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Big East

BIG EAST Names Award Winners

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NEW YORK – (March 11, 2024) The BIG EAST Conference announced the winners for four individual awards for its 2023-24 men’s basketball season.

For the third season in a row, Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner has been named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. Desmond Claude of Xavier was chosen BIG EAST Most Improved Player. Hassan Diarra of Connecticut has been selected for the BIG EAST Sixth Man Award. Creighton’s Steven Ashworth has been tabbed the winner of the BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award.

The league’s head coaches make the selections and they are not permitted to vote for their own players. The BIG EAST will announce the remaining individual awards: BIG EAST Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete on Wednesday, March 13, at 1:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden. The BIG EAST Media Award will also be presented.

Kalkbrenner, a 7-1 senior center from Florissant, Mo., is the third player in BIG EAST history to win Defensive Player of the Year honors three times. Georgetown’s Alonzo Mourning won three times (1989, ’90, ’92) and former Hoya Patrick Ewing won four times (1982, ’83, ’84, 85). This season, Kalkbrenner is the BIG EAST’s blocked shot leader in league games with a 3.4 mark. His 2.97 blocked shot average in all games ranks third nationally. Kalkbrenner is an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection.

Xavier’s Claude, a 6-6 sophomore guard, has improved across the board for the Musketeers. As a freshman, he was used in a sixth-man role and averaged 4.7 points and 2.5 rebounds. This year, Claude brought his scoring mark up to 16.0, his rebound average up to 4.1. His assist/turnover ratio improved from 1.24 to 1.50 and his free throw shooting went from 57.1 percent to 79.2 percent. This season, he has scored in double figures in 28 of 31 games compared to five in 35 games last year.

UConn’s Diarra has been a most effective sixth man for the regular-season champions. A 6-2 senior guard, he is playing 19.1 minutes per game and is averaging 6.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He is shooting 77.8 percent from foul line and 36.7 percent from 3-point range. Diarra has 72 assists while committing only 33 turnovers. In addition to his offensive contributions, he often draws a top defensive assignment.

Creighton’s Ashworth has made an immediate impact with his sportsmanlike play and his steady production. A 6-1 guard transfer from Utah State, he took over the starting point guard on a team that enters this week’s BIG EAST Tournament as the No. 2 seed. The Bluejays are 23-8 overall and 14-6 in league play. Ashworth is averaging 10.5 points and 4.1 assists. His assist average ranks ninth in the conference. 

BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year

Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton

BIG EAST Most Improved Player

Desmond Claude, Xavier

BIG EAST Sixth Man Award

Hassan Diarra, Connecticut

BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award

Steven Ashworth, Creighton

Big East Names All-Star Teams

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Marquette guard Tyler Kolek is the lone repeat selection on the 2023-24 All-BIG EAST First Team as the conference has announced the All-BIG EAST First and Second Teams, Honorable Mention and All-Freshman Team.  The league’s head coaches select the all-conference squads and were not permitted to vote for their own players.

The other five All-BIG EAST First Team honorees are: Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer of Connecticut, Baylor Scheierman of Creighton, Devin Carter of Providence and Kadary Richmond of Seton Hall. Kolek, Newton, Scheierman and Carter were unanimous picks.

The BIG EAST Player of the Year will come from the All-BIG EAST First Team.  The conference will announce Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Wednesday, March 13, at Madison Square Garden at 1:30 p.m. ET.  Other league individual awards, including BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man Award and Sportsmanship Award will be announced Monday, March 11, at 11 a.m. ET.

Kolek, a 6-3 senior, is averaging 15.0 points and leads the nation in assists with a 7.6 mark. He is averaging 1.6 steals and 2.74 assist/turnover ratio ranks third in the BIG EAST.

The UConn guard pair of Newton and Spencer helped UConn win the BIG EAST regular season title and lift the Huskies to the No. 1 position in the national poll for six weeks. Newton is averaging 15.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and ranks second in the league in assists at 5.8. Spencer’s numbers are 14.9 points, a 50.0 percent shooting percentage, a league-leading 45.1 percent 3-point shooting percentage and 3.3 assists.

Creighton’s Scheierman and Providence’s Carter are the only two players in the conference to rank among the top five in scoring and rebounds. Scheierman, a 6-7 senior, is third in scoring with an 18.5 average while ranking second in rebounding at 8.8. Carter, a 6-3 junior, is second in the BIG EAST in scoring with a 19.4 mark and is third in rebounding with an 8.6 average. Scheierman is second in the league with 97 made 3-point baskets. Carter is fourth in 3-point shooting, making 38.5 percent.

Seton Hall’s Richmond was the floor general behind the Pirates’ 20-11 overall record and 13-7 BIG EAST mark. The 6-6 senior leads the team in scoring at 16.2, is second in rebounding at 6.6, and is first in assists at 4.8 assists and steals at 2.1. His steal mark ranks second in the league.

The All-BIG EAST Second Team includes two Creighton players, Trey Alexander, a 6-4 junior guard, and Ryan Kalkbrenner, a 7-1 senior center. The Bluejays are the only club with three players on the first two all-conference teams. The other Second Team picks are senior forward Oso Ighodaro of Marquette, grad student guard Daniss Jenkins of St. John’s and senior forward Eric Dixon of Villanova.

All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention has three players: UConn sophomore center Donovan Clingan, Providence grad student forward Josh Oduro and grad student guard Quincy Olivari of Xavier.

The BIG EAST Freshman of the Year will come from the All-Freshman Team. UConn guard Stephon Castle was the only unanimous selection. He garnered BIG EAST Freshman of the Week a record 11 times. The other All-Freshman Team picks are: Finley Bizjack of Butler, Rich Barron of Providence, Isaiah Coleman of Seton Hall, and guard Trey Green and guard-forward Dailyn Swain of Xavier.

ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM

*Tristen Newton, Connecticut, G, Gr., 6-5, 195, El Paso, Tex.

Cam Spencer, Connecticut, G, Gr., 6-4, 205, Davidsonville, Md.

*Baylor Scheierman, Creighton, G, Sr., 6-7, 205, Aurora, Neb.

*Tyler Kolek, Marquette, G, Sr., 6-3, 195, Cumberland, R.I.

*Devin Carter, Providence, G, Jr., 6-3, 195, Miami, Fla.

Kadary Richmond, Seton Hall, G, Sr., 6-6, 210, Brooklyn, N.Y.

ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM

Trey Alexander, Creighton, G, Jr., 6-4, 190, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton, C, Sr., 7-1, 270, Florissant, Mo.

Oso Ighodaro, Marquette, F, Sr., 6-11, 235, Chandler, Ariz.

Daniss Jenkins, St. John’s, G, Gr., 6-4, 180, Dallas, Texas

Eric Dixon, Villanova, F, R-Jr., 6-8, 255, Willow Grove, Pa.

ALL-BIG EAST HONORABLE MENTION

Donovan Clingan, Connecticut, C, So., 7-2, 280, Bristol, Conn.

Josh Oduro, Providence, F, Gr., 6-9, 290, Gainesville, Va.

Quincy Olivari, Xavier, G, Gr., 6-3, 200, Atlanta, Ga.

 

BIG EAST ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

Finley Bizjack, Butler, G, 6-4, 195, Trophy Club, Texas

*Stephon Castle, Connecticut, G, 6-6, 215, Covington, Ga.

Rich Barron, Providence, F/G, 6-5, 220, Chicago, Ill.

Isaiah Coleman, Seton Hall, G, 6-5, 180, Fredericksburg, Va.

Trey Green, Xavier, G, 6-0, 160, Charlotte, N.C.

Dailyn Swain, Xavier, G/F, 6-7, 200, Columbus, Ohio

*Denotes unanimous selection

Big East: Coming Down Home Stretch

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PROVIDENCE – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – In Saturday’s battle between ranked teams, No 12 Creighton celebrated its Senior Day while knocking off a short-handed No. 5 Marquette squad that was missing two key performers. Villanova used a strong second half to grab a key road win at Providence. Butler and Xavier picked up a road victories.

Baylor Scheierman led Crieghton (22-8, 13-6 BIG EAST) with game highs of 26 points and 16 rebounds, including three 3-pointers in a span of 1:53 down the stretch to seal an 89-75 victory. Marquette (22-7, 13-5) was missing Tyler Kolek due to an oblique injury and Oso Ighodaro due to illness. Kam Jones scored a team-high 23 points and David Joplin added 21.

Villanova and Providence went into their game with 9-8 league records. The Wildcats used a strong second half buoyed by some accurate 3-point shooting to post a 71-60 victory at the AMP and move into fifth place. Villanova (17-12, 10-8) shot 13-of-23 from 3-point range and outscored the Friars 37-23 in the second half. Justin Moore led a balanced offense with 15 points. Providence (18-11, 9-9) got 16 points and nine rebounds from Josh Oduro.

Butler ended a five-game losing streak with an 82-63 victory at DePaul. The Bulldogs (17-13, 8-11) were trailing 19-15 before taking control with a 17-0 run. DJ Davis netted a game-high 24 points. Pierre Brooks II scored all of his 16 points in the first half. Jaden Henley led the Blue Demons (3-26, 0-18) with 15 points.

Xavier got back to 9-9 in the league with a come-from-behind 98-93 win at Georgetown. The Musketeers (15-14, 9-9) were down 49-37 at halftime, but scored 61 points in the second half to nail down the win. Desmond Claude poured in 36 points. Rowan Brumbaugh led the Hoyas (9-20, 2-16) with 24 points.

In today’s lone contest, Connecticut can clinch the BIG EAST regular-season crown outright with a victory over Seton Hall at Gampel Pavilion at noon ET on CBS. The Huskies (25-3, 15-2), who opened their league season with a 75-60 loss to the Pirates (18-10, 11-6) on Dec. 20, are seeking their first outright crown since 1999.

No. 1 UConn Dominates No. 4 Marquette

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HARTFORD – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – In a top-five showdown game Saturday that Connecticut coach Dan Hurley said went “about as well as it could go for us,” the No. 1-ranked Huskies handled No. 4 Marquette. No. 17 Creighton used a superlative second half en route to a comfortable win at Butler. Providence gained a double-digit edge in the second half and maintained it in a victory over DePaul.

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At XL Center, with the game tied 18-18 midway through the first half, UConn streaked to the break with a 16-point lead and kept rolling to an 81-53 win over the Golden Eagles (19-6, 10-4). The Huskies (24-2, 14-1) owned all of the statistical advantages. They out-rebounded Marquette 45-27 and had 24 assists on 29 field goals made. Donovan Clingan produced game highs of 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting and 10 rebounds. Tristen Newton contributed 15 points, eight boards and eight assists. Marquette’s Kam Jones scored a team-high 15 points.

After trailing by one point at halftime, No. 17 Creighton outscored Butler 45-22 after the intermission and won 79-57 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Baylor Scheierman led the Bluejays (19-7, 10-5) with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Ryan Kalkbrenner threw in 21 points and grabbed six boards. Trey Alexander added 15 points. Jalen Thomas matched his season high with 18 points for the Bulldogs (16-10, 7-8), who were playing their fourth ranked opponent in the last five games.

Providence leaned on its dynamic duo of Devin Carter and Josh Oduro to beat DePaul 81-70 at the AMP. Carter scored 31 points, which included 7-of-10 shooting from 3-point range, and pulled down 13 rebounds for his seventh double-double. Oduro added 27 points and six rebounds for the Friars (17-9, 8-7). DePaul (3-22, 0-14) stayed in the game behind 14 points each from Elijah Fisher and Jaden Henley.

Big East: ‘Nova Drills Georgetown

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WASH DC – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Villanova used a strong defensive effort to earn a 70-54 victory at Georgetown in Friday’s lone contest. No. 1 Connecticut hosting No. 4 Marquette headlines a three-game Saturday.

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Villanova (14-11, 7-7 BIG EAST) held Georgetown (8-17, 1-13)  to 34.4 percent shooting in its win over the Hoyas. TJ Bamba led four Wildcats with 14 points. He also made four steals. Villanova led 38-29 at halftime. After an early run by the Hoyas in the second half, the Wildcats were in control. Rowan Brumbaugh came off the bench to contribute 14 points and five assists to the Hoya cause.

In the second game of a doubleheader today on FOX, No. 1 UConn hosts No. 4 Marquette at 3 p.m. ET at XL Center. It’s only the third time in the BIG EAST’s current configuration that two league teams ranked in the AP top five have met. UConn has won 13 in a row while Marquette is riding an eight-game winning streak. The Huskies are 13-0 on their homecourts this season. Last year, the Golden Eagles took two of three meetings, including a 70-68 decision in the BIG EAST Tournament semifinals.

The first game on FOX is an important contest to No. 17 Creighton and Butler and their battle at Hinkle Fieldhouse at 12:30 p.m. The Bluejays are tied for third place with Seton Hall at 9-5. Butler is in a four-way logjam at 7-7 with Providence, Xavier and Villanova.

Big East: Seton Hall, Xavier Cruise

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NEWARK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Seton Hall and Xavier gained homecourt victories in rivalry games on Tuesday. The Pirates took control late in the first and went on to post an 80-65 win. Xavier overcame Butler’s second-half rally to register an 85-71 victory.

At Prudential Center, Seton Hall and St. John’s were tied 24-24 with 4:33 left in the first half. The Pirates (13-5, 6-1 BIG EAST) scored the game’s next 28 points – 14 in the first half and the first 14 in the second half. Five Pirates reached double figures. Al-Amir Dawes scored a game-high 21 points. Dylan Addae-Wusu added 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. St. John’s (12-6, 4-3) competed without coach Rick Pitino, who missed the game due to illness. Daniss Jenkins led the Red Storm with 17 points.

At Cintas Center, after Butler had erased a 19-point deficit with the help of a 20-3 run, Xavier used a late spurt of its own to pick up an 85-71 victory. The Musketeers (9-8, 3-3) were led by Desmond Claude, who netted a career-high 26 points.  Dayvion McKnight added 20 points. Butler (11-7, 2-5) got 22 points from Pierre Brooks and a season-high 21 from Posh Alexander.

Like Tuesday, Wednesday’s two-game schedule is a doubleheader on FS1. Connecticut, newly-anointed No. 1 in this week’s AP poll, hosts No. 18 Creighton at Gampel Pavilion at 7 p.m. ET. The Bluejays (13-4, 4-2) have won six of the seven meetings since the Huskies (13-4, 4-2) rejoined the BIG EAST with UConn’s only win coming in last year’s contest 69-60 at Gampel.

Providence visits DePaul at 9 p.m. Both teams are aiming to end four-game losing streaks. Devin Carter has been on a hot scoring run and leads the Friars (11-6, 2-4). In BIG EAST games, he ranks first in scoring with a 21.7 average. DePaul’s top scorer in league play is forward Da’Sean Nelson, who sports a 16.2 scoring mark.

Pirates and Johnnies Lead the League

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NEWARK – (Staff report from Official News Release – A typical Saturday in the BIG EAST, filled with drama and a surprise or two, left the league standings with a four-way tie for first place at 3-1 among Seton Hall, St. John’s, Villanova and Connecticut.

Seton Hall’s 3-1 mark shows all three wins coming against ranked opponents. The Pirates (10-4) knocked off No. 7 Marquette 78-75 at Prudential Center behind the offensive punch of Al-Amir Dawes (23 points) and Kadary Richmond (21). The Hall led 76-66 with 2:25 left and withstood a frantic rally by the Golden Eagles that cut the lead to one point. Oso Ighodaro led Marquette (11-4) with 22 points, eight rebounds and three steals.

St. John’s got to 3-1 with its wire-to-wire 81-71 win over Villanova at Finneran Pavilion. Joel Soriano led the Johnnies (11-4) with 20 points and eight rebounds. Daniss Jenkins added 18 points and five assists. In his first start, freshman Brady Dunlap netted 15 points. St. John’s is 3-1 for the first time since 2010-11. TJ Bama was outstanding for Villanova (10-5) with a game-high 23 points, seven rebounds and four steals.

Georgetown got its first league win when it held off DePaul 68-65. The Hoyas (8-7, 1-3) led 62-61 with 4:11 left, but kept their lead against the Blue Demons (3-11, 0-3). A potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer by DePaul missed the mark. Supreme Cook led four Hoyas in double figures with 14 points. Ismael Massoud added 13 points and seven rebounds. Da’Sean Nelson paced DePaul with a game-high 19 points.

Creighton saw an 18-point second-half lead reduced to one, but the Bluejays recovered to post a 69-60 victory against visiting No. 23 Providence. Ryan Kalkbrenner led Creighton (11-4, 2-2) with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Trey Alexander had 21 points, five boards and five assists. The Friars (11-4, 2-2), playing their first game without the injured Bryce Hopkins, got a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds from Devin Carter. The Bluejays made a 3-pointer for the 1,000th straight game.

BIG EAST play resumes Tuesday with Seton Hall at Georgetown and Creighton at DePaul.

Big East: Bryce Hopkins Hurt

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PROVIDENCE – (Report from Official News Release) – Only 16 games into the 110-game BIG EAST league schedule and just one team remains unbeaten after two drama-filled contests on Wednesday. Seton Hall won at Providence 61-57 and Villanova edged Xavier 66-65.

Seton Hall got scoring support from Dre Davis, who notched a team-high 17 points. Kadary Richmond contributed 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists. The Pirates (9-5, 2-1 BIG EAST) shot slightly better than Providence (11-3, 2-1) from beyond the arc. The Hall was 7-of-16 and PC was 4-of-17. Josh Oduro netted a game-high 23 points for PC. Bryce Hopkins suffered a leg injury five minutes into the second half and did not return. The Friar defense was also strong, holding the Pirates to 36.2 shooting from the floor. Both of Seton Hall’s league wins have come against ranked opponents (UConn).

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Villanova had a 10-point lead midway through the second half, then held off a Xavier comeback bid. The Wildcats (10-4, 3-0) got 26 points from Hakim Hart (14) and Brendan Hausen (12) off the bench. Eric Dixon helped with 13 points and nine rebounds. The Musketeers (7-7, 1-2) were led by Quincy Olivari’s 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Xavier was 10-of-10 from the line, but only 5-of-18 from 3-point range.

The next BIG EAST action is Friday when fourth-ranked UConn visits Butler at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The Huskies (12-2, 2-1) lead the league in scoring offense (83.1), scoring margin (+19.5) and are the only BIG EAST team shooting better than 50 percent from the field (50.2). The Bulldogs (10-4, 1-2) are third nationally (12.9) in fewest fouls committed and 20th in free throw shooting (77.2).

Big East: St. John’s Tops Butler

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STORRS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – St. John’s and Creighton used some strong second-half play to secure wins on Tuesday, while Connecticut began its path to victory midway through the first half of its game.

No. 4 UConn put together a 16-2 run in the first half to take control in its 85-56 triumph over DePaul. The Huskies (12-2, 2-1 BIG EAST) led 38-19 at halftime. Four players finished in double figures led by Cam Spencer, who had 20 points. Alex Karaban added 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds. The Blue Demons (3-10, 0-2) were led by Da’Sean Nelson’s 19 points.

St. John’s (10-4, 2-1) pulled away from Butler in the final eight minutes and took an 86-70 decision at Carnesecca Arena. Daniss Jenkins led five SJU players in double figures with 17 points. He also had seven assists and five rebounds. Freshman Brady Dunlap, who had not played in the previous four games, netted 13 points off the bench. For Butler (10-4, 1-2), DJ Davis scored a game-high 25 points.

Creighton (10-4, 1-2) scored on 14 of its first 17 possessions in the second half en route to a 77-60 win atGeorgetown (7-7, 0-3). Baylor Scheierman posted his fourth double-double this season with 18 points and 12 boards. Trey Alexander dropped in a game-high 25 points. Rowan Brumbaugh led GU with 19 points and dished five assists.

FS1 has Wednesday’s two-game schedule covered. At 6:30 p.m. ET, No. 23 Providence hosts Seton Hall. The Friars (11-2, 2-0) are 46-3 in their last 49 home games. The Pirates (8-5, 1-1) have won three of their last four with wins over UConn, Missouri and Monmouth.

At 8:30 p.m., Xavier visits Villanova. The Musketeers (7-6, 1-1) are led by Quincy Olivari, who has averaged 25.0 points over his last five games.   For the third time in the last six seasons, the Wildcats (9-4, 2-0) have started 2-0 in league play with both wins coming on the road. Both teams have not played since Dec. 23.

Big East: Welcome to 2024

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STORRS – BIG EAST play in 2024 begins with three games on Tuesday evening. Eleven conference games were played in December. There are 99 to go.

No. 4 Connecticut hosts DePaul at Gampel Pavilion at 6:30 p.m. on FS1. The Huskies (11-2, 1-1) have won 22 of their last 23 games on campus. Guard Tristen Newton is averaging 16.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists. The Blue Demons (3-9, 0-1) are coming off a 70-58 victory over Chicago State. DePaul is third in the BIG EAST in 3-point shooting, making 35.0 percent.

Creighton travels to Georgetown for a 7 p.m. ET tip on CBSSN. The Bluejays (9-4, 0-2 BIG EAST) are looking for their first conference win after a five-point loss at Marquette on Saturday. The Hoyas (7-6, 0-2) are also in search of their first league victory. Georgetown has been idle since Dec. 22 when it also lost at Marquette. Guard Jayden Epps leads the Hoyas in scoring (17.1) and assists (4.1). The Bluejays have taken 11 of the last 14 games in the series.

The action on FS1 continues at 8:30 p.m. when St. John’s hosts Butler at Carnesecca Arena. The Red Storm (9-4, 1-1) have won seven of their last nine games and are 4-0 at Carnesecca, winning each game by at least 15 points. The Bulldogs (10-2, 1-0) are led by Pierre Brooks II, who is fifth in the BIG EAST in scoring with a 16.8 average. Butler is second nationally in fewest fouls committed, averaging only 12.3 per game.