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Big East: UConn with a Lot to Prove

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – After dominating the 2024 NCAA Tournament en route to its sixth national title and second straight, UConn took a slight step back last season.

This season, the Huskies were back to their normal lofty status, staying in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll through the entire regular season and enter the Big East tournament as the sixth-ranked team in the nation.

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Still, UConn showed some inconsistencies, and it cost them a chance at getting the top seed in the Big East tournament. The second-seeded Huskies will face Xavier, the 10th seed, on Thursday night in one quarterfinal.

The winner will oppose the winner of the game between Villanova, the third seed, and 11th-seeded Georgetown in the second semifinal on Friday night.

The Huskies (27-4) finished one game behind top seed St. John’s, and turnovers cost them in two of their three conference losses. UConn is making its return to Madison Square Garden after committing 15 turnovers in an 81-72 loss to the Red Storm on Feb. 6.

The loss to St. John’s was among eight instances where the Huskies tallied at least 15 turnovers. The Huskies went 6-2 in those games, but the second loss was Saturday’s 68-62 setback at Marquette.

UConn’s offense could not overcome 16 turnovers, as it shot 35.6% and a season-worst 12.5% (3-of-24) from 3-point range. Both were their lowest number of the season.

“They’ve been a nightmare for this team,” UConn coach Dan Hurley told reporters after practice Tuesday. “It will potentially be this team’s undoing.”

“It’s tough when you get like four turnovers from one guy, three from another, two from this guy, two from him, sprinkle in some ones and now you’ve got 14, 15, 16 turnovers. And we can’t overcome that,” Hurley said. “The players have got to be more disciplined, they can’t just take the ball and turn it over… We should be past that.”

Silas Demary Jr. committed four turnovers at Marquette while leading the team with 17 points and Tarris Reed Jr. added 16 points.

While UConn is hoping to improve its ball handling, the Huskies are hoping to see better showings from Alex Karaban, Solo Ball and Braylon Mullins after the trio shot a combined 6-of-31 from the floor and misfired on 19 of 22 tries from 3-point range.

Ball’s 13.9 points led the Huskies, but the guard shot 34.1% (15-of-44) over his past five games since scoring 20 against Georgetown on Feb. 14. He shot 40.5% on the regular season.

Karaban’s two-point showing at Marquette followed a 23-point outing in a win against Seton Hall, and Mullins was 7-of-27 shooting from behind the arc in his final four games after hitting six 3s and scoring 25 in a 91-84 loss to Creighton on Feb. 18.

UConn won the two meetings with Xavier by a combined 55 points. The Huskies shot 53.2% and hit 13 3-pointers in a 90-67 win at Xavier on Dec. 31 and 56.7% in a 92-60 rout at home on Feb. 3.

The Musketeers (15-17) will get a third chance at the Huskies after opening the tournament on Wednesday with an 89-87 win over Marquette.

Xavier is 3-6 since the February meeting with the Huskies with three of the losses coming by five points or fewer. Against Marquette, the Musketeers shot 63.3% in the second half and 51.6% overall.

On Wednesday, Jovan Milicevic scored 21 points including the tie-breaking basket with 1:14 left. Tre Carroll added 14 of his 18 in the second half.

“I think we’ve gotten better, I really do,” Xavier coach Richard Pitino said of his team, adding about UConn: “We understand they run a very unique offense. They shoot the basketball extremely well. They’re very, very physical.

  • By Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

Big East: Back to the Future

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Villanova’s return to prominence after three seasons of mediocrity following coach Jay Wright’s retirement will be official when its name gets selected for the NCAA Tournament.

Until the selection show on Sunday, Villanova (24-7) will attempt to improve its seeding for the NCAAs on Thursday night when the third-seeded Wildcats face 11th-seeded Georgetown (15-17) in a quarterfinal game of the Big East tournament.

After Wright retired following a Final Four appearance in 2022, assistant Kyle Neptune was promoted to the top job, and the Wildcats went a pedestrian 54-47. Following a 21-15 finish that included a 17-point loss to UConn in the quarterfinal in last year’s conference tournament, Villanova hired Kevin Willard from Maryland.

In his return to the Big East, former Seton Hall coach Willard and Villanova enter the Big East tournament with a NET rating of 33 through Wednesday. The Wildcats won 12 of their first 14 games and won six straight from Jan. 30 to Feb. 17 before winning three of their final four games and ending the regular season with double-digit wins over DePaul and Xavier.

Villanova is among the more physical teams in the league, with Duke Brennan totaling 20 points and 13 rebounds in the regular-season finale. Brennan had 14 double-doubles after transferring from Grand Canyon and grabbed a combined 23 rebounds in wins over Georgetown on Jan. 21 and Feb. 7.

“I mean, it’s a fun time of the year,” said Brennan, who made the NCAA Tournament in his previous four seasons with Arizona State and Grand Canyon. “March Madness is the best tournament ever put on. It feels good to be back, so I’m really proud of myself. But it’ll be great for those guys, especially our freshmen, younger-class guys that haven’t made it.”

Among those freshmen is guard Acaden Lewis, who averages 12.5 points a game this season and totaled 41 points on 18-of-28 shooting from the field against the Hoyas.

The Hoyas shot 34% in a 15-point loss at Villanova on Jan. 21 and 40% in an 80-73 home loss to the Wildcats on Feb. 7. The second meeting is among 15 games decided by seven points or less for the Hoyas, who improved to 4-11 in those games by earning a 63-56 victory Wednesday over sixth-seeded DePaul in the opening round of the Big East tournament.

“We didn’t have our best showing at Villanova, and we are aware of that,” Georgetown guard Jeremiah Williams said. “They played a great game when they played us, and then they got the sweep. So we’re excited to get another opportunity out of them, and we’re confident in ourselves and our approach.”

Williams scored 17 points against DePaul, but reserve forward Vincent Iwuchukwu willed the Hoyas to the win by recording 17 points and 14 rebounds. He scored 14 in the second half, including nine in the final three-plus minutes after Georgetown let a 10-point lead slip to two.

– By Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

Big East: Georgetown Extends Season

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) –  Georgetown reserve Vince Iwuchukwu collected 17 points and 14 rebounds as 11th-seeded Hoyas earned a 63-56 victory over sixth-seeded DePaul Wednesday night in the opening round of the Big East tournament.

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The Hoyas (15-17) won their second straight following a seven-game losing streak and will face No. 3 seed Villanova in the quarterfinals Thursday night.

Jeremiah Williams also scored 17 for Hoyas before fouling out late in the contest, when Iwuchukwu helped Georgetown pull away in the final minutes.

A reserve on St. John’s Big East title team last season, Iwuchukwu scored 14 points in the second half. The forward scored nine in the final three-plus minutes after DePaul cut the lead to 44-42 on a pair of 3s by Kruz McClure, the second with 6:35 left.

Iwuchukwu hit a 3 for a 51-45 lead with 3:54 left, added a putback dunk for an eight-point lead 52 seconds later and hit two free throws for a 57-49 lead with 68 seconds left — before hitting another pair at the line in the final seconds.

Iwuchukwu shot 4 of 9 and hit 7 of 8 free throws in 23 minutes for his fifth double-double. He also helped the Hoyas attain a 42-30 rebounding edge.

Malik Mack contributed 16 points as the Hoyas shot 52% in the second half and 39.3% overall.

Layden Blocker led DePaul (16-16) with 16 points off the bench but on 5-of-14 shooting. NJ Benson added 12 but CJ Gunn was held to seven on 3-of-13 shooting.

DePaul shot 34.5% and was 9-of-21 from 3-point range. The Blue Demons also struggled at the rim by missing 12 of 16 layups.

The Blue Demons were held under 60 points for the sixth time this season and unable to produce much drama like in 2024 when they took a one-point loss to Villanova or when they took Creighton to double overtime in last season’s tournament.

DePaul missed 9 of 10 shots until Blocker’s 3 snapped a 19-19 tie with 2:07 left in the first half and the Blue Demons held a 24-21 lead by halftime. The Blue Demons then missed eight straight shots early in the second half, and Georgetown took a 35-28 lead on a putback by Iwuchukwu with 13:24 left.

The Hoyas took their first double-digit lead when Caleb Williams sank a layup for a 42-32 edge with 9:01 left. After the teams traded baskets, DePaul scored eight straight points before Georgetown regained control and finished it off.

  • By Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

Xavier Works Magic in Final Minutes

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Xavier’s Jovan Milicevic scored 21 points and hit the tiebreaking layup with 1:14 remaining as 10th-seeded Musketeers outlasted seventh-seeded Marquette for an 89-87 victory in the opening round of the Big East tournament on Wednesday.

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Milicevic made 7 of 11 shots and 4 of 7 3-pointers as he finished two points shy of his career high set last month in a 96-88 win over Marquette. His biggest shot was a clear path to the rim that resulted in a layup to snap an 80-all tie; the clutch drive occurred after the Musketeers (15-17) lost a 10-point lead.

Xavier advanced to a quarterfinal matchup with second-seeded UConn on Thursday night.

After the tiebreaking shot, Tre Carroll did a spin move around Marquette’s Ben Gold for a jumper with 23 seconds left and Filip Boravicanin sank two free throws for an 86-81 lead with 14 seconds left.

The Golden Eagles (12-20) got within two twice in the final 12 seconds on baskets by Nigel James Jr. Marquette had a chance to tie with 1.6 seconds left after Malik Messina-Moore missed the back end of two free throws.

Carroll immediately fouled Royce Parham, who made the first free throw and purposely missed the second. Marquette nearly grabbed the rebound but James’ attempt to keep the ball inbounds occurred after the horn sounded.

Carroll added 14 of his 18 points in the second half after sitting out Xavier’s regular-season finale against Villanova with a right hip injury. Messina-Moore also finished with 18 as Xavier shot 63.3% in the second half and 51.6% overall.

Parham led Marquette with 22 points and nine rebounds. James, named Big East Freshman of the Year earlier in the day, added 18 but struggled to find a rhythm and shot 6-of-17. Chase Ross contributed 16 for the Golden Eagles, who shot 42.5% and made 11 of their season-high-tying 40 3-point attempts.

Xavier opened a 23-14 lead on a 3 by Milicevic with 11:03 left and Messina-Moore’s corner 3 put the Musketeers up 29-19 nearly two minutes later. The Golden Eagles countered with a 15-2 spree and Ross’ consecutive layups gave them a 34-31 lead 4:56 left. The teams were tied at 38 by halftime.

Xavier scored 11 straight and took a 56-48 lead on Carroll’s short jumper with 12:28 left. The Musketeers went up 10 on Carroll’s drive with 11:40 left and held a 68-59 lead when Milicevic hit a corner 3 with 8:07 left.

Marquette answered by outscoring Xavier 11-4 over the next two minutes to cut it to 72-70. After Xavier held a 78-72 lead on a basket by Carroll with 4:33 left, James forged an 80-80 tie by hitting two free throws with 1:56 left.

– by Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

 

Big East: Providence Moves On

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Providence guard Stefan Vaaks scored a career-best 28 points and hit a career-high eight 3-pointers as ninth-seed Friars overcame a 16-point deficit in the first half for a 91-81 victory over eighth-seeded Butler Wednesday in the opening round of the Big East tournament.

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Vaaks kept the Friars afloat before their rally and finished 8-of-13 from behind the arc. He joined Marquette’s Matt Carlino (2015) and Boston College’s Dana Barros (1989) as the only players to sink eight 3s in a Big East tournament game.

Vaaks hit his sixth 3 for a 71-61 lead with 8:27 left, then made his seventh for an 82-75 lead at the 2:50 mark about a minute after Butler’s Jamie Kaiser Jr. hit a triple to make it a two-point game.

The freshman made it eight when he drained a triple from the top of the key to make it 87-78 with 96 seconds left to essentially secure the win.

Ryan Mela added a career-high 23 on 10-of-14 shooting and Jaylin Sellers contributed 19 of his 23 in the second half after shooting 2-of-10 in the opening 20 minutes. Mela added nine rebounds and five assists, both team highs.

The Friars (15-17) will face top-seeded St. John’s in the quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon.

Michael Ajyai led Butler (16-16) with 21 points and 11 rebounds but played the final 10-plus minutes with four fouls. Finley Bizjack struggled most of the game, scoring 17 on 5-of-15 shooting.

Providence shot 52.3% after missing eight of its first nine shots. The Friars made 14 of 27 from 3 and outscored Butler 80-54 in the final 29-plus minutes.

It was the second time this season Providence erased a double-digit deficit at Madison Square Garden. On Jan. 3, the Friars charged back from a 13-point deficit in the second half and recorded a 77-71 victory over St. John’s.

Butler ripped off 15 straight for a 15-2 lead on a jumper in the lane by Ajayi with 15:19 left. Butler took a 25-9 lead when Bizjack sank a 3 with 10:55 left to cap an 8-0 run.

Providence countered Butler’s fast start with a 13-2 spurt and Vaaks sank 3s on consecutive possessions to cut the deficit to 31-27 with 5:13 remaining. Mela’s three-point play forged a 38-38 tie with 99 seconds left, and Butler settled for a 42-40 lead by halftime.

Vaaks hit a 3 for 54-52 lead with 14:26 left, and Sellers hit a 3 40 seconds later to force Butler to use a timeout. Sellers capped Providence’s 12-0 run with a layup for a 61-52 lead with 12:25 left. He connected on a 3 for a 68-58 lead nearly a minute later.

– By Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

Zuby Ejiofor Dominates Big East Awards

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Zuby Ejiofor further cemented his St. John’s legacy on Wednesday, becoming the league’s first unanimous BIG EAST Player of the Year in more than a decade. Additionally, he was named the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Already tabbed as the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year earning this week, he becomes just the second player in BIG EAST history win those three major awards simultaneously.

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Ejiofor becomes the first BIG EAST Player of the Year to be selected by a unanimous vote of the league’s head coaches since Creighton’s Doug McDermott in 2013-14. That season, McDermott was the consensus National Player of the Year and finished his career as the fifth leading scorer in NCAA Division I history.

A 6-foot-9 forward, Ejiofor, was also named the Associated Press BIG EAST Player of the Year on Tuesday.

Additionally, Ejiofor becomes the second player in conference history to be named BIG EAST Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the same season, joining Connecticut’s Emeka Okafor in 2003-04, who went on to lead the Huskies to their second National Championship that season. Ejiofor will be recognized and receive his awards at a press conference held in the Madison Square Garden Theatre at 1:30 p.m.

The Garland, Texas native becomes the second member of Head Coach Rick Pitino’s first transfer recruiting class prior to the 2023-24 campaign to emerge as the league’s top player after RJ Luis Jr. took home the honor last year. Ejiofor becomes the fourth BIG EAST Player of the Year in St. John’s men’s basketball history joining three-time winner Chris Mullin (1983, ’84, ’85), Walter Berry (1986) and Luis Jr. (2025). St. John’s becomes the first BIG EAST school to have two different players claim sole possession of the honor in back-to-back years since former Villanova and current New York Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart in 2017-18.

After winning the league’s most improved player award a year ago, the senior rose to the occasion leading the Johnnies to back-to-back BIG EAST Regular Season Championships for the first time since 1984-85 & 1985-86. The Red Storm went 18-2 in BIG EAST play, tying a league record for conference victories for the second consecutive season. The veteran becomes first BIG EAST player to win most improved player and then player of the year immediately the following year. He becomes the fourth student-athlete to ever win both in his collegiate career joining Seton Hall’s Myles Powell, Syracuse’s Hakeem Warrick and Brandin Knight of Pittsburgh.

The team captain leads St. John’s in all phases of the game, pacing the Johnnies in scoring (16.0 PPG), rebounding (7.1 RPG), assists (3.5 APG) and blocks (2.0 BPG). Ejiofor is the only high-major player to lead his team and rank top-10 in his conference in all four statistical categories.

A dynamic scorer, Ejiofor ranks sixth in the league averaging 16.0 points per game on 54.6% shooting from the field, which sits second in the BIG EAST. The big man has tallied 25 double-digit scoring performances reaching double-figures in 10 of his last 11 appearances, nine 20-plus point outings and matched a career-high 33 points against Providence on Jan. 3. One of the best there is at getting to the line ranking top-40 in NCAA Division I in free throw attempts (231) and made free throws (163). His 231 tries rank ninth on the program’s all-time record list trailing Chris Mullin’s 235 free throws during the 1984-85 season by four. In the aforementioned contest against the Friars, Ejiofor took 23 shots at the charity stripe, which ranks second most in a single-game in program history.

After leading the nation in offensive rebounding in 2024-25, Ejiofor has once again cleaned up the glass ranking seventh in the league and first on the team logging 7.1 boards per game. On the offensive end, the Kansas transfer grabs 3.32 boards per contest, good for second in the conference and 26th nationally. The prolific rebounder logged double-digit boards in seven outings, highlighted by a career-best 15-carom performance against Providence on Jan. 3.

In an effort to improve his all-around game, Ejiofor has become an elite passer at 6-foot-9. The team leader in assists dishes out 3.5 assists per contest, which checks in at ninth in the league. Ejiofor logged five or more assists in five contests, setting a new personal best on three separate occasions. The final occurrence came during a memorable performance at The World’s Most Famous Arena on Feb. 28 in an 89-57 victory over Villanova. Ejiofor became the fourth known St. John’s player to record triple-double, totaling 16 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists in the winning effort. He is one of 25 players in NCAA Division I to post a triple-double this season and ranks top-five in the BIG EAST with six double-doubles.

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On Monday, the Red Storm’s anchor became the fifth player in program history to be named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year due in large part to his proven rim protecting and stifling ball pressure abilities. One of the nation’s premier shot-blockers, Ejiofor became the first player in NCAA Division I to record eight or more blocks since Marshall’s Obinna Annochilli-Killen in November 2021 racking up a career-high eight swats in wins over Ole Miss (Dec. 6) and Iona (Dec. 13). The post presence ranks fourth in the league logging 2.0 blocks per game and third in total swats with a personal-best 61 on the season. Ejiofor has moved into eighth all-time on the St. John’s career blocks list, logging 147 in three seasons in Queens. Affecting the game in so many ways, Ejiofor ranks third on the team with 1.2 steals per game and added a career-best four swipes at Creighton on Jan. 10. The versatile defender leads a unit that ranks 14th in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.

No stranger to recognition from the league, Ejiofor was a three-time BIG EAST Player of the Week and five-time honor roll recipient this season. On the national level, he has been named to the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Late-Season Team, Naismith Trophy Defensive Player of the Year Late-Season Team, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Top-10 Watch List, the NCAA March Madness Player of the Week and the USBWA National Player of the Week.

The BIG EAST Scholar Athlete of the Year, Ejiofor boasts a 3.7 cumulative GPA in the sport management program at St. John’s. The Garland, Texas native will graduate in May with his bachelor’s degree.

The big man becomes the fourth player in program history to win the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete award. He is the first Red Storm player in 25 years to garner the accolade, joining Mike Moses (1985), Ron Rowan (1986) and Lavor Postell (2000).

Last year. Ejiofor was tabbed a College Sports Communicators (CSC) All-America Second Team honoree alongside CSC Academic All-America Team Member of the Year RJ Luis Jr. Additionally, he is a Chi Alpha Sigma inductee, qualified for the Dean’s List each of the last two years, is a two-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team member and has landed on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll list in all five of his completed semesters.

One moment in particular epitomizes Ejiofor’s commitment to his academics. Shortly after the Red Storm won its first outright BIG EAST Regular Season Championship in 40 years with a 71-61 victory over Seton Hall on March 1, 2025, the captain’s mind was quickly focused on his next task. Just a couple hours after the on-court celebration concluded Ejiofor called the team’s academic advisor to seek guidance on an upcoming theology assignment. In today’s ever-shifting college athletics landscape, Ejiofor remains a true student-athlete.

In addition to his academics and on-the-court responsibilities, Ejiofor participates in community service attending the department’s annual Community Mayors Event. He has also spoken on a panel on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and participated in the department’s Solidarity Week. Additionally, he is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

The BIG EAST Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is one of many scholarships presented by the conference in the academic year. Twenty-two student-athletes (one male and one female from each of the BIG EAST’s 11 member institutions) will receive postgraduate scholarships as the winners of their respective institutions’ Scholar-Athlete Award. The winners of the institutional and basketball awards are then eligible for the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, which provides an additional postgraduate scholarship to one male and one female student-athlete.

PGA TOUR: First Look@ PLAYERS

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

PONTE VEDRA BEACH – This year marks the 52nd playing of THE PLAYERS Championship, dating back to 1974. It’s the 44th at TPC Sawgrass with the first year of 1982. THE PLAYERS Championship is the first of five events this season that offer 750 FedExCup points to the winner.

THE PLAYERS is the third event in the Florida Swing, which began with the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches (won by Nico Echavarria) and continued with the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard in Orlando (won by Akshay Bhatia). The TOUR will make its way to Palm Harbor for the Valspar Championship next week, where Viktor Hovland will defend his 2025 title.

Akshay Bhatia won the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard for his third career PGA TOUR title and first since the 2024 Valero Texas Open. He’ll make his third PLAYERS appearance, finishing T3 in 2025.

Second-year TOUR member and University of Florida product Ricky Castillo won the Puerto Rico Open for his first career PGA TOUR title; was previously qualified for THE PLAYERS by virtue of his position in the FedExCup through the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches. Castillo missed the cut in his PLAYERS debut in 2025.

The 2026 PLAYERS field features:

  • 46 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, including all of the Top 10
  • Seven past champions (nine wins): Rory McIlroy (2019, 2025), Scottie Scheffler (2023, 2024), Justin Thomas (2021), Si Woo Kim (2017), Jason Day (2016), Rickie Fowler (2015), Adam Scott (2004)
  • Eight past FedEx Cup Champions (10 wins): Tommy Fleetwood (2025), Scottie Scheffler (2024), Viktor Hovland (2023), Rory McIlroy (2016/2019/2022), Patrick Cantlay (2021), Justin Rose (2018), Justin Thomas (2017), Jordan Spieth (2015)
  • As part of his return to the PGA TOUR via the returning member program, Brooks Koepka was added to the field (121) so not to take a spot from a current Tour member. To round out threesomes, the field was expanded to 123 players as of Monday at Noon EDT, with the first two alternates at that time – Patton Kizzire and Seamus Power – being added to the field.
  • 14 players in the field are making their tournament debut, highlighted by three PGA TOUR winners: Zach Bauchou, Michael Brennan, Pierceson Coody, Zecheng Dou, A.J. Ewart, Steven Fisk, Takumi Kanaya, Johnny Keefer, William Mouw, Marco Penge, Kristoffer Reitan, Jordan Smith, Michael Thorbjornsen, Sudarshan Yellamaraju (winners in BOLD).
  • Of the 14 players in the field making their tournament debut, seven are PGA TOUR rookies: Zach Bauchou, A.J. Ewart, Johnny Keefer, Marco Penge, Kristoffer Reitan, Jordan Smith, Sudarshan Yellamaraju.

The PLAYERS | Tournament Facts

 

COURSE: TPC Sawgrass – The PLAYERS Stadium Course, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

YARDS/PAR: 7,352 yards/Par 72

ARCHITECTS: Pete Dye

OVERVIEW: (link)

PRIZE Money – Purse: $25,000,000 with Winner: $4,500,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Rory McIlroy

PAST RESULTS: (link)

2025 Results: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 750

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @THEPLAYERSChamp

BIG EAST Tip-Off: Butler v. Providence

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Preview) – Putting records aside, Butler and Providence produced candidates for Game of the Year in the Big East when both regular-season meetings were decided in double overtime.

Those wins were highlights of disappointing seasons for both schools, and the third encounter is Wednesday when eighth-seeded Butler opposes ninth-seeded Providence in the opening round of the Big East tournament.

“Get ready for a double-overtime game,” embattled Providence coach Kim English said. “I hope we’re healthy. Every game in this league, you’re playing against one of the best coaches in the country.”

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The winner will advance to a noon game on Thursday against top-seeded St. John’s.

The teams are meeting in this game for the second straight season. Last year, Butler ended Providence’s season with a 75-69 victory before falling to St. John’s in what became its first 20-loss campaign since 1989-90.

Butler (16-15) opened its conference schedule with a 113-110 victory over Providence on Dec. 13 when Michael Ajayi totaled 28 points and 15 rebounds and Finley Bizjack scored 26.

Both players produced strong offensive showings throughout the campaign, as Bizjack averaged 17.1 points and Ajayi finished his first season in the league at 16.3 and 11.1 rebounds per game. Still, it was not enough as the Bulldogs dropped 11 of their next 14 conference games until ending the season with three wins in their last five, including an 81-71 win at DePaul on Saturday.

Bizjack scored 19 while Ajayi had his 18th double-double with 14 and 11 boards in a game the Bulldogs led by as many as 29 thanks to a 28-6 run to start the second half.

“Michael’s been tremendous,” Butler coach Thad Matta said about Ajayi. “He’s been asked to do a lot of different (things), and it’s made him a better player. There (have) been so many things that we’ve had to go through, and he just keeps playing, keeps going.”

Providence (14-17) is concluding consecutive losing seasons for the first time since three campaigns from 2009-12.

Jaylin Sellers rang up 36 points when Providence earned a 97-87 home win over Butler on Feb. 4 after it lost nine of its first 11 conference games. Sellers averaged a Big East-best 18.1 points during the regular season and has scored at least 20 in seven of his past nine games.

Sellers scored 21 when the regular season ended with an 80-79 loss at Georgetown on Saturday, as the Friars committed a season-worst 22 turnovers. It marked their sixth loss by five points or fewer this season, and the ninth time they allowed opponents to shoot at least 50%.

–Field Level Media

BIG EAST Preview: Xavier’s Shakey “D”

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – In his first season coaching in the Big East, young Richard Pitino often praised the scoring prowess of Tre Carroll and lamented Xavier’s shaky defense. After four straight NCAA tournament appearances, Marquette could not compensate for the departures from last season’s roster and is finishing a disappointing season.

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For the second straight season, the Musketeers and Marquette Golden Eagles get together in the Big East tournament, but Wednesday’s opening-round contest is one without an NCAA berth on the line.

Last season, the schools met in the four-five matchup in the quarterfinals won by the Golden Eagles. But this year is drastically different since Marquette is seventh and Xavier is 10th, with the winner facing second-seeded UConn on Thursday.

Xavier (14-17) earned its lowest seed in the tournament and is on the verge of its second losing campaign in three seasons. The Musketeers allowed 80 points in 17 games and lost 14 of those contests, including Saturday’s 91-78 loss at Villanova.

Xavier allowed 56.5% shooting in its regular-season finale, the 12th time it allowed at least 50%. Xavier also allowed 13 3s and 24 assists and its defense negated a 21-point showing from Jovan Milicevic.

“We guard nobody. We just guard nobody,” Pitino said. “We just hope they miss. I love our guys. They’re trying.”

After transferring from Florida Atlantic, Carroll averaged 18 points and was second in the Big East behind Providence’s Jaylin Sellers. Carroll missed a chance to win the scoring title by sitting out Saturday with a right hip injury sustained during last week’s nine-point loss to Seton Hall.

Carroll, who was named to the All-Big East first team, is day-to-day. If he sits, Isaiah Walker would likely get the start after scoring 10 points Saturday.

Following the departures of Kam Jones, David Joplin and Stevie Mitchell, Marquette (12-19) is finishing its third losing season as a Big East member though it heads into the tournament with three wins in its past four games.

The Golden Eagles allowed less than 70 points in each of their final four games and earned a 68-62 victory over fourth-ranked UConn on Saturday, when they allowed 35.6% shooting and forced 16 turnovers in the final regular-season game for Ben Gold and Chase Ross.

“It’s been a year that, at times, we’ve been good on one end and not as good on the other end,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said. “You got to put them both together if you want to win in March.”

Nigel James Jr. scored 19 on Saturday and had three 30-point games in his freshman season, including 30 points in Marquette’s 96-88 loss at Xavier on Feb. 14.

–Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

BIG EAST PREVIEW: No Moral Victories

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – DePaul captivated many in Madison Square Garden when it threatened Villanova before taking a 1-point loss in the 2023 Big East tournament and did the same last year when it took Creighton to double overtime in a quarterfinals loss.

DePaul accomplished more than moral victories this season, as proven by earning the sixth seed in this year’s tournament heading into Wednesday night’s first-round game against 11th-seeded Georgetown in New York City.

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The teams split their regular-season series as DePaul earned a 56-50 road win on Jan. 6, then Georgetown got even with a 70-61 win on Jan. 28 in Chicago. The winner of this rubber match earns a quarterfinal date with third-seeded Villanova on Thursday.

The Blue Demons (16-15) finished over .500 for the first time since 2018-19. They also earned their highest Big East tournament seed since joining the league in 2005.

Despite the improvement, the Blue Demons capped their regular season with double-digit home losses against Villanova and Butler that prompted a players-only meeting. Presumably, much of the discussion revolved around offense as they did not score more than 72 points any of in their final 13 games.

C.J. Gunn averages 13.3 points this season, but he shot 34 of 106 (32.1%) over his final nine games. Layden Blocker, who scored 25 in last year’s tournament game against Creighton, averages 10.9 points this year while shooting 36% from the field. That includes two 1-of-11 showings in the last five games.

Senior big man NJ Benson finished by averaging 11.7 points and 7.6 rebounds. He had six double-doubles and ended the regular season with 24 points against Butler.

“There’s always excitement going into the conference tournament,” said DePaul coach Chris Holtmann. “Our guys are a pretty resilient group, and they’ve got a good way about them right now. They were disappointed they didn’t get the five seed and the bye. Being the six seed, I think they feel good about that.”

Georgetown’s second season under coach Ed Cooley ended with a 71-67 loss to DePaul in the opening round last year. The Hoyas (14-17) were picked sixth in the preseason poll, but finished under .500 for the fourth time in five seasons.

Georgetown lost seven straight before eking out an 80-79 victory over Providence on Saturday.

Georgetown lost 11 of 17 conference games by single digits, including a two-point loss to UConn on Jan. 17 and a three-point loss at St. John’s on March 3.

In Saturday’s win, 7-foot-1 senior Vince Iwuchukwu led the Hoyas with a career-high 25 points while Kayvaun Mulready added 12 after leading the team in scoring the previous two games.

“This game was clearly indicative, and we were fortunate today just to get a win, the win that we needed,” Cooley said. “Looking forward to going to New York and facing DePaul.”

The Hoyas are playing their fourth game since losing leading scorer KJ Lewis (14.9 ppg) to an ankle injury. They hope to see Malik Mack produce a similar showing to his 7-of-13 performance against St. John’s.

–Field Level Media