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Villanova, UConn Bounce Back

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MILWAUKEE – (Staff Report from Official news Release) – After dropping their respective league openers, Villanova and Connecticut evened their BIG EAST records on Tuesday.

Villanova, ranked 23rd in this week’s Associated Press poll, recovered from an eight-point deficit at halftime to record a 71-58 win against No. 18 Xavier. UConn grabbed the lead midway through the first half and went on to win 78-70 at Marquette.

The Wildcats (8-4, 1-1 BIG EAST) started the second half with a 12-3 run and used a late 10-spurt in its win against the Musketeers (11-2, 1-1 BE). Justin Moore led a balanced scoring attack with 17 points. Caleb Daniels added 16. Xavier’s Dwon Odom scored a team-high 13 points.

UConn (10-3, 1-1 BE) got some offensive punch from Tyrese Martin and R.J. Cole at Marquette. Martin netted a career-high 25 points and reached the 1,000-point plateau for his career. Cole scored 20 points while eclipsing the 2,000-point mark. The Huskies welcomed back Adama Sanogo, who had missed four games due to injury. Justin Lewis led Marquette (8-5, 0-2 BE) with 20 points and seven rebounds.

The lone game left on the BIG EAST schedule before the Christmas holiday is Butler playing St. John’s at Carnesecca Arena on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The teams split their two meetings last season with St. John’s winning 69-57 at home.

Xavier, Providence Continue to Roll

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CINCINNATI – (Staff report from Official News Release) – Xavier and Providence both pushed their overall records to 11-1 and won their BIG EAST openers on Saturday. St. John’s, Georgetown and Butler dropped decisions in non-league competition.

The 22nd-ranked Musketeers knocked off visiting Marquette 80-71. Xavier’s Dwon Odom came off the bench to score a career-high 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field. Nate Johnson added 17 points. Jack Nunge helped with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Marquette (8-4, 0-1 BIG EAST) cut a 10-point second-half deficit to 70-69 with 3:03 left before Xavier pulled away. Greg Elliott led the Golden Eagles with 18 points.

Providence built a 16-point lead before surviving a late rally in a 57-53 win against No. 20 UConn at XL Center. PC’s A.J. Reeves scored 16 points, which included 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Reserve Ed Croswell added 11 points in 15 minutes. R.J. Cole led the Huskies with 16 points and eight assists. The Friars limited the Huskies to 31.1 percent shooting from the field.

St. John’s (8-3) played without Julian Champagnie because of COVID protocols and lost 59-57 to Pittsburgh on a shot just before the buzzer in the Gotham Classic at Madison Square Garden. Dylan Addae-Wusu scored a team-high 12 points. Posh Alexander finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals.

Georgetown (6-5) made it close in the final minute but fell to TCU 80-73 in the final game of the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle. Aminu Mohammed posted his fifth double-double this season with game highs of 21 points and 11 rebounds. Kaiden Rice, who missed Wednesday’s win against Howard, added 14 points.  The Hoyas played without an injured Dante Harris.

No. 3 Purdue pulled away from Butler in the final minutes of the first half en route to a 77-48 victory over the Bulldogs at the Crossroads Classic. Bryce Golden led the Bulldogs (7-4) with 17 points. Chuck Harris missed the game due to illness. Butler connected on only 4-of-28 from 3-point range.

After Saturday, BIG EAST teams have an overall record of 91-27 (.771) against non-league opponents.

No games are scheduled for today and the two games on Monday were canceled due to COVID-19. Play resumes on Tuesday with Xavier visiting Villanova and Marquette hosting UConn.

Xavier, Georgetown Extend Win Streaks

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CINCINNATI – Xavier and Georgetown extended their winning streaks with victories on Wednesday. The No. 22 Musketeers have a six-game streak after powering past Morehead State 86-63 at Cintas Center. Georgetown has won three in a row after handling Howard 85-73 at Capital One Arena.

For Xavier (10-1), Jerome Hunter paced four players in double figures with 15 points. The Musketeers took control early and used an 18-0 run to lead 47-19 at halftime. Zach Freemantle started for the first time this year after suffering a leg injury in the preseason. The Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team pick had nine points and five rebounds in 19 minutes.

Georgetown (6-4) got an offensive lift from freshman Tyler Beard and Malcolm Wilson against Howard. Beard, who had seen only limited action this season, scored 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. Wilson added 13 points and eight rebounds in only 25 minutes of playing time.

Going into the weekend, with still a few non-league games to play, BIG EAST teams have an overall record of 91-24 (.791).

Conference play also starts this weekend. The league opener is Villanova (7-3) at Creighton (8-3) on Friday at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

The No. 9 Wildcats have won or shared seven of the last eight regular-season league titles. Villanova is 5-3 against the Bluejays at the CHI Health Center. Villanova’s Jay Wright and Creighton’s Greg McDermott have been the coaches for all eight matchups. Each team won the meeting on its home court last season. For the Bluejays this year, Ryan Hawkins has scored 25 points in both of Creighton’s games against ranked opponents.

USA Basketball Names Pop, Staley Coaches of the Year

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COLORADO SPRINGS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – In recognition of their leadership of gold-medal winning USA Basketball Teams in 2021, Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs) and Dawn Staley (South Carolina) were named as co-recipients of the 2021 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year award.

This is the first such honor for Popovich, and the third time Staley has been honored as a USA Basketball National Coach of the Year (2015-shared and 2018).

Since 1996, USA Basketball has awarded its National Coach of the Year honor to a USA Basketball head coach who during the year of the award made a significant impact on the success of individual athlete and team performance at the highest levels of competition in a manner consistent with the highest ethical, professional and moral standards.

“USA Basketball is proud to celebrate Gregg Popovich and Dawn Staley for their incredible leadership and success while guiding USA teams this past summer,” said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO. “Both coaches dedicated a lot of their time to USA Basketball and the national teams, and that commitment resulted in two Olympic gold medals for the USA this past summer, as well as Dawn leading the USA to gold at the FIBA AmeriCup for Women.”

With Popovich at the helm, the U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team claimed a fourth-straight Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games with a 5-1 record, while under Staley’s guidance, the U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team captured a seventh-straight Olympic gold medal with a 6-0 record.

Staley also led the USA women at the 2021 FIBA AmeriCup, where the USA went 6-0 to claim the gold medal and earn the U.S. women their spot in the 2022 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournaments.

The U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team shot 49.9% from the field, 39.0% from 3-point and 78.0% from the free throw line and averaged 99.0 points per game, which was second-best in the 12-team tournament.

“Participating in USA Basketball this past cycle has been an unforgettable experience, and I am grateful for the confidence shown in me,” said Popovich, who in 2004 was an assistant coach for the bronze-medal winning U.S. Olympic Basketball Team. “To compete alongside the Women’s Team under the guidance of Dawn Staley was inspiring and impactful.”

The U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team averaged a tournament-leading 84.7 ppg. and shot 50.4% from the field, 35.1% from 3-point and 79.4% from the free throw line. Staley became the first Black woman to serve as head coach of the U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team. Overall, she has been a part of six Olympic teams, including three as a player (1996, 2000, 2004) and two as an assistant coach (2008, 2016).

“It’s an honor to be recognized by USA Basketball and even more so to share this award with Gregg Popovich,” said Staley. “I got the best of both worlds this year with the AmeriCup team of college players and the Olympic team, who both came in with a team-first mentality that was fun to coach and help them to gold medals.

“Leading an Olympic team on the cusp of history was a responsibility I took to heart, and I appreciate the players who embraced the way we wanted to play and did what they had to in order to continue that Olympic win streak.”

Popovich and the USA Men’s National Team began training camp ahead of the Olympics on July 6, however, due to three team members competing in the NBA playoffs and the withdraw of two other team members, Popovich did not have his 12-member roster together until less than 24 hours before the USA’s first game.

He also coached the USA to a 2-2 record during exhibition play from July 10-18.

“What stood out with Coach Pop was his preparation, his attention to detail, how great he is with people,” said U.S. forward Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets/Texas/Washington, D.C.), who was named by FIBA as the men’s Olympic tournament MVP. “He put everything in perspective, and every day we worked towards our goal, which was to win the gold medal, and he made sure everybody was on the same page. So he’s the ultimate leader, and it was an honor to play for him.”

Staley led a USA National Team training camp in February 2021, and ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games, she and the USA opened training camp on July 12 in Las Vegas, where the USA recorded a 1-2 exhibition record.

“I think with Dawn, obviously, what makes her unique is that she does have the player’s perspective of all of this,” U.S. guard Sue Bird (Seattle Storm/Connecticut/Syosset, N.Y.) said ahead of the Olympics, which saw her collect a record-tying fifth-straight Olympic gold medal. “She’s experienced it. She knows what it is like. I think she definitely brings her own personality to things and her own identity to things.”

With the 2021 USA AmeriCup Team, Staley led a team of collegiate athletes to a gold medal and 6-0 record against seasoned veterans at the 2021 FIBA AmeriCup from June 11-19 in Puerto Rico. The USA defeated opponents by an average of 35.2 points per game and earned a berth into the 2022 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament.

Four Big East Teams in Top 25

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Four BIG EAST teams are in Monday’s Associated Press poll led by Villanova’s No. 9 ranking. Seton Hall moved up seven spots to No. 16. UConn is 20th and Xavier jumped back in at No. 22.  Providence and Creighton were among other teams receiving votes.

In Sunday’s action, Seton Hall defeated Rutgers 77-63 to win the Garden State Hardwood Classic. Bryce Aiken came off the bench to score a game-high 22 points and was named the game MVP. Jared Rhoden added 16 points and nine rebounds. The Pirates (9-1) used a 13-0 run late in the first half to grab control of the contest.

St. John’s pushed its record to 8-2 after beating Colgate 82-64 at Carnesecca Arena. Julian Champagnie scored a team-high 19 points and connected on 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Posh Alexander added 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists. The Johnnies are 8-0 at Carnesecca this season.

Villanova (7-3) could never get going offensively and lost 57-36 at Baylor in the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle. The Bears moved into the No. 1 position in the national polls on Monday. Justin Moore was the only Wildcat in double figures, scoring 15 points. The 36 points were the fewest scored by the Wildcats in a game since Feb. 4, 1979, a 36-34 victory over Penn State.

BIG EAST conference play starts this weekend, but the schedule until then is light with many schools in final exams. Tuesday’s schedule shows two contests. Creighton (8-2) hosts Arizona State at 8 p.m. ET on FS1. The Bluejays are coming off an 83-71 neutral court win over then-No. 24 BYU. A win over UIC would give Creighton a 9-2 start (or better) after 11 games for the eighth time in the last 11 season.

DePaul plays at UIC at 8 p.m. The Blue Demons (8-1) last played on Friday, winning 62-55 at Louisville. Javon Freeman-Liberty and David Jones are ranked in the top five in the BIG EAST in scoring and rebounding. Freeman-Liberty is second in scoring (20.3) and third in rebounding (8.4). Jones is third in scoring (17.7) and fourth in rebounding (8.2).

Going into Tuesday, league teams own an overall record of 88-23 (.793).

Big East Rivalry Weekend

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NEWARK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – BIG EAST teams won six of seven games on Saturday, including Georgetown and Xavier winning rivalry games, Creighton knocking off a ranked opponent and UConn, Providence and Butler all coming out on top. Marquette, facing a top-five opponent, was the only team to lose. After Saturday, league teams own an overall record of 86-22 (.796) and have won 16 of their last 18 games.

Georgetown overcame a 10-point deficit at halftime to defeat long-time rival Syracuse 79-75 at Capital One Arena. Aminu Mohammed scored 20 of his game-high 23 points in the second half and finished with a game-high 13 rebounds. Donald Carey added 18 points for the Hoyas (5-4).

In the other big rivalry game, Xavier handled Cincinnati 83-63 in the third largest margin of victory in the Crosstown Shootout series. Jack Nunge did not start, but produced a career-high 31 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. The Musketeers (9-1) led by as many as 27 points. Xavier has won seven of the last nine meetings with UC.

Creighton led by as many as 21 points in its 83-71 victory over No. 24 BYU in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Bluejay trio of “Ryans” – Hawkins, Kalkbrenner and Nembhard – combined for 56 points. Ryan Hawkins led with a game-high 25 points for the second straight game. The Bluejays (8-2) have beaten at least one ranked team in each of the last nine seasons.

UConn (9-2) used a 13-0 surge in the second half to take control of its 74-64 neutral court win over St. Bonaventure in the Never Forget Classic. R.J. Cole led a balanced scoring attack with 15 points. Tyler Polley added 13.

Providence completed its non-conference slate with a 68-53 victory over Central Connecticut State. The Friars (10-1) jumped to a 22-4 lead and did not face a serious challenge. A.J. Reeves impressed with 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Noah Horchler added 12 points and 10 boards.

Butler started the second half of its game against Eastern Illinois with a 13-0 run en route to a 66-54 win. The Bulldogs (7-3) got a career-high 20 points from Bryce Golden. Aaron Thompson posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists.

Marquette fell behind early and could not recover in a 67-56 loss to No. 4 UCLA. Greg Elliott scored a career-high 22 points. The game was delayed seven hours due to travel problems for UCLA.

Today’s slate has more mid-season, top-flight flavor. After St. John’s hosts Colgate on FS1 at Noon ET, the tougher schedule of opponents begins when Villanova visits No. 2 Baylor at 3 p.m. on ABC. New Jersey rivals Seton Hall and Rutgers battle at Prudential Center at 7:30 p.m. on FS1.

Big East, Big Win for DePaul

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LOUISVILLE – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – After starting the season with eight games at home, donning the road uniforms was not a problem for DePaul. The Blue Demons won 62-55 at Louisville to improve their record to 8-1. David Jones poured in 33 points and took down 14 rebounds.

A seven-game Saturday includes two storied rivalries, a visit from a top-five team and the completion of non-league schedules for PC, UConn and Marquette.

At noon ET on FOX, Syracuse and Georgetown meet for the 97th time. The Hoyas (4-4) are coming off a 100-71 win over UMBC and are 3-1 at home against the Orange since 2013.  Also at noon, Creighton takes on its second straight ranked opponent when the Bluejays (7-2) meet No. 24 BYU in Sioux Falls, S.D., on FS1. Creighton last played a week ago, losing 64-58 to then-No. 19 Iowa State.

Providence hosts Central Connecticut State on FS1 at 2 p.m. The Friars (9-1) are finishing a five-game home stand. They are 7-0 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. No. 15 UConn plays St. Bonaventure in the Never Forget Classic at 4 p.m. on ESPN. The Huskies (8-2) lost 56-53 at West Virginia on Wednesday.

Butler (6-3) hosts Eastern Illinois at 4 p.m. on FS1. The Bulldogs are coming off a 66-62 OT win at Oklahoma in the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle. Xavier and Cincinnati meet for the 89th time in the annual Crosstown Shootout. The Musketeers (8-1) are on a four-game winning streak and have won six of the last eight meetings in the series.

Because of an aircraft problem for No. 4 UCLA, the Marquette-UCLA game has been delayed until 9:30 p.m. on FS2. The Golden Eagles (8-2) are facing their fourth ranked opponent this year, but their first top-five opponent at home since the 1991-92 season.

The Hall Knocks-Off No. 7 Texas

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NEWARK – Seton Hall knocked off seventh-ranked Texas and St. John’s held off Monmouth to maintain its unblemished mark at home on Thursday. At the 100-game mark, BIG EAST teams are collectively 79-21 (.790).

Seton Hall (8-1) held Texas scoreless for a stretch of 7:40 in the second half and won a 64-60 decision. Bryce Aiken scored the Pirates’ final five points, including a clutch 3-pointer after he missed his first seven tries from beyond the arc. Jared Rhoden had 18 points and Alexis Yetna stepped up with 12 points and 10 rebounds after Ike Obiagu left the game in the first half with an ankle injury.

St. John’s (7-2) built a double-digit lead against Monmouth before some crucial plays by Posh Alexander preserved an 88-83 victory at Carnesecca Arena. Alexander made three late free throws and a steal in the final minute. He led the Johnnies with 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the floor and was 7-of-8 from the foul line. Monmouth had won seven in a row, including five road victories. St. John’s is 7-0 at Carnesecca.

Before a seven-game Saturday that includes plenty of intriguing matchups, DePaul starts the weekend with a game at Louisville at 8 p.m. on ACC Network. The Blue Demons are 7-1 after Tuesday’s 87-67 win over Duquesne. The game will be DePaul’s first on the road this season. Javon Freeman-Liberty has been excelling across the board. He leads the BIG EAST in scoring with a 21.8 mark, ranks second in rebounding (8.8) and seventh in assists (4.3).

Saturday’s schedule:

Creighton vs. BYU

Syracuse at Georgetown

Central Connecticut St. at Providence

UCLA at Marquette

UConn vs. St. Bonaventure

Eastern Illinois at Butler

Cincinnati at Xavier.

Villanova Takes Down Syracuse at MSG

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – In the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle, Butler overcame a 13-point deficit in the second half and won at Oklahoma in overtime. Villanova knocked off Syracuse in the Jimmy V Classic at MSG. DePaul and Providence picked up non-conference home victories.

The 4-0 mark on Tuesday improved the composite BIG EAST record to 74-20 (.787).

No. 6 Villanova trailed Syracuse 29-26 at halftime before putting together a 41-24 second half that produced a 67-53 victory. The Wildcats (7-2) pounded the glass, grabbing 27 offensive rebounds to 11 for Syracuse. Justin Moore scored 18 points and Collin Gillespie added 14. Villanova took 50 3-pointers and made 13.

Butler (6-3) gained its 66-62 OT victory at Oklahoma after Chuck Harris nailed a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left in the extra period which gave the Bulldogs a 63-62 lead. Harris scored a season-high 26 points. The Sooners forced the overtime making a contested 3-pointer with two seconds left in regulation.

DePaul ended its eight-game home stand to start the season with an 87-67 win against Duquesne. Like Villanova, the Blue Demons (7-1) also used a strong second half, which included a 16-2 run midway through the period, to post the win. Javon Freeman-Liberty filled his stat line with 26 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Brandon Johnson and Nick Ongenda each added 13 points.

Providence used a strong first half to be the difference in its 68-58 win over Vermont. The Friars (9-1) led 30-20 by halftime.  A.J. Reeves and Nate Watson each scored 24 points. Reeves connected on six 3-pointers. The game was the 500th for coach Ed Cooley. His record is 295-205 (.590).

Today’s schedule also includes four games.

The BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle has a doubleheader on ESPN2. At 7 p.m. ET, No. 15 UConn (8-1) travels to West Virginia. At 9 p.m., Kansas State hosts Marquette (7-2). Road teams have won four of the five BIG EAST-Big 12 Battles. FS1 also has a doubleheader. Xavier (7-1) aims for its fourth win a row when it hosts Ball State at 6:30 p.m. followed by UMBC at Georgetown (3-4) at 8:30 p.m.

Big East Honors – Dec. 6

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NEW YORK – Providence guard Al Durham has been named BIG EAST Player of the Week and Georgetown guard Aminu Muhammed has been selected BIG EAST Freshman of the Week. Durham led the Friars to wins against Texas Tech and Rhode Island, while Muhammed had strong performances against South Carolina and Longwood.

BIG EAST Player of the Week

Al Durham, Providence, G, Gr. – Durham sparked the Friars to a 72-68 win over previously unbeaten Texas Tech with a game-high 23 points and had 14 points and six assists in a 66-52 victory against in-state rival Rhode Island. For the week, he averaged 18.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds and connected on 17-of-18 from the free throw line. Durham is averaging 14.6 points for the season.

BIG EAST Freshman of the Week

Aminu Mohammed, Georgetown, G, Fr. – Mohammed averaged 16.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in a 1-1 week. He had 17 points and eight boards in an 80-67 loss at South Carolina and 15 points and 11 rebounds in a 91-83 victory over Longwood. For the two games, Mohammed shot 52.4 percent from field. He leads all BIG EAST freshmen in scoring (14.3) and rebounding (7.9).

 

BIG EAST Honor Roll

R.J. Cole, UConn, G, Gr. – Averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds in wins over Md.-Eastern Shore (72-63) and Grambling (88-59).

Ryan Hawkins, Creighton, F, Sr. – Had 25 points and five rebounds in a loss to No. 19 Iowa State (64-58). Averaged 14.0 points and 4.0 boards in a 1-1 week.

Julian Champagnie, St. John’s, G-F, Jr. – Averaged 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in a 1-1 week. Had 24 points and eight rebounds in a loss to Kansas (95-75).

Collin Gillespie, Villanova, G, Sr. – Averaged 24.5 points in wins against Penn (71-56) and Saint Joseph’s (81-52). Shot 59.3 percent from the field and made 9-of-15 from 3-point range.

Nate Johnson, Xavier, G, Sr. – Averaged 19.5 points in a 2-0 week. Had 24 points in a win against Central Michigan (78-45) and 15 points in a victory at Oklahoma State (77-71).