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Big East: Creighton Faces UConn

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NEW YORK – Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner has spent this week anticipating another chance to play for a Big East championship.

The four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year is one step closer to achieving his goal, but standing in second-seeded Creighton’s way is a semifinal matchup with third-seeded UConn, which appears to be peaking again.

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Creighton (23-9) has won three straight and the 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner has scored 79 points in those games. The Bluejays needed 32 from the senior center when they outlasted DePaul for an 85-81 double-overtime win on Thursday in the Big East quarterfinals.

The Bluejays scored the final 11 points of regulation after struggling offensively throughout, and Kalkbrenner hit the go-ahead basket in double overtime after Creighton lost an eight-point lead in the first overtime.

“Like I’ve been saying ever since I decided to come back for another year, I haven’t gotten the Big East Championship yet,” Kalkbrenner said after making 14-of-21 shots in 47 minutes Thursday. “So to come back for another day and get another shot at staying another day and getting a shot at the championship is huge.

“I really, really, really want this championship, and I’m going to play my butt off to get it. Yeah, it means a lot to be able to come back another day.”

Creighton (23-9) has won three straight and the 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner has scored 79 points in those games. The Bluejays needed 32 from the senior center when they outlasted DePaul for an 85-81 double-overtime win on Thursday in the Big East quarterfinals.

The Bluejays scored the final 11 points of regulation after struggling offensively throughout, and Kalkbrenner hit the go-ahead basket in double overtime after Creighton lost an eight-point lead in the first overtime.

“Like I’ve been saying ever since I decided to come back for another year, I haven’t gotten the Big East Championship yet,” Kalkbrenner said after making 14-of-21 shots in 47 minutes Thursday. “So to come back for another day and get another shot at staying another day and getting a shot at the championship is huge.

“I really, really, really want this championship, and I’m going to play my butt off to get it. Yeah, it means a lot to be able to come back another day.”

The Huskies (23-9) are on a five-game winning streak and seeking their second straight title after beating Marquette for their first Big East crown since 2011 on the way to a dominating second straight national championship.

UConn’s past five wins are by an average of 16 points. The Huskies earned their fourth double-digit victory of this streak when they pulled away down the stretch for a 73-56 victory over sixth-seeded Villanova in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

“It’s March,” UConn forward Alex Karaban said. “We’re desperate for championships here so we want to play our best basketball right now. There’s no better time.”

Karaban fueled the latest win when he scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half. Karaban sank two of his four 3s when the Huskies ended the game on a 22-5 run over the final 7:58.

The teams split a pair of single-digit games during the regular season, and Kalkbrenner was held to 18 points in those games combined as others had career performances for both teams.

The Bluejays earned a 68-63 win at UConn on Jan. 18 when Jamiya Neal scored a career-high 24 points. The Huskies notched a 70-66 victory at Creighton on Feb. 11 when freshman Liam McNeeley scored 38 points.

“Obviously every game is different,” UConn head coach Dan Hurley said about facing Creighton and Kalkbrenner. “Yeah, that defensive scheme is really challenging. There’s opportunities in the paint. They may not be all the way at the rim. There’s opportunities for us to drop, the deep drop that he plays to get to the logo, which are tougher shots but their scheme and what he is as a defensive player is obviously going to be a challenge.”

– Field Level Media

“Anybody But UConn”

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NEW YORK – While UConn experienced some uneven moments during the regular season, the two-time defending national champion seemed to figure things out in the final two weeks of the regular season and could be starting to peak again.

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The Huskies start defense of their Big East tournament title with a quarterfinal matchup against sixth-seeded Villanova on Thursday night. Third-seeded UConn is riding a four-game winning streak, and star Alex Karaban seemingly has emerged from a lengthy shooting slump.

UConn (22-9) is entering the tournament on a winning streak for the third straight season. The Huskies won their final five regular-season games two years ago and their final four games a year ago en route to their first conference tournament title since Kemba Walker led a magical run of five wins in five days in 2011.

Villanova has won five Big East tournaments since then.

UConn is unbeaten since a 14-point loss to St. John’s on Feb. 23, winning three games by double digits along with a six-point home win over Marquette. Before the season-ending streak, the Huskies split their previous 12 games, a stretch that included two losses to St John’s, a two-point loss at Villanova and a late collapse in an overtime loss at Seton Hall.

“It’s probably the best we’ve felt all year,” coach Danny Hurley said after an 81-50 rout of Seton Hall on Saturday. “And it’s March, and UConn’s got a great history in March. That’s part of our confidence.”

Karaban ended the season by hitting 12-of-26 3s in his final five games and shooting 22-of-45 in his final four games. Before the past two weeks, he was 6-for-47 from behind the arc in a nine-game span from Jan. 18-Feb. 18.

Karaban is among three players to make the Big East All-Conference teams. Alex Karaban and Solo Ball were picked for the second team while Liam McNeeley was picked for the third team as well as the all-freshman team.

Ball averaged 16.1 points in conference games and finished with 17 against Seton Hall in 81-50 rout on Saturday.

Villanova (19-13) entered the tournament with a NET rating of 53 and advanced by never trailing in its 67-55 victory over Seton Hall in the opening round Wednesday.

Eric Dixon, the nation’s leading scorer at 23.6 points per game, scored all 19 of his points in the second half, including 11 in a decisive run after Villanova let an 18-point halftime lead drop to eight points.

The Wildcats split their two meetings with UConn, though they could have won both.

Dixon scored 18 of 23 points in the second half in a 68-66 home win on Jan. 8 against the then-No. 9 Huskies. The Wildcats earned the win after squandering a 12-point lead and surviving two missed free throws by Karaban with 3.1 seconds left.

When the Wildcats visited the Huskies in Hartford, Conn., on Feb. 18, they wound up with a 66-59 loss. Villanova held a 14-point lead with about 12 minutes to play but was outscored 27-6 the rest of the way.

“We know UConn is a disciplined team,” Villanova guard Jordan Longino said. “We’ve had two close matches with them during the season. So we know we got to come out and defend for 40 minutes and execute our game plan.”

–Field Level Media

BIG EAST: Super Match-Up

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STORRS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – While BIG EAST road wins are usually hard to come by, this past Tuesday night had all three teams in road jerseys going home with victories.

Butler rolled to an 84-54 triumph over Seton Hall at Prudential Center. Six Bulldogs (10-13, 3-9 BIG EAST) scored between 10 and 14 points while the team shot 57.9 percent from the field. Butler led 48-20 at halftime. Pierre Brooks scored 14 points with Boden Kapke and Patrick McCaffery each added 13 points. Kapke also had 11 rebounds, which was his first career double-double. The Pirates (6-17, 1-11) were led by Prince Aligbe’s 17 points and six rebounds.

Creighton ended a three-game losing streak at Providence and extended this season’s winning streak to eight games with an 80-69 victory. The Bluejays (17-6, 10-2) rode Ryan Kalkbrenner’s 35 points and 12 rebounds. His scoring total was the second highest of his career. Steven Ashworth added 23 points, six rebounds and six assists as CU moved into second place. Corey Floyd Jr. posted 16 points and 10 boards for the Friars (11-12, 5-7).

Villanova used a strong defensive effort in its 59-49 win at DePaul. The Wildcats (13-10, 6-6) led 29-26 at halftime and maintained the advantage over the Blue Demons (11-13, 2-11) in the second half. Villanova limited DePaul to 30.8 percent shooting from the field. While Eric Dixon was held to 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting, Jordan Longino stepped with a game-high 17 points. David Thomas came off the bench to score 16 points for the Blue Demons.

BIG EAST play continues Friday with a ranked vs. ranked matchup. No. 12 St. John’s meets No. 19 UConn at Gampel Pavilion at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. The Johnnies (20-3, 11-1) are in first place in the league standings and have compiled a nine-game winning streak. The Huskies (16-6, 8-3) are 3-0 this season against ranked teams, including last Saturday’s 77-69 win over then-No. 9 Marquette.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Madness

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Here we are right inside the belly of the BIG EAST, the NCAA East Regional where the University of Connecticut is playing NBA-style basketball while everyone else is trying out for the 5th Grade CYO team. This isn’t the “Chess vs Checkers” thing, it’s more like real NASA Rocket Science compared to Freshman Biology and first-time users of a Bunson Burner.

UConn doesn’t bring a machete to a knife fight, they bring vice grips. UConn is so good, Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown couldn’t find a flaw during a three-hour practice. If they’re down four points, they stay the course like a George W. Bush Rose Garden speech. The four point deficit soon becomes a two point lead, then six, then eight, then 12 – and here in Boston – then 30!

Dan Hurley, the son of a Hall of Fame coach (Bob Hurley, Sr. of St. Anthony’s High School in north Jersey), calls time out and applies the vice grip strategy, adjusts the after-burners and senior guard Cam Spencer takes it from there. If Spencer isn’t ready to score, or he’s closely guarded, the screens are set to perfection and the ball goes into 7-foot-2 sophomore center Donovan Clingan. If that doesn’t work or if the bigman is in foul trouble, UConn goes to their best scorer and shooter, in 6-foot-5 senior guard Tristan Newton.

Pick your poison. Fast.

“This is as dominant as a team can be,” said former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy after UConn went on a relentless second half run at TD Garden.

Let’s count the way: The score was tied at 23-all with 1:51 remaining in the first half. It was 26-23 in favor of UConn at the half.

The next time Illinois scored, the clock read 12:39 remaining in the game and the score was FIFTY THREE to 25. That was a 30-to-two run from that 1:51 mark for you math majors out there.

The final score was 77-52, after Hurley cleared the bench in the waning moments of the biggest ass-kicking we’ve seen since Mike Tyson knocked out Michael Spinks (91 seconds) in 1988.

Aside from the obvious talent and depth, and the fact UConn is very well coached and in condition, the Huskies don’t panic. In any game, never mind Saturday night’s clinic. Close game at the half? To start the second half, they adjust. Then, they play like champions – which they are, of course, as they try to become the first college basketball team to repeat since the Al Horford/Joakim Noah era Florida Gators, coached by another diminutive point guard in Billy Donovan, the Rick Pitino-schooled three-point maven from Providence College.

What did yet another Hall of Famer, Rudy T, say about champions?

“Don’t EVER underestimate the heart of a champion.”

Aside from Lew Alcindor/KAJ’s UCLA teams, Bill Walton’s UCLA teams and the last of the undefeated (30-0) Indiana team of Kent Benson-Quinn Buckner fame, college basketball hasn’t seen anything like this UConn team.

Since it’s Elite 8 time this weekend, it’s not prudent (again quoting a Bush family President?) to predict what will happen when the Final Four convenes in Glendale, Arizona with the exception that No. 1 overall seed Connecticut will be the team to beat, the favorites and the only school in the building with 13 pairs of vice grips, one for Coach Hurley and the others for 12 talented, disciplined players who rolled through the BIG EAST and should shine again when their shining moment comes in the Valley of the Sun.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: On the women’s side of NCAA Basketball Bracketville, there’s an equally talented UConn team but the incredible parity of the high-level women’s tournament makes it impossible to predict.

That’s good.

Call it the way you see it – Is coach Dawn Staley’s South Carolina team ready to accept another crown (adding to 2017 and 2022)? SC will play upstart Oregon State (today/Sunday) at 1:00pm EDT on ABC.

LSU will face Iowa State in a battle of the two most publicized women’s teams, with LSU defending their 2023 NCAA championship against a team they defeated in the Final Four (final game), 102-85, last April 2nd.

Texas will face NC State and a half-a-handful of others will compete this weekend for the right to survive and move on.

All good, right?

Nope.

We’ve got one coach – an odd one, bedazzled in her sequined Purple, Gold and whatever other colors are in the Louisiana State sky – who thinks she’s above the rest of us. She used the pulpit of an NCAA postgame interview room setting to call out a journalist from the Washington Post. In doing so, she called more attention to a story (posted Saturday) than anything published by any outlet that’s ever written a word about women’s basketball.

The coach (LSU’s Ms. Kim Mulkey) threatened lawsuits against a story she hadn’t yet seen/read because it hadn’t even been published at the time of her attempted preemptive strike – let’s call it a rant – in front of a captive audience of media trying to cover a simple basketball game.

Coach Mulkey is supposedly an educator of young minds. The administrators of Louisiana State University pay her good money and place a lot of athletes, basketball players and non-athlete students in her care and oversight.

?But, face facts, no Ph D, no administrator, no parent of a college student should allow Ms. Mulkey anywhere near their schools or kids. In addition, the Journalism Department at LSU should be calling for her dismissal. Mulkey’s actions were selfish and disruptive, and they show no respect for the Journalism Industry or the game of basketball.

Instead of wrapping a fish in a story she didn’t want to see written, Mulkey has taken the “Circle the Wagons” approach to attempt to galvanize her team in the “Us vs The World” style of B.S. coaching. After the Washington Post story dropped (in essence it sounded like a feather hitting a mattress), Mulkey decided to double-down and criticize the Los Angeles Times. The next thing you know, she’ll complain that one of her assistant coaches was booed at a “Hamilton the Musical” production or claim the final score of one of her games was rigged by machines.

It’s that bad.

Mulkey has ruined the 2024 Women’s NCAA Basketball season, a year that held such promise for the women’s game and the overall future of the sport.

IT’S BASEBALL SEASON: Next week’s column will dig-in deep before the Red Sox home opener (April 9) while we also get ready for the April 15th Boston Marathon, but today – How about some very basic MLB predictions?

In the National League, there are two very obvious favorites in the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves. In the American League, the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and defending ‘23 MLB Champion Texas Rangers get the nod as the regular season begins.

It’s reasonable to wonder if the ‘23 World Series runner-up Arizona Diamondbacks can repeat their magic from last October.

LA Dodgers over the Houston Astros in the 2024 World Series is the call, here.

Can the column seek another opinion, please?

STRAT AGEE: Our friends at Strat-O-Matic made their annual simulation/prediction for the upcoming season and the Braves came out as MLB champions.

Strat-O-Matic, a longtime leader in sports simulation games, simulated the ‘24 MLB regular season and post season, predicting Atlanta as the winner of 99 regular season games and later celebrating the franchise’s third World Series title since relocating from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Georgia. The Braves needed only five games to take down American League pennant winner Houston in the simulated baseball championship.

Strat-O-Matic’s overall simulation had the Braves winning the NL East by seven games over the Philadelphia Phillies, and joining Central champ Chicago Cubs (90-72) and West winner Los Angeles Dodgers (99-63) as division winners.

Arizona (97-65), Philadelphia (92-70) and San Diego (84-78) claimed the wild card spots, with the Braves taking out the Dodgers in a sweep in the NLCS after dispatching the Cubs in three straight in the NLDS.

In the AL, Houston (102-60) set the big league’s best mark, backing it up by edging wild card Tampa Bay (90-72) in the ALDS and sweeping Minnesota (96-66) in the ALCS. The Twins, Central Division winners, had upended No. 2 seeded New York (99-63) to advance through the ALDS. Texas (91-71) and Cleveland (86-76) were the other AL wild card winners.

MAJOR LEAGUE’S “MAJOR AWARD” WINNERS: Strat-O-Matic also took a crack at predicting the best players in the Big Leagues.

In the American League it was New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, whose 48 home runs and 113 RBI to go with a .962 OPS earned MVP honors, while Minnesota’s Pablo Lopez turned in an impressive 20-8 mark with 3.15 ERA and 235 strikeouts to win the Cy Young Award.

In the NL, Mookie Betts’ work in the LA infield made him an even more integral part of the Dodgers, enough to earn his second MVP with a .281 average, .945 OPS, 40 home runs and 118 RBI. To no one’s surprise, Atlanta’s Spencer Strider breaks through for his first Cy Young Award, posting a 20-5 record and stellar 2.79 ERA with 260 whiffs.

UConn, Spencer Rip San Diego State

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BOSTON – (Staff and wire Service Report) -Connecticut’s Cam Spencer scored a team-high 18 points and No. 1 UConn dominated the offensive glass to beat fifth-seeded San Diego State 82-52 on Thursday night in a meeting of East Region teams in the Sweet 16.

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Spencer added five rebounds, three assists and three steals for the Huskies (34-3), who grabbed 21 offensive boards that led to 12 second-chance points.

Tristen Newton chipped in 17 points and seven rebounds, and Stephon Castle supplied 16 and 11, respectively, as UConn became the first defending champion to reach the Elite Eight since Florida did so in 2007.

The Huskies downed the Aztecs 76-59 in last year’s national championship game.

Jaedon LeDee paced San Diego State (26-11) with 18 points and eight rebounds. Micah Parrish had 10 points as the Aztecs’ only other scorer in double figures.

San Diego State was outshot 46.2 percent to 36.2 percent from the field.

Lamont Butler trimmed the Aztecs’ deficit to 42-33 with 18:48 left in the game, but that was the last time San Diego State would ever be within single digits.

Newton then dropped in a 3-pointer to spark a 9-2 burst, a rally that was capped with four points from Castle for a 51-35 cushion.

The Aztecs twice made it a 14-point game, but San Diego State’s season effectively came to an end when Castle sank two free throws with 4:30 remaining to widen the margin to 28 at 73-45.

Neither team could create any separation until Spencer took over. He accounted for nine points during a 14-4 run, lifting the Huskies to a 27-16 advantage with 10:55 left in the first half.

Elijah Saunders stopped the bleeding with a three-point play and Miles Byrd added a jumper to pull San Diego State within six.

After UConn pushed its lead back to double digits at 33-23, Parrish canned a 3-pointer and a jumper during an 8-2 Aztecs surge that made it 35-31 with 2:09 to go.

However, Spencer knocked down a trey with 21 seconds remaining, sending the Huskies into the break leading 40-31.

–Nick Galle, Field Level Media

UConn, 31-3, Might Run the Table

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Saturday’s results broke exactly how they needed to for the defending national champions. Those results caused a 180-degree opposite turn for St. John’s, Providence and Seton Hall – all the BIG EAST rivals who are likely to miss the big dance at the NCAA men’s basketball tournament which starts Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio.

No. 3 Purdue lost to Wisconsin in overtime in the Big Ten tournament semifinals while No. 7 Iowa State pasted No. 1 Houston for the Big 12 championship. Big East No. 1 and national No. 2 UConn took care of business in a hot-shooting second half to beat 10th-ranked Marquette 73-57, sweeping the Big East regular-season and postseason titles.

On the other end of the bracket spectrum, NC State upset Carolina, Oregon and Colorado will play for the PAC-12 title, Temple surprised all in the A-10 and the clouds settled over St. John’s coach Rick Pitino‘s home on a golf course he’ll soon be using daily.

At 31-3, UConn now could be in prime position to receive the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday. Coach Dan Hurley claimed that no team at the top of college basketball combined a successful nonconference stretch, a regular-season conference title and a tournament run the way the Huskies have.

“We’ve been the best team in college basketball,” Hurley said. “Obviously March Madness next week, who knows what goes on there, but we’ve clearly been the best program in the country this year.”

How did they do it? Contributions from up and down the roster — some returnees from last year’s championship team, some newcomers, all pulling on the same rope.

All five starters — Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer, Alex Karaban, Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan — have taken turns leading the attack, and all five had double-figure scoring averages on the season. It was Clingan’s time on Saturday, pairing 22 points with 16 rebounds as he carried the team through a first half of cold perimeter shooting.

The 7-foot-2 Clingan filled the starting center role after Adama Sanogo went to the NBA. Now Clingan is a projected lottery pick this June along with Castle, while Karaban is projected to go in the second round by reputable mock drafts.

That’s to say nothing of Newton and Spencer, who both made the All-Big East first team.

“We’re deep, and we’re deep with NBA players that are unselfish and about winning,” Hurley said.

The Huskies rely on more than their starting five, though, and they needed to dig deep Saturday. Backup big man Samson Johnson provided a much-needed dunk after they went scoreless for the first 6:33 of the game. And with UConn hampered by a 2-for-15 start from 3-point range, freshman Jaylin Stewart delivered.

Stewart subbed in just before the midpoint of the second half and promptly buried a 3-pointer that gave UConn its first lead larger than four all night. Newton drilled a trey less than a minute later, and the floodgates burst.

Spurred on by the pro-UConn crowd at Madison Square Garden, Stewart made two more triples to finish the night with nine points, his second-best total this season. He hadn’t made a 3-pointer since Valentine’s Day.

“Our league is especially tough on freshmen because the league is so physical,” Hurley said. “But we see on a daily basis what he displayed out there on the court. … He’s a future star. You’re looking at a future star at UConn.”

Newton had 10 assists one night after going for 25 points and nine assists in the semifinals against St. John’s. UConn racked up 73 assists over its three-game stay in New York.

“Everybody runs and everybody can score,” Newton said. “Just share the ball, and it’ll be like that for a long time.”

If that adds up to a No. 1 overall seed for UConn, it would set the Huskies up with the simplest path back to the Final Four, as they try to become the first team to win back-to-back national championships since Florida in 2006-07.

“I know we’ve never gotten a No. 1 overall seed in program history,” Hurley said, “so this is a group that seems to be making history in a place that it’s hard to make history.”

–Field Level Media

UConn Earns No. 1 Seed in NCAA

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – UConn’s Donovan Clingan put up 22 points and 16 rebounds, Tristen Newton and Jaylin Stewart each drilled three critical 3-pointers and the BIG EAST’s top team and national No. 2 Connecticut Huskies  pulled away from No. 10 Marquette to win the Big East championship game 73-57 on Saturday night.

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The top-seeded Huskies claimed their first Big East tournament title since 2011, before the university left the conference from 2013-2020. After sweeping third-seeded Marquette during the regular season, UConn avenged a semifinal loss to the Golden Eagles in last year’s tournament.

UConn is likely to receive the No. 1 overall bid in this week’s NCAA tournament.

Newton had 13 points, 10 assists and five rebounds for UConn (31-3), which will be in the mix for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Stewart — a freshman who came in averaging 2.4 points per game — scored all nine of his points in the second half, when the Huskies overcame another slow start to shoot 63 percent from the floor.

UConn came out cold on offense, similar to its starts in the previous rounds against Xavier and St. John’s. A 19-5 second-half run powered by Newton and Stewart broke the game open.

Kam Jones tallied 13 points and eight rebounds and David Joplin added 12 points and six boards for the Golden Eagles (25-9), the defending conference tournament champions, who reached this year’s tournament final despite star guard Tyler Kolek sitting out all week with an oblique injury.

UConn missed its first eight attempts from the floor, including three layups, before Samson Johnson subbed in and dunked at the 13:27 mark. Marquette hardly took advantage at the other end, starting 2-for-11 from the floor.

Neither side led by more than four throughout the first half. The Huskies missed their first eight 3-point tries before going ahead 19-15 when Newton finally connected with 3:41 remaining.

Joplin deflected a pass for a steal and score, then blocked a shot that led to Jones’ 3-pointer at the other end to give Marquette a 22-21 advantage with 1:39 left.

After the teams traded baskets, Newton collected his dribble and knocked down another 3-pointer with three seconds left for a 26-24 UConn lead at the break.

Clingan’s catch and dunk through a foul prompted a brief UConn run that gave the Huskies a four-point lead. It wasn’t until Stewart connected from outside and Newton added a triple on consecutive possessions that the Huskies made it 47-41 with 9:27 to play.

Stewart knocked down his next two triples, Hassan Diarra added one and UConn’s flurry ultimately grew the lead to 60-44 with 5:54 left.

One last push by the Golden Eagles got them within 11 points down the stretch.

–Adam Zielonka, 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

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: St. John’s Tops Butler

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STORRS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – St. John’s and Creighton used some strong second-half play to secure wins on Tuesday, while Connecticut began its path to victory midway through the first half of its game.

No. 4 UConn put together a 16-2 run in the first half to take control in its 85-56 triumph over DePaul. The Huskies (12-2, 2-1 BIG EAST) led 38-19 at halftime. Four players finished in double figures led by Cam Spencer, who had 20 points. Alex Karaban added 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds. The Blue Demons (3-10, 0-2) were led by Da’Sean Nelson’s 19 points.

St. John’s (10-4, 2-1) pulled away from Butler in the final eight minutes and took an 86-70 decision at Carnesecca Arena. Daniss Jenkins led five SJU players in double figures with 17 points. He also had seven assists and five rebounds. Freshman Brady Dunlap, who had not played in the previous four games, netted 13 points off the bench. For Butler (10-4, 1-2), DJ Davis scored a game-high 25 points.

Creighton (10-4, 1-2) scored on 14 of its first 17 possessions in the second half en route to a 77-60 win atGeorgetown (7-7, 0-3). Baylor Scheierman posted his fourth double-double this season with 18 points and 12 boards. Trey Alexander dropped in a game-high 25 points. Rowan Brumbaugh led GU with 19 points and dished five assists.

FS1 has Wednesday’s two-game schedule covered. At 6:30 p.m. ET, No. 23 Providence hosts Seton Hall. The Friars (11-2, 2-0) are 46-3 in their last 49 home games. The Pirates (8-5, 1-1) have won three of their last four with wins over UConn, Missouri and Monmouth.

At 8:30 p.m., Xavier visits Villanova. The Musketeers (7-6, 1-1) are led by Quincy Olivari, who has averaged 25.0 points over his last five games.   For the third time in the last six seasons, the Wildcats (9-4, 2-0) have started 2-0 in league play with both wins coming on the road. Both teams have not played since Dec. 23.