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Big East Final: It’s UConn vs Marquette

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – A little over a year ago, Marquette was the last team to defeat UConn before the latter stormed its way to a fifth national title.

The Huskies didn’t lose again that season and dominated their way to the top of the Big East in 2023-24.

On Saturday, 10th-ranked Marquette is the opponent standing in the way of the second-ranked Huskies, who will seek their first Big East title since returning to the league in 2020.

The Huskies (30-3) took their first loss since the Marquette semifinal game when they fell by four points at Kansas on Dec. 1. They also are seeking their first conference tournament title since Kemba Walker’s magical run led them to five wins in five days in 2011.

The top-seeded Huskies are on a six-game winning streak and advanced to Saturday’s final thanks to a prolific offense. After scoring 87 in a 27-point win over ninth-seeded Xavier in Thursday’s quarterfinals, UConn was challenged at times in a 95-90 win over fifth-seeded St. John’s on Friday.

The Huskies are ready to face third-seeded Marquette (25-8), which claimed a 70-68 win over UConn in last season’s conference semifinals.

Tristen Newton scored 20 of his 25 points in UConn’s 52-point opening half Friday and added nine assists. Cam Spencer contributed 20 points and nine assists for the Huskies, who shot 57.4 percent from the floor, sank 11 3-pointerss and collected 23 assists.

“These are the environments that you want to play in,” Spencer said. “It’s a high-level basketball game, working towards something that we’ve worked for all year, and it’s — the Big East championship is something that we want to go get. Probably one of the highest, I guess, more intense games of this year, and rightfully so.”

Marquette is playing without Tyler Kolek due to an oblique injury. The guard could be out again for its second appearance in the title game, although he has begun practicing and is expected to play in the NCAA Tournament.

“We’ve played through a lot of adversity,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said. “Obviously (Saturday) is going to a heck of a challenge for us.”

The Golden Eagles lost two of their final three regular-season games and opened the tournament with wins over Villanova and Providence. After allowing an average of 69.7 points a game during the regular season, the Golden Eagles allowed 65 and 68 in their tournament games and received clutch showings from Kam Jones and Oso Ighodaro.

Jones scored 23 points in Friday’s 79-68 win over the Friars and helped the Golden Eagles lead for virtually the entire way and fend off a late comeback attempt. Ighodaro added 20 vs. Providence after scoring his lone basket in overtime against Villanova on Thursday.

UConn dominated the first meeting against Marquette this season when the Huskies rolled to an 81-53 victory on Feb. 17 in Hartford, Conn. The Huskies held off a comeback attempt in their 74-67 win on March 6 in Milwaukee.

“Obviously UConn has some good players, has a good team,” Marquette’s Stevie Mitchell said. “So we’re obviously going to watch film, learn from previous games against them, and learn from this game and continue to move forward, but I think being the best version of ourselves is what we’re really focusing on the most.”

–Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

Big East: Marquette Clears Way to Final

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Kam Jones scored 23 points as No. 10 Marquette led virtually the entire way and defeated Providence 79-68 Friday night in the semifinals of the Big East tournament.

The third-seeded Golden Eagles (25-8) advanced to their second title game and will attempt to win back-to-back titles when they face UConn, the top seed. UConn, which took a two-point loss to Marquette in last season’s semifinals, advanced earlier Friday with a 95-90 win over St. John’s.

A night after his buzzer-beater was waved off in regulation against Villanova, Jones shot 9-of-17 from the field and made several big plays down the stretch to fend off Providence’s comebacks.

Oso Ighodaro added 20 points after making just one basket against Villanova late in overtime. David Joplin contributed 12 and Stevie Mitchell chipped in 10 as Marquette shot 45.6 percent and withstood the absence of Tyler Kolek due to an oblique injury.

Providence (21-13), the seventh seed, entered with a NET rating of 57 and fell to 6-9 in Quad 1 games. The Friars were unable to consistently find their offense after upending Georgetown and Creighton to start the tournament.

Devin Carter kept the Friars in it by scoring 20 of his 27 points after halftime to lead all scorers. Jayden Pierre added 16 and Josh Oduro contributed nine and 10 rebounds before fouling out. Ticket Gaines had 10 rebounds but was held to two points on 0-of-9 shooting as Providence shot 36.4 percent.

Marquette surged ahead with a 17-2 burst and took its first double-digit lead when Ighodaro’s easy jumper made it 28-18 with just under seven minutes left. The lead grew to 35-18 on his dunk with 4:11 left.

The Friars withstood the run and got the deficit down to 40-31 on Corey Floyd Jr.’s three-point play with 13 seconds left, but Joplin was fouled on a 3-point try with one second left and made two free throws.

Carter’s 3 following an offensive rebound by Gaines moved Providence within 46-39 a little more than two minutes into the second half. The Friars missed six straight shots and Ben Gold’s 3 capped an 8-0 Marquette run with 13:29 remaining.

Providence gradually rallied, and consecutive hoops by Carter cut the lead to 68-65 with 4:35 left.

Jones hit a turnaround jumper with 3:13 left and scored again with 96 seconds to go for a 74-68 lead.

–Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

UConn Fends Off St. John’s in Semi

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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

Old Foes Re-Unite at BIG EAST Semis

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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

Providence Needs a “W” or Two

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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

Providence Stuns Creighton

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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

BIG EAST: Creighton vs Providence

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Eighth-ranked Creighton is ready to make its entrance at Madison Square Garden after a Big East tournament opening-round bye. The Bluejays (23-8), the tournament’s second seed, will take on seventh-seeded Providence (20-12) in tonight’s quarterfinals.

Creighton closed the regular season by winning three games in a row and seven of eight, a stretch that included a 19-point win over defending national champion UConn on Feb. 20.

Creighton has reached at least the Big East tournament semifinals in each of the past three years, including a finals appearance in 2022. The Bluejays have made the championship game four times since joining the Big East in 2013 but hope to capture their first tournament title.

“Madison Square Garden is the best arena in the country and the world, in my opinion,” Creighton guard Trey Alexander said. “Kids dream of playing in that type of arena, with that atmosphere, and I think the Big East Conference this year is the best in the country. … For those teams that are kind of in the bubble area, that gives them that win-or-go-home type of mentality and it makes the stakes even higher for everybody.”

Creighton is headlined by first-team All-Big East selection Baylor Scheierman, who leads the Bluejays with 18.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Alexander was given All-Big East second-team honors, while 7-foot-1 center Ryan Kalkbrenner earned Big East defensive player of the year honors for the third straight season.

Kalkbrenner joins former Georgetown greats Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning as the only players to win the defensive honors three times in a row.

The Bluejays average 80.8 points per game while holding opponents to 69.5. They average 49.0 percent shooting from the floor, 77.5 percent at the line, and 36.5 percent from 3-point range. Their average of 10.7 3-pointers per game rank sixth in the nation.

The teams split the regular-season series. Creighton won at home, 69-60, on Jan. 6, and host Providence won the Feb. 7 rematch in overtime, 91-87.

Providence is an NCAA Tournament bubble team hoping to bolster its resume with a deep run in New York.

Big East Player of the Year Devin Carter and All-Big East honorable-mention forward Josh Oduro led the Friars to a 74-56 victory over 10th-seeded Georgetown in Wednesday’s opening round.

Oduro had 20 points while Carter had 19, and each had nine rebounds. Davonte “Ticket” Gaines added 15 points, including four 3-pointers, and seven boards in the win.

Carter won the conference scoring championship, averaging 21.4 points in 20 league games. He leads the Friars with 19.4 points in all games, and also tops the team with 8.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals.

“He plays to win,” Providence coach Kim English said, per The Providence Journal. “His competitiveness is probably his best trait, along with a ton of skill. It says he’s focusing on the right thing.”

But English also had praise for the Bluejays.

“(Creighton), UConn and Marquette are the smartest teams in our league,” he said. “Their players are like coaches, just play the right way, never make mistakes and don’t beat themselves. We’re going to have to have a very mature and great effort (Thursday) night.”

–Eugene Rapay, Field Level Media

Villanova Squeaks Past DePaul

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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

Providence Romps in Big East

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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

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

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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