryan Kalkbrenner earned Big East defensive player of the year honors for the third straight season.

Kalkbrenner joins former Georgetown greats Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning as the only players to win the defensive honors three times in a row.

The Bluejays average 80.8 points per game while holding opponents to 69.5. They average 49.0 percent shooting from the floor, 77.5 percent at the line, and 36.5 percent from 3-point range. Their average of 10.7 3-pointers per game rank sixth in the nation.

The teams split the regular-season series. Creighton won at home, 69-60, on Jan. 6, and host Providence won the Feb. 7 rematch in overtime, 91-87.

Providence is an NCAA Tournament bubble team hoping to bolster its resume with a deep run in New York.

Big East Player of the Year Devin Carter and All-Big East honorable-mention forward Josh Oduro led the Friars to a 74-56 victory over 10th-seeded Georgetown in Wednesday’s opening round.

Oduro had 20 points while Carter had 19, and each had nine rebounds. Davonte “Ticket” Gaines added 15 points, including four 3-pointers, and seven boards in the win.

Carter won the conference scoring championship, averaging 21.4 points in 20 league games. He leads the Friars with 19.4 points in all games, and also tops the team with 8.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals.

“He plays to win,” Providence coach Kim English said, per The Providence Journal. “His competitiveness is probably his best trait, along with a ton of skill. It says he’s focusing on the right thing.”

But English also had praise for the Bluejays.

“(Creighton), UConn and Marquette are the smartest teams in our league,” he said. “Their players are like coaches, just play the right way, never make mistakes and don’t beat themselves. We’re going to have to have a very mature and great effort (Thursday) night.”

–Eugene Rapay, Field Level Media

BIG EAST: UConn vs Xavier

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NEW YORK  – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The University of Connecticut dominated the Big East like never before, and now the defending national champions are setting their sights on winning the conference tournament.

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Likely locked into a No. 1 seed at next week’s NCAA Tournament, the second-ranked Huskies play their conference tournament opener this afternoon when they face ninth-seeded Xavier in a quarterfinal matchup. UConn is the Big East tourney’s top seed.

The Huskies (28-3) are seeking their first conference tournament title since Kemba Walker sparked their run to a third national championship in 2011 when they won five games in five days in a 16-team field.

Since returning to the Big East in the 2020-21 season, the Huskies are 3-3 with a trio of close losses in the tournament semifinals. This time the Huskies are the top seed for the first time since 2006 and the prohibitive favorite to win and secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA’s East Region.

“The problem for people when they play against us now is, we’ve got that championship confidence,” UConn coach Danny Hurley said.

After winning its fifth national title as a No. 4 seed last year, the Huskies posted a conference-record 18 Big East wins and earned their last four victories by an average of 18.8 points. They ended their regular season with a 74-60 victory at Providence on Saturday, going on a 33-5 run over 12:02 to finish the first half.

“To be a part of that is special, because of how hard the Big East is and just adding to UConn history and Big East history in general is special to everybody,” Huskies forward Alex Karaban said.

The Huskies head into the postseason after picking up several league honors. Hurley won Big East coach of the year, Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer earned first team All-Big East, Hassan Diarra won sixth man of the year and Stephon Castle was named the freshman of the year.

Xavier (16-16) has the unenviable task of trying to slow UConn. The Musketeers earned the chance by posting a 76-72 win over Butler in the opening round on Wednesday.

“I know we have a big challenge tomorrow,” Musketeers coach Sean Miller said postgame. “That speaks for itself. We’re just thrilled to have the opportunity to play tomorrow.”

Xavier’s Desmond Claude, who was named the Big East’s most improved player and is a native of Connecticut, scored 26 points against the Bulldogs. Dayvion McKnight added 16 of his 20 in the second half, and Quincy Olivari produced a strong all-around showing with 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

“It’s just a great feeling and then being able to win here, get the first win and have an opportunity to advance and play UConn,” Olivari said. “It’s a great feeling.”

In the Huskies’ 99-56 victory over the Musketeers in Hartford, Conn., on Jan. 28, UConn shot 58.5 percent from the floor and limited Xavier to 34.4 percent. Xavier had a chance to win when the teams met in Cincinnati on Jan. 10 but took an 80-75 loss.

–Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

Villanova Squeaks Past DePaul

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Justin Moore hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 8.8 seconds remaining to lift sixth-seeded Villanova past 11th-seeded DePaul 58-57 in the nightcap of the opening round of the Big East tournament Wednesday.

The Wildcats (18-14) will play third-seeded Marquette in the quarterfinal round on Thursday.

Eric Dixon had 21 points and nine rebounds, Mark Armstrong added 11 points, and Moore scored eight of his 10 in the second half.

Jalen Terry led DePaul with 18 points and 15 rebounds.

The Blue Demons (3-29) lost their final 20 games of the season. They had one last possession but Armstrong stole the ball.

Moore hit a tough shot in the lane with 7:06 left for a 47-45 Villanova lead.

Terry responded with a deep 3-pointer from the wing with 6:17 remaining for a 48-47 DePaul advantage.

Later, Da’Sean Nelson converted a three-point play with 1:52 remaining for a 55-52 lead for the Blue Demons.

Then Dixon came back with a 3-pointer with 1:31 left to equalize at 55.

Terry answered for DePaul with a pullup jumper with 1:13 left to give the Blue Demons a two-point lead and setting the stage for Moore’s winning basket.

Dixon posted up and scored for a 12-9 Villanova lead with 10:24 left in the first half, then Jordan Longino dropped in a 3-pointer from the corner with 8:38 remaining for a 15-9 advantage.

DePaul kept it close, however, and got within 19-14 on Elijah Fisher’s layup — the Blue Demons’ first 2-pointer of the game — with 4:13 left. Back-to-back 3’s by K.T. Raimey and Terry gave DePaul the lead at 20-19 with 2:02 left.

Villanova led 27-25 at halftime thanks in large part to nine points on three made 3-pointers from Longino.

DePaul, on the other hand, shot just 8 of 29 in the opening half.

DePaul increased the lead to 40-32 with 12:57 remaining in the second half when Terry hit a 3 after Villanova went more than five minutes without scoring.

But the Wildcats went on a quick 8-0 run after the drought to tie the game at 40-40 with 9:41 to go.

–Field Level Media

Providence Romps in Big East

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Josh Oduro posted 20 points and nine rebounds as seventh-seeded Providence defeated 10th-seeded Georgetown 74-56 in the first round of the Big East tournament on Wednesday.

Providence’s Devin Carter, who was named Big East Player of the Year hours before the game, tallied 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Ticket Gaines shot 4-for-7 from 3-point range on his way to 15 points and seven rebounds.

The Friars (20-12) made 12 of 32 attempts from deep as they kept their faint NCAA Tournament hopes alive. They will face No. 8 Creighton, the second seed, in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

Georgetown (9-23) saw its first season under coach Ed Cooley come to an end in ignominious fashion. Cooley, Providence’s coach for 12 years, finished the season 0-3 against the Friars.

Jayden Epps poured in 30 points on 12-of-23 shooting to power the Hoyas’ offense.

Georgetown turned an 18-point deficit into a 64-56 game with 3:40 left after Drew Fielder contributed eight points, including two 3-pointers, and Epps made a driving layup.

Oduro made two free throws, and after Epps missed a pair of his own, Carter pulled up for a long 3-pointer that rattled around the rim and dropped to give the Friars a 13-point lead with 2:51 to go. From there, they were not seriously threatened.

Georgetown finished the game 4-of-19 from the foul line, with Epps shooting 3-of-11 there.

Providence was ahead 9-7 when Rich Barron knocked down a transition 3-pointer to spark a 11-0 run. Gaines hit a trey to make it 20-7 Friars, and Cooley called a timeout to stem the tide.

Another triple by Gaines gave Providence a 14-point lead. Epps kept the Hoyas in the game by making a 3-pointer while being fouled to the ground and finishing the four-point play.

Epps brought Georgetown within 28-21 with 9:25 left in the half, but Garwey Dual and Corey Floyd Jr. joined Providence’s 3-point party. Oduro’s free throws in the final minute gave the Friars a 40-27 halftime lead.

The Hoyas fell behind 45-27 early in the second half before forging a comeback. Rowan Brumbaugh set up Dontrez Styles for a reverse dunk, but less than a minute later Oduro tossed it to Carter and he elevated in the lane for an alley-oop of his own.

Georgetown drew within 49-40 while Providence went scoreless for a 4:50 stretch. Oduro knocked down a 3-pointer with 11:22 left to end that drought.

Carter deflected a pass near halfcourt and took it in for a dunk to make it 61-46 with 7:53 left.

–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media

BIG EAST Names Providence’s Devin Carter as Conference Player of Year

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Providence guard Devin Carter was named BIG EAST Player of the Year. Connecticut coach Dan Hurley wasnBIG EAST Coach of the Year and Hurley’s freshman guard standout Stephon Castle was been selected unanimously BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.

The conference’s head coaches make the selections and are not permitted to vote for their own players. The awards are presented at Madison Square Garden prior to the start of the 2024 BIG EAST Tournament Presented by JEEP. It is the 42nd consecutive year the BIG EAST is playing its postseason tournament at the World’s Most Famous Arena.

Carter, a 6-3 junior guard, is the BIG EAST scoring champion with a 21.4 average in league games. Overall, he ranks second in scoring at 19.4, third in rebounding at 8.6, fourth in 3-point shooting, making 38.5 percent and fourth in steals at 1.9. Carter, whose hometown is Miami, Fla., has posted 12 double-doubles this season, which ranks third in the league. In addition to his outstanding offensive production, he is also considered one of the BIG EAST’s top defensive players. Carter has helped lead the Friars to a 19-12 overall record and a 10-10 league mark. He is only the second Providence player to earn BIG EAST Player of the Year. Kris Dunn won in 2015-16 and shared the award in 2014-15 with Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono.

Hurley, in his sixth season at UConn, has guided the Huskies to an overall record of 28-3 and an 18-2 BIG EAST mark, which is the highest conference victory total in league history. Included in the 18 victories was a 14-game BIG EAST winning streak.  The Huskies are outright regular season BIG EAST champions for the first time since 1999. Hurley’s UConn career record is 132-58 (.695). In BIG EAST regular season play, he is 55-21 (.724). This week, the Huskies are ranked second in both national polls. Hurley’s Huskies are 27-1 against non-conference opponents over the last two seasons with all 27 wins coming by double digits. During that stretch, they set the D-I record with 24 straight.

Castle’s selection as Freshman of the Year should not be a surprise since he was the Preseason Freshman of the Year as chosen by the coaches and earned BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors a record 11 times during the season, including the last seven weeks. Unlike most college freshmen, Castle also excels defensively and is customarily given difficult defensive assignments. He leads all league freshman with an 11.2 scoring average, but also makes all-around contributions, with averages of 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists. The last UConn player to be named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year was Rudy Gay in 2004-05. Gay shared the honor with Jeff Green of Georgetown.

BIG EAST Player of the Year
Devin Carter, Providence

BIG EAST Coach of the Year
Dan Hurley, Connecticut

BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Stephon Castle, Connecticut