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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.

 

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.

BIG EAST Individual Award Winners

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The BIG EAST Conference named the winners of four individual awards for its 2021-22 men’s basketball season on Monday. Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner has been named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. Justin Lewis of Marquette has been selected BIG EAST Most Improved Player. Jared Bynum of Providence has won the BIG EAST Sixth Man Award. Georgetown’s Donald Carey has been named the winner of the BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award.

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 9.

The league’s head coaches select the award winners and they are not permitted to vote for their own players.

Kalkbrenner, a 7-1 sophomore center from St. Louis, Mo., has been the leader of a Creighton squad that has transformed into a strong defensive club. His 80 blocked shots lead the BIG EAST and his blocked shot average of 2.7 ranks second. Kalkbrenner has been the anchor of a Bluejay defense leading the BIG EAST in field goal percentage defense, allowing only 40.0 percent shooting. Creighton ranks second in scoring defense in conference play, yielding only 67.5 points per game.

Marquette’s Lewis took the leap from top reserve in 2020-21 to elite player and scoring champion this season. Last year, the 6-7 forward from Baltimore, Md., averaged 7.8 points and 5.4 rebounds as a top reserve. This season, Lewis earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors after averaging 17.1 points and 8.0 rebounds. His scoring average ranked third in the league and he was fourth in rebounding. Lewis is the only player in the league to rank among the top five in both categories. On the final day of the regular season, Lewis became the scoring champion, averaging 18.2 points in BIG EAST games.

Providence’s Bynum has been the dynamic backcourt leader who has helped propel the Friars to their first regular-season BIG EAST title with a 14-3 conference mark. They are 24-4 overall. The 5-10 point guard from Largo, Md., started only three conference contests, but led the Friars in scoring in league play with a 15.6 average. He shot 46.5 percent from 3-point range and ranked third in the BIG EAST in assists with a 4.9 mark, all in league games. Bynum became the first league player in 25 years with three games of 25 or more points off the bench in the same season.

Georgetown’s Carey was the first team captain chosen in the Patrick Ewing era. The 6-5 graduate student is in his second season with the Hoyas and is known for his productive and sportsmanlike play. This year, the native of Upper Marlboro, Md., has averaged 13.6 points in all games and 14.2 points in BIG EAST play. His .909 free throw percentage ranks second in the BIG EAST.

BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year

Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton 

BIG EAST Most Improved Player

Justin Lewis, Marquette

BIG EAST Sixth Man Award

Jared Bynum, Providence

BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award

Donald Carey, Georgetown

Visit BIG EAST for complete coverage of Men’s Basketball in the conference

BIG EAST Names All-Conference Teams

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – St. John’s guard-forward Julian Champagnie and Villanova guard Collin Gillespie are repeat members on the All-BIG EAST First Team.  The conference has released the All-BIG EAST First and Second Teams, Honorable Mention and All-Freshman Team.  The league’s head coaches choose the all-conference squads and are not permitted to vote for their own players.

The four other All-BIG EAST First Team honorees are: R.J. Cole and Adama Sanogo of Connecticut, Justin Lewis of Marquette and Jared Rhoden of Seton Hall.

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 9, at Madison Square Garden at 2:30 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 7, at 11 a.m.

Champagnie, a 6-8 junior, leads the Johnnies with an 18.9 scoring average and ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring in league play with an 18.1 mark.  He is the league scoring champion for a second straight year. Champagnie is also averaging 6.6 rebounds.

Villanova’s Gillespie shared BIG EAST Player of the Year honors last year with former teammate Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Seton Hall’s Sandro Mamukelashvili. This season, Gillespie ranks fourth in the league in scoring with a 16.3 average. He also ranks first in 3-point shooting, making 43.1 percent and is first in free throw shooting at 91.5 percent.

UConn’s Cole and Sanogo helped lead the Huskies to a 22-8 overall record and a third-place finish in the BIG EAST regular season. Cole, a 6-1 graduate student, ranks fifth in the league in scoring with a 15.8 average. His 2.2 assist/turnover ratio was fourth in the BIG EAST. Sanogo, a 6-9 sophomore, has averaged 15.3 points and a league-leading 8.6 rebounds. He is shooting 51.5 percent from the field, which ranks second in the league.

Marquette’s Lewis became the BIG EAST scoring champion on the last day of season, finishing with an 18.2 scoring mark in league games. In all games, he is the only player in the BIG EAST to rank in the top five in scoring and rebounding. Lewis ranks third in overall scoring at 17.1 points per game, fourth in rebounding at 8.0 and fourth in field goal shooting, connecting on 45.2 percent.

Seton Hall’s Rhoden has led his team to a 20-9 record and an 11-8 BIG EAST mark. The 6-6 senior guard-forward is averaging a team-leading 16.2 points and 6.9 rebounds. He was a Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team selection.

The All-BIG EAST Second Team includes two players from regular-season champion Providence, Jared Bynum and Nate Watson, along with Ryan Hawkins of Creighton, Javon Freeman-Liberty of DePaul and Justin Moore of Villanova.

Watson also earned second team honors last season. This year, the 6-10 center is averaging 13.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and ranks first in the league in field goal shooting, making 56.0 percent. Bynum enjoyed a strong second half of the season with his superb point guard play. He started only three league games but finished the regular season with a 12.9 scoring mark and ranked third in the league in assists with a 4.5 average.

Hawkins was the top scorer and rebounder on a Creighton team had returned no starters, but is very likely headed to the NCAA Tournament. The 6-7 transfer from Northwest Missouri State is averaging 14.3 points and 7.7 boards.

DePaul’s Freeman-Liberty led all BIG EAST players with a 21.9 scoring average in all games. He scored 20 or more points in 16 of the 23 games played. In league play, he was two games short of qualifying for the scoring crown, averaging 22.6 points.

Villanova’s Moore was seventh in the BIG EAST in scoring, averaging 15.3 points and 5.2 rebounds. He is second to Gillespie in scoring and third in rebounding for the second-place Wildcats. The 6-5 junior led Villanova in minutes played with a 34.2 average.

All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention includes four players: Ryan Kalkbrenner of Creighton, Darryl Morsell of Marquette, Posh Alexander of St. John’s and Jack Nunge of Xavier.

Three of the six members of the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team were unanimous picks – Creighton’s Ryan Nembhard, Georgetown’s Aminu Mohammed and Marquette’s Kam Jones. The other All-Freshman Team selections are Jordan Hawkins of UConn, and Creighton’s Trey Alexander and Arthur Kaluma.

Nembhard averaged 11.3 points and 4.4 assists for Creighton and was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week six times. Mohammed was the league’s top freshman scorer (13.8) and rebounder (8.1). A sharp-shooting guard, Jones averaged 7.5 points. Of his 77 field goals made, 53 of were from 3-point range, hitting on 39.6 percent.

Hawkins was in the backcourt rotation for UConn and averaged 6.7 points. Kaluma was a freshman starter for the Bluejays. The 6-7 forward averaged 9.5 points and 5.0 rebounds. Alexander was the top reserve off the bench, averaging 6.4 points and 3.7 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per game.

The BIG EAST Freshman of the Year will come from the All-Freshman Team.

ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM+

R.J. Cole, Connecticut, G, Gr., 6-1, 185, Union, N.J.

Adama Sanogo, Connecticut, F, So., 6-9, 240, Bamako, Mali

Justin Lewis, Marquette, F, So., 6-7, 245, Baltimore, Md.

Julian Champagnie, St. John’s, G-F, Jr., 6-8, 215, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Jared Rhoden, Seton Hall, G-F, 6-6, 210, Baldwin, N.Y.

*Collin Gillespie, Villanova, G, Gr., 6-3, 195, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.

 

ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM

Ryan Hawkins, Creighton, F, Sr., 6-7, 222, Atlantic, Iowa

Javon Freeman-Liberty, DePaul, G, Sr., 6-4, 180, Chicago, Ill.

Jared Bynum, Providence, G, R-Jr., 5-10, 180, Largo, Md.

Nate Watson, Providence, F, Gr., 6-10, 260, Portsmouth, Va.

Justin Moore, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-4, 210, Ft. Washington, Md.

 

ALL-BIG EAST HONORABLE MENTION

Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton, C, So., 7-0, 256, St. Louis, Mo.

Darryl Morsell, Marquette, G, Gr., 6-5, 205, Baltimore, Md.

Posh Alexander, St. John’s, G, So., 6-0, 200, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Jack Nunge, Xavier, C, Jr., 7-0, 245, Newburgh, Ind.

 

BIG EAST ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

Jordan Hawkins, Connecticut, G, 6-5, 175, Gaithersburg, Md.

Trey Alexander, Creighton, G, 6-4, 185, Oklahoma City, Okla.

*Ryan Nembhard, Creighton, G, 6-0, 167, Aurora, Ont.

Arthur Kaluma, Creighton, F, 6-7, 220, Glendale, Ariz.

*Aminu Mohammed, Georgetown, G, 6-5, 210, Temple Hills, Md.

*Kam Jones, Marquette, G, 6-4, 185, Cordova, Tenn.

 

*Denotes unanimous selection

Big East Honors for Final Week

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Marquette guard Justin Lewis has been named BIG EAST Player of the Week and Creighton forward Arthur Kaluma has been selected BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the final week of the regular season.

BIG EAST Player of the Week

Justin Lewis, Marquette, G, So. – Lewis averaged 27.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in a 1-1 week. In an 85-77 win against St. John’s in the season finale, he had a game-high 28 points and seven rebounds. He became the BIG EAST scoring champion with an 18.2 average in league play. Earlier in the week, Lewis posted his sixth double-double with 26 points and 10 boards in a 91-80 loss at DePaul.

BIG EAST Freshman of the Week

Arthur Kaluma, Creighton, F, Fr. – Kaluma averaged 12.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in a 1-1 week for the Bluejays. He posted 15 points and five rebounds in a 64-62 victory against Connecticut.

The forward had nine points and five boards in a 65-60 loss to Seton Hall. Kaluma takes Freshman honors for the second time this season.

BIG EAST Honor Roll

Adama Sanogo, UConn, F, So. – In a 1-1 week, averaged 19.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks while posting a pair of double-doubles.

Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton, C, So. – Averaged 19.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in a 1-1 week. Tied his career scoring high with 22 points in a victory versus UConn (64-62).

Javon Freeman-Liberty, DePaul, G, Sr. – In a 1-1 week, averaged 24.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Had 26 points and nine rebounds in a win over Marquette (91-80).

Jared Rhoden, Seton Hall, G, Gr. – Averaged 17.5 points in a 2-0 week. Had 13 of his 19 points in the second half of a win at Creighton (65-60).

Caleb Daniels, Villanova, G, Jr. – Averaged 15.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in a 2-0 week. Scored a season-high 20 points in a win over Providence (76-74).

 

Five Named as Malone Award Finalists

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SPRINGFIELD – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame named five finalists for the 2022 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award. Named after Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone, the annual honor in its eighth year recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men’s college basketball.

The five finalists for the 2022 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award are Jabari Smith (Auburn), Paolo Banchero (Duke), Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga), Keegan Murray (Iowa) and EJ Liddell (Ohio State).

“We’re excited to recognize these five tremendous power forwards as the best in the collegiate game today, not only at their positions, but in the game in general,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “Unfortunately, only one can take home the award come April and we’re grateful to have Karl Malone spearheading a committee that will take great care when evaluating these players in the games that matter most.”

A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in November, which was narrowed to 10 candidates in late January and now just five finalists. This month, the finalists will be presented to Mr. Malone and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2022 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee. Naismith Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, March 4 on hoophallawards.com.

“Regardless of who takes home this award, I’m honored to have an award with my name attached to it be carried on with the legacy of any of these outstanding five young men,” said Utah Jazz great Karl Malone, Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2010. “This may be the best crop of candidates in my eight years associated with this award and I’m as honored as I am excited to present it to one of the most premier players in the country.”

The winner of the 2022 Karl Malone Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award, in addition to the Women’s Starting Five. Additional information about the award presentation, including date and time, will be released in the coming weeks.

Previous winners of the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award include Drew Timme, Gonzaga (2021), Obi Toppin, Dayton (2020), Zion Williamson, Duke (2019), Deandre Ayton, Arizona (2018), Johnathan Motley, Baylor (2017), Georges Niang, Iowa State (2016) and Montrezl Harrell, Louisville (2015).

HoopHall Names Dr. J Award Finalists

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SPRINGFIELD – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the five finalists for the 2022 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its eighth year recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men’s college basketball.

The five finalists for the 2022 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award are Hyunjung Lee (Davidson), Wendell Moore (Duke), Ron Harper Jr. (Rutgers), Julian Champagnie (St. John’s) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA).

“The five student-athletes nominated as finalists for this honor have been tremendous assets to their teams throughout the course of this season,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “These young men truly play with the same spirit that Dr. J brought to the court each day and are elated to honor them with an award that bears Julius Erving’s name.”

A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in November, which was narrowed to 10 candidates in late January and now just five finalists. This month, the finalists will be presented to Mr. Erving and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2022 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee.

“Having had a chance to watch these tremendous student-athletes play this year, we certainly have a difficult decision to make coming down the stretch of the season,” said Julius Erving, Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 1993. “I’m excited to see how the remainder of the season plays out and look forward to selecting our winner in the coming weeks.”

The winner of the 2022 Julius Erving Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award, in addition to the Women’s Starting Five. Additional information about the award presentation, including date and time, will be released in the coming weeks.

Previous winners of the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award include Corey Kispert, Gonzaga (2021), Saddiq Bey, Villanova (2020), Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga (2019), Mikal Bridges, Villanova (2018), Josh Hart, Villanova (2017), Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016) and Stanley Johnson, Arizona (2015).