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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.

Big East: Marquette Takes Title

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INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – In Tuesday action, Marquette won its first BIG EAST regular-season crown when it defeated Butler 72-56 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Villanova continued its hot play with a 76-72 victory at Seton Hall, which assured the Wildcats of the No. 6 seed at next week’s BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden.

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The sixth-ranked Golden Eagles (24-6, 16-4 BIG EAST) put together a strong first half that ended with a 36-22 lead at the break. MU was able to maintain a comfortable edge the rest of the way. Tyler Kolek posted game highs of 21 points and 10 assists. He shot 9-of-13 from the field. Jayden Taylor led the Bulldogs (14-16, 6-13 BE).

Villanova, the nation’s leader in free throw shooting, made 21-of-22 from the stripe in the second half of its 76-72 victory. Justin Moore was 9-of-9 from the line and finished with a game-high 23 points. The Wildcats (16-14, 10-9 BE) have won six of their last seven games. The Pirates (16-14, 9-10 BE) were led by Femi Odukale, who compiled his first double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The teams ranked second through fifth in the standings are in action on Wednesday. At 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1, No. 19 Xavier plays at No. 20 Providence. Both teams are 21-8 overall and 13-5 in BIG EAST play and are tied for second place.

DePaul (9-20, 3-15 BE) plays at No. 14 Connecticut (22-7, 11-7 BE) at 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. Creighton (18-11, 12-6 BE) hosts Georgetown (7-23, 2-17 BE) at 8:30 p.m. on FS1.

The following seeds have been determined for The BIG EAST Tournament: No. 1 Marquette, 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.

Final Week of Big East Season

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Going into the final week of the regular season, tremendous fan support has increased once again across the BIG EAST Conference in men’s basketball.

Led nationally by Creighton (17,172, 6th) and Marquette (14,098, 16th), seven BIG EAST schools rank among top-50 in overall attendance in 2022-23. Overall, nine of 11 BIG EAST schools’ attendance number have increased this season, with BIG EAST teams combining for 53 sellout home games.

Powered by the boisterous crowds, BIG EAST programs are 123-45 on their home courts, collectively winning 73.2 percent of games. In addition, the top five seeds in the 2023 BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Tournament, presented by JEEP boast an astounding 70-7 home mark, winning 90.9 percent of contests in front of their respective fan bases.

As a league, average attendance has risen to 10,322 fans per game, up 6.87 percent from a season ago. The attendance across the league currently ranks second since realignment, with an average of 10,371 fans per game set in 2018.

For schools playing in their primary arenas, percentage capacities are at or near 100 percent for multiple programs, led by Xavier and Villanova. Playing all 16 games in front of the fans at Cintas Center, the Musketeers are averaging 10,279 fans and hitting 100.54 percent capacity. In addition, Villanova has sold out at each of its nine home game played at Finneran Pavilion (6,501 seat capacity).

Just shy of reaching full capacity, Creighton has sold 98.96 percent of tickets to its 14 home games, while Marquette has filled 76.21 percent of Fiserv Forum (18,500 seat capacity) seats across 16 games to stay in the top-20 in overall NCAA attendance.

Four Big East Teams in Top 25

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – For the eighth straight week, at least four BIG EAST teams are ranked among the nation’s top-25 teams in both the AP and USA Today polls.

Extending its win streak to four games after a 2-0 week, Marquette (23-6, 15-3 BIG EAST) jumped to No. 6 in both polls on Monday. The ranking marks the highest for the Golden Eagles since 1978.

Also making a four-position leap in the AP poll, Connecticut (22-7, 11-7 BE) ranks No. 14, followed closely by No. 19 Xavier (21-8, 13-5 BE) and No. 20 Providence (21-8, 13-5 BE).

Heading into the final week of regular season action, the rankings once again set up a top-20 midweek matchup. Looking to remain perfect at home, the Friars will welcome the Musketeers to Amica Mutual Pavilion Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

Providence earned a road win on Sunday, moving past Georgetown 88-68 at Capital One Arena. The Friars held firm control at halftime, 46-27, spearheaded by a 13-0 run midway through the opening 20 minutes. Ed Croswell led the visitors with a career-high 25 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while Jared Bynum pitched in 18 points and drilled six three-pointers. Primo Spears led Georgetown with a game-high 26 points.

Providence Unbeaten at Home

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The “down the stretch” portion of the regular season is here. Tuesday night was a great example with two of the four games going into double overtime.

No. 24 Providence stayed unbeaten at home (14-0) this season with a 94-86 double-overtime decision over No. 18 Creighton at the AMP. The Friars got 65 points from the trio of Devin Carter (25), Bryce Hopkins (20) and Noah Locke (20). Creighton point guard Ryan Nembhard was the game’s top rebounder with 10 boards and scored a team-high 21 points. The Friars and Bluejays are tied for third place in the standings with 11-4 records. PC is 19-7 overall. Creighton is 17-9.

The other double-overtime contest had St. John’s (16-11, 6-10 BE) rallying from a 13-point deficit with less than seven minutes in regulation and outlasting DePaul 92-83. Dylan Addae-Wusu scored a career-high 24 points, including a 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left to force overtime. Joel Soriano posted his 21st double-double with 21 points and 16 boards. For DePaul (9-17, 3-12 BE), Javon Johnson had six 3-pointers and 26 points.

Seton Hall held Georgetown to 36.5 percent shooting from the field and helped force 16 turnovers in a 76-68 victory. Al-Amir Dawes scored a game-high 20 points for the Pirates (16-11, 9-7 BE). Tyrese Samuel added 15 points and 10 rebounds. The Hoyas (6-21, 1-15) cut a 15-point deficit to four in the final minutes but could not complete the comeback. Primo Spears netted a team-high 16 points.

Villanova put the defensive clamps on visiting Butler in a 62-50 win. The Wildcats (13-13, 7-8 BE) held the Bulldogs (13-14, 5-11 BE) to a .377 percentage from the floor. VU’s Justin Moore had a team-high 15 points and Caleb Daniels added 13. Butler’s Jayden Taylor continued his strong play with a game-high 20 points.

The lone game on Wednesday figures to be a must-see matchup with No. 11 Marquette hosting No. 16 Xavier on CBS Sports Network at 7 p.m. ET. The Golden Eagles (20-6, 12-3 BE) have a half-game lead over the Musketeers (19-6, 11-3 BE). Xavier won the first meeting 80-76 on Jan. 15 at Cintas Center.