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Big East Tournament

UConn Fends Off St. John’s in Semi

March 15, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Connecticut’s Tristen Newton scored 25 points, and added nine assists and six rebounds as BIG EAST No. 1 and nationally ranked No. 2 UConn constantly answered comeback attempts by St. John’s in the second half and advanced to the championship game of the Big East tournament with a 95-90 victory Friday night.

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The top-seeded Huskies (30-3) won their sixth straight and advanced to their first title game since returning to the Big East after losing three straight semifinal games by a combined eight points.

UConn will face the winner of No. 3 seed Marquette and No. 7 seed Providence Saturday and is seeking its first title since Kemba Walker led them to five wins in five days in 2011.

In the semifinals for the first time since 2000, fifth-seeded St. John’s (20-13) is seemingly safe for its first NCAA Tournament bid since 2019. The Red Storm entered the contest with a NET rating of 32 and since the NCAA started using the metric in 2019, the highest-rated team to miss out was NC State in 2019 at 33.

Newton scored 20 points in a blistering first half when the Huskies shot 63 percent. He finished 6-for-11 from the floor and also sank 10 free throws.

Cam Spencer added 20 points as the Huskies shot 57.4 percent overall and led for the final 32:56. Alex Karaban scored 14 as he, Newton and Spencer combined to hit 10 of the defending champions’ 11 3-pointers.

Daniss Jenkins scored 27 points for the Red Storm, who shot 45.1 percent. Jordan Dingle added 19 but Chris Ledlum and Joel Soriano were a combined 5-of-16 from the floor and scored six apiece.

After spotting St. John’s a 7-0 lead in the opening minutes, UConn gradually surged ahead. An uncontested 3 from the top of the key by Newton gave the Huskies the lead for good at 20-18 with 12:56 left. They took their first double-digit lead when Newton’s layup made it 34-24 five minutes later.

Seven points by Dingle in the final three-plus minutes helped St. John’s slice a 44-34 deficit to three points. The Red Storm trailed 52-47 by halftime after Jenkins’ reverse layup was ruled to be after the horn.

St. John’s moved within 56-54 on a jumper by Jenkins with 17:19 left. UConn had another answer, scoring the next eight and going on a 13-2 run to extend the lead 69-56 on a putback by Samson Johnson with 13:48 remaining.

UConn held an 89-78 lead on a basket by Donovan Clingan with 3:27 left. St. John’s inched back, getting within 91-85 on a layup by Glenn Taylor Jr. with 35 seconds left, but UConn sank four free throws the rest of the way.

– Field Level Media

Filed Under: Big East, March Madness, NCAA, NCAA Basketball Tagged With: Big East, Big East Tournament, Johnnies, UConn

Old Foes Re-Unite at BIG EAST Semis

March 15, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) While UConn is dominating most opponents during its five-game winning streak, no other Big East team may be hotter than St. John’s.

In the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time since 2000, fifth-seeded St. John’s will put its six-game winning streak on the line and will attempt to improve its standing for an NCAA Tournament berth on tonight when it faces the top-seeded Huskies.

UConn, in turn, is seeking its first trip to the Big East tournament championship game since Kemba Walker’s magical run in 2011.

The second-ranked Huskies (29-3) probably are a lock to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but they have been foiled in the conference semifinals in the three seasons since returning to the Big East. UConn’s three semifinal losses were by a combined eight points, including last year’s 70-68 setback to Marquette.

Since absorbing an 85-66 setback at Creighton on Feb. 20, the Huskies are winning their games by an average of 20.4 points. The closest margins were a 74-67 victory at Marquette on March 6 and a 14-point win at Providence three days later.

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UConn heads into Friday’s game after dominating the second half of its 87-60 win over ninth-seeded Xavier in the tournament quarterfinals on Thursday. The Huskies gave up the first 10 points and held a one-point lead at halftime before outscoring Xavier 53-27 in the final 20 minutes.

“A little bit of it was like raise your intensity level,” UConn coach Danny Hurley said. “This is a playoff game. When you’re trying to end the other team’s — either like their Big East career or their Big East season or you’re trying to end a team’s season, period, you’ve got to be absolutely on point.

Donovan Clingan scored 11 of his 13 points after halftime. Tristen Newton also scored 13 points as six players reached double figures for UConn, which shot 58.3 percent from the field.

St. John’s (20-12) is unbeaten since squandering a 12-point halftime lead against Seton Hall on Feb. 18. After the loss, Red Storm coach Rick Pitino singled out his players by name and bemoaned the school’s facilities while saying: “This is the most unenjoyable experience of my lifetime.”

Pitino apologized to his players a few days later.

St. John’s is averaging 88.8 points during its best run of the season.

“We told the guys, you gotta play your best basketball going into March,” Pitino said after a 91-72 win over Seton Hall on Thursday. “And we knew we had seven now, I think, six or seven, elimination games. And these guys rose to the occasion.”

St. John’s only win over a ranked team this season was 80-66 vs. Creighton on Feb. 25. The Red Storm hope to produce another strong showing after six players scored in double figures on Thursday.

RJ Luis Jr. scored 18 points, Jordan Dingle added 14 and Joel Soriano collected 14 points and 12 rebounds for St. John’s. The Red Storm shot 51.6 percent from the field, marking the fourth time they have shot at least 50 percent in the winning streak.

“It’s unbelievable feeling, man,” Soriano said. “We play on Friday night.”

The last time St. John’s played a conference tournament semifinal game was 2000. The Red Storm slipped past now-ACC school Miami 58-57 and then recorded an 80-70 victory over UConn for the title.

–Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

Filed Under: Big East, March Madness, NCAA, NCAA Basketball Tagged With: Big East, Big East Basketball, Big East Tournament

Providence Needs a “W” or Two

March 15, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK  – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Providence is two wins from assuring itself of an NCAA Tournament bid.

But in case they don’t win the Big East Conference tournament and the automatic NCAA entry that comes with it, the seventh-seeded Friars (21-12) are making a strong case for the selection committee. And they’ll get another chance at enhancing an already solid resume Friday night when they play third-seeded Marquette (24-8) — the nation’s 10th-ranked team — in the conference semifinals.

The winner will meet either top-seeded and No. 2-ranked UConn or streaking St. John’s, the fifth seed, in Saturday’s championship game.

Providence won the tournament title in 1994 and 2014, and Marquette is the defending champion.

Two years ago, Providence was the top seed and took a 27-point loss to Creighton in the semis. This time, the Friars are in the semifinals after earning a 78-73 victory over Creighton in Thursday’s quarterfinals that marked their sixth Quad 1 victory.

“This time of the season some teams are playing for their lives,” Providence coach Kim English said after the win over Creighton. “(We had) ups and downs all season, adversity, less-than-ideal mindset and moments, bad shots, bad plays, bad turnovers, bad responses, (but) we got 40 minutes to be our most locked-in selves. That was one of our best efforts of the season.”

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Devin Carter has fueled Providence’s two tournament wins after claiming Big East Player of the Year honors. He followed a 19-point showing in Wednesday’s win over Georgetown by collecting 22 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals while playing the entire 40 minutes against Creighton.

“I think it was a must-win game,” said Carter, who played at least 40 minutes for the fifth time this season and averages 35.4 minutes per game. “We want to keep our tournament dreams alive, and we also want to get a Big East championship.”

Providence is in the semifinals after ending the regular season with three losses in four games, including a 91-69 setback at then-No. 5 Marquette on Feb. 28.

On Thursday, Marquette advanced to the semifinals via an overtime win for the second straight season. Last year the Golden Eagles moved on by beating St. John’s in the quarterfinals and later defeated Xavier to win the conference title, and this time they outlasted Villanova 71-65.

Marquette nearly won it in regulation, but officials ruled Kam Jones’ basket did not beat the buzzer. Jones scored 18 points and David Joplin added six of his 14 in overtime to help the Golden Eagles withstand the absence of All-Big East guard Tyler Kolek due to an oblique injury.

Kolek is expected to remain out Friday, though he has been practicing. On Friday, the Golden Eagles hope to get clutch performances again from Jones and Joplin while getting help from Oso Ighodaro, whose lone basket occurred late in overtime.

“Obviously we’d love to win the Big East tournament,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said. “We’d love to win tomorrow night. I think what our guys are showing these last couple of games and even the two games we lost without Tyler is that we can compete with anyone, even while he’s recovering.”

– Field Level Media

Filed Under: Big East, Boston Sports, March Madness, NCAA, NCAA Basketball Tagged With: Big East, Big East Basketball, Big East Tournament

Marquette Survives, Advances

March 15, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK  – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Marquette’s Kam Jones scored 18 points, David Joplin provided six of his 14 points in overtime and nationally ranked No. 10 Marquette survived a challenge from Villanova to prevail 71-65 in the Big East tournament quarterfinals on Thursday night.

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The third-seeded Golden Eagles (24-8) advanced to face seventh-seeded Providence in the semis despite being without Tyler Kolek, last season’s Big East Player of the Year, due to an oblique injury.

Stevie Mitchell put up 15 points, Chase Ross scored 11 and Joplin added a team-high eight rebounds for Marquette, which had to play five extra minutes to pull out the win after a would-be game-winning shot was waved off.

Eric Dixon had 19 points and 11 rebounds for sixth-seeded Villanova (18-15), which put up a fight one night after barely escaping last-place DePaul. Mark Armstrong tallied 15 points, TJ Bamba had 12 points and Justin Moore finished with four points, 11 rebounds and six assists.

With the score tied at 58 and 2.8 seconds left in regulation, Marquette had an inbounds under its basket and spent just half a second to get it past halfcourt before using a timeout. Ross then inbounded to Oso Ighodaro at the foul line, and Ighodaro bounced it behind him to Jones driving down the left side.

Jones’ floater hit high off the glass and rolled in. But Marquette’s celebration was premature — officials ruled upon review that the ball had not completely left Jones’ hand when the clock hit zeroes.

Joplin had an early jumper and a 3-pointer for Marquette’s first five points of overtime, but Villanova tied the score each time with free throws. Ross’ open 3-pointer finally put Marquette ahead for good.

Ighodaro’s only field goal of the night, off a set play under the basket with 18 seconds remaining, sealed the victory.

Dixon’s short jumper put the Wildcats on top 29-28 at halftime. Marquette opened the second half on an 11-2 run, with Mitchell getting to the rim for three layups.

Jones’ 3-pointer made it 45-36 Marquette with 12:33 left, which is where Villanova started its charge. Dixon knocked down a straightaway 3-pointer, and before long Bamba connected on two triples to cut the deficit to one.

Moore — Villanova’s second-leading scorer — had missed his first six shots of the night but made his seventh to put the Wildcats on top 51-50 with 7:07 to go.

Jones went coast-to-coast to start an 8-2 run for Marquette to lead 58-53 at the 3:15 mark. But Armstrong scored in the paint, and Bamba was fouled on a 3-point shot and he made all three free throws to tie the score with 1:50 left.

–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media

Filed Under: Big East, March Madness, NCAA, NCAA Basketball Tagged With: Big East Tournament, Marquette, Marquette Golden Eagles

Providence Stuns Creighton

March 15, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Big East Player of the Year Devin Carter had 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead seventh-seeded Providence to a 78-73 victory over No. 8-ranked Creighton on Thursday evening in the Big East quarterfinals.

The Friars fended off a late comeback by the second-seeded Bluejays to hang on for the victory.

Providence (21-12) is headed to its second Big East tournament semifinals in three years.

Creighton (23-9) trailed by as many as 13 points early in the second half before using a 13-2 run to rally. Trey Alexander sparked the run and ended it with a jumper to give the Bluejays a 64-63 lead, with 5:37 remaining.

It didn’t last long though, as there were five lead changes in the next two minutes, including Jayden Pierre’s go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:37 left to give the Friars a 70-68 lead.

Providence stayed in front and made Creighton pay for missing potential game-tying free-throw opportunities. Ryan Kalkbrenner missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Trey Alexander went 0-for-2 at the free-throw line down the stretch. Carter and Josh Oduro responded with back-to-back layups to help Providence pull away.

Oduro had 17 points and nine rebounds, while Pierre finished with 15 points, four rebounds and seven assists. The Friars shot 29 of 70 (41.4 percent) and 6 of 23 (26.1 percent) from the 3-point arc.

Creighton struggled offensively early on. A stingy defensive effort by the Friars restricted the Bluejays to shooting just 25.8 percent in the first half, as Providence held a 33-30 halftime lead.

The Bluejays regrouped in a much improved second half and shot 14 of 27 (51.9 percent) after the break. Four players scored in double figures in the loss.

Kalkbrenner, the three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, played a key role in the comeback effort with his play on both ends, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds, five blocks and two steals. Alexander also had 19 points for the Bluejays. Baylor Scheierman and Steven Ashworth each had 16 points.

–Eugene Rapay, Field Level Media

Filed Under: Big East, March Madness, NCAA, NCAA Basketball Tagged With: Big East, Big East Tournament, Providence

BIG EAST: Marquette vs Villanova

March 14, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK  – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – No. 10 Marquette won’t have Tyler Kolek when it faces Villanova in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament tonight.

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Last season’s Big East Player of the Year hasn’t played since Feb. 28 due to an oblique injury. After Kolek missed the final three games of the regular season, Marquette coach Shaka Smart said Wednesday that Kolek would sit out at least the first game of the conference tournament.

“The plan is absolutely for him to play next week (in the NCAA Tournament),” Smart said Wednesday.

The third-seeded Golden Eagles (23-8) enter this game against the sixth-seeded Wildcats (18-14) without much room to improve their NCAA Tournament seed. They figure to be a No. 2 or 3 seed when their name is called on Selection Sunday, so resting Kolek is a tradeoff for the long term.

Kolek averaged career highs of 15.0 points and 7.6 assists per game in 28 games this season. He went for 21 points and 11 assists when Marquette beat Villanova 87-74 at home on Jan. 15, and followed that with 32 points and nine assists in the Golden Eagles’ 85-80 road win over Villanova on Jan. 30.

Marquette is no one-man show.

Oso Ighodaro (14.4 ppg, 7.2 rebounds per game) is an NBA prospect, and Kam Jones has been on fire. The team leader at 16.7 ppg, Jones had three 30-point performances over the last six games of the regular season.

Jones dropped 30 on 12-for-17 shooting plus nine assists in Marquette’s regular-season finale, a back-and-forth, 86-80 win over Xavier. Ighodaro went 11-for-15 for 24 points.

“Sometimes you can be a little bit like the little engine that could, and particularly when you have the reigning Big East Player of the Year on the bench in street clothes,” Smart said postgame. “I thought that our guys did a really good job helping each other just continue to believe and feel like we could do it.”

Marquette won the Big East tournament title last year, beating eventual national champion UConn in the semifinals and Xavier in the final.

Villanova squarely is on the NCAA Tournament bubble due to its unusual mix of great wins — North Carolina on a neutral floor, Creighton on the road — and bad losses to Philadelphia Big 5 rivals Penn, Saint Joseph’s and Drexel.

So, Wednesday night’s nailbiter against DePaul probably didn’t help its case.

DePaul went 0-20 in the Big East during the regular season, yet the Wildcats trailed the Blue Demons for 10:39 of their first-round contest and needed a late 3-pointer by Justin Moore to escape with a 58-57 win.

Eric Dixon finished with 21 points and nine rebounds, raising his team-high season average to 16.4 points per game.

Second-year coach Kyle Neptune took a half-glass-full view of the near-upset.

“We got another game,” Neptune said. “We got another opportunity to play, like I said, for the people in our locker room. We’ve had — it’s now towards the end of the season. We feel like we got a lot of basketball left. We feel like we can get a lot better from this game.

“We look at it like, all right, who else can go and miss the shots we did and still get stops and hold a team at 57 points and find a way to win in the end? And that’s how we’re going to look at it.”

–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media

Filed Under: Big East, March Madness, NCAA, NCAA Basketball Tagged With: Big East Tournament, Villanova

Villanova Squeaks Past DePaul

March 13, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Justin Moore hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 8.8 seconds remaining to lift sixth-seeded Villanova past 11th-seeded DePaul 58-57 in the nightcap of the opening round of the Big East tournament Wednesday.

The Wildcats (18-14) will play third-seeded Marquette in the quarterfinal round on Thursday.

Eric Dixon had 21 points and nine rebounds, Mark Armstrong added 11 points, and Moore scored eight of his 10 in the second half.

Jalen Terry led DePaul with 18 points and 15 rebounds.

The Blue Demons (3-29) lost their final 20 games of the season. They had one last possession but Armstrong stole the ball.

Moore hit a tough shot in the lane with 7:06 left for a 47-45 Villanova lead.

Terry responded with a deep 3-pointer from the wing with 6:17 remaining for a 48-47 DePaul advantage.

Later, Da’Sean Nelson converted a three-point play with 1:52 remaining for a 55-52 lead for the Blue Demons.

Then Dixon came back with a 3-pointer with 1:31 left to equalize at 55.

Terry answered for DePaul with a pullup jumper with 1:13 left to give the Blue Demons a two-point lead and setting the stage for Moore’s winning basket.

Dixon posted up and scored for a 12-9 Villanova lead with 10:24 left in the first half, then Jordan Longino dropped in a 3-pointer from the corner with 8:38 remaining for a 15-9 advantage.

DePaul kept it close, however, and got within 19-14 on Elijah Fisher’s layup — the Blue Demons’ first 2-pointer of the game — with 4:13 left. Back-to-back 3’s by K.T. Raimey and Terry gave DePaul the lead at 20-19 with 2:02 left.

Villanova led 27-25 at halftime thanks in large part to nine points on three made 3-pointers from Longino.

DePaul, on the other hand, shot just 8 of 29 in the opening half.

DePaul increased the lead to 40-32 with 12:57 remaining in the second half when Terry hit a 3 after Villanova went more than five minutes without scoring.

But the Wildcats went on a quick 8-0 run after the drought to tie the game at 40-40 with 9:41 to go.

–Field Level Media

Filed Under: Big East, March Madness, NCAA, NCAA Basketball Tagged With: Big East, Big East Tournament, DePaul, Villanova

Providence Romps in Big East

March 13, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Josh Oduro posted 20 points and nine rebounds as seventh-seeded Providence defeated 10th-seeded Georgetown 74-56 in the first round of the Big East tournament on Wednesday.

Providence’s Devin Carter, who was named Big East Player of the Year hours before the game, tallied 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Ticket Gaines shot 4-for-7 from 3-point range on his way to 15 points and seven rebounds.

The Friars (20-12) made 12 of 32 attempts from deep as they kept their faint NCAA Tournament hopes alive. They will face No. 8 Creighton, the second seed, in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

Georgetown (9-23) saw its first season under coach Ed Cooley come to an end in ignominious fashion. Cooley, Providence’s coach for 12 years, finished the season 0-3 against the Friars.

Jayden Epps poured in 30 points on 12-of-23 shooting to power the Hoyas’ offense.

Georgetown turned an 18-point deficit into a 64-56 game with 3:40 left after Drew Fielder contributed eight points, including two 3-pointers, and Epps made a driving layup.

Oduro made two free throws, and after Epps missed a pair of his own, Carter pulled up for a long 3-pointer that rattled around the rim and dropped to give the Friars a 13-point lead with 2:51 to go. From there, they were not seriously threatened.

Georgetown finished the game 4-of-19 from the foul line, with Epps shooting 3-of-11 there.

Providence was ahead 9-7 when Rich Barron knocked down a transition 3-pointer to spark a 11-0 run. Gaines hit a trey to make it 20-7 Friars, and Cooley called a timeout to stem the tide.

Another triple by Gaines gave Providence a 14-point lead. Epps kept the Hoyas in the game by making a 3-pointer while being fouled to the ground and finishing the four-point play.

Epps brought Georgetown within 28-21 with 9:25 left in the half, but Garwey Dual and Corey Floyd Jr. joined Providence’s 3-point party. Oduro’s free throws in the final minute gave the Friars a 40-27 halftime lead.

The Hoyas fell behind 45-27 early in the second half before forging a comeback. Rowan Brumbaugh set up Dontrez Styles for a reverse dunk, but less than a minute later Oduro tossed it to Carter and he elevated in the lane for an alley-oop of his own.

Georgetown drew within 49-40 while Providence went scoreless for a 4:50 stretch. Oduro knocked down a 3-pointer with 11:22 left to end that drought.

Carter deflected a pass near halfcourt and took it in for a dunk to make it 61-46 with 7:53 left.

–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media

Filed Under: Big East, March Madness, NCAA, NCAA Basketball Tagged With: Big East, Big East Tournament, Georgetown, NCAA Basketball, Providence

BIG EAST Names Providence’s Devin Carter as Conference Player of Year

March 13, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Providence guard Devin Carter was named BIG EAST Player of the Year. Connecticut coach Dan Hurley wasnBIG EAST Coach of the Year and Hurley’s freshman guard standout Stephon Castle was been selected unanimously 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 are presented at Madison Square Garden prior to the start of the 2024 BIG EAST Tournament Presented by JEEP. It is the 42nd consecutive year the BIG EAST is playing its postseason tournament at the World’s Most Famous Arena.

Carter, a 6-3 junior guard, is the BIG EAST scoring champion with a 21.4 average in league games. Overall, he ranks second in scoring at 19.4, third in rebounding at 8.6, fourth in 3-point shooting, making 38.5 percent and fourth in steals at 1.9. Carter, whose hometown is Miami, Fla., has posted 12 double-doubles this season, which ranks third in the league. In addition to his outstanding offensive production, he is also considered one of the BIG EAST’s top defensive players. Carter has helped lead the Friars to a 19-12 overall record and a 10-10 league mark. He is only the second Providence player to earn BIG EAST Player of the Year. Kris Dunn won in 2015-16 and shared the award in 2014-15 with Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono.

Hurley, in his sixth season at UConn, has guided the Huskies to an overall record of 28-3 and an 18-2 BIG EAST mark, which is the highest conference victory total in league history. Included in the 18 victories was a 14-game BIG EAST winning streak.  The Huskies are outright regular season BIG EAST champions for the first time since 1999. Hurley’s UConn career record is 132-58 (.695). In BIG EAST regular season play, he is 55-21 (.724). This week, the Huskies are ranked second in both national polls. Hurley’s Huskies are 27-1 against non-conference opponents over the last two seasons with all 27 wins coming by double digits. During that stretch, they set the D-I record with 24 straight.

Castle’s selection as Freshman of the Year should not be a surprise since he was the Preseason Freshman of the Year as chosen by the coaches and earned BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors a record 11 times during the season, including the last seven weeks. Unlike most college freshmen, Castle also excels defensively and is customarily given difficult defensive assignments. He leads all league freshman with an 11.2 scoring average, but also makes all-around contributions, with averages of 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists. The last UConn player to be named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year was Rudy Gay in 2004-05. Gay shared the honor with Jeff Green of Georgetown.

BIG EAST Player of the Year
Devin Carter, Providence

BIG EAST Coach of the Year
Dan Hurley, Connecticut

BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Stephon Castle, Connecticut

Filed Under: Big East, Boston Sports, NCAA, NCAA Basketball Tagged With: Big East, Big East Basketball, Big East Tournament, Providence, UConn

Xavier Opens Big East with W

March 13, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Desmond Claude scored 26 points and ninth-seeded Xavier earned a 76-72 victory over Butler in the opening round of the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

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Claude and the Musketeers (16-16) advance to the conference tournament quarterfinals against No. 1 seed UConn. Voted the league’s most improved player, Claude scored at least 25 for the fourth time this season and hit 11 of his 20 shots.

Xavier made winning plays down the stretch. The Musketeers led for the final 11:12 and pulled away in the final minutes, taking a 75-68 lead on Dayvion McKnight’s strong drive to the rim and bucket with 53 seconds left.

Butler had a chance thanks to DJ Davis’ 3, cutting the deficit to 75-71 with 45 seconds left.

Posh Alexander split a pair at the line with 13 seconds remaining. After Alexander missed the second free throw, Butler got the offensive rebound after a lengthy review. But Davis lost the ball in the lane with four seconds to go.

McKnight scored 16 of his 20 in the second half and Xavier shot 51.5 percent in the final 20 minutes and 46.3 percent overall. Quincy Olivari hit three of Xavier’s seven 3s and contributed 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

Pierre Brooks scored 21 to lead Butler (18-14), which entered with a NET rating of 65 and likely needed at least one win in the tournament and some outside help to be invited to the NCAA Tournament.

Jalen Thomas and Posh Alexander, who appeared to suffer a scary right knee injury with about five minutes left in the first half, added 14 points apiece.

Xavier withstood Butler’s charge and held a 32-31 lead at halftime after Claude hit a floater in the lane with 28 seconds left.

After missing their first eight 3s, the Musketeers heated up with four 3s in the opening minutes of the second half to take a 46-43 lead on Claude’s triple just inside of the 16-minute mark.

Olivari’s 3 snapped a 54-54 tie with 11:12 left and his fastbreak layup made it 61-56 with 8:46 remaining.

–By Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

Filed Under: Big East, NCAA, NCAA Basketball Tagged With: Big East, Big East Tournament, Butler, Xavier

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“The Boston Marathon is to a runner as Red Rocks is to a Rock n’ Roll band.” - TL “The Boston Marathon is to a runner as Red Rocks is to a Rock n’ Roll band.” - TL
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Somehow, the Blue Devils are connected to the basketball gods. Somehow, the Blue Devils are connected to the basketball gods.
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2 months ago

Welcome to Boston (on a beautiful, cold, overcast, freezing, freezing-rain meets snow flakes day). The 20th rendition of this conference is beginning as I type with the Opening remarks by conference co-founders Daryl Morey (Phil 76ers) and Jessica Gelman (Kraft Analytics). ... Here's a preview:

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MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conf '26 - Digital Sports Desk

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The influx of ESPNers improved the conference make up, including everything from moderating panels to in-depth interviews conducted on stage. The influx of ESPNers improved the conference make up, inc...
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DigitalSportsDesk.com
2 months ago

Super Bowl LX Notebook

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TL's Super Sunday Notes | NE v SEA - Digital Sports Desk

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No one will ever top the halftime act performed by Prince No one will ever top the halftime act performed by Prince
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DigitalSportsDesk.com
3 months ago

A little history on the #NBA Global Games - ... See MoreSee Less

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TL's Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 18, '26

whileyoungideas.substack.com

While We're Young (Ideas) | On the NBA's Non-Stop Global Games
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