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Big East: English Dropped at Providence

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Providence College dismissed basketball coach Kim English on Friday after three seasons and a sub-.500 record.

English’s teams were 48-52 (23-37 Big East) during English’s tenure, which ended Thursday night with an 85-72 loss to top-seeded St. John’s in the Big East tournament quarterfinals.

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The Friars finished the 2025-26 season with a 15-18 record (7-13 Big East). They were 21-14 in English’s first season and 12-20 in his second.

“We appreciate Kim and his staff for their efforts over the past three seasons leading our men’s basketball team,” athletic director Steve Napolillo said. “We wish him and his family all the best in the future.”

Providence said it immediately will begin a national search for its next coach.

English, 37, was hired March 23, 2023, to replace Ed Cooley, who departed for Georgetown. English previously was the head coach at George Mason.

At the time, ESPN reported English signed a six-year contract.

–Field Level Media

Big East: Rematch of Friars vs. Johnnies

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Providence has at least one more game under Kim English. And that game could not feature a juicier opponent.

The ninth-seeded Friars rode a historic game from freshman Stefan Vaaks to a Big East tournament win over eighth-seeded Butler on Wednesday, setting up a second-round showdown with top-seeded St. John’s on Thursday afternoon in New York.

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Rick Pitino and 13th-ranked St. John’s (25-6) went 18-2 in the league to take a second straight regular-season title. However, the Red Storm’s first league loss came Jan. 3 at Madison Square Garden against Providence, which rallied from a 13-point hole to prevail 77-71 on Feb. 14.

The return game in Rhode Island got ugly. Duncan Powell fouled ex-Providence forward Bryce Hopkins hard when he went up for a layup, causing a fight and six ejections before St. John’s won 79-69. Powell served a three-game suspension.

“I think (the fight) was all, truthfully, blown out of proportion, to tell you the truth,” English said Wednesday. “Again, it was a hard foul, a couple guys got in each other’s face, there was some pushes. I mean, I think it got completely blown out of proportion.”

He repeatedly declared “there’s no beef” between Providence and St. John’s.

“We have a game in the greatest arena in the world,” English said, “and it’s one of the best coaches in the history of college basketball against the Big East Player of the Year (Zuby Ejiofor). It’s a team, a program we have a lot of respect for. That’s all it is. There’s no beef between us and St. John’s.”

That doesn’t even touch on Pitino putting his thumb on the scale of the Friars’ coaching search from afar.

It was reported last week that Providence will part ways with English after this season, and a rogue report last month indicated that Pitino’s son, Richard Pitino, would consider leaving his post at Xavier for the Providence job. The younger Pitino has since denied interest, and Rick Pitino — who coached the Friars from 1985-87 — also stated his son wouldn’t be leaving Xavier.

Providence looked like a lost cause Wednesday when it fell behind 15-2 to start the game, but Vaaks sparked the comeback and finished with career highs of 28 points and eight 3-pointers. He tied the Big East tournament record for threes in a game, while Ryan Mela added 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists and Jaylin Sellers went for 23, seven and four.

Vaaks scored 16 and 20 in the two games against St. John’s, and Sellers had 15 and 13 before he was ejected from the latter matchup.

“No extra motivation,” Sellers said. “They’re on the list, so we got to take care of business to keep our season alive. Me personally, I learned from the situation, and now it’s just time to be a leader and make sure that my guys are ready to play the next 40 (minutes).”

The focus will have to be on stopping Ejiofor, named the conference’s Player of the Year on Wednesday. He posted 33 points and 15 rebounds in the first meeting with Providence but just 14 and four in the rematch. Ejiofor is averaging 16.0 points (54.6 FG%), 7.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 blocks this season.

Hopkins has added 13.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest in his first season at St. John’s after three injury-ravaged years at Providence. He said at a team autograph signing earlier this week that he had a gut feeling the Red Storm would draw a third matchup with the Friars.

“I don’t know what made me feel like that, but it was just a feeling I had that we were going to match up with them again … so I mean, it is what it is,” Hopkins said.

All this comes amid the backdrop of Madison Square Garden, the Red Storm’s home away from campus that has attracted plenty of Providence supporters as well.

“I got my team together this morning talking about the Big East tournament, how spectacular it is,” Pitino told Hoops HQ on Tuesday. “I said, ‘Guys you’re not going to fully appreciate this until you leave New York, but you guys just played 11 or 12 games as your home court in the World’s Greatest Arena.’”

–Field Level Media

Big East: Providence Moves On

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Providence guard Stefan Vaaks scored a career-best 28 points and hit a career-high eight 3-pointers as ninth-seed Friars overcame a 16-point deficit in the first half for a 91-81 victory over eighth-seeded Butler Wednesday in the opening round of the Big East tournament.

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Vaaks kept the Friars afloat before their rally and finished 8-of-13 from behind the arc. He joined Marquette’s Matt Carlino (2015) and Boston College’s Dana Barros (1989) as the only players to sink eight 3s in a Big East tournament game.

Vaaks hit his sixth 3 for a 71-61 lead with 8:27 left, then made his seventh for an 82-75 lead at the 2:50 mark about a minute after Butler’s Jamie Kaiser Jr. hit a triple to make it a two-point game.

The freshman made it eight when he drained a triple from the top of the key to make it 87-78 with 96 seconds left to essentially secure the win.

Ryan Mela added a career-high 23 on 10-of-14 shooting and Jaylin Sellers contributed 19 of his 23 in the second half after shooting 2-of-10 in the opening 20 minutes. Mela added nine rebounds and five assists, both team highs.

The Friars (15-17) will face top-seeded St. John’s in the quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon.

Michael Ajyai led Butler (16-16) with 21 points and 11 rebounds but played the final 10-plus minutes with four fouls. Finley Bizjack struggled most of the game, scoring 17 on 5-of-15 shooting.

Providence shot 52.3% after missing eight of its first nine shots. The Friars made 14 of 27 from 3 and outscored Butler 80-54 in the final 29-plus minutes.

It was the second time this season Providence erased a double-digit deficit at Madison Square Garden. On Jan. 3, the Friars charged back from a 13-point deficit in the second half and recorded a 77-71 victory over St. John’s.

Butler ripped off 15 straight for a 15-2 lead on a jumper in the lane by Ajayi with 15:19 left. Butler took a 25-9 lead when Bizjack sank a 3 with 10:55 left to cap an 8-0 run.

Providence countered Butler’s fast start with a 13-2 spurt and Vaaks sank 3s on consecutive possessions to cut the deficit to 31-27 with 5:13 remaining. Mela’s three-point play forged a 38-38 tie with 99 seconds left, and Butler settled for a 42-40 lead by halftime.

Vaaks hit a 3 for 54-52 lead with 14:26 left, and Sellers hit a 3 40 seconds later to force Butler to use a timeout. Sellers capped Providence’s 12-0 run with a layup for a 61-52 lead with 12:25 left. He connected on a 3 for a 68-58 lead nearly a minute later.

– By Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

BIG EAST Tip-Off: Butler v. Providence

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Preview) – Putting records aside, Butler and Providence produced candidates for Game of the Year in the Big East when both regular-season meetings were decided in double overtime.

Those wins were highlights of disappointing seasons for both schools, and the third encounter is Wednesday when eighth-seeded Butler opposes ninth-seeded Providence in the opening round of the Big East tournament.

“Get ready for a double-overtime game,” embattled Providence coach Kim English said. “I hope we’re healthy. Every game in this league, you’re playing against one of the best coaches in the country.”

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The winner will advance to a noon game on Thursday against top-seeded St. John’s.

The teams are meeting in this game for the second straight season. Last year, Butler ended Providence’s season with a 75-69 victory before falling to St. John’s in what became its first 20-loss campaign since 1989-90.

Butler (16-15) opened its conference schedule with a 113-110 victory over Providence on Dec. 13 when Michael Ajayi totaled 28 points and 15 rebounds and Finley Bizjack scored 26.

Both players produced strong offensive showings throughout the campaign, as Bizjack averaged 17.1 points and Ajayi finished his first season in the league at 16.3 and 11.1 rebounds per game. Still, it was not enough as the Bulldogs dropped 11 of their next 14 conference games until ending the season with three wins in their last five, including an 81-71 win at DePaul on Saturday.

Bizjack scored 19 while Ajayi had his 18th double-double with 14 and 11 boards in a game the Bulldogs led by as many as 29 thanks to a 28-6 run to start the second half.

“Michael’s been tremendous,” Butler coach Thad Matta said about Ajayi. “He’s been asked to do a lot of different (things), and it’s made him a better player. There (have) been so many things that we’ve had to go through, and he just keeps playing, keeps going.”

Providence (14-17) is concluding consecutive losing seasons for the first time since three campaigns from 2009-12.

Jaylin Sellers rang up 36 points when Providence earned a 97-87 home win over Butler on Feb. 4 after it lost nine of its first 11 conference games. Sellers averaged a Big East-best 18.1 points during the regular season and has scored at least 20 in seven of his past nine games.

Sellers scored 21 when the regular season ended with an 80-79 loss at Georgetown on Saturday, as the Friars committed a season-worst 22 turnovers. It marked their sixth loss by five points or fewer this season, and the ninth time they allowed opponents to shoot at least 50%.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | Feb 22nd

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk and PGA Tour Brunch

BOSTON – There have been “big goals” in ice hockey games of the past, but just where does Megan Keller’s gold medal winning overtime goal for Team USA vs. Canada stand in the pantheon of greatness?

First, let us state the obvious.

There are big goals and then there are “BIG GOALS.”

Keller’s goal was a “BIG GOAL,” as it resulted with a game-winning gold medal clinching moment for the United States women’s Olympic ice hockey team. It came in overtime after an amazing come-from-behind, late third period comeback by the USA to tie Team Canada which had out-played the Americans throughout the final game of competition.

Keller’s goal, which won the game in 3-on-3 wide-open overtime, also prompted a While We’re Young (Ideas) core question. Where does the goal fit if a list of the “BIGGEST” goals were to be compiled. That is a very difficult task of you consider the complete work of art that is ice hockey, meaning men’s and women’s Olympics, NHL regular season and Stanley Cup playoffs.

Here’s a quick list, off top of head and no in-depth research from yesteryears of NHL, International  and Olympics ice hockey competitions.

  1. Mike Eruzioni’s game-winning goal against the Soviet Union in the semifinals of the 1980 Men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament.
  2. Mark Johnson’s game-tying goal in the third period of the USA vs. USSR game at Lake Placid that same tournament.
  3. Mark Johnson’s first goal, a game-tying (2-2) last second goal in the first period of the gold medal game.
  4. Megan Keller’s goal in the 2026 Olympics, described above.
  5. (Considering my lifetime) – Bobby Nystrom’s Stanley Cup-winning goal (May 24, 1980) to clinch the Cup for the New York Islanders in a hard-fought seven-game series against the Broad Street Bullies – the Philadelphia Flyers.
  6. New York Islanders’ J.P. Parise’s overtime and series-clinching goal, coming 11 seconds into overtime against the New York Rangers (at Madison Square Garden) in 1975. That goal marked the Islanders arrival from expansion team to contender.
  7. Boston Bruins defenseman Bobby Orr’s iconic 1970 Stanley Cup winning goal against the St. Louis Blues when Orr soared through the air after depositing the gmae/series winner.
  8. The 1976 Canada Cup final was a best-of-three series which was played between Czechoslovakia and Canada, as the vaunted Soviet Union sent a young, less experienced club to the tournament. After the Canadiens won game one 5-0, Czechoslovakia led, 4–3 in game two, with four minutes remaining in the third period. Canada’s Bill Barber scored the game-tying goal, and in overtime, Toronto’s Darryl Sittler received a pass from Marcel Dionne, faked and scored the series winner.
  9. Alex Ovechkin (Washington) beat G Ilya Sorokin (NY Islanders) on April 6, 2025 to score the 895th goal of his NHL career, passing “The Great One,” Wayne Gretzky to become the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. Coincidentally, the Islanders were the team Gretzky was playing against when he scored his final NHL career goal (No. 894) in 1999, setting the mark for Ovechkin to chase.
  10. And, then, there was “The Goal” in the 1972 Summit Series between NHL greats from Canada and the Soviet Union national club.

“Cournoyer has it on that wing. Here’s a shot. Henderson made a wild stab for it and fell. Here’s another shot. Right in front, they score! Henderson has scored for Canada!”

— Foster Hewitt, calling the play-by-play description of Henderson’s goal.

The play was captured on film and by still photo (Frank Lennon/Toronto Star) in the days long, long before digital photography. In fact, it was a time stuck in a decades old Cold War that seemed more insurmountable than the great Russian goalkeeperVladimir Tretiak.

To set up “The Goal,” Team Canada had eventual Hall of Famers and their top goal scorers – Phil Esposito (Boston Bruins), Yvan Cournoyer (Montreal Canadiens) and Peter Mahovlich (Montreal Canadiens) – on the ice, but Toronto’s Paul Hendersoncalled off Mahovlich in a line change. Henderson bolted from the bench to the action in front of the Russian goal, as Cournoyer attempted to pass the puck along the boards. Henderson fell behind the net, then returned to his skates and sought position in front as Esposito took a shot that Tretiak went down to stop. with only :34 seconds remaining, Henderson spotted the rebound and slid the puck under Tretiak for the series winner, with Canada taking a 4-3-1 final game lead with the 6-5 victory.

After the ‘72 Summit Series there would be other competitions, including the Canada Cup in 1976. At the time of the ‘72 series, Team Canada had been boycotting the Olympics and the World Championships in protest of NHL professionals being banned from participating by the International Ice Hockey Federation.

It would take until 1998 at the Nagano Winter Olympic Games for NHL players to be made eligible to play in the Olympic Games.

Canada’s Paul Henderson celebrated the series winning goal with Russian goalkeeper Vladimir Tretiak sprawled down in his crease. (photo by Frank Lennon)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The NHL (National Hockey League) and the PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League) could not have asked for more in these 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Although the time change will always be an issue with many an international event (Reminder: The men’s gold medal game starts at 8:00am Sunday morning, February 22), the NHL and PWHL will both look to capitalize on the success of the teams supplying the most talent to their respective leagues. The age-old question: Will the 2026 Winter Olympics provide a boost to the NHL’s and PWHL’s bottom line – via ticket sales, merchandise, international TV deals and better USA and Canadien TV ratings?

In the sport of soccer, the World Cup will be staged in North America and the powers-that-be within MLS (Major League Soccer) and NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) are hoping for a major boost in awareness and attendance.

But, time and time again, USA success in soccer has not ignited a firestorm of interest in the professional soccer ranks. Yes, there’s been a few nice blips on the screen – name recognition for the likes of Alexi Lalas or Landon Donovan but the huge increase in affinity has never surfaced in the United States.

In the past, the 1992 USA Basketball “Dream Team” set the standard for increased global awareness for the NBA, but other Olympic sports have enjoyed significant boosts.

  • In 1972, Russian pixie Olga Korbut did her back flip off the uneven bars and ignited a huge increase in American young women joining gymnastics programs thought the 1970s.
  • In 1996, Kerri Strug, Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller and the Magnificent Seven sent another lightning rod of attention for women’s gymnastics.
  • That was backed up by Carly Patterson who took the all-around title and fueled more interest in women’s gymnastics throughout the 2000s.
  • Then came the Simone Biles era, and Biles was supported by Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney and a period of USA dominance in world gymnastics, fueled by Biles.
  • The 1996 USA Basketball women’s national team was the main attraction at the Atlanta Summer Olympic Games. Among many others, UConn’s Rebecca Lobo started a new era for young women playing basketball. Counting her UConn record (35-0) and then ‘just’ the official USA Basketball exhibition games, and her first 15 WNBA games, Lobo went 60-0 during that time period and that doesn’t count another 40+ games played as scrimmages against American college teams. That promotion helped launch the WNBA in 1997.

Can ice hockey, and then later this year, soccer (Futbol) enjoy an extended boost of interest throughout the USA?

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: The Boston Bruins will hold their first post-Olympics practice at the Warrior Rink at 11:30am Sunday, just hours after the completion of the gold medal game in Milan. … On Saturday, CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz reminded viewers we’re inside seven weeks until The Masters. … Every Major League Baseball team was in action for Grapefruit or Cactus League games. … The 2026 Chairman’s Cup between the Red Sox and Minnesota Twins began Saturday with their first of eight Grapefruit League matchups, with four at Hammond Stadium and four at JetBlue Park. (Little Fenway). The clubs split the Cup in both 2024 and 2025. … The Chairman’s Cup is named in honor of the ownership chairmen of the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins, recognizing the friendly rivalry between the two clubs that share spring training facilities in Fort Myers, Florida. It’s meant as a symbolic gesture celebrating the teams’ leadership and spring training connections.

THIS JEST IN: The selection committee for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament issued their first look at potential seedings for the March Madness college basketball tourney. The top four seeds in each region were revealed on Saturday. Michigan was ranked as the No. 1 overall seed while Duke and Arizona rounded-out what the committee chair called a consensus top three. After extensive discussion, the committee settled on Iowa State to fill the fourth top seed.

UConn, Houston, Illinois and Purdue were the consensus No. 2 seeds.

*Please keep in mind, Michigan and Duke play each other (after WWYI’s deadline on Saturday night).

Gotta hope you know your college logos to decipher the rest. One hint, the two V’s are Virginia and Vanderbilt.

THINGS I WONDER ABOUT: These are things I think about now and then, and no one seems to have any answers:

  • Every now and then, our two pups cry and it’s a sound that goes right through me to the point where I’d do anything to come to their aid. My question is this: If dogs can cry, and it is so damn effective, why can’t they laugh?
  • Speaking of which, our dog Penny (Lane) can say one word in the English language, and it is “out.” Somehow, she changes her bark a bit and the sound is clear – and in the King’s English.

On another topic:

  • Who was the guy who invented the traffic circle or “Roundabout?” I’d like to get him.
  • Lastly, to decompress from watching the Winter Olympics and every ice hockey game, I plan to loop NBC hockey play-by-play man Kenny Albert’s voice forcefully stating the name – Mika Zibanejad – 45 times for each 60-minute interval for at least 10 days. “Zibanejad this, Zibanejad that. Poke check, Zibanejad. Wrist shot,Zibanejad. Everything Zibanejad and anything Zibanejad.”

EDDIE: There’s an old NBA scouting story that would relate directly to Kenny Albert’s calls on Mika Zibanejad, but you’d need to change the basketball to ice hockey. Famed New York Knickerbockers GM Eddie Donovan used to drive to many a college basketball game to scout pro prospects. Since there were no stats, no game notes (to speak of), no internet, rare TV coverage, Donovan would spend the first quarter of the games he was scouting by staying in his car and tuning into the game on radio. He would keep count of the number of times the radio announcer would mention a player’s name. Donovan would then enter the building with the tally sheet and know which players to pay the most attention to as he watched the final three quarters of the game.

As it relates to this year’s men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament, undoubtedly, the great Eddie Donovan would’ve recommended to his Madison Square Garden/New York Rangers counterpart, “You better scout this guy, Zibanejad!”

YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP: Last weekend, as reported in Digital Sports Desk, there was quite a brawl between St. John’s and Providence after a Flagrant Foul take down of (former Friar) St. John’s forward Bryce Hopkins. In the postgame WPRO-Radio report by Providence College, color man Joey Hassett (he of Providence basketball – 1973-to-1977 – and later a three-point FG specialist with the Seattle SuperSonics where he won an NBA championship ring in 1979) actually said, referring to St. John’s transfer Hopkins, “he’s the one who started the fight.”

Said Hassett, “The (Providence) Friars had momentum at that point. They were up 41-40. That situation (brawl that saw two ejections, and a two game suspension to Providence forward Duncan Powell for his flagrant 2 take-down of Hopkins). They get four free throws,” added Hassett. “He gets the flagrant foul, and could’a just got up, but — he started the fight.”

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

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

Big East: Bryce Hopkins Hurt

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PROVIDENCE – (Report from Official News Release) – Only 16 games into the 110-game BIG EAST league schedule and just one team remains unbeaten after two drama-filled contests on Wednesday. Seton Hall won at Providence 61-57 and Villanova edged Xavier 66-65.

Seton Hall got scoring support from Dre Davis, who notched a team-high 17 points. Kadary Richmond contributed 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists. The Pirates (9-5, 2-1 BIG EAST) shot slightly better than Providence (11-3, 2-1) from beyond the arc. The Hall was 7-of-16 and PC was 4-of-17. Josh Oduro netted a game-high 23 points for PC. Bryce Hopkins suffered a leg injury five minutes into the second half and did not return. The Friar defense was also strong, holding the Pirates to 36.2 shooting from the floor. Both of Seton Hall’s league wins have come against ranked opponents (UConn).

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Villanova had a 10-point lead midway through the second half, then held off a Xavier comeback bid. The Wildcats (10-4, 3-0) got 26 points from Hakim Hart (14) and Brendan Hausen (12) off the bench. Eric Dixon helped with 13 points and nine rebounds. The Musketeers (7-7, 1-2) were led by Quincy Olivari’s 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Xavier was 10-of-10 from the line, but only 5-of-18 from 3-point range.

The next BIG EAST action is Friday when fourth-ranked UConn visits Butler at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The Huskies (12-2, 2-1) lead the league in scoring offense (83.1), scoring margin (+19.5) and are the only BIG EAST team shooting better than 50 percent from the field (50.2). The Bulldogs (10-4, 1-2) are third nationally (12.9) in fewest fouls committed and 20th in free throw shooting (77.2).

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.