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Big East Basketball

Big East: Welcome to 2024

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STORRS – BIG EAST play in 2024 begins with three games on Tuesday evening. Eleven conference games were played in December. There are 99 to go.

No. 4 Connecticut hosts DePaul at Gampel Pavilion at 6:30 p.m. on FS1. The Huskies (11-2, 1-1) have won 22 of their last 23 games on campus. Guard Tristen Newton is averaging 16.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists. The Blue Demons (3-9, 0-1) are coming off a 70-58 victory over Chicago State. DePaul is third in the BIG EAST in 3-point shooting, making 35.0 percent.

Creighton travels to Georgetown for a 7 p.m. ET tip on CBSSN. The Bluejays (9-4, 0-2 BIG EAST) are looking for their first conference win after a five-point loss at Marquette on Saturday. The Hoyas (7-6, 0-2) are also in search of their first league victory. Georgetown has been idle since Dec. 22 when it also lost at Marquette. Guard Jayden Epps leads the Hoyas in scoring (17.1) and assists (4.1). The Bluejays have taken 11 of the last 14 games in the series.

The action on FS1 continues at 8:30 p.m. when St. John’s hosts Butler at Carnesecca Arena. The Red Storm (9-4, 1-1) have won seven of their last nine games and are 4-0 at Carnesecca, winning each game by at least 15 points. The Bulldogs (10-2, 1-0) are led by Pierre Brooks II, who is fifth in the BIG EAST in scoring with a 16.8 average. Butler is second nationally in fewest fouls committed, averaging only 12.3 per game.

Big East: Georgetown, The Hall Win

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WASHINGTON DC – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Seton Hall and Georgetown gained home court victories on Tuesday against non-league foes. Creighton is the only BIG EAST team in action on Wednesday.

Seton Hall used a 17-0 run in the first half to grab a double-digit lead against Monmouth, then held off rally attempts in the second half and recorded a 70-61 victory. Freshman Isaiah Coleman came off the bench to score a team-high 17 points. Jaden Bediako added 11 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.

Georgetown was without guard Jayden Epps, the BIG EAST’s second leading scorer (19.1), due to illness, but the Hoyas (6-4) clamped down defensively on Coppin State in a 71-54 win. GU held the visitors to only 14 points in the first half. Dontrez Styles scored a game-high 19 points and Rowan Brumbaugh added 14 points, seven rebounds, five steals and four assists.

Creighton travels to Henderson, Nev., to play UNLV in the Jack Jones Classic. The Bluejays (8-1), ranked eighth in the AP poll this week, have held opponents to 63.4 points per game and have allowed only 39 3-point baskets in their nine games. CBS Sports Network will televise the game at 9 p.m. ET.

Thursday’s schedule also shows just one game. No. 7 Marquette hosts St. Thomas (Minn.) at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

St. John’s Wins Ugly

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CHARLESTON, SC – In the lone Thursday game on the BIG EAST schedule, St. John’s survived a first-round battle at the Charleston Classic by edging North Texas 53-52. Six BIG EAST Teams are in action on Friday, including the two that will complete this year’s Gavitt Tipoff Games.

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St. John’s led most of the way against North Texas before losing the lead with two minutes left. Joel Soriano made a pair of free throws with 1:11 remaining to grab the lead back for good. Soriano finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots. Daniss Jenkins led the scoring with 17 points.

The Johnnies start the Friday BIG EAST schedule with a second-round game against Dayton at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

At 6 p.m., Providence meets Kansas State in the Baha Mar Hoops in the Bahamas on CBS Sports Network. The Friars are coming off a solid 72-59 win Tuesday against Wisconsin in theit Gavitt Games matchup.

FS1 will telecast a Gavitt Games doubleheader with Butler traveling to Michigan State at 6:30 p.m. The unbeaten Bulldogs lead the nation in field goal percentage defense, allowing only a 30.6 percent. Villanova hosts Maryland at the Finneran Pavilion at 8:30 p.m. Maryland coach Kevin Willard is most familiar with the Wildcats from his 12-year tenure at Seton Hall.

DePaul and Xavier have late starts. The Blue Demons play South Carolina in the Arizona Tip-Off in Glendale, Ariz., at 11:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. DePaul picked up its first win of the year on Tuesday, a 72-60 decision against South Dakota.

At midnight, Xavier battles Washington in the Continental Tire Main Event in Las Vegas, Nev., on ESPN2. Desmond Clau

Seton Hall Crushes Albany

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NEWARK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Both games involving BIG EAST Teams on Wednesday were played in New Jersey with Seton Hall cruising past Albany 96-71 in Newark and Georgetown losing to Rutgers 71-60 in a Gavitt Tipoff Games battle in Piscataway.

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The 96-points are the most by a Pirate team in four seasons. Seton Hall (3-0) gained a 54-39 lead at halftime by shooting 70 percent from the field. The Pirates finished with eight players scoring between 15 and nine points. Al-Amir Dawes netted 15 points in only 20 minutes of playing time. Kadary Richmond chipped in 13 points.

Down the New Jersey Turnpike at Rutgers, Georgetown was undone by 21 turnovers. The Hoyas (1-2) trailed 38-32 at the break when the home team opened the second half with a 16-4 spurt. The Scarlet Knights maintained a double-digit edge for the remainder of the contest. Hoya guard Jayden Epps scored a game-high 16 points and backcourt teammate Dontrez Styles added 15.

A light Thursday schedule shows only one game. At 1:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU, St. John’s meets North Texas in the Charleston Classic.

Most BIG EAST teams are headed to tournaments this weekend. The Gavitt Tipoff Games conclude Friday with Butler playing at Michigan State at 6:30 p.m. followed by Maryland at Villanova at 8:30 p.m. FS1 will televise both games.

 

BIG EAST: Big Night for Big East Teams

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PROVIDENCE – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – There was quite a one-sided, 5-and-0, Tuesday night for BIG EAST teams including three Gavitt Tipoff Games victories as Providence, Marquette and Creighton picked up victories against their Big Ten opponents.

In the evening’s first game, Providence was in control against Wisconsin from start to finish and recorded a 72-59 victory at the AMP. The Friars (3-0) built a 37-21 lead by halftime and led by as many as 22 points in the second half. Devin Carter finished with 21 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and a game-high eight rebounds.

No. 4 Marquette won a hard-earned 71-64 decision at No. 23 Illinois. Tyler Kolek, who had been nursing an ankle injury, had 24 points, six rebounds and four assists. His layup with 9:42 left gave the Golden Eagles (3-0) the lead for good 54-52.

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No. 8 Creighton (3-0) began the second half with an 18-6 burst en route to a 92-84 victory over Iowa. Trey Alexander came within one assist of being the first Bluejay player to record a triple-double that included assists. He finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

No. 5 Connecticut (3-0) cruised past Mississippi Valley State 87-53 at Gampel Pavilion. Cam Spencer made 7-of-11 from beyond the arc and finished with 25 points. For the second straight game, all five Husky starters reached double figures. UConn has won 20 straight non-conference games.

DePaul got into the win column for the first time this season (1-2) with a 72-60 win against visiting South Dakota. Jeremiah Oden led four players in double figures with 16 points. DePaul led 36-25 at halftime. The Blue Demons blocked nine shots.

There’s a two-game schedule tonight, including a Gavitt Games matchup of Georgetown at Rutgers. FS1 will telecast at 8:30 p.m. ET. Seton Hall hosts Albany at 6:30 p.m., also on FS1.

Big East: Butler Cruises to “W”

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INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – All four BIG EAST teams in action Friday cruised to home victories and improved their records to 2-0. The closest margin of victory was 23 points.

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Butler scored 55 points in the first half in its 91-56 win over Southeast Missouri State. Guard Posh Alexander led five players in double figures with 15 points and went over the 1,000-point plateau for his career. The Bulldogs held SEMO to 29 percent shooting from the field.

No. 5 Marquette did not trail in its 95-65 victory against Rider. Kam Jones netted a team-high 23 points and added six rebounds, four assists, and four steals in 24 minutes of playing time. The Golden Eagles made 13 3-pointers.

No. 22 Villanova used a 13-0 run midway in the first half to gain control of its 83-57 victory against LeMoyne. Justin Moore led the Wildcats with 21 points. Brendan Hausen came off the bench to connect on 6-of-8 from 3-point range and finish with a career-high 18 points.

Xavier handled Jacksonville 79-56 with grad transfer guard Quincy Olivari scoring a team-high 17 points. The Musketeers had six players score between nine and 17 points. An early 13-2 run gave Xavier control of the contest. Guard Desmond Claude, who had 12 points, was the only starter who was on the team last season.

Big East: Weekend Round-Up

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HARTFORD – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Connecticut, Creighton, Seton Hall and Providence notched double-digit wins while Georgetown and DePaul suffered close losses on a 4-2 Saturday for BIG EAST teams.

No. 6 Connecticut got out of the gate quickly and rolled over Stonehill 107-67 at XL Center. All five starters reached double figures led by Tristen Newton’s 22 points. He also had seven rebounds, four assists and five steals. Freshman Stephon Castle added 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

No. 8 Creighton opened the second half with a 26-5 run and knocked off North Dakota State 89-60. Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 11 of the Bluejays’ first 16 points in the second half. Trey Alexander scored a game-high 21 points and posted seven rebounds, five steals and four assists.

Seton Hall rolled over Fairleigh Dickinson 85-55 at Walsh Gymnasium. Kadary Richmond had his second straight quality stat line. He contributed 14 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Grad transfer Jaden Bediako registered his fifth career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Providence was challenged by Milwaukee, picked second in the Horizon League, but nailed down a 79-69 victory. The Friars led 39-26 at intermission and were able to maintain a double-figure edge the rest of the way. Jayden Pierre scored a game-high 16 points. Transfer Josh Oduro added 13 points and 12 boards.

Georgetown led the entire second half but got caught in the final minute in its 68-67 loss to Holy Cross. The Hoyas led 57-46 with 8:35 remaining. Newcomer guards Jayden Epps and Rowan Brumbaugh led GU with 22 and 17 points, respectively.

DePaul fell behind 33-11 in the first half against Long Beach State, before a big second-half rally fell short in a 77-73 defeat. Transfer guard Elijah Fisher scored 20 of his team-high 25 points after the break.

The BIG EAST schedule continues tomorrow with the start of the Gavitt Tipoff Games. St. John’s hosts Michigan at Madison Square Garden at 6:30 p.m. ET followed by Xavier at Purdue at 8:30 p.m. Both games will be televised on FS1. Also, Villanova visits Penn on ESPN+ and Butler hosts East Tennessee State on CBS Sports Network. Both games tip at 7 p.m.

Big East: Johnnies Open Up

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JAMAICA ESTATES – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Three of the four league teams in action on Tuesday enjoyed season-opening wins at home. Creighton, St. John’s and Georgetown tasted victory. DePaul let a late lead get away and absorbed a loss.

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Creighton, ranked eighth in both national polls, used an early 19-2 run en route to a 105-54 win over Florida A&M. Guard Trey Alexander scored a game-high 20 points, which included 7-of-8 shooting from the field. Newcomer guard Steven Ashworth scored 17 points in 18 minutes. Center Ryan Kalkbrenner blocked his 200th career shot in his 100th career game.

The new coaches at St. John’s and Georgetown enjoyed their debuts. St. John’s beat Stony Brook 90-74 in Rick Pitino’s first game as the Johnnies’ headmaster. Familiar face Joel Soriano led the way with 22 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. He made 9-of-12 from the floor, including both 3-point attempts. Newcomer forward Chris Ledlum added 16 points, 14 boards and four assists.

Georgetown coach Ed Cooley liked what he saw in the Hoyas’ 94-57 victory over LeMoyne. Frontcourt newcomers helped pave the way. Supreme Cook paced five Hoyas in double figures with 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting. He also pulled down 13 rebounds. Dontrez Styles added 15 points and 10 boards.

Hosting Purdue Fort Wayne, DePaul recovered from a 41-33 halftime deficit to take a 68-62 lead with under four minutes remaining before losing 82-74. Guard Chico Carter Jr. shined in his DePaul debut with 18 points and eight rebounds.

BIG EAST 2022-23 Award Winners

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BIG EAST Names Regular Season Award Winners as Conference Tourney Tips-Off at The Garden

NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Marquette guard Tyler Kolek was named BIG EAST Player of the Year. Kolek’s coach, Shaka Smart, was voted unanimously as BIG EAST Coach of the Year and Villanova forward Cam Whitmore was selected BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.

The conference’s head coaches make the selections and are not permitted to vote for their own players. The awards will be presented at Madison Square Garden prior to the start of the 2023 BIG EAST Tournament Presented by JEEP. It is the 41st consecutive year the BIG EAST is playing its postseason tournament at the World’s Most Famous Arena.

Smart’s honor is the first for Marquette in 18 years as a member of the BIG EAST. Both were instrumental in leading the Golden Eagles to their first BIG EAST outright regular-season title. Marquette enters the BIG EAST Tournament as the No. 1 seed after compiling a 17-3 conference record. The Golden Eagles were picked ninth in the preseason coaches’ poll.

Kolek is MU’s maestro point guard, averaging 12.7 points and a league-leading 7.9 assists, which ranks second nationally.  The 6-3 junior from Cumberland, R.I., ranks first in assist/turnover ratio at 3.3., which places him sixth in the nation. He is fifth in the BIG EAST in steals at 1.8 and ninth in free throw shooting, making 81.4 percent. Kolek is one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard.

Smart’s squad made the biggest leap in league history, jumping from ninth in the preseason coaches’ poll to outright regular-season champion. The Golden Eagles are expected to receive a high seed in the NCAA Tournament. In his second season at Marquette, Smart has directed the Golden Eagles to a 44-19 overall record and a 28-11 BIG EAST mark. He owns a career record of 316-161 (.662) in 14 seasons as a head coach.

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Shaka Smart

Whitmore leads all BIG EAST freshmen with a 12.7 scoring average. The 6-7 native of Odenton, Md., is also averaging 5.1 rebounds. He missed the first seven games of the season with a thumb injury on his shooting hand. Whitmore was a unanimous choice for the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team and was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week four times. His season scoring high was 29 points against Xavier on Jan. 7. Whitmore is the third Villanova player to earn Freshman of the Year honors in the last six seasons. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl won in 2019-20 and Omari Spellman won in 2017-18.

BIG EAST Player of the Year
Tyler Kolek, MarquetteBIG EAST Coach of the Year
Shaka Smart, MarquetteBIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Cam Whitmore, Villanova

Xavier forward Jack Nunge was named BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The selection was made by the Conference’s Academic Affairs Committee. Nunge will receive a $2,000 scholarship, which may be applied to graduate or professional studies.

Nunge, a graduate student, has compiled a 3.97 graduate GPA in the Xavier MBA program after a 3.35 GPA as an undergraduate in Accounting. In addition to his academic work, Nunge has participated in Xavier Special Olympics. He is a member of the Xavier Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

On the court, Nunge has played a critical role in helping the Musketeers to a 23-8 overall record and a 15-5 BIG EAST mark. The native of Newburgh, Ind., is averaging 14.0 points and ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in rebounding with a 7.7 mark. He is shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from 3-point range. Xavier will be the No. 2 seed at this week’s BIG EAST Tournament.

The BIG EAST Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is one of a number of scholarships presented by the BIG EAST Conference during the 2022-23 academic year. In addition, 22 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.

The Conference previously announced winners of four individual awards for its 2022-23 men’s basketball season.

For the second year in a row, Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner has been named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. Joel Soriano of St. John’s has been selected BIG EAST Most Improved Player. David Joplin of Marquette has won the BIG EAST Sixth Man Award. Villanova’s Caleb Daniels has been tabbed the winner of the BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award.

The league’s head coaches make the selections and they are not permitted to vote for their own players. 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 8, at 12:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden.

Kalkbrenner, a 7-1 junior center from Florissant, Mo., has been the leader of a Creighton squad that has excelled on the defensive end of the floor for the last two seasons. This year, he leads the BIG EAST in blocked shots with a 2.2 average which ranks 18th nationally. His defensive presence has contributed to the Bluejays leading the league in scoring defense in league games, yielding only 67.2 points per game. Kalkbrenner is an All-BIG EAST First Team selection. The last time a player repeated as Defensive Player was 2016-17 and ’17-18 when former Creighton standout guard Khyri Thomas earned the award.

Soriano, a 6-11 senior from Yonkers, N.Y., has made significant leaps across the board for St. John’s. The veteran center is averaging 15.3 points and a league-leading 11.8 rebounds. Soriano also is tied for first nationally in double-doubles with 23. Last year, Soriano had only one double-double. His double-double total is second only to former great Walter Berry’s 28 in 1985-86. He is the first St. John’s player to be the BIG EAST rebounding champion in league games with an 11.5 mark. In his first three seasons combined, Soriano scored 481 points. This year, he has 472.

Marquette’s Joplin has come off the bench in each of the team’s 31 games, averaging 19.1 minutes per game. The 6-7 sophomore from Milwaukee, Wis., has made important contributions to MU’s regular-season title run. He is fifth on the team in scoring with a 9.2 average and grabs 3.4 rebounds per contest. Joplin ranks second on the team in free throw shooting, making 80.5 percent. He notched his career scoring high with 28 points in only 24 minutes in an 89-69 victory at DePaul on Jan. 28. He made five steals in the title-clinching 72-56 victory at Butler on Feb. 28.

Villanova’s Daniels has been the steady and classy leader for the Wildcats. He is second on the team in scoring with a 14.6 average and is first on the team with 71 made 3-pointers. A native of New Orleans, La., Daniels is also a reliable free throw shooter. He has connected on 85.3 percent, which ranks fifth in the BIG EAST. Daniels leads the Wildcats in minutes played, averaging 33.6 per game.

BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton

BIG EAST Most Improved Player
Joel Soriano, St. John’s

BIG EAST Sixth Man Award
David Joplin, Marquette

BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award
Caleb Daniels, Villanova

Big East: The Grand Finale Awaits

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PROVIDENCE – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – In the final night of action before the regular season ends on Saturday, Xavier handed Providence its first home loss of the season to grab the No. 2 seed in next week’s BIG EAST Tournament while Connecticut and Creighton built huge early leads en route to victories.

The 19th-ranked Musketeers (22-8, 14-5 BIG EAST) cruised to a 22-point lead in the first half before the 20th-ranked Friars (21-9, 13-6 BE) stormed back to cut the advantage to two points with 15:18 to play. But Xavier never lost the lead and won 94-89. Musketeer guards Souley Boum and Colby Jones combined for 62 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists. All five PC starters reached double figures led by Ed Croswell and Bryce Hopkins, who had 17 points each.

UConn raced to a 29-2 lead and beat DePaul 88-59 in Hartford. The 14th-ranked Huskies (23-7, 12-7 BE) were led by Adama Sanogo’s 26 points in only 22:33 of playing time. Andre Jackson Jr. finished with 11 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Nick Ongenda, in only his fifth game since returning from a wrist injury, led the Blue Demons (9-21, 3-16 BE) with 17 points, six boards and two blocked shots.

Creighton got out early against Georgetown in its 99-59 victory at the CHI Health Center. The Bluejays (19-11, 13-6 BE) scored the first 19 points of the game and were not threatened. Trey Alexander led the Jays with 25 points. Baylor Scheierman added 13 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. The Hoyas (7-24, 2-18 BE) got 21 points from Primo Spears.

Five games on Saturday will complete the regular season. The following seeds have been determined for The BIG EAST Tournament: No. 1 Marquette, No. 2 Xavier, No. 6 Villanova, No. 7 Seton Hall, No. 10 DePaul and No. 11 Georgetown. St. John’s and Butler will be in the 8/9 game with exact seeds to be determined.