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Big East

Friars Clinch Big East Season Title

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News release) – Providence defeated Creighton 72-51 Saturday to capture its first BIG EAST regular-season championship.  The Friars (24-3, 14-2 BIG EAST) held a comfortable lead throughout most of the game and cruised to the finish line. A.J. Reeves made 7-of-10 from 3-point range and finished with a game-high 23 points. The Bluejays (19-9, 11-6 BE) had their six-game winning streak come to an end. Ryan Kalkbrenner had 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.

Marquette solidified its fifth-place standing with a 64-56 win over visiting Butler at a sold-out Fiserv Forum. The Golden Eagles (18-10, 10-7 BE) trailed most of the game, but overcame the Bulldogs (13-17, 6-13 BE) in the final five minutes. Darryl Morsell led Marquette with 16 points. Justin Lewis scored all 12 of his points in the second half. Butler’s Bryce Nze notched his second straight double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Seton Hall is 6-2 in February after winning 82-66 at Xavier. Jared Rhoden poured in a career-high 30 points and grabbed six rebounds. Tray Jackson was 6-of-6 from the floor, including 5-of-5 from 3-point range, for 17 points. The Pirates (18-9, 9-8 BE) had 17 points off turnovers to only four for the Musketeers (17-11, 7-10 BE). Xavier’s Colby Jones shined with 20 points, 10 boards and four assists.

Today’s schedule has two games. Connecticut plays at Georgetown at noon ET on CBS. The Huskies beat the Hoyas 96-73 on Jan. 25. They are 11-5 in the league standings and alone in third place after Creighton’s loss. Also, St. John’s plays at DePaul at 5 p.m. on FS1. The Johnnies won the first meeting 89-84 on Jan. 5. They are 7-9 in league play and in seventh place, a half-game ahead of Xavier. The Blue Demons are coming off a 68-65 victory at Georgetown.

Providence Defeats Xavier in Triple-OT

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PROVIDENCE – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – it’s been a wild week in the BIG EAST and it’s only Friday morning.

On Wednesday, Providence and Xavier played three overtimes before the Friars prevailed 99-92 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

With the win, the Friars (23-3, 13-2 BIG EAST) are one victory away from clinching their first BIG EAST regular-season title. PC was led by Jared Bynum’s 27 points. A.J. Reeves added 16. The Friars held a 14-5 edge in 3-point baskets. Adam Kunkel had a team-high 20 points for Xavier (17-10, 7-9 BE). Paul Scruggs scored 13 of his 19 points in the overtimes.

Creighton has a six-game winning streak after an 81-78 victory at St. John’s. Ryan Hawkins led the charge with 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Bluejays (19-8, 11-5 BE), but the team lost freshman guard Ryan Nembhard, who suffered a broken wrist in the game. The team has announced that he will miss the remainder of the season. Montez Mathis was the top scorer for St. John’s (15-12, 7-9 BE) with 15 points.

Seton Hall used a 20-2 run in the second half to surge to a 56-40 lead against Butler. The Bulldogs responded with a 20-2 rally before the Pirates (17-9, 8-8) prevailed in a 66-60 victory. Jared Rhoden led a balanced Seton Hall scoring effort with 17 points. Tyrese Samuel added 15. Bo Hodges had a game-high 25 points and seven rebounds for Butler (13-16, 6-12 BE).

Big East: UConn Big Win Over ‘Nova

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HARTFORD – (Staff report from official News Release) – In a back-and-forth Top-25 showdown, No. 21 Connecticut and R.J. Cole came up clutch on both ends of the court, first knocking down a contested layup with 5.9 ticks left to give the Huskies a 70-69 advantage over eighth-ranked Villanova. Defensively, Cole forced a turnover with 1.1 seconds left to seal the 71-69 home win.

Early in the contest, UConn took a 33-32 lead on a layup by Adama Sonogo to close out the opening half. Just 2:38 into the second frame, the Huskies took the largest lead of the game, 43-36, on a pair of Isaiah Whaley free throws. After Villanova clawed back to take a four-point lead with 46 seconds remaining in regulation, UConn tallied the final six points of the contest to secure the top-10 win in front of a sold-out XL Center.

Sanogo led the Huskies (20-7, 11-5 BIG EAST) with 20 points and two blocks, while Whaley (13 points) and Cole (12 points) also reached double figures. Collin Gillespie led the Wildcats (21-7, 14-4 BE) with 17 points, while Brandon Slater added 15.

Tonight’s schedule includes three games. At 6:30 p.m. ET, Creighton and St. John’s put their multiple game winning streaks to the test, when the Red Storm host the Bluejays at Carnesecca Arena on FS1. Entering the game with five straight wins, Creighton sits a half-game back on the Huskies in fourth at 10-5. Meanwhile, St. John’s sits in a three-way tie for sixth place with Xavier and Seton Hall at 7-8 in league play.

At 7 p.m. on CBSSN, BIG EAST leader Providence welcomes the Musketeers to the Dunkin Donuts Center. Ranked 11th in Monday’s AP Poll, the Friars enter the game with a 12-2 conference mark and 14-1 record at home. Xavier will look to bounce back from back-to-back losses against St. John’s and UConn and return to .500 in league play.

Rounding out the night, Seton Hall faces Butler at the Prudential Center at 8:30 p.m. on FS1. The Pirates enter the contest with a 16-9 (7-8 BE) overall record, while boasting a 10-2 mark at the Prudential Center this season. The Bulldogs enter the game with a 13-15 (6-11 BE) record.

Big East Standings Tighten-Up

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NEWARK – A three-game Saturday resulted in a three-way tie for sixth place with Villanova and Connecticut inching up in the standings.

UConn moved into sole possession of third place with a 72-61 victory over Xavier. The No. 24 Huskies (19-7, 10-5 BIG EAST) built a 44-27 halftime edge before holding off a rally by the Musketeers (17-9, 7-8 BE). R.J. Cole, Tyler Polley and Adama Sanogo combined for 47 points for UConn. Sanogo also grabbed nine rebounds. Adam Kunkel came off the bench to score a team-high 15 points.

Seton Hall put together a 30-21 halftime lead against DePaul but had to come back to win 66-64. The Pirates (16-9, 7-8 BE) fell behind 57-52 after the Blue Demons (12-14, 3-13 BE) rallied with a 9-0 run. In the last 4:49, neither team led by more than two points. Jared Rhoden carried Seton Hall with 18 points and 18 rebounds. The rebound total matches the highest by a league player this season. DePaul’s Javon Freeman-Liberty scored 20 of his game-high 22 points in the second half. His twisting shot in the lane spilled out as the buzzer sounded.

Xavier, St. John’s and Seton Hall are all 7-8 in league play and tied for sixth place.

Villanova led 32-22 at the break against Georgetown but could not get comfortable in the second half of its 74-66 victory. Justin Moore scored 15 of his team-high 19 points in the second half for the Wildcats (21-6, 14-3 BE) who moved closer to first-place Providence (11-2 BE). Donald Carey helped the Hoyas (6-20, 0-15 BE) with a game-high 24 points, which included five 3-pointers. Dante Harris added 16 points.

FS1 will telecast two key games on Sunday’s schedule. Providence at Butler at 1 p.m. (ET0 followed by Marquette at Creighton at 3 p.m. (ET).

Big East: Xavier Holds-Off UConn

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CINCINNATI – Xavier took a 34-31 lead on a 3-pointer by Nate Johnson to end the first half, then repelled numerous UConn comeback attempts to win 74-68 at a sold-out Cintas Center on Friday night.

Jack Nunge led the 25th-ranked Musketeers (17-7, 7-6 BIG EAST) with 22 points and nine rebounds. Johnson added 17 points. R.J. Cole tallied 22 points and Tyrese Martin added 18 points for the No. 24 Huskies (16-7, 7-5 BE).

Today’s schedule includes four games. At noon ET, Creighton aims to stay above .500 in the league standings when it plays at Georgetown on FS1. The Bluejays are 6-5 in league play after Tuesday’s 54-52 win against Butler.

Seton Hall meets No. 15 Villanova at Wells Fargo Center at 1 p.m. on FOX. The Pirates have won three straight games to improve to 6-6 in the standings. The Wildcats are second with an 11-3 mark.

No. 18 Marquette stays on the road when it travels to Butler at 4:30 p.m. on FS1. The Golden Eagles, who are in fourth place at 8-5, dropped an 80-72 decision at UConn on Tuesday. The Bulldogs are 4-9.

After Marquette-Butler, the FS1 coverage continues with DePaul at No. 11 Providence at 6:30 p.m. The Blue Demons have won two in a row and are 3-9. The Friars lead the league with a 10-1 record and are 13-0 overall at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center this season.

Big East Weekly Honors to Bynum

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NEW YORK – Providence guard Jared Bynum has been selected BIG EAST Player of the Week and Creighton guard Trey Alexander has been chosen BIG EAST Freshman of the Week. Bynum led the Friars to a pair of wins, while Alexander’s Bluejays were 1-1.

BIG EAST Player of the Week

Jared Bynum, Providence, G, Jr. – Bynum put on a spectacular performance in a 71-52 win at Georgetown and helped push the Friars to an 86-82 victory at St. John’s. Against the Hoyas, Bynum scored 27 of his career-high 32 points in the second half. He shot 7-of-8 from 3-point range and grabbed five steals. At St. John’s, he was 4-of-5 from the beyond the arc and finished with 19 points and four assists.

BIG EAST Freshman of the Week

Trey Alexander, Creighton, G, Fr. – In a 1-1 week, Alexander averaged 10.0 points and 3.5 rebounds. He scored all 11 of his points after halftime in a 59-55 win at Connecticut. He made 5-of-6 free throws in the final minutes to help secure the victory. Alexander had nine points in a 74-55 loss at Seton Hall. He takes Freshman honors for the second time in the last three weeks.

BIG EAST Honor Roll

Courvoisier McCauley, DePaul, G, Sr. – Scored a career-high 21 points in a win at Xavier (69-65). Shot 8-of-12 from the field and had five rebounds.

Tyler Kolek, Marquette, G, So. – Posted 18 points, six assists and two steals in a victory against Villanova (83-73).

Posh Alexander, St. John’s, G, So. – Averaged 17.0 points, 7.7 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals in a 2-1 week. Shot 57.5 percent from the field and had a 3.3 assist/turnover ratio.

Kadary Richmond, Seton Hall, G, So. – With wins against Georgetown (70-63) and Creighton (74-55), averaged 13.0 points, 7.0 assists and 5.5 rebounds.

Eric Dixon, Villanova, F, R-So. – Had 24 points and 12 rebounds in a win versus UConn (85-74). Averaged 14.0 points and 9.0 boards in a 1-1 week.

 

Big East Sunday Round-Up

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INDIANAPOLIS – Villanova bounced back from a loss on Wednesday with a home win in Philadelphia, while DePaul and St. John’s gained victories in their road uniforms on Saturday. Villanova (17-6, 10-3 BE), ranked 12th this week in the AP poll, defeated No. 17 Connecticut 85-74 at Wells Fargo Center. The Wildcats led 40-29 at halftime and held the Huskies (15-6, 6-4 BE) at bay in the second half. Eric Dixon led Villanova with 24 points and 12 rebounds. He made 10-of-15 from the field. Collin Gillespie, who suffered an ankle injury in the final minutes, added 19 points. R.J. Cole scored a game-high 25 points for the Huskies. Adama Sanogo and Tyrese Martin each added 14 points.

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DePaul, playing its seventh ranked opponent since Jan. 1, led most of the game at No. 21 Xavier and held off a late rally to capture a 69-65 win. Courvoisier McCauley scored a career-high 21 points and led the Blue Demons (11-10, 2-9 BE) in scoring for the first time this season. He made 4-of-8 from 3-point range. Paul Scruggs paced four Musketeers (16-6, 6-5 BE) in double figures with 21 points. Jack Nunge added 12 points and seven boards.

St. John’s picked up its second road win in less than 48 hours, topping Butler 75-72. The Johnnies (13-9, 5-6 BE) made 21-of-25 from the foul line. Julian Champagnie had 21 points, which included 9-of-10 from the charity stripe, and eight rebounds.  St. John’s won at Hinkle Fieldhouse for the first time since 2013-14. Butler’s Bo Hodges made 9-of-14 from the floor and scored 22 points. Bryce Nze added 14 points and six boards for the Bulldogs (11-12, 4-8 BE).

On Sunday, the lone game has Providence visiting Georgetown at noon ET on FS1. The first-place Friars, who have won six straight, knocked off the Hoyas 83-75 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Jan. 22.

Seton Hall Clobbers Creighton

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SOUTH ORANGE, NJ – (Staff report from Official news Release0 – In the lone Friday contest on the league schedule, Seton Hall had its foot on the gas pedal early and cruised to a 74-55 victory over visiting Creighton. The Pirates (14-7, 5-6 BIG EAST) scored the first 11 points of the game and streaked to a 23-3 lead en route to a 37-16 halftime advantage. Creighton came as close as 13 points in the second half. The Hall’s Kadary Richmond led five Pirates in double figures with 14 points and added seven assists.

The Bluejays (13-8, 5-5 BE) got 12 points from Alex O’Connell and 11 from Ryan Nembhard. Creighton’s 5-5 league mark puts them in sixth place with Seton Hall a half-game behind at 5-6.

Saturday’s slate starts with two games that tip at noon ET. No. 17 UConn battles No. 12 Villanova at Wells Fargo Center on FOX and Butler hosts St. John’s on FS1. No. 21 Xavier hosts DePaul at 2 p.m. on FS1.

On Sunday, the lone game has Providence visiting Georgetown at noon ET on FS1.

St. John’s Destroys Hoyas at McDonough

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WASH DC – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The likes of Georgetown players of yesteryear John Duren, Craig Shelton, Steve Martin and “Sleepy” Floyd would remember the feeling, along with David Russell, Reggie Carter and Frank Gilroy of St, John’s. In a game that looked like a throwback to early times in the BIG EAST, St. John’s won 90-77 at Georgetown Thursday night. The rescheduled game was played at McDonough Arena on the Hoya campus. It was the first league game played at the venue since Jan. 18, 1984.

The Johnnies (12-9, 4-6 BIG EAST), who won on the road against the Hoyas (6-14, 0-9 BE) for only the second time since 2003, led by as many as 26 points in the second half. Julian Champagnie snapped out of his scoring dip with a game-high 27 points. He made 6-of-12 from 3-point range and added six rebounds and four assists. Joel Soriano shot 6-of-6 from the floor en route to 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Georgetown’s Donald Carey scored a career-high 23 points.

Creighton at Seton Hall is the lone Friday game on the schedule. FS1 will televise at 7 p.m. ET. Both teams are 13-7 overall. The Bluejays are 5-4 in the BIG EAST while the Pirates are 4-6. Both squads picked up road wins on Tuesday. Creighton won 59-55 at Connecticut and Seton Hall posted a 70-63 victory at Georgetown.

Saturday’s slate starts with two games that tip at noon ET. No. 17 UConn battles No. 12 Villanova at Wells Fargo Center on FOX and Butler hosts St. John’s on FS1. No. 21 Xavier hosts DePaul at 2 p.m. on FS1.

Big East in the Top 25

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NEW YORK – For the eighth consecutive week at least four BIG EAST teams are ranked among the nation’s Top-25, and for the first time at least five are represented in both the AP and USA Today polls. The conference is tied for first with the Big Ten and Big 12 with the most teams ranked in both polls.

Villanova (16-5, 9-2 BIG EAST) jumped up two positions in the AP Poll to No. 12 following a perfect 2-0 week, with wins over DePaul (67-43) and St. John’s (73-62).

Maintaining sole possession of first place in the BIG EAST standings, Providence (18-2, 8-1 BE) secured a pair of ranked wins to jump to No. 15 in the polls. Also going a perfect 2-0 last week, Connecticut (15-4, 6-2 BE) moved up three positions to No. 17.

After coming up short at home against the Friars, 65-62, on Jan. 26, Xavier (14-4, 4-3 BE) rebounded with a remarkable second half comeback at Creighton on Saturday to remain No. 21 in the AP rankings.

In its first week ranked since Feb. 17, 2020, Marquette (15-7, 7-4 BE) took care of business on the road against Seton Hall, 73-63, before losing at Providence, 65-63, snapping a seven-game winning streak. Overall, the Golden Eagles sit at No. 24 in the AP Poll.

In Sunday’s lone contest, Providence edged Marquette in a thriller at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Coming back from a 29-23 halftime deficit, the Friars’ defense prevailed in the closing seconds to win their fourth game of the season against a ranked opponent (4-0). Nate Watson led the way with a game-high 17 points, while BIG EAST Player of the Week Justin Minaya played a pivotal role on both ends of the floor, finishing with 14 points and six rebounds. Darryl Morsell led the Golden Eagles with 14 points.

BIG EAST play continues tonight with a trio of games. UConn hosts Creighton at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1, before Georgetown hosts Seton Hall at 8:30 p.m. on FS1. Closing out the night on CBSSN, St. John’s will welcome Providence to Carnesecca Arena at 9:00 p.m.