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NCAA Basketball

BIG EAST: Villanova Reppin’ Again

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SAN ANTONIO – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – For the third time since 2016, Villanova will play in the Final Four. The Wildcats became the NCAA South Region champions after a 50-44 victory over Houston this past Saturday in Texas. Villanova forward Jermaine Samuels was named the South Region Most Outstanding Player. Coach Jay Wright’s second-seeded team defeated Michigan 63-55 in the regional semifinals.

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Villanova will meet Kansas in the national semifinals this Saturday. On their way to the NCAA crown in 2018, the Wildcats beat the Jayhawks 95-79 in the same round. Villanova got off to a 22-4 start en route to the victory. Back in 2016, Villanova beat Kansas 64-59 in the South Region final.

Overall, BIG EAST teams own a 12-6 record in national semifinal contests not including when a BIG EAST team faced another league squad in 1985 and 1987. Villanova is 3-1, winning in 1985, 2016 and 2018 while losing in 2009.

Villanova will be without All-Big East guard Justin Moore in their Final Four lineup. Moore fell to the floor with a non-contact leg injury late in Saturday’s Elite Eight win over Houston. On Sunday, he was diagnosed with a torn Achilles tendon. Villanova announced that he’s scheduled for surgery this week and will be sidelined indefinitely.

USBWA Names All-American Teams

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INDIANAPOLIS – Three repeat selections joined three first team selections from the Big Ten, including its top scorer, a pair of teammates from top-ranked Gonzaga and the country’s leading rebounder to make up the 2021-22 U.S. Basketball Writers Association Men’s All-America Team. The 15-man team includes two of the country’s top shooters, the third-leading scorer, seven players who were their conference players of the year and four players who were USBWA district players of the year.

The USBWA has named a men’s All-America Team since its inaugural season of 1956-57. Since the 2017-18 season, the USBWA has expanded the team to honor 15 players on three teams, regardless of position. For the first time, the USBWA has also recognized players with honorable mention. The All-America Team is selected by the USBWA board after voting from the entire membership and the honor is based on performance during the regular season and conference tournaments.

Illinois center Kofi Cockburn, a 7-0 junior center from Kingston, Jamaica, is on the first team following a second-team selection last year and is the only player in the nation averaging at least 20 points (21.1) and 10 rebounds (10.6) per game, and is the sole player in the national top 20 in those categories. He’s the first Big Ten player since 2004 to average at least 21 points and 10 rebounds and is third in the nation with 11 games of at least 20-10.

Oscar Tshiebwe is Kentucky’s first USBWA All-American since forward PJ Washington in 2019 and the Wildcats’ first on the first team since forward Willie Cauley-Stein in 2015. The 6-9 junior forward from Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the USBWA District IV Player of the Year and is the nation’s leading rebounder at 15.1 per game; he is also the team’s leading scorer with 17.0 points per game and could become the first Division I player to average at least 15 points and 15 rebounds per game since Drake’s Lewis Lloyd and Alcorn State’s Larry Smith (1979-80), and the first major-conference player to average 16 points and 15 rebounds in a season since Bill Walton at UCLA in 1972-73. No Kentucky player has averaged as much as 16 points and 15 rebounds since Bob Burrow (19.1 and 17.7) in 1954-55.

Tshiebwe is also a force on defense as the only major conference player averaging at least 1.6 blocked shots and 1.6 steals per game.

Keegan Murray’s accolades go beyond his 23.6 points per game, which are fourth nationally and lead all players from the major conferences. Iowa’s 6-8 sophomore forward from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has a 55.5 percent shooting accuracy that is 32nd nationally and his 2.0 blocks per game are 45th. Murray is the only player nationally to be averaging 23 points, eight rebounds and two blocks heading into the postseason. He has 10 double-doubles. Murray gives Iowa a first-team All-American in three consecutive seasons following center Luka Garza in 2020 and ’21.

Johnny Davis, a 6-5 sophomore guard/forward from LaCrosse, Wis., is the District V Player of the Year as well as the same in the Big Ten. The Wisconsin sophomore is averaging 19.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game and has scored 30 or more points in three games, two of them against ranked opponents. He has five double-doubles.

Kansas’ Ochai Agbaji, a 6-5 guard from Kansas City, Mo., is the USBWA District VI and Big 12 Player of the Year. He is 25th nationally in scoring at 19.7 points per game. The four-year starter for KU was second in the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage (40.5%, 31st nationally) and in three-point field goals made per game (2.8, 42nd nationally). He has made a three-pointer in 53 consecutive games, a KU record, heading into the postseason and is 18th on the KU career scoring list with 1,570 points.

This is the 30th time for teammates to be on the USBWA All-America team, and there are a pair of pairs this season with Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme from Gonzaga, the top seed in the West Regional, matching Walker Kessler and Jabari Smith from Auburn.

Drew Timme of Gonzaga, also a second-teamer last year, is the USBWA District IX and West Coast Conference Player of the Year after leading the WCC in scoring in conference games at 18.5 ppg, and second among all games at 17.5. His 58.8 percent accuracy is 14th nationally. Teammate Chet Holmgren, on the third team, is fourth in the nation in blocks (104) and leads the WCC with 9.6 rebounds per game. The 7-0 freshman has more blocks (104) than missed shots from the field (98) so far this season. Gonzaga has had a USBWA All-American in four of the last five seasons, including three a season ago when it reached the national championship game.

Auburn’s Jabari Smith, a second-teamer, was named the SEC’s Freshman of the Year and teammate Walker Kessler earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Kessler, on the third team, enters the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 shot-blocker in the country averaging 4.5 blocks per game and the only NCAA Division I player with two triple-doubles. The Tigers pair are the first Auburn players to earn USBWA All-America nods since Chris Porter in 1999.

Finishing off the second team are Duke forward Paolo Banchero, the ACC Freshman of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection; Purdue guard Jaden Ivey, a first team All-Big Ten selection; and second-ranked Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin, the Pac-12’s Player of the Year.

Villanova guard Collin Gillespie, a third repeat USBWA All-American who repeats on the third unit this season, was the District II and Big East Player of the Year. He headlines the third team, joining Holmgren and Kessler. Also on the third team are James Akinjo, an All-Big 12 guard on the East Regional’s top seed Baylor and Ohio State forward E.J. Liddell, a first team All-Big Ten selection and the Buckeyes’ first All-American since 2018.

Five other standout players received honorable mention from the USBWA: Armando Bacot, North Carolina; Johnny Juzang, UCLA; JD Notae, Arkansas; David Roddy, Colorado State; and Alondes Williams, Wake Forest.

Following is the complete 2021-22 USBWA All-America Team:

2021-22 USBWA MEN’S ALL-AMERICA TEAM

First Team
G Ochai Agbaji, Kansas (6-5, 215, Sr., Kansas City, Mo.)
C Kofi Cockburn, Illinois (7-0, 285, Jr., Kingston, Jamaica)
G/F Johnny Davis, Wisconsin (6-5, 194, So., LaCrosse, Wis.)
F Keegan Murray, Iowa (6-8, 225, So., Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
F Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky (6-9, 255, Jr., Lubumbashi, Congo)

Second Team
F Paolo Banchero, Duke (6-10, 250, Fr., Seattle, Wash.)
G Jaden Ivey, Purdue (6-4, 195, So., South Bend, Ind.)
G Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona (6-6, 210, So., Montreal, Quebec)
F Jabari Smith, Auburn (6-10, 220, Fr., Fayetteville, Ga.)
F Drew Timme, Gonzaga (6-10, 235, Jr., Richardson, Texas)

Third Team
G James Akinjo, Baylor (6-1, 190, Sr., Oakland, Calif.)
G Collin Gillespie, Villanova (6-3, 195, Gr., Huntingdon Valley, Pa.)
F Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga (7-0, 195, Fr., Minneapolis, Minn.)
F/C Walker Kessler, Auburn (7-1, 245, So., Newnan, Ga.)
F E.J. Liddell, Ohio State (6-7, 240, Jr., Belleville, Ill.)

Honorable mention: Armando Bacot, North Carolina; Johnny Juzang, UCLA; JD Notae, Arkansas; David Roddy, Colorado State; Alondes Williams, Wake Forest.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

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MARCH MADNESS: NCAA Tournament Tips-Off Today

It’s the MOST WONDERFUL TIME of the YEAR
With the kids basket-balling
And everyone calling
To tell you a’ Bracket-Buster to Fear.

It’s the hap-happiest hoops season of all
Our masks from the pandemic, hanging on the wall
The Refs come a’ calling, every perimeter foul and some walking
It’ll drive you to be another LaVar Ball,

There’ll be Final Four parties for hosting
Tall Boys for toasting
With kegs stored out in the snow
There’ll be Raftery’s stories
And, tales of Duke’s Glory of
Championships long, long ago

It’s the MOST WONDERFUL TIME of the YEAR

There’ll be Greg Gumbel glowing
And Jay Bilas spouting to prove
He’s the best commentator going,
For every game of the basketball year

There’ll be watch parties thriving
As school-work goes diving, your Dean’s Lists ripped-in-shreds
But fill-up the tank and head with your ranking
The SuperDome smells like a BEER.

It’s the MOST WONDERFUL TIME of the YEAR

There’ll be buzzer-beater tossin’
Kentucky be a ‘lossin’
Just like they do every year

It’s the most wonderful time
Yes, the most wonderful time
Oh, it’s MARCH MADNESS time
Of the YEAR.

 

Six Big East Teams Join “Big Dance”

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Six BIG EAST Teams Going Dancin’

PHILADELPHIA – Villanova, Providence and UConn earned top-five seeds when the NCAA Selection Show was broadcast Sunday night, while Creighton, Marquette and Seton Hall are each set to compete in the NCAA Tournament beginning Thursday. Villanova, the BIG EAST Tournament champion, earned a No. 2 seed, while Providence, the regular-season champion, is a No. 4 seed. UConn claimed a No. 5 seed, followed by Creighton and Seton Hall as No. 8 seeds and Marquette as a No. 9 seed.

No. 2 Seed Villanova Wears Big East Title Crown, (Again)

The eighth-ranked and second-seeded Villanova Wildcats earned a trio of hard fought victories in the 40th BIG EAST Tournament presented by Jeep played at Madison Square Garden to win the sixth BIG EAST Championship in program history. After a ferocious comeback moved the Wildcats past St. John’s 66-65 in the quarterfinals, Villanova edged UConn 63-60 in the semifinals. In the finals, Villanova outlasted Creighton 54-48 in a dramatic showdown to improve to 5-1 in the tournament finals since conference realignment. The ‘Cats guard Collin Gillespie won the Dave Gavitt Trophy as the Most Outstanding Player.

BIG EAST Fans Flocked to The Garden

NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Tournament was a sellout at Madison Square Garden for four of the five sessions on March 9-12. The attendance for the four sellouts was 19,812. The Garden was filled to 97.3 capacity over the four days. The BIG EAST
was playing its tournament at the World’s Most Famous Arena for the 40th straight year. It is the longest running conference tournament played at the same venue. The sight of thousands of UConn fans entering MSG brought back all the memories of years gone past.

BIG EAST Averages More Than Five Team Bids Per Year

With six NCAA bids in 2022, the BIG EAST has received a total of 42 NCAA
Tournament invitations since reconfiguration in 2013-14, averaging 5.3 per
season. That average discounts 2020 when the NCAA Tournament was not
played. Villanova won the national championship in 2018 and 2016. The BIG
EAST earned a high of seven NCAA bids in 2017.

Villanova has the Top Nine-Year Record of Teams

In the last nine seasons since conference realignment, Villanova has the best record in conference play with a 130-31 (.808) mark. The Wildcats have won or shared seven of the nine regular-season titles. Providence won outright this season and Xavier won outright in 2017-18.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | March 13

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By TERRY LYONS

NEW YORK – There are few things that join death and taxes as the guarantees in life. With that in mind, we add:

  1. Steph Curry’s jump shot
  2. Gregg Popovich leading NBA coaches in career victories
  3. The famed Island Green (17th) at TPC Sawgrass bringing PGA Tour pros to their knees, especially with winds at 20 mph and gusts 44+ mph.
  4. The annual BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden – the World’s Most Famous Arena – playing host to some of the best postseason college basketball any fan would want to experience in a community of like-minded opponents. Every March.

Right from the beginning this week, the BIG EAST did not disappoint. In the opening game, a 4:30pm (ET) afternoon start of a BIG EAST triple-header, Butler (14-19) upset Xavier (18-13) in a 89-82 overtime thriller. As the tournament progressed at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Providence and Butler were tied (31-all) at the half until the Friars outlasted Butler, 65-61 after a last minute 3-point FG by Providence’s Al Durham iced the victory.

With 15:38 left in the 2nd half on Thursday evening, St. John’s led Villanova 44-27. At 2:08 mark, after several lead changes, St. John’s was barely holding on, 65-64, but could not convert the win, eventually losing to ‘Nova, 66-65.

At the Friday night semifinals, No. 8-ranked Villanova took care of business against the No. 20 UConn, 63-60, in a game that had old-school BIG EAST fans lighting up The Garden with sound. But, No. 11 ranked Providence, the regular season BIG EAST Champion and tournament No. 1 seed dropped their semifinal game to an impressive Creighton team, 85-58. Included in that one-sided tally was the fact Creighton held Providence to 27 points in the first half.

After a terrible start (trailed 0-7), Creighton gave Villanova everything it could handle in the Saturday night BIG EAST Final. Villanova’s team leader, Collin Gillespie was held scoreless in the first half but finished the game with 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists, including a pair of pressure three-point FGs and the game-clinching rebound with seven seconds remaining. Gillespie went to the line and hit two clutch FTs to close out the victory, 54-48, while securing Villanova’s fifth BIG EAST title in the past seven years.

The tournament brought forth an amazing sense of normalcy for the old-time BIG EAST fans, not the ultra-annoying “new-normal” spoken by talking heads, health care professionals and political talking heads. Just as the timing of the 2020 BIG EAST Tournament couldn’t have been worse, the 2022 edition, the 40th held at The Garden since the conference kicked its tires in Providence, Syracuse and Hartford to start things off in 1980-81-82, came about at a time when COVID-19 restrictions are being eased at public arenas, bars, restaurants and at schools.

There’s talk of the BIG EAST receiving seven invites to the NCAA’s Big Dance, with Xavier having a possible NIT invite awaiting after their early exit this week. What’s certain, as sure as that Curry 30-footer, is the depth and competitiveness of the BIG EAST’S men’s basketball teams.

The conference play is physical and, to the credit of the officiating staffs, the BIG EAST seems to have found the ability to call games in a ‘no harm, no foul’ professional style, rather than the annoying ticky-tack foul calls out on the perimeter. The refs have mastered the art of the non-call, to let play to continue. It has allowed an intense up & down style of play, less frequent foul trouble by the star players and better preparation for the upcoming Big Dance for Big East contenders.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The new NBA coaching record for most career victories was set Friday and mentioned above. While it’s easy to define the best coaches by the sheer number of victories, NBA coaches often chalk-it-up such honors due to longevity.

Here are the winningest coaches in the four major North American sports leagues:

NHL Ice-Hockey – Scotty Bowman – (1,244 wins, nine Stanley Cup championships)

NFL American Football – Don Shula – (347 wins, two Super bowl wins)

MLB Baseball – Connie Mack – (3,731 wins)

NBA Basketball – Gregg Popovich – (1,336 victories, five NBA titles)

NCAA Basketball – Coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and coach John Wooden of UCLA both deserve mention.

In addition to this lofty list of winners, there’s also a common sense list of the greatest coaches, one that is a bit more subjective.

NHL – Al Arbour, Coach of the New York Islanders, Toe Blake of Montreal, Joel Quenneville of multiple NHL teams.

NFL – George Halas of Chicago Bears and Bill Belichick of New England Patriots

MLB – John McGraw, Tony La Russa, Joe Torre, Bobby Cox and Sparky Anderson all deserve mention.

NBA – Red Auerbach, Boston Celtics.

DIAMOND DUST-UP RESOLVED: Thank goodness. Major League Baseball and its players Association came to terms this week and the baseball season will begin with players reporting today (March 13) and Spring Training games beginning March 17. As you would expect, it’ll be toughest on the pitchers stretching out, especially free agent pitchers.

Opening Day will be April 7, and MLB is planning to play a full 162-game schedule, allowing for players to make up on previously lost salary.

The MLB Postseason will expand to 12 teams.

The National League will adopt the Designated Hitter.

Free agency might be the most newsworthy item as Baseball comes back to life after its loss of three months. The lock-out began December 2 but starting this week, there will be a frenzy of free agent signings, maybe some 10-12 a day as teams re-stock.

Freddie Freeman, the Atlanta Braves star first baseman is high on the list of the potentially most valuable and sought after free agents. While some believe he will re-sign in Atlanta, there’s already talk of a mega-deal with one of the big market teams.

LA Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw already signed a one-year deal with the only club he’s played for on the major league level. The Dodgers’ California rival and neighbor to the north, the San Francisco Giants, signed left-hander Carlos Rodon to a reported two-year $44 million deal. Saturday, the Oakland A’s sent Chris Bassitt to the New York Mets in a muti-player deal to begin an Oakland roster-stripping list of expensive player sales.

For additional information, the reporters at ESPN are following the Free Agent market and post all transactions HERE.

March Madness Special: Read more of the weekly notes by subscribing HERE.

BIG EAST & The Garden Share 40 Years of Fantastic Tournament Memories

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from official News Release) – The 2022 BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden marks the 40th Anniversary of the prestigious postseason championship being staged at “The World’s Most Famous Arena.” The BIG EAST Tournament first took to the famed Madison Square Garden basketball court in 1983, making it the longest-running postseason championship at the same location in college basketball.

One of college basketball’s most treasured events, the BIG EAST Tournament, first signed an agreement to bring the annual postseason classic to The Garden on October 7, 1981. Led by tournament MVP Chris Mullin, St. John’s defeated #1 seed Boston College 85-77 to win the first BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden in ’83. That weekend set the tone with sellout crowds and alumni parties up and down the Northeast corridor which quickly became a staple to circle the dates on The Garden’s yearly sports calendar.

Countless tournament memories have been made throughout the years, including Walter Berry’s block on Dwayne “Pearl” Washington in 1986; Kemba Walker’s spectacular 130 points in five games during the 2011 Tournament; Allen Iverson vs. Ray Allen in the 1996 Championship game; Doug McDermott scoring 92 total points in Creighton’s first BIG EAST Tournament in 2014; and of course Syracuse and UConn scoring 244 points over the course of 3 hours and 46 minutes in six overtimes in a wild game that ended at 1:22 a.m. in 2009.

“This year’s competition will be a fierce as ever,” said BIG EAST Commissioner, Val Ackerman. “And, we know that an electric atmosphere and the unforgettable moments that have defined the BIG EAST tournament for decades will once again await our amazing fans.”

“The BIG EAST Tournament and Madison square Garden have been synonymous with one another for 40 years,” said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, MSG Marquee Events. “Since 1983, the tournament has become a staple on The Garden calendar and has provided millions of fans with thrilling long-lasting memories. College hoops junkies will once again rush through our turnstiles this week for another four days of scintillating college basketball.”

The BIG EAST and Madison Square Garden will welcome fans back to the tournament this week for the first time since 2020 when the COVID Pandemic brought an early halt to the postseason tournament. Quarterfinal doubleheaders will be played this afternoon and evening, March 10. The semifinal doubleheader will be held Friday, March 11, followed by the title game on Saturday evening, March 12.

The first three BIG EAST tournaments were held in Providence, Syracuse and Hartford, respectively.

The BIG EAST Conference is an association of 11 nationally prominent colleges and universities that foster healthy athletic competition, community service and the pursuit of excellence in academic environments. The athletic programs of BIG EAST institutions provide national-caliber participation opportunities for more than 4,100 student-athletes on over 200 men’s and women’s teams in 22 sports. Established in 1979 and headquartered in New York City, the BIG EAST’s members are located in eight of the country’s top 37 largest media markets and include Butler University, University of Connecticut, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John’s University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University.

Seton Hall Endures; Defeats Hoyas

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release0 – On a night that saw the BIG EAST Tournament feel like old times, packed house of 17,163 and three gripping games with outstanding individual performances and renewed rivalries.

Georgetown travelled to the Garden knowing their last victory against a Big East opponent came in last year’s BIG EAST Tournament title game, a mere 362 days ago. During the season, the Hoyas held a halftime lead against a conference foe in just three games and never by more than three points. And last night’s three-point lead over Seton Hall was its first at the half since Feb.9 against DePaul.

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The Pirates came into the BIG EAST Tournament as the conference’s hottest team, winning their final five straight and eight of their last 10. They had just logged their sixth 20-win season in the past seven years and the Pirates kind of had the Hoyas number of late, having won 12 of the last 16 against Georgetown.

So it should have been little more than a walk in the park for the Pirates, no?

Um, no. And the Pirates should have known as much as they had just played the Hoyas a week ago and needed to rally late to take down Georgetown in a five-point win on The Hall’s Senior Night. So it should have come as no surprise that the third tilt of the season between the Pirates and Hoyas would once again go down to the wire as it did. But the Pirates used an 11-3 run over the final 4:38 to rally from a four-point deficit and pull out a hard-fought 57-53 victory.

The Pirates (21-9) move on to face No. 3 seed UConn in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The Pirates and Huskies split the season series with Seton Hall winning, 90-87, in overtime on Jan. 8 before UConn evened the score with a 70-65 win on Feb. 16.

A three-pointer by Jamir Harris with 40.3 seconds to play gave the Pirates the lead for good at 55-53. But the Hoyas were not about to go quietly. With 27 seconds to play, Georgetown’s Collin Holloway had a wide open look on a three-pointer from the corner, but his shot clanged off the rim and right to teammate Donald Carey. But Carey’s attempt at a putback to tie the game was squashed when The Hall’s Ike Obiagu blocked his seventh shot of the game.

But after Seton Hall’s Alexis Yetna misfired on a free throw with 20.2 seconds to play, Georgetown had one more opportunity to either tie or win the game in the final seconds. But Carey made an errant pass to Kaiden Rice with six seconds to play and Jared Rhoden sank two free throws with two seconds left to ice the win for the Pirates.

Rhoden finished with 17 points to lead the Pirates while Myles Cale added 14. Freshman Aminu Mohammed was tops for the Hoyas with 12.

Afterwards, Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard credited his team’s poise with helping to pull out the victory over a feisty bunch of Hoyas.

“What’s great about this group is that they never get rattled,” Willard said. “We got down four and they understood what we had to do and it’s nice having that veteran presence.”

That’s six straight wins for the Pirates who now turn their attention to the third-seeded Huskies, who will be coming at The Hall with BIG EAST All-First Teamers R.J. Cole and Adama Sanogo. The Huskies have also won six of their last seven coming into the tournament.

“The biggest thing is we rebounded in the second half and in the first half they really kicked our butts on the boards,” Willard said. “So going against a very physical UConn team, we’re going to have to rebound the basketball.”

St. John’s Defeats DePaul at Big East

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The crowd filled in for the first of two evening games of the BIG EAST Tournament’s opening-round triple-header as the top two scorers in the conference went head to head, representing DePaul and St. John’s University.

DePaul’s Javon Liberty-Freeman, this year’s Big East scoring champion at 21.9 points per outing, was looking to take down St. John’s and the conference’s No. 2 scorer, Julian Champagnie, and his 18.9 points per game. In their two meetings during the regular season, Champagnie scored 34 points in the Johnnies’ 88-84 victory on Jan. 5 before Freeman-Liberty got his revenge in a 99-94 victory over the Red Storm on Feb. 27 when he dropped 39 points on the Johnnies. Wednesday was the rubber match.

Liberty-Freeman helped the Blue Demons jump out to a quick 12-2 lead to open the game with six quick points in the spurt, you wondered – for a moment at least – if Champagnie was going to join in on the offensive fun. Champagnie might have been a little late out of the starting gate as St. John’s came out flat, but once he got rolling there was little DePaul could do to stop him in the first half. Champagnie scored 22 of his game-high 26 points in the opening 20 minutes and the Johnnies outscored the Demons, 47-17, through the final 16:46 of the first half to take a 20-point lead at the half before coasting to a 92-73 victory in their first-round game.

Freeman-Liberty finished with 17 points for the Blue Demons (15-16).

St. John’s (17-14) will play No. 2 seed Villanova and newly-named BIG EAST Player of the Year Collin Goillespie in Thursday’s 7 p.m. quarterfinals. The Red Storm lost both meetings with the WIldcats this year, with Nova taking a 73-62 decision on Jan. 29 before posting a 75-69 win on Feb. 8.

Those early shaky minutes by the Johnnies vs. DePaul was the only negative on an otherwise exceptional night by the Red Storm, who never let the Blue Demons get any closer than 17 points in the second half. St. John’s head coach Mike Anderson said those bumpy early minutes were just a case of a little stage fright.

“First game, you never know how they’re going to come out,” Anderson said. “But I thought once we settled down, we settled down by playing straight up defense. I thought our guys manned up and made it difficult on DePaul to get to the basket. I thought our defense really stiffened.”

The Johnnies relentless defense hounded the Blue Demons all night, forcing 17 DePaul turnovers and limiting the Demons to just 3-of-18 from three-point range. The Johnnies converted those turnovers into 24 points.

“We talked about coming out and being defensive,” Anderson said. “Last time we played them I thought we tried to beat them with offense. But our defense enabled us to get into transition with our offense.”

On the flip side the Red Storm was near flawless with the ball, posting 22 assists with just two turnovers. Posh Alexander led the Johnnies with seven assists. And while Champagnie did most of the heavy lifting on offense for the Red Storm, Anderson was quick to point out that contributions came from throughout the roster.

“Those guys coming off the bench, Stef Smith (13 points), Esahia Nyiwe (10 points), those guys deserve game balls,” Anderson said. “Obviously with Julian and Posh, you know what they’re going to bring. But I thought our bench was fantastic.”

Champagnie said his big night was brought about by both Anderson and his St. John’s teammates telling him to just be himself on the court.

“Honestly my coaches have the utmost confidence in me,” Champagnie said. “They continue to tell me to shoot the basketball and get to your spots and just be confident. My teammates do the same thing for me so I just come out and play hard for them and that’s what sealed it.”

Champagnie, who toyed with the idea of turning pro after last year, said playing in the BIG EAST Tournament was one of the reasons he returned to St. John’s this season.

“A lot of guys wish they could be here. We get to be here automatically,” Chamagnie said. “Coming back, this is definitely what I thought about, being here and playing in front of all the fans. There’s no atmosphere like it.”

WIth the win the Johnnies now turn their attention to Villanova, their opponent in the quarters Thursday night. The Johnnies were swept by the Wildcats this season but Champagnie is hoping the Red Storm can build off Wednesday night’s lopsided victory.

“They’re a good basketball team, you got to give them credit for that,” Champagnie said. “But come tomorrow we’re looking to continue our momentum and hopefully get a W.”

St. John’s is now 2-3 at Madison Square Garden this season, defeating DePaul and Georgetown but losing to Seton Hall, Villanova and Connecticut.

Missed Free Throws Cost Xavier

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – After closing out their regular season schedule with a 3-7 skid, and continuing a history of struggles in the months of February and March during the past two seasons, Xavier’s hopes of hearing its name called on Selection Sunday really needed a boost in the form of a victory over Butler in its BIG EAST Tournament opener Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.

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A win and the Musketeers could sleep soundly Saturday night and wait to see who the NCAA Tournament would match them up with for next week’s Big Dance. A loss, and well, there could be night sweats. But thanks to Butler freshman Simas Lukosius’ coming out party, Xavier will now have to sweat out Sunday’s NCAA proceedings as the Bulldogs knocked Xavier out of the BIG EAST Tournament for the second straight year with an 89-82 overtime victory. Last season’s tournament win over Xavier also came via overtime.

Lukosius, who came into the game averaging a mere 6.3 points a game, erupted for a career-best 27 points while doing the bulk of his damage in overtime. With Chuck Harris and his game-high 28 points having fouled out at the end of regulation, Butler needed someone to step up with the hopes of extending the Bulldogs’ season and it was Lukosius who answered the bell. And after scoring seven points in the first half and eight more in the second, Lukosius poured in 12 points in the extra session to help the Bulldogs pull away.

But Lukosius thinks it was his final two points of regulation – a pair of free throws with 5.1 seconds to play which knotted the game at 68-68 – that were his most important of the night.

“If I don’t make those free throws we don’t have overtime,” Lukosius said. “Those were the biggest points.”

Lukosius was darn near unstoppable in the overtime with his jumper with 4:47 to play giving the Bulldogs a 70-68 lead and they would never trail again. But he was just getting started.

Lukosius followed with a three-pointer at the 3:59 mark, then added another three-ball and a free throw with 2:20 to play for a 77-72 Butler lead. At that point Lukosius had scored all nine of the Bulldogs’ points in the extra session. He would add three more free throws down the stretch with the final two coming with 20.3 seconds to play that put the finishing touches on the Butler victory.

As you might expect, Butler head coach LaVall Jordan was impressed with his freshmen’s effort in his very first BIG EAST Tournament game.

“The kid’s got a big heart and he’s got courage, man,” Jordan said. “I love him because he’s not afraid. That gets you in trouble sometimes but it also allows you to have a moment like this. He rises to the occasion and I know his teammates are excited for him.”

If Xavier does not hear its name called Sunday, the Musketeers can look to their poor foul shooting as a reason for the NCAA snub. After missing five straight free throw attempts in the final 40.4 seconds of regulation, the Musketeers sank just five of 10 in the overtime to help seal their fate.

The Muskleteers (18-13) seemingly had things in hand at the end of regulation when Paul Scruggs converted a layup and was fouled with 8.5 seconds to play for a 68-66 lead. But when Scruggs missed the ensuing free throw, it left open the door for Butler. Lukosius’ two free throws with 5.1 seconds to play sent the game to overtime and he took things from there for the Bulldogs.

While Xavier awaits its fate on Sunday, Butler will have little time to celebrate its victory as the Bulldogs need to prepare to face top-seeded Providence in Thursday’s noon quarterfinal. Butler dropped both games to the Friars this season, losing 69-62 at Providence before dropping a 71-70 overtime decision on Feb. 20.

Gillespie Named Big East Player of Year

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Villanova graduate guard Collin Gillespie was named the 2021-2022 Big East Player of the Year. Gillespie, who shared the award in 2020-2021 with his Villanova teammate Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Seton Hall’s Sandro Mamukelashvili, is the first repeat winner of the award since Providence’s Kris Dunn in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016.

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Gillespie led the Wildcats to a 16-4 record in Big East play with 16.1 points and 3.1 assists per game. He was the fourth leading scorer in the league, trailing only DePaul’s Javon Freeman-Liberty, St. John’s Julian Champagnie and Marquette’s Justin Lewis.

Gillespie led the Big East in free throw percentage, at a 91.5% clip, and three-point percentage, at 43.1%. He was sixth in the league in field goal percentage, making 44.7% of his shots. He was also named the Big East Scholar Athlete of the Year, on Wednesday, for his strong academic performance this year. He was one of two 4.0 student athletes on the Wildcat roster for the fall semester, along with fellow graduate student Jermaine Samuels.

The awards are the latest of a long list of accolades for Gillespie. Earlier this week, Gillespie was the only unanimous choice for the All-Big East First Team, and nationally he was named as a Third Team All-American by the USBWA and the NABC in 2021.

Gillespie is one of 15 finalists for the Wooden Award, given to the Most Outstanding Player in College Basketball. If chosen, Gillespie would be the first Wooden Award winner from Villanova since Jalen Brunson in 2017-2018.