Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

Big East

Big East: Four on the Floor

by

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

by

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.

Embed from Getty Images

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 Saturday Sweep

by

JAMAICA ESTATES – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – After winning all four games on Saturday, BIG EAST teams own a collective 38-4 record, including a 4-1 mark against teams ranked in the Associated Press poll.

Embed from Getty Images

On paper, Villanova had the toughest assignment, taking on No. 17 Tennessee in the Hall of Fame Classic. The Wildcats held the Volunteers scoreless in the first six minutes and led 35-15 by halftime. Villanova won 71-53 with Jermaine Samuels, Collin Gillespie and Brandon Slater all finishing with 14 points. Samuels added a game-high 11 rebounds.

After a bit of a slow start, UConn got rolling against Binghamton and pulled away to win 87-63. Tyrese Martin led four Huskies in double figures and posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. UConn (4-0) outshot Binghamton from the floor 49.3 percent to 37.5 percent.

St. John’s bounced back from Wednesday’s two-point loss at Indiana to defeat Fairleigh Dickinson 87-74 at Carnesecca Arena. Julian Champagnie and Posh Alexander each scored 17 points. Champagnie had 10 rebounds. The Johnnies (3-1) led by as many as 22 points.

DePaul was trailing Western Illinois by seven points with 14 minutes to play before reeling off a 13-0 run en route to an 84-80 victory. Javon Freeman-Liberty led the charge, scoring 27 of his career-high 33 points in the second half. The Blue Demons are 4-0 for only the fourth time since 1990.

Sunday’s four-game slate has three teams continuing in tournament play and one single game matchup. The day begins with Xavier hosting unbeaten Norfolk State (5-0) at noon ET on FS1 in the final game of a four-game homestand. The Musketeers (3-0) are coming off their 71-65 win over No. 19 Ohio State. Norfolk State won 90-84 at Bowling Green on Friday.

Villanova takes on its second ranked opponent in as many days when it battles No. 6 Purdue on ABC at 1 p.m. in the Hall of Fame Classic It will be the Wildcats’ third ranked opponent in five games.

In the second round of the Paradise Jam, Creighton (4-0) meets Colorado State on ESPN3 at 5:45 p.m. in a battle of 4-0 teams. The Bluejays have held all four opponents to less than 40 percent shooting from the field.

Marquette battles No. 22 St. Bonaventure (4-0) in the title game of the Charleston Classic on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. In the last three games, the Golden Eagles (5-0) have trailed by at least 12 points before recovering to win.

BIG EAST: Rolls Into Saturday Schedule

by

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.

Embed from Getty Images

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

by

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: Butler, St. John’s Fall

by

BLOOMINGTON – (Staff Report from Official Press Release) – A St. John’s rally fell short and Butler could not get going offensively in their respective Gavitt Tipoff Games contests, while UConn comfortably improved to 3-0.

After a slow start, UConn handled Long Island U. 93-40 at Gampel Pavilion in a non Gavitt Games contest. The Huskies have placed five players in double figures in all three games this season. On Wednesday, graduate student Tyler Polley was the scoring leader with 17 points. The margin of victory was UConn’s largest since a 103-47 win over Tennessee-Chattanooga in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

After trailing by as many as 14 points, St. John’s rallied to tie twice, but the Johnnies lost 76-74 at Indiana. St. John’s star Julian Champagnie poured in 32 points – the highest scoring total by a BIG EAST player this season – and made a career-high six 3-pointers. Stef Smith scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half.

Butler lost 73-52 to Michigan State at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs made only 29 percent from the field and had to deal with an injury to Bryce Nze, who hurt his shoulder seven minutes into the game and did not return. Graduate student Ty Groce led Butler with 15 points and nine rebounds.

BIG EAST teams own a collective 27-4 record going into the Nov. 18th schedule.

BIG EAST Releases 2021-22 Schedule

by

NEW YORK – (Source: Official News Release) – The BIG EAST Conference announced its 2021-22 men’s basketball schedule today with dates and matchups. Tipoff times and television designations will be announced at a later date. The conference will play a 110-game regular-season schedule with all 11 teams playing 20 league games in a double round-robin format. League play begins on Friday, December 17, with Villanova at Creighton. The Wildcats and Bluejays are the two BIG EAST teams that advanced the farthest in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Both squads advanced to the Sweet 16 round.

The regular season ends on Saturday, March 5, with 10 of the 11 teams in action. The matchups are: Villanova at Butler, DePaul at Connecticut, Seton Hall at Creighton, Georgetown at Xavier and St. John’s at Marquette.

The BIG EAST Tournament Presented by Jeep will be played in Madison Square Garden for the 40th consecutive year. It is the longest running postseason championship in college basketball at the same venue. The dates of the 2022 tourney are March 9-12.

2021-22 Conference Schedule

Friday, December 17
Villanova at Creighton

Saturday, December 18
Providence at Connecticut
Marquette at Xavier

Monday, December 20
St. John’s at Seton Hall
Creighton at DePaul

Tuesday, December 21
Xavier at Villanova
Connecticut at Marquette

Wednesday, December 22
Georgetown at Providence

Thursday, December 23
Butler at St. John’s
Seton Hall at DePaul

Tuesday, December 28
Connecticut at Xavier
Georgetown at Creighton

Wednesday, December 29
Marquette at St. John’s
Seton Hall at Providence
DePaul at Butler

Saturday, January 1
St. John’s at Georgetown
Villanova at Seton Hall
Butler at Connecticut
Providence at DePaul
Creighton at Marquette

Tuesday, January 4
Seton Hall at Butler
Xavier at Georgetown
Providence at Marquette

Wednesday, January 5
DePaul at St. John’s
Creighton at Villanova

Friday, January 7
Xavier at Butler
Marquette at Georgetown

Saturday, January 8
Villanova at DePaul
St. John’s at Providence
Connecticut at Seton Hall

Tuesday, January 11
Providence at Creighton
DePaul at Marquette

Wednesday, January 12
St. John’s at Connecticut
Villanova at Xavier

Thursday, January 13
Butler at Georgetown

Saturday, January 15
Creighton at Xavier
Connecticut at Providence
Seton Hall at Marquette

Sunday, January 16
Georgetown at St. John’s (MSG)
Butler at Villanova (WF)

Tuesday, January 18
Providence at Seton Hall

Wednesday, January 19
St. John’s at Creighton
Xavier at DePaul
Marquette at Villanova

Thursday, January 20
Connecticut at Butler

Saturday, January 22
Seton Hall at St. John’s (MSG)
Villanova at Georgetown
DePaul at Creighton

Sunday, January 23
Butler at Providence
Xavier at Marquette

Tuesday, January 25
DePaul at Villanova
Georgetown at Connecticut

Wednesday, January 26
Marquette at Seton Hall
Creighton at Butler
Providence at Xavier

Saturday, January 29
Georgetown at Butler
Marquette at Providence
Xavier at Creighton
Connecticut at DePaul
St. John’s at Villanova

Tuesday, February 1
Creighton at Connecticut
Seton Hall at Georgetown
Providence at St. John’s

Wednesday, February 2
Villanova at Marquette
Butler at Xavier

Friday, February 4
Creighton at Seton Hall

Saturday, February 5
Connecticut at Villanova (WF)
St. John’s at Butler
DePaul at Xavier

Sunday, February 6
Providence at Georgetown

Tuesday, February 8
Villanova at St. John’s (MSG)
Marquette at Connecticut
Butler at Creighton

Wednesday, February 9
Xavier at Seton Hall
Georgetown at DePaul

Saturday, February 12
Creighton at Georgetown
Seton Hall at Villanova (WF)
Marquette at Butler
DePaul at Providence

Sunday, February 13
Connecticut at St. John’s (MSG)

Tuesday, February 15
Villanova at Providence
Butler at DePaul

Wednesday, February 16
Seton Hall at Connecticut
St. John’s at Xavier
Georgetown at Marquette

Saturday, February 19
Xavier at Connecticut
DePaul at Seton Hall
Georgetown at Villanova

Sunday, February 20
Providence at Butler
Marquette at Creighton

Tuesday, February 22
Villanova at Connecticut

Wednesday, February 23
Xavier at Providence
Creighton at St. John’s
Butler at Seton Hall

Thursday, February 24
DePaul at Georgetown

Saturday, February 26
Creighton at Providence
Seton Hall at Xavier
Butler at Marquette

Sunday, February 27
Connecticut at Georgetown
St. John’s at DePaul

Tuesday, March 1
Providence at Villanova

Wednesday, March 2
Xavier at St. John’s
Georgetown at Seton Hall
Connecticut at Creighton
Marquette at DePaul

Saturday, March 5
Villanova at Butler
DePaul at Connecticut
Seton Hall at Creighton
Georgetown at Xavier
St. John’s at Marquette

CA – Carnesecca Arena, MSG – Madison Square Garden, WF – Wells Fargo Center

The BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden
March 9 First Round Tripleheader
March 10 Quarterfinal Doubleheader
Quarterfinal Doubleheader
March 11 Semifinal Doubleheader
March 12 Championship Game

Ackerman Inducted into Hall of Fame

by

UNCASVILLE – (Staff report with Official Big East News Release) – Former NBA executive and first President of the WNBA, former USA Basketball president and current Big East Conference Commissioner Val Ackerman will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of its 2021 class this weekend in Springfield, Massachusetts. She will be inducted as a Contributor. Ackerman previously received the Hall of Fame’s John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

The Class of 2021 enshrinement ceremony will be held on Saturday, September 11.

Villanova head coach Jay Wright is also a member of the 2021 Hall of Fame class. Other inductees of the 2021 class are: Rick Adelman, Chris Bosh, Yolanda Griffith, Lauren Jackson, Paul Pierce, Bill Russell, Ben Wallace, Chris Webber, Howard Garfinkel, Cotton Fitzsimmons, Clarence “Fats” Jenkins, Toni Kukoc, Bob Dandridge and Pearl Moore.

“I’m extremely honored by this recognition and will be forever grateful to David Stern and Russ Granik for opening doors for me and allowing me to be part of so many exciting moments in basketball history,” said Ackerman. “It’s been a tremendous privilege to lead the BIG EAST and build on its proud heritage these past eight years, and to be part of the class that includes Jay Wright makes this moment very hard to top.”

Ackerman was named the fifth Commissioner of the BIG EAST on June 26, 2013. She was the founding President of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and is a past President of USA Basketball, which oversees the U.S. men’s and women’s Olympic basketball program. Ackerman also served for two terms as the U.S. representative to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). She has had a long and accomplished career in the sports industry and the distinction of serving in leadership positions in both men’s and women’s basketball at the collegiate, professional, national team and international levels.

Ackerman was named the first President of the WNBA in 1996 and oversaw the league’s day-to-day operations for its first eight seasons. During her tenure, the league expanded from 8 to 16 teams, drew broad national sponsor and network support, established women’s team sports attendance records and maintained successful player labor relations. Ackerman was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and received the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Billie Jean King Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

Ackerman served on the USA Basketball Board of Directors for 23 years, including as President for the 2005-08 term, which culminated with gold medals for the men’s and women’s teams at the Beijing Games. She served as a primary NBA liaison to USA Basketball in the early years of the “Dream Team” era and was the driving force behind the 10-month tour of the USA Basketball women’s national team that preceded the 1996 Olympics and set the stage for the launch of the WNBA. She received USA Basketball’s Ed Steitz Award for contributions to international basketball in 2008.

While at the helm of the BIG EAST, Ackerman has presided over the rebirth of the conference following its return in 2013 to its original basketball-centric configuration. She led the move of the conference office to its current location in New York City and has managed the BIG EAST’s fruitful partnerships with Fox Sports and Madison Square Garden, which has hosted the conference’s men’s basketball tournament since 1983. Ackerman led the negotiations that resulted in the return to the BIG EAST in 2020 of the University of Connecticut, one of the conference’s charter members. The BIG EAST has maintained its national successes in men’s basketball since reconfiguration, highlighted by multiple NCAA tournament bids and Villanova’s national titles in 2016 and 2018.

Prior to assuming her role with the BIG EAST, Ackerman a widely acclaimed, comprehensive white paper detailing growth strategies for women’s college basketball.

Ackerman attended Hopewell Valley Central High School in Pennington, New Jersey, where she remains the school’s all-time leading basketball scorer. She was among the first female athletics scholarship recipients at the University of Virginia, from which she graduated in 1981 with a B.A. in political and social thought. She was a four-year starter, three-time captain and two-time Academic All-American on the Cavaliers’ women’s basketball team. She was also the program’s first 1,000-point scorer and was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s 50th Anniversary Team in 2002. Ackerman received her law degree from UCLA in 1985.

Big East vs. Big 12 Battle Announced

by

NEW YORK – The Big East and Big 12 Conferences recently announced the dates and matchups for the third year of the BIG EAST-vs-Big 12-Battle.

The contests, which will be played in December, were jointly determined by the two conferences. The home school has the right to determine the venue of its game. Broadcast arrangements for the games will be determined by the national television rights holder of the home team, which is FOX Sports for the BIG EAST and ESPN for the Big 12.

The four-year agreement between the two conferences will continue through the 2022-23 season with an equal number of games played in each conference’s home market each year. Television designations and game times will be announced when available.

2021 BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle Schedule
Dec. 1 Texas Tech at Providence
Dec. 2 Kansas at St. John’s
Dec. 4 Iowa State at Creighton
Dec. 5 Xavier at Oklahoma State
Dec. 7 Butler at Oklahoma
Dec. 8 Marquette at Kansas State
Dec. 8 Connecticut at West Virginia
Dec. 9 Texas at Seton Hall
Dec. 12 Villanova at Baylor

Big East’s Villanova & Creighton Advance to NCAA Sweet 16

by

INDIANAPOLIS – (Official News Release from BIG EAST) – Villanova and Creighton, the BIG EAST’s top two teams in the regular season, have advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Championship. The Wildcats, who were ranked 18th in last week’s Associated Press poll, will meet Baylor, the top seed in the South Region, on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. ET. The Bluejays, No. 19 by AP, also meet a No. 1 seed, Gonzaga in a West Region semifinal at 2:10 p.m.

Gonzaga is ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, while Baylor is No. 3.

Embed from Getty Images

Wildcat/Bluejay Similarities: Besides being ranked consecutively at 18th (Villanova) and 19th (Creighton) in the AP poll, both teams are No. 5 seeds in their respective regions and will battle the top seeds next. The venue for both teams this weekend will be the same, Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse. Both contests will be telecast on CBS. Villanova and Creighton each knocked off No. 12 seeds in the first round and No. 13 seeds in the second round.

Villanova and Creighton shared the BIG EAST regular-season title last year and both were locks for the 2020 NCAA Tournament, if it had been played.

NCAA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

SOUTH REGION
First Round – March 19
No. 5 Villanova 73, No. 12 Winthrop 63

Second Round – March 21
No. 5 Villanova 84, No. 13 North Texas 61

Regional Semifinals – March 27
No. 5 Villanova vs. No. 1 Baylor – CBS 5:15

WEST REGION
First Round – March 20
No. 5 Creighton 63, No. 12 UCSB 62

Second Round – March 22
No. 5 Creighton 72, No. 13 Ohio 58

Regional Semifinals – March 28
No. 5 Creighton vs. No. 1 Gonzaga – CBS 2:10

EAST REGION
First Round – March 20
No. 5 Colorado 96, No. 12 Georgetown 73
No. 10 Maryland 63, No. 7 Connecticut 54