• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

  • BOSTON SPORTS
    • Red Sox
    • Patriots
    • Celtics
    • Bruins
  • MLB
  • NHL
  • NBA
    • WNBA
    • USA Basketball
  • NFL
    • Super Bowl LIX
  • PGA TOUR
    • TGL GOLF
    • LIV GOLF
  • NCAA
    • NCAA Basketball
      • Big East
      • March Madness
    • NCAA Football
  • SPORTS BIZ
  • BETTING HERO
  • WHILE WE’RE YOUNG

Villanova

“Anybody But UConn”

March 13, 2025 by Digital Sports Desk

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.

Embed from Getty Images

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

Filed Under: Big East, NCAA, NCAA Basketball Tagged With: Big East Tournament, Madison Square Garden, UConn, Villanova

BIG EAST: Can Dixon Lead ‘Nova to Victory

March 12, 2025 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – Villanova’s Eric Dixon is the nation’s top scorer and the Big East’s top 3-point shooter.

Despite Dixon’s individual success, the sixth-seeded Wildcats are barely on the NCAA Tournament bubble heading into Wednesday night’s Big East tournament opener against 11th-seeded Seton Hall.

Embed from Getty Images

If they can beat Seton Hall, a matchup with UConn awaits the Wildcats (18-13), who enter their third conference tournament under coach Kyle Neptune. Villanova enters Wednesday with an NET rating of 53, one behind 19-12 Indiana and three behind 17-14 Cincinnati.

Villanova has wins over St. John’s, Marquette and UConn along with two losses by a combined nine points against Creighton. The Wildcats were trending in the right direction with three straight wins before blowing a nine-point lead in the final 3:43 of a 75-73 loss at Georgetown in the March 4 regular-season finale.

Dixon scored 24 points against the Hoyas and Jordan Longino added 17 but the Wildcats allowed the winning layup with five seconds left.

“We’re looking ahead, looking at whoever our next matchup is,” Longino said. “Hopefully, we’re going to crumble this one up and throw it away after we watch film and regroup.”

Seton Hall (7-24) took a five-point home loss to Villanova two weeks ago and ended the regular season of the second 20-loss season in school history on a six-game losing streak. Of the Pirates’ 18 conference losses, 11 were by double digits and they were held to 60 points or fewer 16 times.

“Obviously, they got a mismatch with Dixon,” coach Shaheen Holloway said of the fifth-year Villanova senior who scored 57 points against the Pirates in two games. “He causes problems for everybody. There’s a reason why he’s the No. 1 scorer in Division I.”

The Pirates ended their trying regular season with an 81-50 loss at UConn on Saturday when they shot 35.3 percent. It was the 17th time they shot under 40 percent this season.

Seton Hall is led by Isaiah Coleman’s 15.3 points. No. 2 scorer Chaunce Jenkins missed the final 13 games after sustaining a knee injury Jan. 18 against St. John’s. Coleman scored 10 points Saturday and scored at least 20 in 10 games, including 22 in the first meeting with Villanova on Dec. 17.

Dixon averages 23.6 points per game.

–Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

Filed Under: Big East, NCAA, NCAA Basketball Tagged With: Big East, Seton Hall, Villanova

BIG EAST: Marquette vs Villanova

March 14, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

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

Embed from Getty Images

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

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

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

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

Marquette is no one-man show.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media

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

Villanova Squeaks Past DePaul

March 13, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

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

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

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

Jalen Terry led DePaul with 18 points and 15 rebounds.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

–Field Level Media

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

Big East: Bryce Hopkins Hurt

January 5, 2024 by Digital Sports Desk

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).

Embed from Getty Images

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).

Filed Under: Big East, NCAA Basketball Tagged With: Big East, Big East Basketball, Bryce Hopkins, Providence, Seton Hall, Villanova

Villanova Excels for BIG EAST

September 15, 2022 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK/PHILADELPHIA – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Villanova University was named winner of the BIG EAST Presidents’ Award for the 2021-22 academic year. The conference honor, which was established by the league’s Presidents in 2015, is awarded to the BIG EAST institution that has excelled at the highest levels in academics, athletics and citizenship during the preceding academic year.

A selection committee of athletic and academic administrators from each BIG EAST institution selected Villanova for the award. Each institution provides the selection committee with comprehensive information that highlights its accomplishments in all three areas.

“Academic and athletic success along with active involvement in local communities are trademarks of BIG EAST institutions, and we congratulate Villanova’s student-athletes for their exceptional performance in all of these areas during the 2021-22 school year,” said BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman. “We commend Father Peter Donohue, Mark Jackson, and Villanova’s outstanding coaches and administrators for their leadership and commitment to develop all sides of Wildcat athletes and to equip these extraordinary young people for success in the adult world.”

“On behalf of the entire Villanova community, congratulations to our student-athletes, coaches, staff and administrators on being recognized once again with the BIG EAST Presidents’ Award,” said University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD. “You continue to be remarkable ambassadors for Villanova by exemplifying our University values in all you do academically, athletically and in the community. Congratulations on this deserving honor.”

“We are incredibly humbled to once again be presented with the Presidents’ Award from the BIG EAST Conference, one of the nation’s premier conferences,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Mark Jackson. “This honor is shared by our entire campus community, from the unwavering support of President Father Peter Donohue, who steadfastly champions our success to the tireless work of the Villanova Athletics coaches, athletic administration and support staff. However, first and foremost, this award was made possible by our student-athletes, who consistently excel in athletic competition and in the classroom, while also remaining committed to serving the community.”

The following are the highlights of Villanova’s excellence in academics, athletics and citizenship.

Academics – The 2021-22 academic year marked the 18th consecutive year in which the Wildcats’ student-athletes posted a combined grade point average of 3.0 or higher. The overall student-athlete GPA for BIG EAST teams was 3.44 in the 2021 fall semester 3.47 in the 2022 spring. The Wildcats’ graduation success rate was 98 percent.

In all, 228 BIG EAST student-athletes made the Villanova Dean’s List (semester GPA 3.5 or above) in the fall semester and 227 in the spring.

The Villanova Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, which recognizes student-athletes with a 3.2 GPA or above, had 300 student-athletes in the fall and 308 in the spring.

Individually, the 2021-22 senior student-athlete awards presented to the top male and female student-athletes were Matt Campbell in men’s lacrosse and Maddy Siegrist in women’s basketball.

Collin Gillespie was named BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year in men’s basketball. A total of 45 student-athletes in BIG EAST sports graduated with honors.

Embed from Getty Images

Other individual BIG EAST academic award recipients by sport in 2021-22 included: Maddy Siegrist in women’s basketball, Matt Campbell in men’s lacrosse and McKenna Keegan in women’s cross country/track and field.

Millicent Routledge of women’s swimming and diving won the BIG EAST’s Michael Tranghese Leadership Award.

Softball standout Paige Rauch earned Academic All-America honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America. She is a repeat winner of the accolade.

Team Athletic Accomplishments – In the final year of coach Jay Wright’s tenure, the men’s basketball team made their third NCAA Final Four appearance in the last six seasons while posting a 30-8 record. The Wildcats were also BIG EAST Tournament champions.

The women’s swimming team won its ninth consecutive BIG EAST Championship behind Kelly Montesi, who was named Most Outstanding Swimmer for the third time in her career. Coach Rick Simpson and his staff were chosen BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year for the ninth season in a row.

The men’s soccer team earned an NCAA Championship invitation for only the second time in program history and reached the second round.

Women’s basketball coach Denise Dillon was tabbed BIG EAST Coach of the Year as she led the Wildcats to a 24-9 record. The Wildcats were the runner-up in the BIG EAST Tournament and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship.

The softball team captured its second straight BIG EAST Championship crown and made the program’s second trip to the NCAA Championship.

The women’s cross country team picked up its sixth BIG EAST title in the last seven years. The men’s and women’s teams featured seven runners who earned all-America honors. The women’s outdoor track & field team posted a top-20 finish at the NCAAs.

In all, 136 Villanova competitors were recognized with All-BIG EAST honors.

Citizenship –- During the 2021-22 academic year, Villanova’s community outreach efforts were a blend of in-person activities along with some performed virtually as the region adjusted to the changing COVID-19 landscape.

Villanova’s Signature Day of Service brought together 4,000 students, including student-athletes, coaches and staff on September 16 in the 16th year of the event. Among the notable contributions by student-athletes were: the women’s tennis team helped make memories with the residents of Divine Providence Village for persons with intellectual disabilities.

Villanova bolstered its educational programs in the areas of diversity and gender equity with a focus on student-athlete belonging and building community. UNITAS sponsored or co-sponsored events with the purpose of Creating a Culture of Belonging, Building Partnerships and Awareness and Education.

Villanova student-athletes participated in 2021 Fall Inclusion Week and co-sponsored DE&I programming with Villanova’s Campus Ministry, the Office of Disability Services and the University Counseling Center. It helped celebrate Black History Month in February and Women’s History Month in March.

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams were gardeners at the Skunk Hallow Community Gardens while men’s and women’s basketball led the charge in packing hundreds of items for the Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia.

The Special Olympics Pennsylvania Fall Festival is a signature event on the Villanova calendar. After over a year and a half pause for in-person activities for COVID, Villanova students, staff and administrators hosted the Special Olympics athletes for competition on campus.

In December, Villanova organized its annual Toy Drive and Adopt-a-Child program. Spearheaded by its SAAC, student-athletes sponsored holiday gifts for 30 children through the North Light Community Center. Toys also were collected at a women’s basketball home game and donated to North Light and other area organizations.

Although COVID-19 impacted some aspects of the annual Martin Luther King Day celebration, Villanova Athletics UNITAS leadership hosted a Winter Apparel and Toiletries Drive at a men’s basketball game. Those items were packaged on MLK Day by the women’s lacrosse team, UNITAS leadership and the MLK Day of Service Committee for a YMCA in Philadelphia that services the homeless population.

In June, Villanova took part in its second annual celebration of Juneteenth. More than 50 student-athletes, coaches and administrators performed service work at Vaux Big Picture High School in Philadelphia.

Villanova added to its programming with “Every Mind Matters,” a group of student-athletes and staff guided by Sports Psychologist Dr. Rick Neff. The meetings focused on all aspects of mental health awareness and education.

Filed Under: Big East, Sports Business Tagged With: Big East, Sports Business, Villanova

BIG EAST: Villanova Reppin’ Again

March 28, 2022 by Digital Sports Desk

SAN ANTONIO – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – For the third time since 2016, Villanova will play in the Final Four. The Wildcats became the NCAA South Region champions after a 50-44 victory over Houston this past Saturday in Texas. Villanova forward Jermaine Samuels was named the South Region Most Outstanding Player. Coach Jay Wright’s second-seeded team defeated Michigan 63-55 in the regional semifinals.

Embed from Getty Images

Villanova will meet Kansas in the national semifinals this Saturday. On their way to the NCAA crown in 2018, the Wildcats beat the Jayhawks 95-79 in the same round. Villanova got off to a 22-4 start en route to the victory. Back in 2016, Villanova beat Kansas 64-59 in the South Region final.

Overall, BIG EAST teams own a 12-6 record in national semifinal contests not including when a BIG EAST team faced another league squad in 1985 and 1987. Villanova is 3-1, winning in 1985, 2016 and 2018 while losing in 2009.

Villanova will be without All-Big East guard Justin Moore in their Final Four lineup. Moore fell to the floor with a non-contact leg injury late in Saturday’s Elite Eight win over Houston. On Sunday, he was diagnosed with a torn Achilles tendon. Villanova announced that he’s scheduled for surgery this week and will be sidelined indefinitely.

Filed Under: Big East, March Madness, NCAA, NCAA Basketball Tagged With: March Madness, NCAA Final Four, NCAAB, Villanova

Gillespie Named Big East Player of Year

March 9, 2022 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Villanova graduate guard Collin Gillespie was named the 2021-2022 Big East Player of the Year. Gillespie, who shared the award in 2020-2021 with his Villanova teammate Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Seton Hall’s Sandro Mamukelashvili, is the first repeat winner of the award since Providence’s Kris Dunn in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016.

YouTube player

Gillespie led the Wildcats to a 16-4 record in Big East play with 16.1 points and 3.1 assists per game. He was the fourth leading scorer in the league, trailing only DePaul’s Javon Freeman-Liberty, St. John’s Julian Champagnie and Marquette’s Justin Lewis.

Gillespie led the Big East in free throw percentage, at a 91.5% clip, and three-point percentage, at 43.1%. He was sixth in the league in field goal percentage, making 44.7% of his shots. He was also named the Big East Scholar Athlete of the Year, on Wednesday, for his strong academic performance this year. He was one of two 4.0 student athletes on the Wildcat roster for the fall semester, along with fellow graduate student Jermaine Samuels.

The awards are the latest of a long list of accolades for Gillespie. Earlier this week, Gillespie was the only unanimous choice for the All-Big East First Team, and nationally he was named as a Third Team All-American by the USBWA and the NABC in 2021.

Gillespie is one of 15 finalists for the Wooden Award, given to the Most Outstanding Player in College Basketball. If chosen, Gillespie would be the first Wooden Award winner from Villanova since Jalen Brunson in 2017-2018.

Filed Under: Big East, NCAA, NCAA Basketball Tagged With: Big East, Collin Gillespie, Villanova

Big East: UConn Big Win Over ‘Nova

February 23, 2022 by Digital Sports Desk

HARTFORD – (Staff report from official News Release) – In a back-and-forth Top-25 showdown, No. 21 Connecticut and R.J. Cole came up clutch on both ends of the court, first knocking down a contested layup with 5.9 ticks left to give the Huskies a 70-69 advantage over eighth-ranked Villanova. Defensively, Cole forced a turnover with 1.1 seconds left to seal the 71-69 home win.

Early in the contest, UConn took a 33-32 lead on a layup by Adama Sonogo to close out the opening half. Just 2:38 into the second frame, the Huskies took the largest lead of the game, 43-36, on a pair of Isaiah Whaley free throws. After Villanova clawed back to take a four-point lead with 46 seconds remaining in regulation, UConn tallied the final six points of the contest to secure the top-10 win in front of a sold-out XL Center.

Sanogo led the Huskies (20-7, 11-5 BIG EAST) with 20 points and two blocks, while Whaley (13 points) and Cole (12 points) also reached double figures. Collin Gillespie led the Wildcats (21-7, 14-4 BE) with 17 points, while Brandon Slater added 15.

Tonight’s schedule includes three games. At 6:30 p.m. ET, Creighton and St. John’s put their multiple game winning streaks to the test, when the Red Storm host the Bluejays at Carnesecca Arena on FS1. Entering the game with five straight wins, Creighton sits a half-game back on the Huskies in fourth at 10-5. Meanwhile, St. John’s sits in a three-way tie for sixth place with Xavier and Seton Hall at 7-8 in league play.

At 7 p.m. on CBSSN, BIG EAST leader Providence welcomes the Musketeers to the Dunkin Donuts Center. Ranked 11th in Monday’s AP Poll, the Friars enter the game with a 12-2 conference mark and 14-1 record at home. Xavier will look to bounce back from back-to-back losses against St. John’s and UConn and return to .500 in league play.

Rounding out the night, Seton Hall faces Butler at the Prudential Center at 8:30 p.m. on FS1. The Pirates enter the contest with a 16-9 (7-8 BE) overall record, while boasting a 10-2 mark at the Prudential Center this season. The Bulldogs enter the game with a 13-15 (6-11 BE) record.

Filed Under: Big East, NCAA, NCAA Basketball Tagged With: Big East, UConn, Villanova

Big East, ‘Nova’s Jay Wright, Johnnies’ Lou Carnesecca Celebrate Milestones

January 6, 2022 by Digital Sports Desk

JAMAICA ESTATES, NY – (Staff report from Official News Release) – Villanova turned the tables on Creighton and gave coach Jay Wright a milestone victory, while St. John’s celebrated Lou Carnesecca’s 97th birthday with a win over DePaul.

Wright notched his 500th victory at Villanova when his team rolled past Creighton 75-41 in Finneran Paviliion. The Wildcats (10-4, 3-1 BIG EAST) had lost to the Bluejays (10-4, 2-1 BE) 79-59 on December 17. This time, Villanova held Creighton to 35.6 percent shooting from the field and allowed only 21 points in the final 27 minutes of the game. Justin Moore led the Wildcats with 22 points. Alex O’Connell had 13 points for Creighton.

On the night when legendary coach Lou Carnesecca turned 97, Julian Champagnie put on a sparkling performance to lead St. John’s (9-3, 1-0 BE) past DePaul 89-84. Champagnie scored a career-high 34 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked three shots. Dylan Addae-Wusu added a career-high 17 points, including a clutch 3-pointer in the final minute. Javon Freeman-Liberty had 24 points and seven boards for DePaul (9-4, 0-3 BE).

BIG EAST play resumes on Friday with two games between teams that met in the first round of last year’s BIG EAST Tournament. Marquette (9-6, 1-3 BE) plays at Georgetown (6-5, 0-0 BE) at 6:30 p.m. ET followed by No. 22 Xavier (11-2, 1-1 BE) at Butler (8-5, 1-1 BE) at 8:30 p.m. FS1 will carry both contests.

Last year, Marquette took the lone regular-season matchup against Georgetown before the Hoyas won 68-49 at the Big East tournament. Xavier won both regular-regular season games against Butler before the Bulldogs won 70-69 in overtime at Madison Square Garden.

Filed Under: Big East, NCAA, NCAA Basketball Tagged With: Big East, Jay Wright, Villanova

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

NBA & NHL Sports Desk

Loading RSS Feed
Loading RSS Feed

Trending on Sports Desk

2023 NBA Playoffs 2024 NBA Finals Baltimore Orioles Basketball Hall of Fame BC Eagles Big East Big East Basketball Big East Tournament Boston Bruins Boston Celtics Boston College Boston Red Sox Buffalo Bills Chicago White Sox Dallas Mavericks FedEx Cup Playoffs Houston Astros Kansas City Chiefs LIV Golf MLB MLB Postseason NBA NCAAB NCAAF New England Patriots New York Yankees NFL NFL Thursday Night Football NHL PGA Tour PGA Tour Brunch Red Sox Sports Biz Sports Business St. John's Texas Rangers The Masters The Open TL's Sunday Sports Notes TL Sunday Sports Notes Tokyo Olympics Toronto Blue Jays USA Basketball While We're Young Ideas World Series

Twitter

DigitalSportsDesk 🏆 Follow 27,572 10,839

Boston Sports Commentary 🏀 ⚾️🏒🏈 Pro point of view; Expert analysis of #RedSox #NBA #PGATour #NHLBruins #SportsBiz #NFL & BIG EAST hoops

DigSportsDesk
DigSportsDesk avatar; DigitalSportsDesk 🏆 @DigSportsDesk ·
24 May 1926320711842296138

Red Sox announced Game 1 start time is 1:30pm EDT

DigSportsDesk avatar; DigitalSportsDesk 🏆 @DigSportsDesk ·
24 May 1926320491343609881

Fenway Park Grounds Crew makes its move at 12:51pm

Image for the Tweet beginning: Fenway Park Grounds Crew makes Twitter feed video.
DigSportsDesk avatar; DigitalSportsDesk 🏆 @DigSportsDesk ·
24 May 1926315779735040292

Game Delay at #FenwayPark

Image for the Tweet beginning: Game Delay at #FenwayPark Twitter feed video.
DigSportsDesk avatar; DigitalSportsDesk 🏆 @DigSportsDesk ·
21 May 1925131163162509800

Well put POV for a generation of #Cheers fans

Well put POV for a generation of #Cheers fans
Mike Greenberg @Espngreeny

If you are my age, you just lost one of your best friends. #ripgeorgewendt

DigSportsDesk avatar; DigitalSportsDesk 🏆 @DigSportsDesk ·
16 May 1923529357865201968

Ahhh - Mike Breen’s voice. Ahhhhhh

Load More...

Facebook

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons
DigitalSportsDesk.com
2 months ago
DigitalSportsDesk.com

Sunday Sports Notebook

... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

TL's Sunday Notes | March 30

open.substack.com

While We're Young (Ideas) and March Go Out Like a Lyons
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • likes 0
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

0 CommentsComment on Facebook

DigitalSportsDesk.com
3 months ago
DigitalSportsDesk.com

Gotta Give Pitino the credit. Constant and Full-Court Press made the difference and his players were in condition to wear down UConn. digitalsportsdesk.com/st-johns-defeats-mighty-uconn/ ... See MoreSee Less

Gotta Give Pitino the credit.  Constant and Full-Court Press made the difference and his players were in condition to wear down UConn. https://digitalsportsdesk.com/st-johns-defeats-mighty-uconn/
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • likes 0
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

0 CommentsComment on Facebook

DigitalSportsDesk.com
4 months ago
DigitalSportsDesk.com

Groundhog Day!

whileyoungideas.substack.com/p/tls-sunday-sports-notes-feb-2 ... See MoreSee Less

Groundhog Day!

https://whileyoungideas.substack.com/p/tls-sunday-sports-notes-feb-2
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • likes 0
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

0 CommentsComment on Facebook

DigitalSportsDesk.com
4 months ago
DigitalSportsDesk.com

Plenty O' Notes and a Look at Boston Pro sports for 2025 - ... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

TL's Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 12 - Digital Sports Desk

digitalsportsdesk.com

In each round-up, there are far too many questions and not nearly enough definitive answers to the woes facing the New England clubs, the Celtics included. It might be time for some major shake-ups at...
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • likes 0
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

0 CommentsComment on Facebook

DigitalSportsDesk.com
5 months ago
DigitalSportsDesk.com

The first Sunday Sports Notes of 2025 | Including Some Predictions

... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

TL's Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 5 - Digital Sports Desk

digitalsportsdesk.com

KEY DATES IN 2025: Everyone needs to circle these dates on their sports calendar: KEY DATES IN 2025: Everyone needs to circle these dates on their sports calendar:
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • likes 0
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

0 CommentsComment on Facebook

Load more

The Custom Facebook Feed plugin

Digital Sports Desk

May 2025
S M T W T F S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Apr    

Digital Sports Desk: Copyright © 2022
www.digitalsportsdesk.com