Inside College Hoops

That Scrappy Life: Braylon Mullins

By Robert Lastella

Difference maker. In college basketball, especially in March, one would assume that the aforementioned phrase was used to describe a veteran leader; however, that is not always the case. 

UConn is a team with no shortage of talent. Alex Karaban, Tarris Reed Jr., and Solo Ball would all fit the bill as veteran leaders who are also often the difference-makers. But what if the X-factor for the Huskies was someone else? 

While his recruiting status certainly prevented him from going under the radar, Braylon Mullins has been somewhat shadowed on a UConn team that has put together a core of pieces around him that, at times, dominate the spotlight. While that may be the case, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer believes Mullins is indeed the difference maker for the Huskies. 

“He's had a really good year. His shot-making, his ability to hit shots off the bounce. He's got quick release. Then just to play at this level, he's been a difference maker. He's been the third-leading scorer in the tournament, and I'm really impressed with what he's done,” Scheyer said. 

Scheyer noted Mullins’ scoring prowess, which has seen him score 37 points across three NCAA tournament games for the Huskies. While he certainly makes an impact as a scorer, the way he becomes an X-Factor for the Huskies is quite different. 

UConn head coach Dan Hurley knows that he can get scoring in a variety of ways from his team, which means he needs Mullins to contribute in other areas. According to Hurley, that is something Mullins has been able to excel at. 

“I think what a lot of people miss with Braylon is just how well he's able to hold up for us defensively and how well he's able to hold up for us on the backboard from a physicality standpoint, for an ability to function defensively and offensively in a system and be in the right places. You don't get far in this tournament unless your freshmen can do that,” Hurley said. 

Mullins isn’t the biggest guy on the court, but he has the size to make an impact with his physicality, and that is exactly what he has been able to do. In each of the last two games, Mullins has hauled in four rebounds, which has been good for third behind Karaban and Reed in each game. 

Karaban has seen a lot of talented guards throughout his career, and still, a freshman making an impact on the glass, and with his physicality, is something that surprises him. With Mullins specifically, Karaban notes his ability to avoid freshman mistakes as something that has impressed him. 

“There’s always a learning curve as a freshman, and for the most part, he's done a great job of holding his own ground. He doesn't make freshman mistakes. He doesn't really do any of that. He's really holding his ground and defending at the level that he can defend at, and I think he's an underrated defender, and he really had big-time rebounds for us yesterday to really help keep the lead,” Karaban said. 

As a veteran of the Husky program, Karaban is someone who is relied upon for advice within the program. That has held true for him and Mullins, and while they play different positions on the court, Karaban sees a lot of himself in the young Husky phenom. 

“I think at times I see myself in him, really just as like a quiet kid and a shy kid and kind of reserved to himself at times who I was, and I really want him to push out his comfort zones and really just enjoy every second that you have and really just be yourself when you're on the court,” Karaban said. 

Mullins will look to continue to make an impact for the Huskies, as they are set to take on Duke in the Elite Eight with a spot in the Final Four on the line. According to Hurley, no matter what happens in-game, Mullins will remain poised, playing a brand of basketball that breeds success. 

“He's a critical threat on offense, but he's also like an underrated defensive player with a maturity about him where, if he goes through stretches of the game where he's not getting shots, not making shots, he keeps playing winning basketball,” Hurley said. 

On a team full of stars, Mullins has made his mark, and it is just the start for the young star from Greenfield, Indiana.

Duke Fends Off A Red Storm In The Nation's Capital

By Robert Lastella

Everything the Brotherhood is built upon was put to the test during Friday evening’s Sweet 16 matchup between Duke and St.John’s, and in the end, the Blue Devils overcame adversity and punched their ticket to the Elite Eight. 

The Red Storm came out of the gates with great energy, cashing in on four triples within the first 10 minutes, and with 9:44 to play, it was St.John’s with an early 23-17 lead. Duke quickly responded, going on a 12-2 run of their own to take a 35-28 lead with 4:20 to play. 

A back-and-forth battle developed from there, as St. John’s would close the half on a 12-4 run of their own, heading into the halftime break with a 40-39 advantage. 

Early on, both sides hit each other with a surprise attack, as during the first half, SJU cashed in on one of their 18 triples attempted in the first half, while Duke outscored them in the paint 22-10. 

Duke found a way to slow down the Saint John’s three-point barrage in the second half, holding them to 4-14, and without the added boost from beyond the arc, eventually Duke was able to pull away. 

Down the stretch, Duke was able to bully their way to a victory, attacking the paint with success and getting to the line. According to Jon Scheyer, while they were able to slow the Red Storm's shooting down the stretch by focusing on specific matchups, they were never able to truly silence them. 

“I'm not sure we did counteract that. The way they were shooting the first half, I think some of that we could have cleaned up and done a better job contesting. At the same time, guys that haven't necessarily done that -- not knocking them, but Prey hasn't hit four treys, Mitchell that's his first three-pointer on the year, Ejiofor, you know, is capable. But you have to adjust, Scheyer said. 

I'm not going to go the whole game without adjusting. I think in the second half, you still want to protect the rim, but we had to do a better job of getting hands up and contesting. I thought our guys did that. We went to the matchup for a little bit, which helped us get back in the game, and that's kind of been a thing for us. But overall, I don't know if we did an amazing job.” 

Duke was led on the night by Isaiah Evans, who finished with 25 points on 10-15 shooting, and right behind him was Cameron Boozer, who finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds. The difference maker on the night was Caleb Foster, who returned from a foot Injury for the first time this postseason and chipped in 11 points, with all 11 coming in the second half. 

With 3:06 to play, Duke led by just 4, 73-69, and they required a closer to prevent St.John’s from regaining momentum and pulling off the comeback. They found that in Foster, who hit back-to-back shots for the Blue Devils, giving them a 77-72 lead with 1:27 to play, and from there, they never looked back.

The entire Duke roster played with poise, typical of most Duke teams. This one had a different feeling, one of true belief that their team could power through the storm. Could that have come from the return of Foster, who has been utilizing a walking scooter since the end of the regular season following his foot injury and ensuing surgery? It is possible. 

Dame Sarr played a relatively quiet role in the Blue Devils’ win, chipping in 2 points, 6 rebounds, and three assists, but he put his head down, did his job, and played a role in the win, which was a similar story for the entire Duke team. According to Sarr, Foster’s return gave the Blue Devils a sense of energy that permeated throughout the entire team. 

“How much he wanted it was how much I wanted it. What he did was unbelievable, and seeing that, it kind of gave me energy. I'm like, if he is doing this, I have to step up for him. He was suffering and did it for us, so I just have to do it for him too,” Sarr said. 

Duke had their willpower tested in this matchup, but between feeding off Foster’s return and relying on what got them to this point, they were able to find a way to knock off a hungry St John’s team. 

After a heartbreaking loss in the Final Four a season ago, Duke is one win away from returning to the big dance with a chance to right their wrongs. They are locked in on this moment, according to Sarr, who notes the team has utilized a collective goal to get to this point, and they have no plans of stopping now. 

“All the guys on the team. They just care about winning. That is how we can win so much. Nobody cares about their egos. We care about the goal,” Sarr said. 

Duke will look to keep the train rolling, as they will take on Dan Hurley and UConn on Sunday at 5:05 PM EST with a spot in the Final Four on the line.

Physicality, Culture Pushed Iowa past Florida and Into the Sweet 16

By Robert Lastella

Iowa Head Coach Ben McCollum and star Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz have combined to earn 114 wins across four seasons at three different schools, but none may have been bigger and more angst-inducing than win number 114. 

That 114th win was a bitter battle to the very end against the defending national champion Florida Gators in the Round of 32, but as they have done throughout their career, McCollum and Stirtz found a way, knocking off the Gators 73-72 in a game which came down to the last possession and punching their ticket to the sweet 16. 

Despite having a significant size disadvantage against Florida, Iowa didn’t let that bother them, they played with a sense of physicality that, at times, the Gators weren’t able to match. Iowa outscored Florida 32-30 in the paint, and they were even on the boards at 28 apiece. 

Florida made numerous runs throughout the game to stop surges from Iowa, and the Hawkeyes found themselves trailing at numerous points over the final two minutes. But Iowa stayed patient, they worked the clock, found high-quality shots, and put themselves in a position to have a shot to take the lead on the second-to-last possession of the game. 

Photo by Christian Proscia

With less than 10 seconds to play and trailing by two, Iowa had to go the full length of the court with a chance to either tie or take the lead. While they could have opted to go for the tie, Stirtz was able to dodge an attempted foul from UF, locate an open Alvaro Folgueiras in the corner, and the rest quickly became history, as Folguerias drained it to give Iowa a 73-72 lead with 4 seconds to play. 

The Gators attempted to go the length of the court on their last possession; however, Xaivian Lee lost the ball on an attempted pass as the final buzzer sounded, sealing the deal on a Sweet 16 trip for the Hawkeyes. 

Stirtz has been the vessel that the Hawkeye offense has run through, so it would have been easy for him to call his own number with the game on the line, but that was far from the case. Instead, Stirtz found Folgueiras, who Stirtz said told him to get him the ball, because he was going to make it, and that is what he did. 

“Yeah, the play was drawn up for me to get downhill, and then this dude came up to me and he's like, I'm going to be ready, and I'm going to make it. That's what he actually did,” Stirtz said. 

It sounds like a scene out of a movie, but that is reality for an Iowa squad that has developed an immense amount of trust in each other, in large part due to the McCollum system. The confidence in each other, according to Stirtz, comes from the bond they developed throughout the season, which was aided by a culture which McCollum has been building for years. 

Photo by Christian Proscia

“It's just the journey we've been on this season, and it started in the summer. It's just a bond we have throughout however many months we've been together. Six guys came from Drake, and we just bonded super quick, and we just love hanging out with each other. I don't know, we're unselfish, too, so we like seeing other people succeed more than ourselves. That's what also makes it so special,” Stirtz said. 

There weren’t many who gave Iowa much of a chance coming into this game against the defending national champions, but that was never a concern for the Hawkeyes, who just simply trusted in each other. 

Iowa did what they have done throughout, getting a team effort from four players in double figures. They were led by Tavion Banks, who finished with 20 points, and he was joined by Folgueiras, who finished with 14, Stirtz, who added 13, and Cooper Koch, who chipped in 12 points, all coming on his four triples. 

Florida’s talented front court looked to be a serious issue for Iowa, on paper, but in reality, it was Iowa who threw the first punch, and the Gators were caught trying to fight back. 

That first punch was almost a literal one, as Alvaro Folgueiras got tangled up with Alex Condon and both were issued a technical foul. Although it looked like Folgueiras threw a punch, it never landed; he remained in the game and was able to be a difference maker for the Hawkeyes. 

Photo by Christian Proscia

Photo by Christian Proscia

That bru-ha-ha raised emotions inside of Benchmark International Arena; however, both sides remained level-headed throughout the remainder of the contest. While that moment certainly led to some intensity, Iowa didn’t let it overcome them, and that is in part to the mentality they came into the game with. 

According to Cam Manyawu, Iowa expected a physical game coming into this one, so they embraced the idea of being more physical than the Gators. 

“We went in with the mentality of bullying the bullies. They are the bullies in their league. So we came in with that mentality, we really made an emphasis to box out and hit, that was something we focused on going into the game, and we were able to execute that,” Manyawu said. 

After the game, Florida Head Coach Todd Golden noted the difference in physicality out of the gates, mentioning that, especially in the first half, it was Iowa who was setting the tone. It is one thing to say you are going to be physical, but to have a national champion Head Coach admit that his team got punked is the ultimate confirmation that what Iowa did worked. 

The way Iowa plays on both ends of the court isn’t the flashiest brand of basketball, and to some, it could be classified as boring. While some may think that way, Iowa’s entire roster is bought into what McCollum is trying to build, and on Sunday night, it resulted in one of the biggest upsets of the entire NCAA tournament to this point. 

In his first year with Iowa, Ben McCollum has the Hawkeyes headed to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1999. Winning at this level was obviously the goal for McCollum when he took the job; Ben reaching this level of success in his first year wasn’t something many were expecting. 

Many, including McCollum, who has worked hard at establishing a culture at Iowa that has been built across three different programs, note that he always expects to win. 

“I don't know that winning necessarily dictates what kind of culture you have, per se. I think over time, you create a culture. Culture to me is just the people involved, and it's an unwritten rule that everybody follows. You don't just create it. You have to get the right people to be in the system. We do have the right people. Probably still can't sustain itself yet. We've got to keep getting the right people, McCollum said. 

“Did I know we were going to win like this? I didn't think we were going to lose… That's probably my mentality. I'm a realist still. You don't just go win every game. Sometimes you do, but I think our culture is getting there.” 

Iowa has knocked off the defending national champions, and the sky is now the limit for Ben McCollum and his Hawkeyes. They will head to Houston, where they will take on Nebraska on Thursday at 7:30 PM EST, an intense matchup that will pit two Big 10 foes against each other with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line.

Photo by Christian Proscia

The Consummate Leaders

By Robert Lastella

Every team needs a leader, both on and off the court. While success can fluctuate at times, what turns a good team into a great one is for that leadership to remain constant, no matter the outcome. 

For Iowa, that leader is Bennett Stirtz, and for Ben McCollum, Stirtz has been the vessel that has led his successful teams over the last four seasons at three different universities. McCollum has watched Stirtz develop into a leader in his system, and now, in their fourth year together, there is a level of trust that has allowed Stirtz to execute the offense at a high level. 

Friday evening's Round of 64 matchup against Clemson wasn’t the most efficient of performances for Stirtz, as he finished with 16 points on 4-for-17 shooting. Despite the shooting struggles at times, Stirtz remained confident, and that belief in himself was something that spread through to his teammates.

Scoring is never the first concern for Stirtz, who, at this point in his career and in the McCollum system, knows to find the best possible shot each possession, which sometimes is from him and other times is from his teammates. 

“Just leaning on our teammates, all my teammates, and especially Kael Combs here. It's easy being on the court with him just because he gets everyone involved. If I can take a break, I can take a break when he's out there, and he's going,” Stirtz said. 

While McCollum doesn’t necessarily agree with Stirtz “taking a break,” he knows that Stirtz has the knowledge to find a high-quality shot each time the Hawkeyes are on offense. That comes from Stirtz’s confidence, something that allows him to play freely on the court, whether his shots are falling or not. 

Not only has McCollum watched as Stirtz has grown as a basketball player and leader, but he has also watched his confidence grow. Stirtz has now found success at three different levels of basketball, grinding his way up the ladder to be one of the most impactful guards in the country.

There was a point in time when Stirtz wasn’t as confident as he is today. McCollum, who at that time was the Head Coach of Northwest Missouri State, was there for that as well and watched him work past adversity, a trait he has carried into his game today. 

“In his freshman year, I remember the first scrimmage we played a team called Wayne State out of Nebraska, and he was God-awful, and I mean awful. I remember sitting there thinking, he got done, he's like, Coach, do you even think I can play -- I don't think he asked me that, but gave me that look, “Do you think I can play at this level? I think I said, Yeah, you'll be fine”, McCollum said. 

Bennett Stirtz became the engine for NW Missouri State under HC Ben McCollum.

Then, in the next game, we played a Division 1, and he had 25. The rest is history. Freshman year, he was great, sophomore year, he was second-team all conference, and last year, he was MVP of the league. I think the biggest thing you saw was him understanding how good he was. I think a lot of our players, we recruit to humility; we recruit guys who want to serve their teammates. 

So naturally, sometimes their humility can be so strong that they don't understand how good they actually are. That was him. So you just had to bring out some of that, like, edge, and hey, you are this good to him, and that's what you see now.” 

While Stirtz plays with an unselfish mindset, he is also tasked with being a relatively high-volume scorer. Stirtz has been able to find a healthy balance of being a facilitator of the offense, while also being someone who can get the Hawkeyes a bucket whenever they can. 

Stirtz is in a do-it-all role for Iowa, scoring, assisting, while also being a de facto coach on the court for the Hawkeyes with his experience in the McCollum offense. 

Tavion Banks is someone else who has seen Stirtz grow, teaming up with him at Drake a year ago, before transferring to Iowa together, along with other teammates, this past offseason. According to Banks, Stirtz knows nearly everything that is required of them in the McCollum offense and has no problem sharing that knowledge anyway he can. 

“It helps us out tremendously. He knows everything that we need to do. He talks. He doesn't mind saying whatever he has on his mind. And that's what I like about him, because, like, if he's having a bad day, I would say something to him, so he does the really important things,” Banks said. 

Stirtz has helped McCollum find success at three different stops and establish a system and culture that can be challenging to adopt. While Stirtz has been a big part of Iowa’s tournament run this season, he hasn’t been alone. 

Stirtz was joined this offseason by Banks, Alvaro Folgueiras, Cam Manyawu, Isaia Howard, and Kael Combs from Drake, all of whom played a pivotal role in establishing the culture in year one. 

Ben McCollum has found a lot of success during his coaching career, and at the root of that is the players. According to McCollum, over the years, his players have learned from each other, and his end goal is to have a system and culture that runs itself. 

“I think having six guys that came with us from a program that won 31 games makes a big difference. They also learned from three others that I had coached for four, five, and one, actually six years, Mitch Mascari, Daniel Abreu, and Isaiah Jackson, who were with me at Drake. They helped teach these six, and now these six helped teach the next. And then eventually we'll get guys in the program for a consistent amount of time, and then it kind of runs itself,” McCollum said. 

Iowa will put what they have built to the test against the defending national champions and Florida on Sunday in the Round of 32, as the Gators and Hawkeyes will do battle with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.

Unselfish Culture Allows Josiah Moseley, Texas Tech To Flourish

By Robert Lastella

Culture is oftentimes a buzzword in sports, but there are moments when what a program is built of gets tested, and that is where a team’s culture is defined. 

For Texas Tech, they have had to be a resilient team throughout the season, as they lost their star Forward JT Toppin in February and have had to make adjustments on the fly. 

One of those adjustments was the insertion of Josiah Moseley into the rotation following a fractured foot that kept him out for the majority of the season. Moseley made his debut on January 24th, working his way into a role that has now developed into double-digit minutes in 7 consecutive games. 

Photo by Christian Proscia

While the injury to Toppin certainly played a part in the increase in minutes for Moseley, that opportunity wouldn’t have been available without Moseley proving he was capable. It could have been daunting for Moseley to attempt to earn a role in the middle of a season, and while it wasn’t an easy adjustment, Moseley was able to do it thanks to a supportive group around him. 

“Obviously, coming in, there were a lot of thoughts. Obviously, every role was kind of solidified. And I was the only one who wasn’t playing, so it did take me a little bit to get into rhythm. I think talking to Coach Mac, taking it one day at a time, it is really not as hard when you don’t overthink it, you just need to do your job to help the team win,” Moseley said. 

McCasland coaches with an immense amount of passion that he instills into his players, and whether on the real court or the practice court, his team will exude the max amount of effort. 

While McCasland worked to make Moseley’s adjustment period as smooth as possible, he also coached him with that same passion that gave him a sense of confidence when he touched the court. 

Photo by Christian Proscia

That coaching style, according to Moseley, fires him up and his teammates, as they are being coached by someone who wants to win just as badly as they do. 

“As a player, you know he wants to win just as much as we do. Like having that mentality stand on us, making sure we're aggressive, not playing really hesitant, and being confident in what you do, that kind of gives us confidence,” Moseley said. 

There was never any doubt that Grant McCasland would do everything possible to support Moseley following his return from injury. While coaches will always support their players, adding a new player into a culture that isn’t ready for it could create a precarious situation. 

Luckily for Texas Tech, that isn’t an issue, as outside of supporting Moseley, McCasland has developed a culture of unselfishness that has allowed for a seamless addition of Moseley into the rotation.

Photo by Christian Proscia

One of the disadvantages of NIL is that it can force players to become selfish as they look towards their next paycheck. While Texas Tech certainly has no shortage of NIL funds, they haven’t let that affect the unselfish brand of basketball that they look to put on the court. 

Donovan Atwell was someone who also had to find a way to fit into the Red Raider culture following 3 seasons at UNCG, and he was able to do that with ease, serving as their 3rd leading scorer overall. That same culture that allowed Atwell to flourish has now done the same for Moseley, and according to Atwell, that is in large part to Moseley’s work off the court. 

“It didn't really even feel like an addition, because he's been around us the whole time, he's been locked in watching the practice, the reps he couldn't take. He was mentally taking those reps. So honestly, when he came back, we just hit the ball rolling. I really feel like there were no missteps in his return. So honestly, it was more like just an improvement in terms of having him with us; he's been great,” Atwell said. 

Friday afternoon’s round of 64 matchup saw Moseley miss just one shot from the field, finishing 7 of 8 with 15 points, also adding 4 rebounds and 4 blocks. It was a coming-out party of sorts for Moseley, as it was only his second game of the year scoring in double figures, and it came at the most pivotal of times. 

Photo by Christian Proscia

In the Round of 32 on Sunday, while Moseley certainly would like to build on his Round of 64 performance, he won’t be focused on that. Rather, Moseley will be playing with the Red Raider unselfish mindset, doing whatever his team needs, in hopes it will lead to them advancing to the Sweet 16. 

“I mean, hopefully. I just want to do whatever I can. It's not going to be everyone's night every game, so the next player has to be ready to set up,” Moseley said. 

The 4-Seed Texas Tech will take on the 5th-Seed Alabama in the Round of 32 on Sunday at 9:45 PM EST at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa Bay, with the winner advancing to the Sweet 16 and the loser going home.

Edmonds’ Late Heroics Lifted TCU, Frogs Take on Duke Tonight

By Jack Costantino

GREENVILLE, SC – In a game defined by methodical pacing, stifling defense, and timely shot-making, the TCU Horned Frogs edged the Ohio State Buckeyes, 66-64, on Thursday. It was Xavier Edmonds who delivered the final blow, sinking a game-winning shot with seconds remaining to cap a back-and-forth affair. 

The contest began as a defensive struggle. After a Bruce Thornton jumper put the Buckeyes on the board first, a lid seemed to descend on Ohio State’s basket. Both teams operated with methodical precision, grinding out possessions that often ended with late-shot-clock attempts. The Buckeyes’ struggles were evident early, as they endured a 4:20 scoring drought and hit just 1-of-6 from beyond the arc, with nearly every look heavily contested. 

While Ohio State’s offense sputtered, TCU found its rhythm thanks to the three-headed monster of David Punch, Micah Robinson, and Xavier Edmonds. Edmonds emerged as an early difference-maker, knocking down his first two three-pointers. He and Micah Robinson formed a potent tandem, combining to score 23 of the Horned Frogs’ 39 first-half points. 

TCU closed the opening period with a dominant 11-0 run, holding the Buckeyes to a mere two points over the final 4:39 to take a 39-28 lead into the break. 

Ohio State showed renewed energy to start the second half, coming out strong and quickly cutting into the deficit. However, the Buckeyes’ offensive consistency remained elusive; their promising start was immediately followed by another scoring drought that stretched over three minutes. 

Despite their streaky offense, the Buckeyes refused to fold. They leaned on a tenacious defensive effort to claw their way back into the game. Their persistence paid off as they orchestrated an 11-1 run, propelling them into the lead for the first time since the score was 5-2 in the game’s opening minutes. 

From there, the game became a battle of wills. With the clock winding down and the game hanging in the balance, it was Edmonds who once again became the difference-maker. The forward, who had been instrumental in TCU’s first-half surge, calmly converted the game-winning layup with a matter of seconds left on the clock, sending the Horned Frogs to a thrilling 66-64 victory and on to Saturday.

FROGS SET TO FACE DUKE TODAY

Following TCU’s day of reflection and preparation for the Blue Devils, it may have hit home that Duke isn’t the same team without Patrick Ngongba and Caleb Foster. What can the Frogs to do combat the remaining Duke attack led by Cam Boozer?

The plan starts and stops with how the Frogs decide to defend the Blue Devils. If Head Coach Jamie Dixon decides to play more of a drop than a hedge. A hedge would likely yield a four-on-three power play-type attack from Duke, whereas a drop would require Duke to make a secondary play. The schematic problem on paper is that the Horned Frogs are more of a Hedge-style defense, with just one day of prep for this game. Dixon will undoubtedly deploy double teams on the great Cam Boozer, will the Blue Devils make them pay?

TCU’s offense is getting a gift if they are not facing Patrick Ngongba. Edmonds and Punch will have a bit more freedom of movement on the interior than they normally would against a healthy Ngongba. Should Ngongba go, that makes this a pretty tough task for the Frogs on offense.

We know one thing is true, TCU is 10-2 in their past 12 games, with a major win at Texas Tech on that list. Confidence won’t be an issue. Not sure if Duke can say the same, after what we saw vs. Siena.

Alabama Dismisses Pride With Eye On Red Raiders

By Robert Lastella

It has been a roller-coaster of a season for Alabama; however, the second half of their Round of 64 matchup against Hofstra was smooth sailing and they will head into the Round of 32 with momentum. 

Early on in Friday afternoon’s matchup, Hofstra gave Alabama everything they could handle, even taking a 10 point lead in the first half, 28-18, with 9:20 to play.

Alabama began to adjust, taking a 2-point lead into halftime, before going on to dominate the Pride in the final frame. 

Alabama out-scored Hofstra 53-35 in the second half, shooting 58.1% from the field, while holding the Pride to just 38.9% shooting in what ultimately developed into a 90-70 Alabama win. 

The Crimson Tide found their groove during the second half, limiting open looks for Hofstra and turning cold stretches from the Pride offense into points on the other end. According to Labaron Philon Jr, he and his teammates were able to bounce back by utilizing the adjustments the coaching staff enacted at half time. 

“I would say being ready to make adjustments, for us, listening to the coaches, the coaches got great adjustments. They do a great job of getting the game plan ready and have multiple things we can throw out there. We're not just based off one thing. We've got multiple things we can do. Once everybody locked in, it shows the second half our pace broke them down a little bit,” Philon said. 

It was the Philon show in the second half, as the second year guard took over in the final stanza. He scored 21 of his 29 points, providing the Crimson Tide with numerous clutch buckets that help keep Hofstra at bay as they attempted to fight back. 

Photo by Christian Proscia

While he dominated at times, it was a team effort for Alabama, as he was joined in double figures by Taylor Bol Bowen and Aiden Sherrell who each had 15 points a piece, as well as Latrell Wrightsell, Jr and Amari Allen who each chipped in 11. 

Alabama’s ability to find a bucket from numerous avenues whenever they needed it made it really hard for Hofstra to slow them down and force a comeback, as if they slowed one scoring option down, another was able to get them a bucket. 

The scoring hasn’t been an issue this season for Alabama, as they have been able to get points in droves, despite dealing with numerous personnel changes throughout the season. The problems have arisen from the little things, with inefficient rebounding being something that has plagued the team throughout the season. 

Against Hofstra, rebounding was a strength for Alabama. The Crimson Tide outrebounded the Pride 46-34, also hauling in 17 offensive rebounds, which the Tide converted to 13 second chance points. While it wasn’t a perfect effort, Alabama improved in areas in which they struggled in offensive rebounding, and it made a difference in the end, according to Alabama HC Nate Oats.

“We've tried to focus on it throughout the year. We were not great at it, for large parts of the year. We have shown that we're capable of it at times. I think about what Taylor did against St. John's. The whole team is built on toughness. We've done it in somewhat bigger games. We've also gotten drilled on it in somewhat bigger games. Arizona, Purdue, just got destroyed, Oats said. 

We've challenged our guys. We've made it a bigger point of emphasis, and it's great to see Aiden Sherrell come up with 15, Philon come up with 8, and a lot of other guys pitched in. In the first half, the only guy that had no offensive rebound was Sherrell. So we challenged everybody else. I think he had six in the first half and nobody else had one. 

Photo by Christian Proscia

Second half, we had guys, Amari ends up with two, Philon with two, and Taylor gets one. We end up with 17 O boards. They had 13, which we did end up winning the glass by 12, but the second-chance points, we're only plus 5 on it. We've got some room to improve on that, but it's better than it was, like you said, in some other games.” 

It has been a distraction-filled season so far for Alabama, between numerous injuries and off-the-court drama, it could have been easy to fall flat in a first round matchup against a pesky mid-major. There was no evidence of distraction on Friday, especially in the second-half, as Alabama looked to play a brand of basketball that could lead to success in March. 

Their next matchup in the Round of 32 will come against another squad who has had to overcome adversity, Texas Tech. Both the Red Raiders and Crimson Tide found a way to win their first round matchup and push aside any issues they may have; however, on Sunday only one team will be able to move forward. 

There is a lot to study for Texas Tech, as they have changed their offense nearly entirely following the injury to JT Toppin and according to Oats, he and his staff will be dialed in on everything recent, while putting pre-Toppin injury film on the back burner. 

“I don't even think we'll spend a whole lot of time on anything before Toppin went out because they had -- I mean, if we were going to lose Philon or whatever, you'd have to make an adjustment. I think we'll spend most of our time looking at their games since Toppin went out, Oats said. 

They're still very good. They've got a lot of shooting. They've got very good guard play. They've still got bigs that they play a very slow, methodical style that could cause problems if we're not locked in on the defensive end with a quick turnaround. We play in two days. So you've only got one day between games. We have to get locked in because they.” 

One side will lock in and advance to the Sweet 16, the other’s season will end, we shall see what is in store between Texas Tech and Alabama when they do battle on Sunday.

Behind Elite Coaching, Texas Tech Dominates Akron in 2nd Half

By Robert Lastella

Texas Tech came into the NCAA Tournament on a three-game losing streak, and although Akron made them work for it, by the time the final buzzer sounded that three-game skid was a thing of the past and the Red Raiders were on to the Round of 32. 

It was a five point game at the half, 40-35, despite Texas Tech shooting 57% from the field, as Akron forced seven Texas Tech turnovers and grabbed six offensive rebounds to turn the game into a bit of a battle. That permeated through the second half, as the Zips trailed just 64-60 with 9:42 to play; however, things began to shift from there. 

Texas Tech would put their foot on the gas pedal over the final nine minutes and change, finishing the game on a 27-11 run, knocking off Akron 91-71. 

It could have been easy for Texas Tech to go one and done in the tournament, considering that their top player went down with a season ending injury, they ended the regular season in unceremonious fashion and ultimately flamed out of the Big12 tournament in just one game. 

They didn’t do that, however, rather they put their head down and grinded out a win against a pesky mid-major, something Head Coach Grant McCasland attributes to his teams practice habits and willingness to get better. 

“Everybody has their own opinion on our team. I actually wasn't discouraged. I felt like in the Big 12 tournament, we just didn't get to play our best. We had some unusual circumstances impact that, and give Iowa State credit because we popped them pretty good at their place. I thought they had a great edge going into that game, McCasland said. 

The BYU game was a one-possession game. They're playing better, had a great game. The loss at home at TCU, we got bullied. That was the one I was most disappointed in. It was the rebounding effort that got us. So I just challenged everybody on our team. That's what I love about this team. Luke had six. LeJuan had six. And then it's like four, three, two, four. I tell them we'll have to do this as a team. 

JT was a double-double machine. If we're going to win, we'll have to rebound. I honestly wasn't thinking about a new season. I was telling them let's just get better. Let's get better at the things we know. Everybody knows it's a new season. You don't have to say that. You do have to say let's go practice. That's what we needed to do was practice and get better at some things. I thought our guys took what we practiced in the last week and really applied it to the game today in a real way.” 

Early on in the game, Texas Tech was aided by the efforts of Jaylen Petty and Donovan Atwell, as the duo had 19 points on 7-12 shooting combined from the field in the first half, including 5-7 shooting from beyond the arc. While McCasland was complementary to his team’s group effort on the glass, that developed to be the case in the score column as well during the second half.

While it was the Petty and Atwell show for the majority of the first half, it became a team effort during the final stanza. The Red Raiders finished with five players in double figures, as Petty finished with a team high 24 points and Atwell finished with 15; however, they were joined by LeJuan Watts who chipped in 14, Christian Anderson who added 18, and Josiah Moseley with 16. 

Photo by Christian Proscia

In an NCAA tournament game, if you’re not getting maximum effort from every player who donned the jersey, you will automatically start at a disadvantage and while it took some time for it to develop, Texas Tech got every bit of effort they needed. 

According to Jaylen Petty, he was ready to do whatever his team needed to get the victory, but that mentality is also combined with a sense of unselfishness that helped his squad finish off the Zips. 

“It's always team. They trust me, I trust them, and I'm never worried about that. I'm worried about competing and trying to win. It's always team,” Petty said. 

Photo by Christian Proscia

The scoring efforts from Petty, Atwell, Anderson are relatively commonplace for the Red Raiders, but the contribution they got from Josiah Moseley was somewhat unexpected. Moseley played in just 12 games this season for Texas Tech, scoring in double figures just once, a 10-point performance against Iowa State on February 28th. 

There is no better time for a coming out party than the NCAA Tournament and Moseley did exactly that, finishing with 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting, also adding four rebounds and four blocks. 

While Texas Tech’s guards steal the spotlight at times with their scoring, an effort like Moseley’s did not go unnoticed, rather it was acknowledged as a major difference maker in this game. According to McCasland, Moseley responded to tough coaching from his staff, putting it all together and turning it into a big time NCAA tournament performance. 

“If there's anybody that we've coached hard these last two weeks, it's Josiah Moseley. He just started practice, his literal first practice in a Red Raider uniform was January the 28th. So he's had to make some quick adjustments and he's had to improve in a short amount of time in a tough league, in the best league in college basketball. So, man, did he respond tonight, McCasland said. 

I thought that he had a few big-time defensive effort plays where he got some blocks, but his ability to switch and guard the ball really was a difference maker, one. And, two, his force on the rim, his ability to get the ball and not settle for a difficult shot to go away from the basket, but I thought he put his nose to the rim and bounced it and went right to the basket and had a great dunk in transition. Even the last offensive rebound, he created the advantage. He could have easily kind of floated, and he didn't. He turned and got over the top. It was a high-level shot. He's capable of that.

I'm glad he put what he's been practicing into the game. He's worked hard for this moment. You can tell, he was smiling when he walked in here. He was already trying to get in the cold tub. He's never been out here before. He's ready to rehab. He didn't know you get a chance to talk to media. It's cool to see his heart and competitiveness put into the game.” 

Texas Tech was able to put it all together in the end against Akron and they will need to bottle up their second half effort for their Round of 32 Matchup. The Red Raiders will take on Alabama on Sunday in the Round of 32, two programs which battled in-season adversity and are looking to keep those struggles in the past.

UConn Tips Cap to Red Storm; Dream of Another March Meeting With SJU Remains

By Pete Janny

In Saturday’s Big East Championship Game, Dan Hurley’s UConn squad was dominated in a way that no one is accustomed to seeing. It was shades of last season, but to an even worse degree. The night started with so much hope, only to end with a 72-52 loss, which was the worst since the 18-point defeat to Dayton last season in UConn’s disastrous Maui experience.

Eleven first-half turnovers against a Zuby Ejiofor-led St. John’s team could have easily been a death sentence right then and there. However, St. John’s only led 40-27 at halftime thanks to a late cold stretch for the Johnnies. That offensive funk carried over into the second half until St. John’s eventually knocked UConn off their horse for good, sending Dan Hurley and the Huskies home with a dreadful 33.9 percent shooting night to boot.

On Saturday night, a couple of recurring themes resurfaced for UConn, which they will look to iron out against No. 15 Furman on Friday night in Philadelphia. Turnovers (17) and cold three-point shooting (3-19 3FG) came back to bite. Lazy transition defense and poor guard play were on display at the worst time, doing very little to assuage the pressure Tarris Reed Jr. felt down low by Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins. There were early foul woes, which led to 11 first-half free throws for a Johnnies team that has heavily relied on getting to the line all year. And lastly, Braylon Mullins, Silas Demary Jr., and Solo Ball combining for 4-22 (18.1%) from the field was the prototypical death knell in this one.

The trio of Ejiofor, Dylan Darling, and Bryce Hopkins closed this game with a bang for St. John’s, without any final rebuttals down the stretch from UConn.

Reed was clearly outplayed, but didn’t have much help. As good as Eric Reibe is offensively, and as good as he will be in Storrs going forward, he is a liability right now defensively, especially up against a lethal frontcourt. For now, that reality limits his usage in high-stakes NCAA Tournament games.

Instead of making adjustments accordingly, the Huskies struggled to adjust to the physicality inside and had no three-point attack to solve St. John’s defense. The defensive switches, especially in the first half, overwhelmed UConn. Moreover, every St. John’s starter had a positive plus-minus, and every UConn starter had a negative one. 

THE DRAW

Hurley talked about starting anew as the pressure builds to avoid another letdown in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies, if things turn right for them, still look like a Sweet 16 team at the minimum. If they could get further, a potential rematch with No. 4 St. John’s looms in the Elite 8 if a couple of breaks occur along the way, including No. 1 Duke losing. The Bracketeer’s Rocco Miller successfully projected the Huskies as a worthy two-seed ahead of the Selection Show. 

UConn was assigned the 2-Seed in the East as expected, beginning the dance in Philadelphia. UConn will face a surging Furman team out of the SoCon in the opener. The Huskies are looking at a potential 2nd Round matchup vs. Mick Cronin’s improved UCLA squad or a tenacious UCF team, which plays scrappily around the rim.

HURLEY ON ST. JOHN’S

In tipping his cap to the opponent, Hurley praised Ejiofor, the player and leader, who he watched drop 18 points, nine rebounds, and seven blocks in the biggest game of his career to date. That jaw-dropping block total is a program record in Big East Tournament play. 

“I have no idea how he’s not mocking as a first-rounder,” Hurley said of the Big East Player of the Year. “He can guard 1-5…he’s like Al Horford when he was at Florida.”

Deep down, Hurley knows certain things will need to change if the Huskies want to have another chance at Ejiofor and St. John’s. Or, if not, whoever else they would meet with a Final Four berth on the line. 

HURLEY’S SELECTION SHOW THOUGHTS

Johnnies Dominate UConn to earn Big East Title, facing Northern Iowa Next

By Robert Lastella

Maybe it was playing like starving dogs, or possibly a little bit of Coke Butter Cheese, but whatever it was, St John’s found the recipe to success in the Big East Championship against UConn. 

From the opening tip, the Johnnies once again asserted themselves as the more dominating team. Although UConn made a second-half run which brought it within seven, St. John’s did what they needed to do and bounced back mid-game, ultimately going on to knock off UConn 72-52. 

Just over two weeks ago, UConn handed St. John’s a brutal 72-40 beatdown, and tonight it was the Johnnies who handed UConn a clobbering. According to Rick Pitino, this game wasn’t about revenge; it was another example of his Johnnies continually getting better, something that has been on display throughout the season. 

“We never mentioned revenge, because we have so much respect for Connecticut. We just talked about a championship. This is a championship. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. It’s a championship at stake. You guys get a chance to be a part of history. It’s another night to get better and improve, and we did. We improved, every single game we got better,” Pitino said. 

“Remember, we were struggling. Came back against Xavier, came back against Butler, came back against Seton Hall. We’re always trailing, and we came out. The ball went up in three straight nights, and we didn’t relent at all, and that’s a great sign offensively and a great sign defensively.” 

Zuby Ejiofor once again led Saint John’s with 18 points; he wasn’t alone. Bryce Hopkins also added 18, Oziayah Sellers finished with 14, Dillon Mitchell added nine, and Dylan Darling chipped in eight, giving the Johnnies a team effort that the Huskies didn’t have the firepower to match. 

While Ejiofor is certainly talented enough to carry the load offensively for St. John’s, when teams adjust and slow him down, that can lead to problems for the Johnnie offense. Tonight, that wasn’t an issue, as from the jump, St.John’s was able to get diverse scoring across the board. 

Defensively, Saint John’s made things difficult for UConn, which slowed down their offense. With the Johnnies getting scoring in droves and the Huskies struggling to put it in the basket, the game slowly started to get away from UConn. 

The offense opened up right away for Saint John’s, and according to Bryce Hopkins, the team looks to play off of Ejiofor, but when they can all score, it makes them hard to stop. 

“We know what Zuby brings to the table, and we all play off of that. But you know, once when everybody else is clicking as well, I feel like we're just that much harder to guard. You know, everybody's building their confidence when they see shots following. And you know, it just means a lot for all of us. You know, just go out there and have extreme confidence,” Hopkins said.

For the second consecutive season, St. John’s is a Big East champion, and this year they will be looking to turn the momentum from their championship into a deeper tournament run. A year ago, St. John’s flamed out in the second round of the NCAA tournament after a tough loss to Arkansas, a game in which their offense struggled to find rhythm. 

Over the past two games, St. John’s has dealt with cold stretches where their offense struggles to find a way to put the ball in the basket. While those stretches allowed both Seton Hall and UConn to cut their respective deficits to single digits, the Johnnies were able to recover, find their offense, and pull out the victory. 

Zuby Ejiofor remembers the heartbreak St John’s experienced a year ago, and while that certainly was detrimental at the time, that is now in the past, and according to Ejiofor, the only way to approach this tournament run will be taking it day by day. 

“Carry the momentum that we have, with this tournament, to the NCAA Tournament. But, you know, all you can do is just approach every day in the best way possible. Practice, compete at a high level like a champion we are, and we wait to see who our next opponent is. We’re just going to enjoy this one tonight and regroup,” Ejiofor said. 

We found out on Sunday that St. John’s will take on Northern Iowa in a 5-12 matchup in San Diego, with the winner facing Kansas or California Baptist.

Three Years ago, Rick Pitino set out on a journey to bring St. John’s back to the levels of its once storied past, and he has now brought the Big East Championship back to Queens in consecutive seasons. 

Pitino has seen a lot during his storied career, and he is undoubtedly knowledgeable about the history of the St. John’s program. Former Knicks point guard and St. John’s legend Mark Jackson was in attendance for the Saint John’s championship run, and his presence was a treat for Pitino. 

Jackson played for Pitino with the Knicks, and he represents an era of St John’s that Pitino is trying to get the program back to. According to Pitino, tonight’s championship put the program in a position to return to its once storied heights. 

“I had a big treat, because every time I step on the floor of Madison Square Garden, I think of something that has happened in my lifetime, and last night, I drafted a local product from St John's Bishop, Mark Jackson, and he was here at the game. He was my rookie of the year, second year major all-star team,” Pitino said. 

“So it was such a thrill for me, because it brought back so many incredible memories of him flying a plane every time we scored into the press, and to have mark here means a lot to me, because it's the past, and now we fast forward to the present, and there's so much history with St John's, and we brought it all Back in three years, not only with a high ranking, but the first time in history to school to win back to back regular season back to back tournaments.”

The Johnnies are back, and they will look to continue their resurgence in the NCAA tournament, with a goal of making it to the second weekend and beyond, something they were unable to do a year ago.

No time for Cinderella: Only Giants Can Spar on Championship Saturday

By Pete Janny

A large contingent of fans wanted to simply fast-forward to Saturday’s Big East Championship Game. Before they could, the UConn Huskies had to first beat Georgetown. That they did, cruising to a 67-51 victory to set up the much-anticipated trilogy tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. ET.

UConn was by no means dominant early on, but was vaulted by 20 points from Braylon Mullins, who had his best performance since scoring 25 in the loss to Creighton close to a month ago. The former Indiana Mr. Basketball struggled with his three–point shot in the first half before making up for it in a big way from the mid-range and in transition. He finished this game with 21 points on 8-17 shooting and did his part defensively. 

With the Huskies ahead by 10 in the final minute of the first half, UConn got out in transition off one of Tarris Reed’s vicious blocks that led to an outlet pass to Alex Karaban, who then set up Mullins for a smooth drive and finish. It was poetry in motion for a team that has the potential to play faster but is nonetheless superior when working out of its advanced half-court sets. 

Over the course of this game, Georgetown was mired by lackadaisical turnovers, and those problems were compounded by 2-16 (13%) shooting from three. Malik Mack had the massive challenge of facing off with Silas Demary Jr., and struggled against the Huskies’ primary defensive stopper. Georgetown’s half-court struggles went off the tracks even more when it thought it had an opening once Reed hit the bench with his first foul before the Under-12 media timeout. Once Reed returned, Georgetown was greeted by a couple of vicious blocks from one of UConn’s three First Team All-BIG EAST selections. The Huskies would take a 32-21 lead into the locker room.

What shouldn’t be lost on anyone is how brilliant a job UConn did of finding the open man and setting up their shooters. Four second-half threes during the early-to-mid stages of the second half were huge, contributing to a 12-32 (38%) showing from deep. When Reed Jr. was forced yet again to hit the bench due to picking up his fourth, Eric Reibe (8 points on 4-5 shooting) did a stellar job giving UConn production in Reed Jr.'s stead. 

In addition to UConn’s defense and three-point shooting, the other attributes that make the Huskies look more and more like the top 5 team Hurley identifies them as are assists and bench production. UConn received 36 points off the bench in its two Big East Tournament games, and baked 21 assists into 28 made field goals, which is not too shabby for the 8th-best assist team in the land. 

“We’re not an upstart or an underdog story,” Hurley bluntly declared. “When you’re UConn, there’s a different level of pressure going into these championship moments where it’s like, expected. We don’t get the benefit of being the underdog. We’ve earned a 29-4 position. We’ve been one of the top five college basketball teams the whole year.”

And with that said, the Huskies have earned a third date with St. John’s, the match-up that evokes nasty thoughts that are ever so slightly tempered by a mutual respect that lives deep down inside. The 32-point shellacking that UConn dealt St. John's is still fresh in the minds of every person who follows the sport. Clearly, St. John’s has a chip on their shoulder despite one-upping UConn for the regular season title and winning the first meeting at MSG, 81-72. 

The stakes include a potential ninth Big East Tournament Championship for UConn that would break a tie with Georgetown. On the other hand, St. John’s seeks its first time winning back-to-back Big East Tournaments a year after breaking its 25-year drought of not winning one.

Rick Pitino vs. Dan Hurley. St. John’s vs. UConn. Two of the most storied original Big East programs. The plot is about to thicken in March. Let’s buckle up.  

Red Storm Adopt "Starving Dogs" Mentality in Semifinal Win over The Hall

By Robert Lastella

The Semifinal Friday at the Big East tournament is known for fireworks. In game one of the doubleheader between St. John’s and Seton Hall, the Johnnies– according to Rick Pitino– “Came out like starving dogs ready to play.” 

From the opening tip, St. John’s was the more physically dominating squad, scoring their first 20 points of the game in the paint, and although Seton Hall made a late push, it was ultimately the Johnnies who relied on their physicality to finish off the Pirates by a final of 78-68. 

While the St. John’s offense fluctuated at times in this one, Pitino believes they relied on their principles, and in the end, the intensity they came out of the gates with paid off. 

“We wanted, we've gotten people in foul trouble the whole season by creating movement and going inside first, and Zuby, he only made one bad play at the end. He gave me half the ball. Gotta go score or look to pass it, outside of that, he’s great going back door. They all look for him. So our offense works inside to out, and when you do that, you're going to get fouled. So it was a great performance offensively tonight,” Pitino said. 

From the very jump, St. John’s made it clear they were going to attack the paint with a sense of purpose that permeated throughout the contest. Zuby Ejiofor led the Johnnies, finishing with 20 points and 5 rebounds, becoming the first Big East player since Kemba Walker in 2011 to score 20 points in 4 consecutive tournament games, per John Fanta of NBC Sports. 

The Paint attack was critical for St. John’s; however, Seton Hall was able to adjust and began to limit entry passes, which slowed down the Johnnie offense. Saint John’s needed a threat from deep, and they found one in the form of Joson Sanon, who finished with 15 points on 3-5 shooting from beyond the arc, also getting fouled on a triple and converting a 4-point play. 

Sanon’s 15 points were one off his season high of 16, and although St. John’s used a physical approach at times, his three-point presence played a major factor in the offensive game plan for the Johnnies. 

According to Sanon, his shot tonight was “coke butter cheese,” something that bewildered Pitino upon hearing, but somehow made sense and fit perfectly to describe the effort Sanon provided. According to Pitino, he believes Sanon is one of the Johnnies’ most physically gifted players, and his effort against Seton Hall was a mix of that talent, combined with growth. 

“Joson’s physically the most talented ballplayer on the team.. He's only going to grow. He made a big-time play down the stretch defensively, and he's grown as a defensive player, and that's exciting, because he's so much better defensively. He's so much better doing other things, but he is a cold-blooded shooter… okay Coke Butter,” Pitino said. 

There were times in this game where it looked like St. John’s might falter, as Seton Hall looked to mount a ferocious comeback after they found themselves down by nearly 20 points in the

second half. Seton Hall trailed 55-36 with 9:56 to play. Over the next 6 minutes, things began to change. 

The Pirates went on a 20-9 run during that time, holding the Johnnies to just 2 made field goals, and with 4:41 to play, they found themselves down by just 6, 62-56. Budd Clark did his best to will Seton Hall back into it, finishing with a team-high 17 points and 11 assists; however, in the end, the Johnnies slowed him down and finished off the Pirates down the stretch. 

St. John’s has battled adversity throughout their season, and in their game against Seton Hall, that was no different. As they have throughout the year, they adapted and overcame their struggles. According to Dillon Michell, the Johnnies have learned throughout the year how to play with a lead, and tonight that came into play in a big way. 

“I think we've been through a lot early on in the season. One of the hardest things, like Coach has said to me, is playing with a lead, and that's something we've learned from, we don't want to get to a position where we're down 15, like we have against, you know, Xavier and Seton Hall, and trying to fight back,” Mitchell said. 

“So it's just staying level-headed as a team coming together. And it really starts with off-the-court stuff for us, just hanging out all the time, chatting, and just being together. It really helps on the court. So when we get to those positions, we know to trust each other and have each other's back.” 

Saturday’s Championship will give St. John’s a chance to win back-to-back Big East tournaments for the first time in its history. There is no definitive way to know if a program has returned to the caliber of its once storied past, and while the championship game could allow the Johnnies to make history, Pitino acknowledges there are levels to the success this program has had. 

“And these guys, you know what? They don't understand, because they're young. They're very proud of their accomplishments. But what they don't realize is that St John's in the 60s, 70s, and 80s dominated the East Coast. It was a dominant basketball team from Laphick to Carnesecca that dominated, and then they hibernated like a bear for a while. These guys got them out of hibernation, but Dillon and Jonson don’t realize how good St John's was back in the day. They were a great, great basketball team. They dominated the East Coast.” Pitino said. 

The Johnnies will look to make history at 6:30 PM EST on Saturday and will meet UConn in the Championship game, a matchup which will decide what is currently a 1-1 season series split.

Big East Charter Members Take Center Stage

By Pete Janny

St. John’s Further Cements Themselves As March Darkhorse

Top-seeded St. John’s posted an 85-71 victory over 9-seeded Providence in the first leg of their title defense. It was all hands on deck for the Johnnies, who crashed the glass with authority and got the better of the Friars in transition. 

St. John’s led 48-27 at halftime, capitalizing on a lack of concentration for Providence in getting back in transition. The defensive end clearly wasn’t a strength for Providence this season, and losing Oswin Erhumswunse to two fouls early didn’t help. St. John’s inside presence was too much to handle en route to a plus-21 advantage on the boards and 46 points in the paint. 

Zuby Ejiofor made all the right reads in this one and showed why Wednesday’s major conference announcements were no fluke. Ejiofor was halfway toward a double-double not even 12 minutes in, and 11 points from Bryce Hopkins in the first half was more than enough as the Johnnies played bully ball. 

Stefan Vaaks’ freshman campaign came to an end with 23 points on five more threes. After the freshman stud helped Providence dig itself out of a 15-point deficit in the first half on Wednesday, the St. John’s defense contained him early and dared other Friars to step up. The trio of Vaaks, Jaylin Sellers, and Ryan Pela still combined for 60, but the two main focuses for St. John’s were not letting the Friars get out in transition and beat them from three. A day after hitting 14 threes, Providence was limited to 5/14 from deep on Thursday. 

“We played awesome defense tonight, especially the first half, which was as good as we played all year,” said St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino.

Ian Jackson was steady off the bench for the Red Storm with 14 points in 19 minutes. He remains a necessary spark for St. John’s off the bench and adds another dimension athletically to an already physically gifted team. St. John’s is at their best with Jackson and Dillon Mitchell running and gunning while Hopkins and Ejiofor look to set the tone inside. 

On Friday at 5:30 p.m., St. John’s will face a far stiffer offensive test against Seton Hall, as opposed to KenPom’s 177th-ranked defense it faced on Wednesday. According to Bracketeer’s Rocco Miller, St. John’s likely sits on the 4 or 5-Seed line if they can cut down the nets at MSG on Saturday night.

Seton Hall Keeps Bid Hopes Alive 

Seton Hall’s NCAA Tournament hopes may be hanging by a thread, although they did live to see another day after defeating 5-seeded Creighton, 72-61. 

Leading Creighton 33-26 at halftime, Seton Hall needed to overcome a 14-4 Bluejays run early in the second half that saw Greg McDermott’s team take a 40-37 lead with 14:56 left. However, few Big East teams can turn defense into offense like the Pirates can. With Seton Hall guarding for their lives in the second half, the offense was able to find its groove behind 16 surprise points from Dar, while Budd Clark ran the show and got to the rim with ease. Additionally, the Pirates were able to add 20 free throws on 26 attempts—with every one mattering in a win-or-go-home game.

The offensive execution for the Pirates was surgical for sustained stretches, as Creighton didn’t have the quickness to keep Seton Hall’s best athletes out of the lane. The memorable performance from the Rice transfer Dar included hitting a pair of threes, which were only his fifth and sixth of the season. If the Pirates can take home the title in less than two days, Dar’s quarterfinal performance against Creighton will live in the annals of the Seton Hall program. 

On Thursday, the Seton Hall fans were treated to a couple of alley oops that rightfully got them fired up. Oftentimes, Clark was the man responsible for those, including linking up with Dar on a pretty feed that made it a 10-point game with just under two minutes remaining.

“People counted out Budd because he’s small,” said Seton Hall head coach Shaheen Holloway. “He has things you can’t teach.”

Despite a ton of flaws across many bubble teams, Seton Hall is still one team that needs to do more than less to get in, which, in this case, translates to winning the Big East to earn the auto-bid. There is no clear path to an at-large, according to Bracketeer’s Rocco Miller. 

#4 Seton Hall will look to stay alive when it faces #1 St. John’s tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. ET. 

For now, UConn Meets Eye Test As Top Seed 

UConn or Florida is the common debate among many for the first seed. On Thursday evening, the Huskies kept that thought alive with a 93-68 wire-to-wire blowout victory over #10 Xavier. 

The Huskies moved the ball effectively to find the open man, leading to productive target practice from all over the floor. At the Under-8 media timeout, the Huskies led 31-18, as Tarris Reed Jr. further extended his dominance in the paint while the guards were superb. 

UConn led 50-30 at halftime, and set the tone with a +11 rebounding margin in the first half. UConn’s biggest lead was 25, which ultimately became the final margin in this one. In the postgame presser, Xavier head coach Richard Pitino highlighted the poor match-up this game was for Xavier, who lost to UConn by 32 back in February. 

This was “bulletproof basketball” for UConn in every sense of Dan Hurley’s definition. The Huskies defended, rebounded, and scored from all over to move one game closer to winning the Big East Tournament Championship and putting the nightmare at Marquette behind them for good. 

The Huskies will get one last chance at a Quad 1 victory if they meet St. John’s in the title game, potentially setting themselves up with even greater merits on Selection Sunday. First, it must withstand a hot Georgetown team when both teams meet in the semifinals at 8 p.m. on Friday. 

“Don’t forget who we are,” Hurley said after the game. “We’re a top 5 team in the country. We just haven’t had anything to show for it yet.”

Georgetown Flirting With The Unthinkable; Villanova Still Okay To Dance

Even to put themselves in position to be in a position to win a Big East Championship is an incredible achievement for #11 Georgetown. The Hoyas are standing proud after eliminating #3 Villanova from the Big East Tournament in the last quarterfinals match-up on Thursday. Shades of Patrick Ewing’s magical run?

Backed by a strong contingent of fans at MSG, the Hoyas used a 10-2 run in the second half to take command of the proceedings, leading 61-51 at the Under-8. Georgetown kept its foot on the gas from there and walked away with 46 points combined from Julius Halaifonua, Malik Mack, and Kayvaun Mulready.

Mulready, for one, looks like a whole new player for a Georgetown team peaking at the right time. After testing the portal last offseason only to return, Mulready (14 points on 3/3 shooting from deep)  channeled a killer instinct during a personal 8-0 run that included back-to-back threes from right around the same spot on the wing. Georgetown led 67-53 with 5:32 left.

Halaifonua (21 points, 10 rebounds) picked up the torch from Vince Iwuchukwu, who was the hero in Wednesday night’s game against DePaul. The 21 points for Halaifonua were his most since posting the same amount in the Big East opener at Marquette in December.  

The main difference in this game was rebounding, as the reckless abandonment of a Hoyas team with nothing to lose posted a 42-19 advantage on the boards. Duke Brennan and the Wildcats were simply outmanned in that fight. 

The Hoyas’ defensive stylings these last two games rendered an average scoring defense of 60-points-per game. That intensity has been apparent all the way from the start to the end, with Georgetown's five players checking in, and could be a differentiator for Georgetown when it faces UConn on Friday at 8 p.m. Ed Cooley’s team played UConn tight in the first two meetings, losing by a combined six points without anything material to show for it. Entering Friday, no prize has been won yet, but a real belief still emanates from the Georgetown locker room that cannot be denied. It all starts with their head coach. 

“People have talked about how long it’s been since an 11 seed has made the semifinals. We’re here, we’re present, and we’ll see how far we can go from there.”

Lower Seeds Rule Big East Tournament Day One

By Pete Janny

#9 Providence Tops #8 Butler 91-81

#9 Providence erupted for 51 points in the second half to take down #8 Butler, 91-81, in the opening game at the Big East Tournament. Freshman Stefan Vaaks posted a career-high 28 points on 8-13 shooting from deep to catapult the 15-17 Friars. 

At the U8 of the first half, Providence faced a 29-16 deficit before answering with eight straight points. Vaaks bridged that with five more points, giving him a personal 8-0 run that cut the Providence deficit to five with 4:37 left. The Friars closed the half strong behind seven more points down the stretch from Ryan Mela, tying the game at 38 with 1:39 left in the half. The halftime scoreline stood at 42-40 in favor of Butler, who received 16 points and eight boards from Gonzaga transfer Michael Ajayi across the opening 20. 

Providence continued to attack Butler defenders coming out of halftime. Trailing by one yet again, Providence mustered 10 consecutive points—back-to-back threes from Vaaks and Jaylin Sellers, and two more baskets from Mela and Sellers—to take a 61-52 lead. Lack of perimeter guarding in this game freed up both teams down low, but Providence also hit enough threes to keep their foot on the gas. The Friars finished 14-27 (52%) from three.

“We’re a high possession team, so a 16-point deficit wasn’t the end of the world,” said Providence head coach Kim English, whose team trailed 15-2 and 27-11. “Our team showed great resolve, great togetherness to find a way to win. 

Having Vaaks was the main catalyst. His three-point shooting justified his team’s belief. The 6’7” Estonian tied Matt Carlino’s record of eight threes in a Big East Tournament game. Two of them came inside the final three minutes to help seal the Friar victory. 

Like Vaaks, Sellers was brilliant. Providence’s leading scorer at 18.1 points per game poured in 19 of his 23 points after halftime. Sellers also added seven rebounds and shot 3-7 from deep.

Michael Ajayi was nowhere near the player he was in the first half, which was a credit to Providence’s defensive improvement. Finley Bizjack turned it on late for Butler, but it wasn’t enough for a Bulldogs team that only shot 5-17 (29%) from three-point range.

Providence (15-17, 7-13 Big East) punches its ticket to the quarterfinals round, where it will play #1 St. John’s (25-6, 18-2 Big East) at 12 p.m. ET on Thursday.

#10 Xavier Defeats #7 Marquette, 89-87

This game started how it ended, with points from walking highlight-reel Tre Carroll. The Xavier senior entered Wednesday’s game fresh off a hip injury sustained last week against Seton Hall, and was vital in holding off Marquette after the Golden Eagles made 7-0 and 6-0 second-half runs to stay in it. Ultimately, in the final minute, Carroll’s clutch spin move and finish—and block on the other end—helped seal the 89-87 win.

“That bucket is the one we’ve relied on all season,” Xavier head coach Richard Pitino said of Carroll’s clutch maneuver. “The spin in the lane, the great touch…it was great to have him back.”

A series of lead changes in the early stages of the second half saw Xavier emerge with the lead for good, 49-48, with 14:46 left to play. Marquette did everything it could to cut the deficit to one possession several times late. Royce Parnham was superb with 22 points and nine rebounds, and Big East Rookie of the Year Nigel James Jr. turned it on late to finish with 18 points to go along with seven assists. 

Xavier led by as much as 10 in the first half before an 8-0 run by Marquette closed them to within two at 29-27. Milicevic was 3-3 from long range in the first half, but Marquette’s ability to find its stroke late in the half helped tie the halftime score at 38.

Marquette had a costly stretch midway through the second half, with a few turnovers that spoiled an otherwise strong second half. Roddy Anderson III played a role in disrupting Marquette on both ends, while helping Carroll get his touches in transition. The immediate thought on the Marquette loss is that Shaka Smart’s young team ends its season with plenty of lessons learned.

For Xavier, it lives to see another day behind 21 points from Jovan Milicevic and 18 apiece from Malik Messina-Moore and Carroll. The ‘X’ meets #2 UConn tomorrow at 7 p.m. 

“Proud of these guys, but we know we have to get some rest because we have a tough one tomorrow.”

#11 Georgetown Beats #6 DePaul 63-56

It looked like this game would never amount to anything exciting early on. Both teams opened a combined 3-12 from the field, with DePaul opening up an underwhelming 9-4 lead by the 14:25 mark of the first half. However, despite not holding a single lead in the first half, Georgetown would erase a 24-21 halftime deficit with the brush of a 14-4 run to begin the second half. The Hoyas took care of business the rest of the way, ending DePaul’s season by way of a 63-56 result.

The second half was the Vince Iwuchukwu show. The former St. John’s player showed off his evolving offensive game while serving as an effective rim protector on the other end. Not known for his three-point shooting, Iwuchukwu stepped out to hit two three-pointers in this game for only his fifth and sixth triples of the year. 

Georgetown took control of this game thanks to a combination of Iwuchuku, a more uptempo pace of play, and a plus-12 margin on the boards. With Malik Mack settling in nicely after a poor first half, Georgetown had more legs under it to do the things it wanted off the dribble and feed Iwuchukwu (17 points, 14 rebounds) in the post. After only attempting two free throws in the first half, Georgetown attempted 16 in the second half, and went on to shoot 16-18 (89%) for the game from the charity stripe. 

The only real scare DePaul posed in the second half came in the form of back-to-back threes from Kruz McClure that cut the Georgetown lead to 44-42 with 6:35 left. The Blue Demons came into this game with a road warrior mindset, having won their last three games away from Wintrust Arena. On Wednesday night, the 82nd-ranked team on KenPom ended that streak. 

Ahead by six with 3:02 left, Iwuchukwu got the Georgetown faithful on its feet with a putback dunk on a missed three from Caleb Williams. During Georgetown’s current two-game winning streak, Iwuchukwu has averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds. It’s a development to keep an eye on going into tomorrow night’s meeting with #3 Villanova set to tip off at 9:30 p.m. 

“We’re just taking it each game, each play at a time,” Malik Mack said after the game. “It’s a big opportunity in front of us, and to win these games for the University is something we look forward to doing.”

Wagner Stuns Central Connecticut in NEC Quarters

By Pete Janny

While Wagner started to find its flow on Wednesday night, interim head coach Dwan McMillan catalyzed with his unbridled energy and passion under the microscope of the biggest game of his young coaching career. The Seahawks took no prisoners in an emphatic second-half performance that helped produce a 70-60 result over 2-seeded Central Connecticut State University. With the win, Wagner clinched its spot in the NEC semifinals, where it will face #1 Long Island University on Saturday in Brooklyn. 

In a hostile environment that was mostly silenced in the second half, Wagner was able to separate itself with the type of defensive effort that would be hard to surpass this time of year. Zavier Fitch had the assignment on CCSU star Darrin Smith Jr., holding the NEC’s leading scorer to just three field goal makes in the second half after he had an explosive first half with 18 points. 

Overall, McMillan heaped praise on his unit for their consistency on the defensive end, which speaks volumes of this group’s connectivity. The team’s collective mindset on that end of the floor stumped the Blue Devils into a paltry 25 points in the second half. 

“We did a really good job following the game plan to a tee,” said junior guard John Awoke, who supplied a team-high 18 points on 4-7 shooting from three. “Our coaching did a really good job making adjustments, and it worked.” 

The second half adjustments included keeping CCSU off the three-point line. After allowing six threes in the first half, Wagner shut out the Blue Devils in that category over the last 20 minutes, ultimately helping spell the home team’s demise. 

“They want to defend,” McMillan said adamantly. “And we believed we could do it.” 

Wagner also won this game by establishing an edge inside, which translated to a 34-28 advantage for points in the paint. Binael Basil was brilliant on both ends of the floor and finished with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and two blocks. His rejection late in the second half on a dunk attempt by James Jones was another statement that further drained the life out of the CCSU fans. 

Additionally, Awoke and Nick Jones displayed a ton of guts while torching CCSU from the mid-range and deep. The duo was clutch on their way to finishing with a combined tally of 35 points on 10-20 field goals and 6-9 three-pointers. Jones is still just a sophomore, but is an example of the newfound maturity in this team, which has a chance to sneak back into the NCAA Tournament if it could win two more games. 

“Guys have been ascending with maturity, and got adjusted to the physicality,” McMillan said. “The connectivity is at a high level.” 

After a 1-11 start from the field in this game, Wagner recovered nicely on the fly and even led for small stretches in the first half. However, it was CCSU that ended the first half on a high note, with Smith Jr. pouring in eight straight to help establish a four-point halftime lead.

Things shifted coming out of the locker room for the second half. Looking for Smith Jr. to carry them, CCSU didn’t receive nearly enough from others to get the job done—a total reversal from the Blue Devils’ prior two wins this season over Wagner, each by a margin of seven points. Wednesday night was one of those nights where too many clean looks didn’t fall against a team like Wagner that can physically wear you down. 

All things considered, Patrick Sellers once again put the Blue Devils in a position for a favorable path in March. However, the last three seasons have each ended with a home loss, including the 2024 NEC semis against Wagner, which, 10 days later, won an NCAA Tournament game against Howard. 

Ironically, the same result played out on Wednesday night.

On the other hand, a young team has decisively chosen to fight for an interim coach who was thrust into the spotlight amid the controversy over Donald Copeland. What began as a huge work in progress on Staten Island produced its first thrilling production on Wednesday night. Wagner lives to see another day, while CCSU’s hopes are crushed. Call it just another day in March. 


Duke Displays Toughness In Marquee Win Over Michigan

Photo by Christian Proscia

By Robert Lastella

Resiliency is a trait that can’t be taught and must be acquired, and while Duke has faced adversity at points this season, they have certainly been able to weather the storm. 

Saturday night in the nation's capital was no different, as #3 Duke faced off against #1 Michigan and fought off a pesky Wolverine squad 68-63.

Michigan came out of the gates with an early boost from Yaxel Lendeborg; the second half was all Blue Devils, as they discombobulated the Michigan offense, holding them to 28% from the field in the final stanza. 

Photo by Christian Proscia

In an environment that felt like a Final Four-like, Duke made the necessary adjustments to slow down what had started as a very efficient offense for Michigan. While the halftime adjustments were critical, the Blue Devils were able to complement them by doing all of the little things with a high amount of effort. 

Duke outrebounded Michigan 41-28, including 9 offensive rebounds in the second half, which turned into an 18-11 advantage in second-chance points. The Blue Devils were also able to outscore Michigan in the paint 34-24, which made the Wolverines 28% shooting from beyond the arc a much bigger factor. 

While the sky was briefly falling after a loss to arch rival North Carolina, Duke has now rattled off 4 wins in a row and has taken down the number one team in the nation. According to Duke Coach Jon Scheyer, the growth is evident, and a win like tonight is something that is translatable to an NCAA tournament situation. 

“I see the growth, you know, I see the connectivity on defense, I see the plays they're making on offense, how to win in Marc,h and how to win going forward. And that's the biggest thing that I saw.” Scheyer. 

Overall, on the evening, it was a diverse effort for Duke, who saw four players finish in double figures; however, as the story has gone throughout the season, Cameron Boozer stole the show. Boozer finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, and he played the final 8:42 with 4 fouls. 

When Duke needed a bucket, Boozer got it for the Blue Devils. When they needed physical defense at the rim without a foul, he gave it to them. Boozer made his case to be considered the top freshman in college basketball with his performance tonight, doing a little bit of everything, while showing a veteran level of poise to play over 8 minutes without committing a foul. 

While some freshmen would be daunted if they had only one foul to give with 8 minutes to play against the number one team in the country in front of 20,000 people, Boozer was ready for the moment and knew exactly what needed to be done. 

“It is not difficult (to commit a foul), I came in with about four minutes left, having four fouls, that's not something you can think about at that time. Obviously, Michigan is a physical team; if you don’t match that physicality and take it up a notch, it is going to hurt you,” Boozer said.

Jon Scheyer has seen a lot of talent come through the Cameron Indoor Stadium doors, but a night like tonight, where a freshman can find a way to play the game exactly as it needed to be played, still impresses him. 

“He has done it before, I am not surprised by it. Of course, it is impressive. In that moment, I'm sure he understands too. There is a balance. I thought he made a big point, you can’t just play where you have four fouls and not give resistance, he did an amazing job of playing defense while also being smart,” Scheyer said. 

Duke went on a 10-game win streak following their first loss to Texas Tech, and now it is on a four-game win streak after their loss to UNC. This team has found a way to learn from its mistakes, and it has put them in a position to be a serious contender by the time the NCAA tournament comes around. 

Photo by Christian Proscia

While they should certainly celebrate this win and the position they are in, Scheyer is a perfectionist who knows he will find something his squad needs to improve upon prior to their next game against Notre Dame. 

“A good part about me, and a big flaw, you know, of who I am, I'll watch tonight, and think there's a lot that we could have done better, and I think that's a good thing. And that doesn't diminish, though, how proud I am of our team. I think we still can get a lot better, but I think we've done that. I think this was just the next step, in order to prove that to show it. And the thing that I loved about these guys, you know, we've had some really cool wins this year. They don't relax, they're not satisfied either. And so it makes it really easy for us as a coaching staff to meet with them, talk to them, figure out how we can keep taking the steps and elevate it,” Scheyer said.

Duke will look to elevate over the final few weeks of the season, potentially back as the #1 team in the country, as after tonight, they leave Washington D.C. with the feeling that they can beat any team in the nation.

Photo by Christian Proscia

VIDEO RECAP

NJIT still has path to rewarding March despite loss to UAlbany

By Pete Janny

There were a lot of empty seats at games in the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center just two seasons ago, when Grant Billmeier took over a massive rebuilding project at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. A lot has happened since then for the Highlanders, who were blessed to have Tariq Francis leave his eternal mark before departing for Rutgers this past offseason after two seasons in Newark.

But even with their ex-star no longer around, head coach Grant Billmeier has had to adapt on the fly, trusting a “out with old, in with the new” mentality, which has made the last two disappointing seasons feel like a distant past.

Even after falling at home to UAlbany, 81-63, on Thursday evening, NJIT dropped to an impressive 15-3 overall with a 10-3 mark in America East play. That would’ve looked like a horrible typo only a few months ago, but today it speaks volumes of the impact Billmeier has made with his high expectations and championship pedigree. 

“It’s a really connected group,” a positive Billmeier said after the defeat on Thursday. “Opponents have had to gameplan for everyone in our starting line-up, and we’ve been good offensively and with rebounding up until tonight.” 

Freshman guard David Bolden has had to step up in the wake of Francis’s departure and has been a fearless presence for this upstart operation. 

Bolden, like the rest of his teammates, struggled to find a rhythm in Thursday night’s second half that was dictated by UAlbany from start to finish. But before going cold, the Highlanders strutted their offensive talents in a first half during which Bolden showed off his range and junior guard Sebastian Robinson terrorized the Great Danes to the tune of 17 points throughout the opening 20 minutes of action. The Highlanders built a 10-point lead at halftime and seemed destined to cruise to their seventh straight win before Amir Lindsey and the Great Danes emphatically spoiled those plans with their stellar execution coming out of the break.  

Despite the stellar record, the road to this point has been far from easy for the Highlanders, who have had to grow up fast after having to play without Robinson and UMKC transfer Melvyn Ebonkoli early on due to injuries. Both have proven invaluable to the team’s success, with their production and leadership, joining forces with a group of guys who have impressed their coach since the 72-61 opening-night win at Fordham.

“To go in there and win easily versus an Atlantic 10 program with a new coach, and without two of your horses, obviously gives your coach a lot of confidence,” Billmeier said of the steady belief in his young Highlanders. “It showed that we had a chance to have a really competitive season.”  

It still took time to fully gel, considering things were further tested by a challenging non-conference schedule. A loss at Butler on December 22nd sank the Highlanders to 4-9 at the time. Since then, Billmeier and Co. have rattled off 11 wins in their last 15 games, including a stretch of six straight wins before the loss to UAlbany. If NJIT wins all three of its remaining regular-season games, it will be crowned America East Regular Season Champions against all odds. The season finale versus UMBC on March 3rd looms large with the Terriers currently a half-game ahead of the Highlanders for first place. That rematch in Newark will come after UMBC won the first match-up 87-74 last month. 

NJIT hasn’t been crowned regular-season champions since winning the now-defunct Great West Conference back in 2013. Never have the Highlanders appeared in an NCAA Tournament game since first becoming eligible for the Big Dance as a member of Division I back in 2009. NJIT is set to host at least a quarterfinal match-up when the America East Playoffs kick off on March 7th. 

“We tell our guys and remind them why we’ve had success,” Billmeier said. “It’s about being a connected group who plays extremely hard, and it’s a constant reinforcement for us. We show our guys on film that when we play at the level we can, why we are winning.” 

NJIT HC GRANT BILLMEIER POSTGAME VIDEO

Family Feud: St. John's Downs Xavier 87-82 In OT Thriller

By Christian Proscia

New York City, NY. - The lights of college basketball normally shine the brightest across the court of Madison Square Garden, but tonight, there was an additional flare.

The Garden- an arena widely considered as the greatest venue in global athletics, and home to the St. John’s Red Storm- hosted a new spectacle tonight: a duel between father and son on the world’s biggest stage. This episode of Family Feud wasn’t hosted by Steve Harvey, rather it was a Big East matchup between the Red Storm of St. John’s, led by legendary Head Coach Rick Pitino, and the Xavier Musketeers, commanded by another Coach Pitino: Richard, Rick’s son.

SJU G Ian Jackson knifes through the Xavier defensive alignment.

Tonight marked the second matchup between the father and son coaching contest, with Rick’s Red Storm acting as road warriors while defeating the Musketeers on their home court of the Cintas Center (Jan 24, 88-83).

St. John’s was spearheaded by their dynamic front court of F Zuby Ejifor and F Bryce Hopkins. No matter what Xavier schemed defensively, Ejifor would eat away in the paint, recording 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists on 72% true shooting, while being supplemented by an equally impressive 19-point, nine-rebound night from Hopkins.

Throughout the night, St. John’s was able to spark numerous scoring runs thanks to timely shots from G Dylan Darling, who provided a 16-point performance coming off the bench.

As for the Musketeers, Xavier was led by a 21-point, eight-rebound, four-assist showing from F Tre Carroll. Carroll, a Florida Atlantic Grad Transfer, continues to solidify himself as one of the Big East’s best during his 2025-26 breakout campaign.

In a game that was determined by a cerebral coaching chess match between father and son, one aspect of the game ultimately allowed the Johnnies to pull out the overtime win: free throws.

Xavier’s Anthony Robinson made life difficult for the Red Storm. Here is one of his three dunks on the evening.

St. John’s aggressive offensive playstyle helped bait fouls, earning 41 total trips to the stripe this evening. The Johnnies’ aggressiveness kept Xavier on their toes, as the Musket-men faced early foul trouble, inevitably leading to multiple overtime foul-outs. Xavier would record just 17 free throw attempts on the night, as a clear-cut example of their inability to match the aggression of the Red Storm.

Tonight’s victory over the Xavier Musketeers marks Rick Pitino’s 904th Collegiate Coaching Victory, elevating him to 3rd All-Time. This win also marked the 3rd 10 game win streak of the two-year Rick Pitino era of St. John’s basketball. Another notable milestone on the evening came after Xavier’s Tre Carroll scored his 1,000th career point.

Following the game, Coach Rick Pitino was quick to ignore any personal successes in his milestone victory, instead giving the glory to his son:

“I’m really excited for the victory, but I’m more proud of my son, because in two games against them, he totally outcoached me, and his staff outcoached us...We could not stop them and their offense...at the end- all credit goes to Richard, his staff and his players, they’ve outplayed us twice, but we just gutted it out in the final minutes to come away with the victory, which good teams do.”

Coach Rick Pitino would follow up with comments on the versatility of Xavier’s Carroll, and the matchup nightmare he’s caused since Richard got his hands on him this offseason:

“Their Power Forward, Aquaman (Carroll) would come off the screen and take the guard play on pick and roll.....He causes massive problems, he’s like Dylan Mitchell with a jump shot plus 30 pounds, and he creates switches.. He’s got a great soft touch... doesn’t miss those 10-12 foot shots.”

The St. John’s Red Storm now improves to 19-5 on the season, solidifying themselves as the top team in the Big East. The Johnnies now have a much-needed few days off before preparing to travel to Providence this upcoming Saturday (Feb 14). As for Xavier, the Musketeers now fall to 12-12, where they’ll begin preparation for Saturday’s home matchup vs Marquette.

Road Red Storm Stay Perfect

By Robert LaStella

St. John’s experienced ups and downs during their non-conference slate, but they have bounced back during Big East play, and SJU picked up a pivotal win at Villanova on Saturday night. 

It was a back-and-forth affair early on, as the home crowd fueled Villanova and St. John’s carried just a 36-35 lead into the intermission. They quickly changed that during the second half, scoring on 12 of their first 13 possessions and ultimately going on to knock off the Wildcats 86-79 on their home court. 

The Red Storm came out of the break with a jolt of energy during the second half, and while Villanova did their best to combat that with runs of their own, they were never able to complete the comeback. While the offense helped extend their lead and keep the Wildcats at bay, according to St. John’s guard Bryce Hopkins, the offense came as a result of their defense. 

“I feel like it's a testament to our defense and our preparation and practice. I feel like once we really got into our press and we were applying pressure and making them speed up and play fast, that led to some of their turnovers. It allowed us to get out in transition. And I feel like, when we play in transition with all the guys we have and all the talent that we have on this team, it's very hard to stop us in transition,” Hopkins said. 

Ian Jackson, Bryce Hopkins, and HC Rick Pitino meet with the media during postgame. Photo by Ivetta Abramyan.

It was a diverse scoring effort for the Red Storm, as they got 20 points from Hopkins, 18 from Ian Jackson, and 17 from Zuby Ejiofor. At times, Villanova was able to slow down the St. John’s offense, which led to runs that cut the deficit. However, the fact that all three Red Storm stars were scoring at a high level was too much for the Wildcats to overcome. 

It wasn’t a perfect scoring night for the Red Storm, as they struggled with inconsistencies from the free-throw line and from beyond the arc; however, they didn’t let those moments overcome them. Instead, they played through their struggles, turning them into fuel that fueled defensive intensity on the other end of the court. 

Rick Pitino has seen it all during his career, and tonight, he left his team with a simple message, ‘Don’t play not to lose, play to win,’ and they responded to his message, turning offense into defense no matter the outcome of the shot. 

“I think anytime you score, you play better defense. It's what I kept telling them about missed free throws. I said, Look, we've been here before, and we've lost the lead because you get down about a missed free throw. So let's learn from that. Let's get our stops. I kept telling them, don't play, not to lose. Play to win. Keep attacking. Don't play, not to lose. When you're on the road, if you have a fear of them coming back, they get their run, and they win the game. So it was a great win,” Pitino said. 

St. John’s was able to knock off the Wildcats in the end; however, that wasn’t without a valiant effort from Villanova late in the second half, which saw the Red Storm’s lead cut back to within single digits. Tyler Perkins dropped 23 points on 7-12 shooting, and Devin Askew came off the bench with 21 points, and their scoring effort was almost enough to bring Villanova back into this game, but they fell just short. 

Villanova was able to catch fire at times, finishing 11-26 from beyond the arc, yet they were outscored in the paint 42-22, and their inconsistent offense wasn’t enough to outpace St. John’s. 

Although the Wildcats were able to cut their deficit to 5 with under 2 minutes to play, St. John’s was able to stop their run and hold them off down the stretch. According to St. John’s guard Ian Jackson, his squad was able to hold off the Wildcats by staying together and not panicking. 

“I think it was just us, just staying together, you know, not panicking. Understand that basketball is a game of runs. You know, (they’ve) got to make it now. They got to make their runs; they were due for one, so just staying together, understanding what we got to do, to take away what they want to do, and just staying poised,” Jackson said. 

St. John’s has overcome its 4-loss non-conference slate by starting Big East play 6-1 and taking sole possession of second place in the conference, now trailing UConn by a game and a half. 

While it hasn’t been perfect, the Red Storm are now finding their groove and will look to continue that throughout the remaining portion of the conference slate. Obviously, finding a way to replicate their success is paramount, although Pitino isn’t necessarily worried about a spot in the standings, or even the win, rather he’s focused on his squad doing the little things right. 

“I look at the way we're playing. I really think that when you could win these road games like this, to play that tenacious, to battle a crowd, not giving missed free throws, and that was my message. I said, miss your free throws, unless we play bad defense, doesn't bother me. I said, they're all good free throws. They look like they're going in, don't worry about it. And we did some really good things. So second place is okay, but more important is that we're playing, if we keep going like this and playing better basketball. Your fruits come with that type of labor. When you put in the work that these guys put in every single day. I know you have been repetitive, as it's one of my favorite teams that I've coached; one guy's better than the other. You know, it's, I can't say which guy has the best attitude, because I'd have to name 13 guys,” Pitino said. 

Pitino and the Red Storm will look to keep the strong play rolling, as they will host Seton Hall for a 7 PM EST battle on Tuesday.

MAAC Monday Monopoly Concludes at Fairfield After Jam-Packed Day

By Pete Janny

The MAAC gave us a fun Monday with its revised conference calendar adding a third game to the December slate. And no mid-major scene was bustling more than Connecticut, which hosted three of the five MAAC games on Monday. 

Fairfield’s Leo D. Mahoney Arena is an absolute gem. Arguably the nicest arena in traditional one-bid league CBB. What a treat.

Merrimack (7-7, 3-0 MAAC) and Quinnipiac (10-4, 3-0) each picked up wins over Sacred Heart (5-9, 1-2 MAAC) and Marist (8-4, 2-1 MAAC), respectively, before Saint Peter’s (6-5, 3-0 MAAC) concluded the trio of Nutmeg State games with a win over Fairfield (8-6, 0-3 MAAC). 

In the nightcap, Saint Peter’s overcame a four-point halftime deficit to stun a Fairfield team that was held to three bench points. The Peacocks were able to pull out the win behind 17 points and 7 rebounds from Bryce Eaton, and 14 points and 8 rebounds from Brent Bland. Additionally, Zaakir Williamson used his length around the rim to post a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Saint Peter’s were at their best during a late 9-0 run that saw Bland take advantage of the Fairfield defense off the dribble. His explosive and-one lay-up plus the free throw gave the Peacocks a five-point cushion with 2:41 left. All told, Bland was responsible for 7 of the 9 points during the run.

Despite subpar metrics, Saint Peter’s plays with a chip on their shoulder and is beginning to open some eyes with their 3-0 start. Bashir Mason finds ways to squeeze out of every ounce of intensity led by the guards. At 292 in KenPom, and still eight slots behind Fairfield, Saint Peter’s has its work cut out for them if they want to make any kind of run in Atlantic City. After failing to qualify for MAAC Tournament last year, the Peacocks look to be in position to fix that this year especially with the bottom teams in the league really struggling.

Meanwhile, the goodwill that Fairfield was able to build after recent wins over Central Connecticut and Monmouth has been wiped away by an 0-3 start to MAAC play. The pressure is ramping up fast for Chris Casey and Co. 

In the MAAC, crazier things have happened than an unheralded team securing the league’s auto bid. Remember this: Saint Peter’s and Mount St. Mary’s were the last two champions and both came on out of nowhere to cut down the nets in Atlantic City. 

As the dead of winter in the northeast carries on, the race in the MAAC is only heating up. For now, Quinnipiac, Merrimack, and Saint Peter’s can like where they are. 

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