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Big East

Kalkbrenner Leads Creighton

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NEW YORK  – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner saw his name mentioned in conjunction with another Big East player who enjoyed a storied NBA career at Madison Square Garden.

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Kalkbrenner joined Patrick Ewing as the only second player to be named as a four-time winner of the Big East’s Defensive Player of the Year award. The senior standout shot-blocker will look to record another big performance on Thursday night as second-seeded Creighton (22-9) squares off against 10th-seeded DePaul (14-18) in a Big East tournament quarterfinal matchup.

Kalkbrenner won his latest award earlier this week after leading the conference with 80 blocked shots. Along with Khyri Thomas, the Bluejays have earned at least a share of the award in six of the past nine seasons.

“That’s crazy because I wouldn’t think of myself in the same conversation as (former Georgetown and New York Knicks star) Patrick Ewing, at least not yet,” Kalkbrenner said. “So it’s definitely a huge honor to get that award and tie Ewing in that way. Still a lot of work to do for us.”

Kalkbrenner also led the Big East by shooting 66.3 percent from the field and was second behind Villanova’s Eric Dixon in scoring at an average of 19.4 points a game.

Kalkbrenner scored 12 points against St. John’s on Feb. 16 when he tweaked his ankle in a collision under the rim but ended the regular-season by averaging 22.8 points in his final five games, including a 27-point showing in Saturday’s 87-74 regular-season win over Butler.

The Bluejays are attempting to reach the title game for the fifth time since joining the Big East and the third time with Kalkbrenner after doing so in 2021 and 2022.

“That would be awesome,” he said. “In my time we’ve never won the Big East regular season or tournament, and that’s something I would love to do.”

While Creighton relies on Kalkbrenner’s interior play, it also is potent from outside. Steven Ashworth shot 38 percent from 3-point range in the regular season, fourth in the Big East behind Dixon, UConn’s Solo Ball and Xavier’s Ryan Conwell.

Ashworth hit 7 of 15 shots from beyond the arc against Butler. He made 24 of 59 attempts from 3-point range over his final six games since missing all five attempts against UConn on Feb. 11.

DePaul has improved by 11 games under first-year coach Chris Holtmann, who saw his team advance in the Big East tournament with a 71-67 victory over seventh-seeded Georgetown on Wednesday.

The Blue Demons are on a three-game winning streak and have shot at least 50 percent in each game. The past three games are occurring after a 2-14 skid that included a 73-49 home loss to Creighton on Jan. 21 and a 75-65 setback on Feb. 26, when Kalkbrenner totaled 25 points and 13 rebounds.

“It’s going to be a tough matchup with Kalkbrenner,” Holtmann said. “Bottom line, it’s not just Kalkbrenner. They have a terrific team. For us, we’re grateful for an opportunity to come out and compete, and we can’t wait to get out there and play again and wear the DePaul uniform. We’re super excited about it.”

NJ Benson did not play in the previous meeting with Creighton and guided DePaul to its second opening-round victory in three seasons.

Benson, who averaged 8.5 points during the regular season, returned after missing a month with a hand injury and scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half, including 11 straight for DePaul in the second half to turn a tie game into a seven-point lead.

– Field Level Media

“Anybody But UConn”

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NEW YORK – While UConn experienced some uneven moments during the regular season, the two-time defending national champion seemed to figure things out in the final two weeks of the regular season and could be starting to peak again.

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The Huskies start defense of their Big East tournament title with a quarterfinal matchup against sixth-seeded Villanova on Thursday night. Third-seeded UConn is riding a four-game winning streak, and star Alex Karaban seemingly has emerged from a lengthy shooting slump.

UConn (22-9) is entering the tournament on a winning streak for the third straight season. The Huskies won their final five regular-season games two years ago and their final four games a year ago en route to their first conference tournament title since Kemba Walker led a magical run of five wins in five days in 2011.

Villanova has won five Big East tournaments since then.

UConn is unbeaten since a 14-point loss to St. John’s on Feb. 23, winning three games by double digits along with a six-point home win over Marquette. Before the season-ending streak, the Huskies split their previous 12 games, a stretch that included two losses to St John’s, a two-point loss at Villanova and a late collapse in an overtime loss at Seton Hall.

“It’s probably the best we’ve felt all year,” coach Danny Hurley said after an 81-50 rout of Seton Hall on Saturday. “And it’s March, and UConn’s got a great history in March. That’s part of our confidence.”

Karaban ended the season by hitting 12-of-26 3s in his final five games and shooting 22-of-45 in his final four games. Before the past two weeks, he was 6-for-47 from behind the arc in a nine-game span from Jan. 18-Feb. 18.

Karaban is among three players to make the Big East All-Conference teams. Alex Karaban and Solo Ball were picked for the second team while Liam McNeeley was picked for the third team as well as the all-freshman team.

Ball averaged 16.1 points in conference games and finished with 17 against Seton Hall in 81-50 rout on Saturday.

Villanova (19-13) entered the tournament with a NET rating of 53 and advanced by never trailing in its 67-55 victory over Seton Hall in the opening round Wednesday.

Eric Dixon, the nation’s leading scorer at 23.6 points per game, scored all 19 of his points in the second half, including 11 in a decisive run after Villanova let an 18-point halftime lead drop to eight points.

The Wildcats split their two meetings with UConn, though they could have won both.

Dixon scored 18 of 23 points in the second half in a 68-66 home win on Jan. 8 against the then-No. 9 Huskies. The Wildcats earned the win after squandering a 12-point lead and surviving two missed free throws by Karaban with 3.1 seconds left.

When the Wildcats visited the Huskies in Hartford, Conn., on Feb. 18, they wound up with a 66-59 loss. Villanova held a 14-point lead with about 12 minutes to play but was outscored 27-6 the rest of the way.

“We know UConn is a disciplined team,” Villanova guard Jordan Longino said. “We’ve had two close matches with them during the season. So we know we got to come out and defend for 40 minutes and execute our game plan.”

–Field Level Media

BIG EAST: DePaul Faces Tough Georgetown Challenge

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NEW YORK – Georgetown showed major improvement in coach Ed Cooley’s second season as Micah Peavy earned a spot on the All-Big East first team and injured center Thomas Sorber made the third team and the conference’s all-rookie team.

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Still there were moments of inconsistency for the seventh-seeded Hoyas (17-14), who oppose 10th-seeded DePaul in the first round of the Big East tournament Wednesday night with the winner advancing to face second-seeded Creighton on Thursday.

The Hoyas are 2-4 since Sorber’s last game and ended the season with an 83-77 loss at DePaul on Sunday that infuriated Cooley. While Peavy scored 29 points, the Hoyas allowed 56.6 percent shooting.

“We know in order to win games, everyone has to step up,” Peavy said. “We haven’t had a full squad for most of the year, but we’ve still been in close games, and we’ve learned how to execute when it counts.”

DePaul (13-18) nearly beat Villanova in the opening round last season before taking a one-point loss to end a 3-29 season. The Blue Demons improved by 10 victories in coach Chris Holtmann’s debut season and are coming off consecutive wins over Providence and Georgetown.

DePaul scored at least 80 points and shot at least 50 percent in the wins over the Friars and Hoyas. It was the first time the Blue Demons shot at least 50 percent in consecutive conference games since Jan. 2-6, 2019, and the first time it scored at least 80 in consecutive conference games since Feb. 27-March 2, 2022.

“I think that you want to be playing well late,” Holtmann said. “One of our goals this year, I said, ‘I’d like for us to be able to say we’re playing well late.’ And that’s clearly demonstrated here. So I think we hit that goal, now we need to play well in New York.”

DePaul is led by CJ Gunn (12.8 points) and Isaiah Rivera (10.7), who combined for 38 points on 13-of-26 shooting on Saturday. Rivera scored a season-high 21 against the Hoyas for his fifth straight double-figure outing.

–Field Level Media

BIG EAST: Can Dixon Lead ‘Nova to Victory

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NEW YORK – Villanova’s Eric Dixon is the nation’s top scorer and the Big East’s top 3-point shooter.

Despite Dixon’s individual success, the sixth-seeded Wildcats are barely on the NCAA Tournament bubble heading into Wednesday night’s Big East tournament opener against 11th-seeded Seton Hall.

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If they can beat Seton Hall, a matchup with UConn awaits the Wildcats (18-13), who enter their third conference tournament under coach Kyle Neptune. Villanova enters Wednesday with an NET rating of 53, one behind 19-12 Indiana and three behind 17-14 Cincinnati.

Villanova has wins over St. John’s, Marquette and UConn along with two losses by a combined nine points against Creighton. The Wildcats were trending in the right direction with three straight wins before blowing a nine-point lead in the final 3:43 of a 75-73 loss at Georgetown in the March 4 regular-season finale.

Dixon scored 24 points against the Hoyas and Jordan Longino added 17 but the Wildcats allowed the winning layup with five seconds left.

“We’re looking ahead, looking at whoever our next matchup is,” Longino said. “Hopefully, we’re going to crumble this one up and throw it away after we watch film and regroup.”

Seton Hall (7-24) took a five-point home loss to Villanova two weeks ago and ended the regular season of the second 20-loss season in school history on a six-game losing streak. Of the Pirates’ 18 conference losses, 11 were by double digits and they were held to 60 points or fewer 16 times.

“Obviously, they got a mismatch with Dixon,” coach Shaheen Holloway said of the fifth-year Villanova senior who scored 57 points against the Pirates in two games. “He causes problems for everybody. There’s a reason why he’s the No. 1 scorer in Division I.”

The Pirates ended their trying regular season with an 81-50 loss at UConn on Saturday when they shot 35.3 percent. It was the 17th time they shot under 40 percent this season.

Seton Hall is led by Isaiah Coleman’s 15.3 points. No. 2 scorer Chaunce Jenkins missed the final 13 games after sustaining a knee injury Jan. 18 against St. John’s. Coleman scored 10 points Saturday and scored at least 20 in 10 games, including 22 in the first meeting with Villanova on Dec. 17.

Dixon averages 23.6 points per game.

–Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

Johnnies’ Luis Jr. Named Big East MVP

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NEW YORK – St. John’s forward RJ Luis, Jr. was named 2024-25 BIG EAST Player of the Year. St. John’s coach Rick Pitino was chosen BIG EAST Coach of the Year and Connecticut forward Liam McNeeley was tabbed as 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 were presented at Madison Square Garden prior to the start of the 2025 BIG EAST Tournament Presented by JEEP. It is the 43rd consecutive year the BIG EAST is playing its postseason tournament at the World’s Most Famous Arena.

Luis, a junior wing from Miami, was a critical piece in helping St. John’s win the outright BIG EAST regular season title and earn the top seed in this week’s BIG EAST Tournament. He averaged a team-leading 18.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals. His scoring average ranked fourth in the BIG EAST and his rebounding mark was sixth.  He finished the regular season with a flourish, averaging 24.3 points over the last three games. He is the first BIG EAST Player of the Year from St. John’s since Walter Berry captured the award in 1985-86.

Pitino, the leader of St. John’s revival, is in his second season in Jamaica Estates. He became the first coach in college basketball history to lead five different schools to regular season conference crowns. This year’s St. John’s team is 27-4 overall, 18-2 in BIG EAST play and ranked sixth in this week’s Associated Press poll. Pitino is the active winningest coach in college basketball with 881 victories. This year’s St. John’s squad tied a school record with 27 regular season victories and compiled an 18-2 BIG EAST mark, which tied the league record for a regular season win total.

McNeeley is the second straight Husky to earn Freshman of the Year honors. Stephon Castle was last season’s winner. McNeeley, a forward from Richardson, Texas, was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week seven times despite missing eight games early in the league campaign due to injury. He finished second on the team in scoring with a 14.7 average and pulled down a team-leading 6.2 rebounds. McNeeley’s single-game high of 38 points in a win at Creighton on Feb. 11 was the highest point total by a UConn rookie in a BIG EAST game.

BIG EAST Player of the Year

RJ Luis, Jr., St. John’s

BIG EAST Coach of the Year

Rick Pitino, St. John’s

 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year

Liam McNeeley, Connecticut

UConn Earns Top 25 Win

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OMAHA – UConn earned a top 25 road win behind freshman forward Liam McNeeley’s career night, while Marquette outlasted DePaul at home.

In front of a boisterous full house, UConn earned the first win in program history in Omaha, Neb, outlasting No. 24 Creighton, 70-66. The Huskies (17-7, 9-4 BE) trailed by as many as 14 in the opening half. Led by McNeeley, UConn overcame a double-digit deficit and outscored the Bluejays 47-29 over the final 23:04. The freshman sensation posted 38 points and 10 rebounds, while shooting 12-of-22 from the field and making five from beyond the arc. The 38-point outing was just three points shy of the BIG EAST freshman scoring record set by Marco Lokar of Seton Hall on Feb. 20, 1990. Ryan Kalkbrenner and Steven Ashworth both scored 13 points to lead the Bluejays (18-7, 11-3 BE).

At Fiserv Forum, No. 18 Marquette got back in the win column, defeating DePaul 68-58. TheGolden Eagles (19-6, 10-4 BE) were led by 19 points from senior guard Kam Jones, who etched his name into the No. 3 spot in the MU career scoring record book and moved past 2009-10 Associated Press All-America selection Lazar Hayward (1,859 points). DePaul (11-14, 2-12 BE) was led by CJ Gunn’s 14 points and two assists.

BIG EAST action continues Wednesday with a pair of matchups. Riding a 10-game winning streak, ninth-ranked St. John’s hits the road to face the nation’s leading scorer Eric Dixon and the Villanova Wildcats at 6 p.m. ET on FS1. The Red Storm (21-3, 12-1 BE) hold a two-game advantage in the loss column of the league standings, while the Wildcats (14-10, 7-6 BE) look to increase the gap for fifth place.

At 8 p.m. on Peacock, Providence hosts Xavier in the first matchup between the two foes this season. The Musketeers (14-10, 6-7 BE), led by Zach Freemantle in both scoring (16.6 ppg) and rebounding (7.0 rpg), are looking to rebound from Sunday’s road loss at Villanova. TheFriars (11-13, 5-8 BE) want to snap a three-game losing streak. Providence is led on the offensive end by Jayden Pierre (12.8 ppg) and Bensley Joseph (12.7 ppg).

St. John’s Defeats Mighty UConn

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STORRS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – St. John’s (21-3, 12-1 BIG EAST) earned a pivotal road win at Connecticut (16-7, 8-4 BIG EAST), with a 68-62 defensive victory in their Friday showdown on the campus of the two-time defending national champion.

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The Johnnies came back from an early 14-point deficit before a hostile sold-out crowd of 12,299 at Gampel Pavilion to earn their 10th straight BIG EAST victory. St. John’s has now won 16 of its last 17 games and earned back-to-back Top-20 victories in the same week for the first time since 2006.

The Red Storm unleashed a pressure defensive effort midway through the second half, forcing eight turnovers in just over five minutes that fueled a decisive 12-0 to reclaim the lead. In the final moments of the game, St. John’s wing, RJ Luis Jr., delivered the dagger with a baseline jumper off an out of bounds play with 11 seconds remaining to put St. John’s up by four points.

Luis finished with 21 points to pace the Johnnies and scored eight points in the final 2:16. The 20-point effort marked the junior’s seventh 20+ effort of the season. Luis also grabbed seven rebounds and shot 10-for-15 inside the 3-point arc.

Kadary Richmond added 12 points all in the second half and played an integral role with timely buckets down the stretch. The graduate student from Brooklyn finished with six rebounds and five assists.

Simeon Wilcher tallied his 10th double-figure scoring effort of the year with 11 points. Zuby Ejiofor was the fourth St. John’s player to finish in double-digits tallying 11 points while shooting 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.

The Red Storm dominated in turnover margin (+15) committing only seven, while forcing UConn into 22 turnovers. The Johnnies outscored the Huskies 18-2 in points off turnovers.

Liam McNeeley led the hometown Huskies in his return from injury with 18 points. Tarris Reed Jr. finished with a double-double recording 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Early in the first half, the Huskies used an 11-0 scoring run that was capped by a three-pointer from Jaylin Stewart to take a 21-8 advantage at the 14:22 mark. Connecticut extended its lead to as many as 14 after Solo Ball hit a 3-pointer as the Huskies started off 5-for-9 from long-range.

After the mandatory under-12 minute timeout, St. John’s guard Deivon Smith jumpstarted the comeback with a four-point play, flushing a triple through contact to turn the tides. Wilcher’s mid-range jumper counted for an 8-0 run as the Red Storm quickly drew the deficit to six, 26-20. Soon after, Smith dished to Ejiofor for the fastbreak slam before Luis finished in the paint to close another run (7-0) and St. John’s trailed by a single-point, 28-27.

With the game back in the balance and the Huskies ahead by four, Wilcher corralled a long offensive rebound and splashed a triple from the corner. It was the sophomore once again that gave St. John’s its first lead, 34-33, with a layup through the painted area at 2:29. Ejiofor came up with a big “And-one” in the final minute of the half to give the Johnnies a two-point advantage, 37-35, heading into the break.

Second Half Start

The Huskies tallied the first five points of the second half before Wilcher quieted the crowd with a make from beyond-the-arc to knot the score at 40 at the 18:20 mark. Both offenses sputtered as the team defenses dug-in and the game remained close.

Trailing by five with just under 10 minutes remaining, the Johnnies continued to wreak havoc defensively forcing six turnovers in a four-minute span that led directly to six points. After Luis tied the score at 52 apiece, another Huskies’ miscue gave the Red Storm possession. Richmond capitalized with a made jumper as the Johnnies captured their first lead since halftime, 54-52, with 5:30 remaining. St. John’s wouldn’t stop there as a Richmond made a steal at midcourt and turned it into a putback by Scott as the run ballooned to 12-0.

Down the stretch, after a free throws from Richmond that extended the advantage to eight, 60-52, UConn responded quickly chopping its deficit to four before Luis retaliated with a mid-range make.

McNeeley hit four free throws to bring the Huskies’ deficit down to just two, 64-62, with 33 seconds remaining. On an out-of-bounds play, Luis got free on the baseline and received a dish from Richmond. The Miami native rose up and knocked down a crucial shot with 11 seconds on the clock to seal the victory. The Huskies hurried down the floor and missed a lay-up on their final possession as the Red Storm earned its first victory inside Gampel Pavilion since Jan. 18, 2021.

BIG EAST: Super Match-Up

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STORRS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – While BIG EAST road wins are usually hard to come by, this past Tuesday night had all three teams in road jerseys going home with victories.

Butler rolled to an 84-54 triumph over Seton Hall at Prudential Center. Six Bulldogs (10-13, 3-9 BIG EAST) scored between 10 and 14 points while the team shot 57.9 percent from the field. Butler led 48-20 at halftime. Pierre Brooks scored 14 points with Boden Kapke and Patrick McCaffery each added 13 points. Kapke also had 11 rebounds, which was his first career double-double. The Pirates (6-17, 1-11) were led by Prince Aligbe’s 17 points and six rebounds.

Creighton ended a three-game losing streak at Providence and extended this season’s winning streak to eight games with an 80-69 victory. The Bluejays (17-6, 10-2) rode Ryan Kalkbrenner’s 35 points and 12 rebounds. His scoring total was the second highest of his career. Steven Ashworth added 23 points, six rebounds and six assists as CU moved into second place. Corey Floyd Jr. posted 16 points and 10 boards for the Friars (11-12, 5-7).

Villanova used a strong defensive effort in its 59-49 win at DePaul. The Wildcats (13-10, 6-6) led 29-26 at halftime and maintained the advantage over the Blue Demons (11-13, 2-11) in the second half. Villanova limited DePaul to 30.8 percent shooting from the field. While Eric Dixon was held to 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting, Jordan Longino stepped with a game-high 17 points. David Thomas came off the bench to score 16 points for the Blue Demons.

BIG EAST play continues Friday with a ranked vs. ranked matchup. No. 12 St. John’s meets No. 19 UConn at Gampel Pavilion at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. The Johnnies (20-3, 11-1) are in first place in the league standings and have compiled a nine-game winning streak. The Huskies (16-6, 8-3) are 3-0 this season against ranked teams, including last Saturday’s 77-69 win over then-No. 9 Marquette.

St. John’s Upends Marquette

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NEW YORK – In a battle of ranked teams in front of a boisterous crowd at Madison Square Garden, St. John’s won its ninth straight game, defeating No. 11 Marquette 70-64. In the other game Tuesday, Xavier used balanced scoring and a rebounding advantage to beat visiting Georgetown 74-69.

St. John’s (20-3, 11-1 BIG EAST) remained in first place with the victory. It marks the quickest the Johnnies have reached 20 wins since the 1985-86 season. With the game tied 55-55 and five minutes remaining, St. John’s prevailed down the stretch. The home team had double-double performances from Kardary Richmond (18 pts., 11 rebs.), RJ Luis Jr. (17 pts., 11 rebs.) and Zuby Ejiofor (13 pts., 13 rebs.). Chase Ross led Marquette (18-5, 9-3) with 16 points.

Xavier (14-9, 6-6) moved into fifth place with its victory over Georgetown (14-9, 5-7). The Musketeers have won five of their last seven games. They were led by Dailyn Swain, who posted 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. Marcus Foster and Zach Freemantle each had 17 points. Foster added a career-high 13 rebounds. Micah Peavy matched his career scoring high with 27 points. Thomas Sorber finished with 17 points.

The Wednesday schedule includes three games. FS1 has a doubleheader that starts withButler at Seton Hall at 6:30 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs (9-13, 2-9) won the first meeting 82-77 on Jan. 15. The nightcap has Creighton playing at Providence. The Bluejays (16-6, 9-2) are alone in second place and have a seven-game winning streak. The Friars (11-11, 5-6) have won four of their last seven. Two of the three losses have come by two-points each.

Villanova travels to DePaul for a 9 p.m. tipoff on CBSSN. The Wildcats (12-10, 5-6) want to end a three-game losing streak. Eric Dixon still leads the nation in scoring, averaging 24.2 points. The Blue Demons (11-12, 2-10) are coming off a 74-57 home win versus Seton Hall.

Marquette No. 11, St John’s No. 12

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CHICAGO – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – In Sunday’s lone BIG EAST action, DePaul was able to defeat Seton Hall, 74-57, on their home court.
DePaul (11-12, 2-10 BIG EAST) jumped out to a 12-0 lead in the opening six minutes and never looked back, securing its largest win in league play since March 6, 2019. NJ Benson led the team with his third double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Isaiah Coleman paced Seton Hall (6-16, 1-10 BE) with 18 points.

In Monday’s rankings, No. 11 Marquette holds one position over No. 12 St. John’s in the AP Poll, while the Red Storm jumped to No. 10 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, just ahead of No. 11 Marquette. The pair are set to meet up Tuesday at Madison Square Garden at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Also making a move back into the top 20, No. 19/18 UConn will host St. John’s on Friday at 8 p.m. on FOX.

Also on Tuesday, Georgetown travels to Ohio to take on Xavier at 8:30 p.m. on FS1.

On Wednesday, Seton Hall hosts Butler at 6:30 p.m. on FS1, followed by Creighton at Providence at 8:30 p.m. on FS1. At 9 p.m. on CBS Sports Network, Villanova hits the road against DePaul.