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Big East Basketball

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).

 

Big East Back in Action

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – With several shake-ups throughout the latest Associated Press college basketball Top 25 rankings, Villanova and UConn both climbed the ladder, while Seton Hall closed out the poll at No. 25. In its lone game of the week, No. 6 Villanova dominated La Salle (72-46) in a Philadelphia Big Five contest, to move up a spot in the rankings.

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A busy week in Paradise Island, Bahamas, concluded on Friday with Connecticut going 2-1 in the Battle 4 Atlantis and finishing third. With overtime wins over No. 21 Auburn (115-109) and VCU (70-63), accompanied by a close loss against No. 22 Michigan State (64-60), the Huskies jumped five spots in the poll and now sit at No. 17.

At No. 25, Seton Hall remained in the polls after a 2-1 week. The Pirates came up short against Ohio State (79-76) in the first of two games of the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off, before closing out the week with victories over California and Bethune-Cookman.

With Thanksgiving holiday tournament action in the rearview mirror, five BIG EAST teams return to their respective home arenas tonight.

Butler jumpstarts the evening at 5 p.m. on FS1 against Saginaw Valley State. Georgetown later hosts Longwood at 7 p.m. on FS2, while UConn tips off against Maryland Eastern Shore at 7 p.m.on CBS Sports Network.

At 9 p.m., Marquette hosts Jackson State on CBSSN, while Creighton takes on North Dakota State on FS2.

Individually, DePaul’s Javon Freeman-Liberty ranks fourth in the nation with 23.5 ppg, while St. John’s Posh Alexander ranks ninth nationally in assists, with 6.6 per game.

DePaul (5th, 88.5) and UConn (10th, 87.6) both rank among the nation’s top-10 scoring offenses, while UConn (T3rd, 7.6) and St. John’s (T10th, 6.3) are getting it done on the defensive end of the court with blocked shots.

Big East Hoops Holiday

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Connecticut won its second overtime game in three days. Xavier grabbed a one-point win and DePaul remained the BIG EAST’s only unbeaten team. Georgetown almost made it a 4-0 sweep, but the Hoyas lost a tight one on the West Coast.

UConn beat VCU 70-63 in overtime in the third-place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis. R.J. Cole scored a game-high 26 points. Isaiah Whaley, who was held out of Thursday’s game after fainting after Wednesday’s opening-round contest, sent the game into overtime with a late 3-pointer. His 3-point basket opened the scoring in the extra period and the gave the Huskies (6-1) the lead for good. Whaley finished with 16 points.

Xavier (5-0), playing without starters Colby Jones, Jerome Hunter and Dieonte Miles due to illness, used a career scoring night by Nate Johnson to edge Virginia Tech 59-58 in the third-place game of the NIT Tip-Off. Johnson poured in 30 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer with 25 seconds left. He played all 40 minutes, made 7-of-11 from beyond the arc, and did not commit a turnover.

DePaul improved to 5-0 under new coach Tony Stubblefield with a 77-68 win against Northern Kentucky at Wintrust Arena in the Blue Demons’ second game of the Blue Demon Classic. Javon Freeman-Liberty, who had a double-double by halftime, finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Nick Ongenda added 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting. The 5-0 start under a new coach is the first at DePaul since Joey Meyer began 6-0 in 1984-85.

Georgetown (2-3) scored 48 points in the second half, but could not complete the recovery from a 13-point deficit in a 77-74 loss to Saint Joseph’s in the third-place game of the Wooden Legacy. Kaiden Rice scored 19 of his team-high 25 points after intermission. Timothy Ighoefe grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds and blocked three shots.

The holiday weekend continues on Saturday with four games – all home contests for league teams and all on FS2. At noon ET, Providence hosts Saint Peter’s. St. John’s meets NJIT at Carnesecca Arena at 4 p.m. followed by SIU-Edwardsville at Creighton at 6 p.m. and Northern Illinois at Marquette at 8 p.m.

Big East: Four on the Floor

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PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Connecticut, Xavier and Georgetown complete tournament play away from home on Friday, while undefeated DePaul hosts Northern Kentucky.

UConn (5-1) meets VCU in the third-place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis at 1:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The Huskies suffered their first loss of the season, a 64-60 decision to Michigan State on Thursday, after a late lead slipped away. The Huskies got double-double performances from Adama Sanogo (18 pts., 10 rebs.) and Tyrese Martin (16 and 12).

Xavier (4-1) also tries to bounce back from its first loss of the season when it plays Virginia Tech in the NIT Tip-Off at Barclays Center at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. Jack Nunge had 24 points off the bench in an 82-70 loss to Iowa State on Wednesday. Xavier hopes to get Adam Kunkel back after he missed the Iowa State game with an illness.

Georgetown (2-2) meets Saint Joseph’s in the third-place game of the Wooden Legacy at 9 p.m. on ESPNU. The Hoyas lost to San Diego State 73-56 late Thursday. Aminu Mohammed finished with 20 points and Dante Harris added 19. With a 15.5 scoring average, Mohammed is one of only two true freshmen in the league to lead his team in scoring. Creighton’s Ryan Nembhard (14.2) is the other.

DePaul (4-0) hosts Northern Kentucky at Wintrust Arena in the second of three games in the Blue Demon Classic. FS2 will televise at 5 p.m. DePaul has won 30 of its last 36 games against non-league competition. Western Illinois was the previous opponent for both teams.

Big East: Giving Thanks Early-On

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NEW YORK – (Staff report from Official News Release) – Thanksgiving Day dinner may be a little more satisfying for the coaches, players and athletic staffs from Connecticut, Seton Hall and Butler after each of those teams tasted victory on Wednesday.

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No. 22 UConn (5-0) is off to its best start in eight years after a 115-109 double overtime win over No. 19 Auburn in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis. Adama Sanogo scored a career-high 30 points and R.J. Cole added 24 points. The Huskies used a 9-0 run in the second overtime to gain the victory.

Seton Hall (4-1) rallied late to beat California 62-59 in the third-place game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off. The Pirates trailed 56-51 with less than four minutes to play before coming back to win. Jared Rhoden had 21 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Kadary Richmond added 12 points.

Butler got back in the victory column with an 84-51 triumph over Chaminade in the Bulldogs’ final game of the Maui Invitational. Freshman Jayden Taylor finished with 21 points. The Bulldogs (4-3) started the game with an 18-2 run.

No. 25 Xavier lost for the first time this season, dropping an 82-70 decision to Iowa State in the NIT Tip-Off at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Jack Nunge was the scoring leader for the Musketeers (4-1) with 24 points.

Big East: Four Teams in Top 25

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – In the latest Associated Press rankings, Villanova and UConn were joined by Seton Hall and Xavier in the top-25 following another stellar week by the conference, highlighted by a quartet of ranked wins.

Fresh off a top-five road win over then-No. 4 Michigan, Seton Hall collected 356 more points in Monday’s release and rose to No. 21 in the AP poll and No. 20 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

Also cracking the top-25 for the first time in 2021-22, Xavier sits at No. 25 in the rankings following a week highlighted by a 71-65 victory over then-No. 19 Ohio State.

Improving to 4-0 on the year, UConn jumped a spot in the rankings and sits at No. 22 in the AP and No. 21 in the USA Today, while Villanova dropped to No. 7 in both polls after a win over No. 15 Tennessee, followed by a slight setback against No. 3 Purdue.

Overall, the league owns a 39-7 non-conference record on the year.

BIG EAST: Rolls Into Saturday Schedule

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CHARLESTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Marquette and Creighton posted victories on neutral floors, while Georgetown registered a home win on a three-game Friday in BIG EAST play.

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Marquette came back from a 12-point halftime deficit to defeat West Virginia 82-71 and advance to the championship game of the Charleston Classic. The Golden Eagles (5-0) made 8-of-13 from beyond the arc in the second half. Tyler Kolek and Kam Jones of Marquette each made four 3-pointers. Kolek finished with 18 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Jones had 12 points. Marquette plays St. Bonaventure Sunday night for the tournament championship.

In the Paradise Jam, Creighton started fast against Brown and posted a 78-57 victory. The Bluejays (4-0) started the game with a 26-10 run. Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner scored a career-high 19 points to pace five players in double figures. Creighton has started 4-0 for the sixth time in coach Greg McDermott’s 12 seasons. The Bluejays play Colorado State in the second round on Sunday.

Georgetown improved to 2-1 with an 83-65 win against Siena. Hoya grad student Kaiden Rice made 7-of-10 from 3-point range and finished with a team-high 23 points. Backcourt partner Donald Carey added 20 points and was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. As a team, the Hoyas shot 12-of-18 from 3-point range.

The November 20 schedule calls for four games involving BIG EAST basketball teams. At noon ET, Connecticut hosts Binghamton on FS1. The 23rd ranked Huskies will be aiming to improve on their 3-0 mark. No. 5 Villanova battles No. 17 Tennessee in the Hall of Fame Classic at Mohegan Sun Arena. ESPNews will televise the contest at 1 p.m.

FS2 has a doubleheader that starts at 6 p.m. with St. John’s trying to bounce back from Wednesday’s close loss at Indiana. The Johnnies host Fairleigh Dickinson at 6 p.m. on FS2. At 8 p.m., DePaul is back in action quickly after Thursday’s win against Rutgers. The Blue Demons (3-0) host Western Illinois.

BIG EAST teams own a collective 34-4 record going into Saturday’s schedule.

Xavier, DePaul Clinch Gavitt Games

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CINCINNATI – The Gavitt Tipoff Games concluded with Xavier and DePaul earning victories on November 18 while Providence and Marquette nailed down wins for a 4-0 night for league teams.

The BIG EAST went 6-2 in Gavitt Games contests against the Big 10.

In an in-state matchup that had not been played since 2007, Xavier defeated No. 19 Ohio State 71-65 at a sold-out Cintas Center. Xavier led wire to wire, but the Musketeers (4-0) needed Paul Scruggs’ clutch play down the stretch. The guard scored 10 of Xavier’s final 12 points. Forward Jack Nunge helped with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

In the Gavitt finale, DePaul used 3-point marksmanship along with some critical free throws in a 73-70 win over Rutgers. The Blue Demons (3-0) made their last six shot attempts – four were from 3-point range. David Jones of DePaul scored a game-high 22 points and teammate Javon Freeman-Liberty contributed 19 points, nine rebounds and three steals.

Providence is 4-0 after a 69-58 home win against New Hampshire. Newcomer Al Durham and Nate Watson continue to shine. Durham scored 19 points and Watson had 17 points and four rebounds. Noah Horchler added 10 points and 12 boards. PC excelled defensively, holding UNH to 39.3 shooting from the field.

Marquette rallied to beat Mississippi 78-72 in the first round of the Charleston Classic. The Golden Eagles (4-0) trailed by 12 points in the first half, but recovered after halftime. Darryl Morsell continues to lead offensively, scoring 22 points. He has scored at least 20 points in all four games. Justin Lewis tallied a career-high 21 points.

Friday’s slate starts with Creighton playing Brown at 3:15 p.m. ET on ESPN3 in the first round of the Paradise Jam. Georgetown hosts Siena at 6:30 on FS2. Marquette meets West Virginia in the second round of the Charleston Classic at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

BIG EAST teams own a collective 31-4 record going into Friday’s schedule.

Big East: UConn Wins, Hoyas Lose

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HARTFORD – (Staff Report from Official News Recap) – Playing on back-to-back nights, Butler became the first BIG EAST team to reach a perfect 3-0 record as the early days of the college basketball season progress. UConn, St. John’s and DePaul also were victorious on Saturday. Georgetown was upset in its season opener.

Butler struggled offensively in the first half against Troy until the halftime buzzer when Bryce Nze threw in a shot from approximately 80 feet, which tied the game 23-23. Butler seized the momentum and scored 47 points in the second half in a 70-59 victory. Chuck Harris scored a team-high 23 points.
UConn played its first game at the XL Center in 21 months and had little pushback in an 89-54 win over Coppin State. Adama Sanogo scored 20 points for the second straight game and led five Huskies in double figures. R.J. Cole added 16 points and six assists.

St. John’s joined the group of 2-0 teams with a 91-70 triumph over Saint Peter’s. Julian Champagnie scored a game-high 22 points. The Johnnies, who struggled with the Peacocks last season, led 47-27 at halftime. Tareq Coburn came off the bench to score 17 points.

DePaul pulled away in the second half of its 99-66 handling of Central Michigan. For a second straight game, Javon Freeman-Liberty led the way, posting 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Minnesota transfer Brandon Johnson helped with 20 points and seven rebounds.

Georgetown was the only team not to taste victory on Saturday. The Hoyas overcame a 22-point deficit to take a brief lead in the second half against Dartmouth, before losing 69-60. In his collegiate debut, Aminu Mohammed, the Preseason BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, had 17 points and six rebounds.

BIG EAST teams own a 19-2 record going into Sunday’s schedule, which has only one contest. Seton Hall will look to improve to 2-0 with a home game against Yale at noon ET on FS1.