NCAA Men’s Basketball Conference Tournaments: Big East Results
March Madness is nearly upon us and the NCAA Men’s basketball conference tournaments are now in progress. The winners will help determine which teams qualify as one of the 68 teams announced at Sunday’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament:
2015 Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament:
March 11-14 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Championship Game:
#1 Villanova v. #6 Xavier: 69-52
Top-seeded Villanova Wildcats continued their season-long dominance with a win over the Xavier Musketeers 69-52 to win a Big East Championship. Villanova goes to the NCAA tournament on a 15-game winning streak. They are expected to be a high seed. Dylan Ennis led the Wildcats with 16 points. Josh Hart scored 15 points and was named the tournament’s most valuable player. Villanova increased its 13-point halftime lead to 21 after the first few minutes of the second half. Xavier never got closer than 13 points.
Session 3 – Semifinals:
#1 Villanova v. # 4 Providence: 63-61
Top-seeded Villanova Wildcats defeated the Providence Friars 63-61 in a nail biter. The Friars had tied the game with 12.4 seconds remaining. Ryan Arcidiacono made two free throws with 3.1 seconds left after a questionable foul call. “It was a 50-50 call,” Providence coach Ed Cooley stated, “it can go either way. It just didn’t go our way tonight.” Friars should continue their season in the NCAA tournament.
#6 Xavier v. #2 Georgetown: 65-63
Xavier Musketeers barely defeated the Georgetown Hoyas 65-63 after nearly blowing a 21-point lead. Xavier missed free throws, turned the ball over and shot poorly down the stretch. It appeared as if the Hoyas simply ran out of time and would have won had they had another minute or two to play. Xavier is playing in their first Big East title game and is seeking to become the first 6th seed to win the tournament since Syracuse in 1981.
Session 1 & 2 – Quarterfinals:
#1 Villanova v. #9 Marquette: 84-49
Villanova Wildcats crushed the Marquette Golden Eagles 84-59 with tough defense and 17 three-pointers. The Wildcats were simply too much for the Golden Eagles.
#4 Providence v. #5 St. John’s: 74-57
Providence Friars defeated a lifeless St. John’s Red Storm 74-57. The Red Storm could not buy a basket and down stretch could not mount any comeback. Ironically, the Friars had been swept in the regular season by the Red Storm.
#2 Georgetown v. #10 Creighton: 60-55
Georgetown Hoyas defeated the Creighton Bluejays 60-55. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera scored 25 points, including 12 of the Hoyas’ final 14 points in the game.
#6 Xavier v. #3 Butler: 67-61
Xavier Musketeers defeated the Butler Bulldogs 67-61 in overtime. The Bulldogs led most of the game with several double-digit leads, but could not put the Musketeers away. The game was tied at 53-53 in the final minute and the Bulldogs had a chance to win the game; however, Roosevelt Jones missed a layup with 20 seconds left. The Musketeers then went on to control the overtime period and win the game.
Round 1:
#9 Marquette v. #8 Seton Hall: 78-56
Marquette Golden Eagles easily defeated the Seton Hall Pirates 78-56. The Golden Eagles controlled every aspect of the game including Matt Carlino’s 8 three-point shots. The eight triples tied the tournament record set by Boston College’s Dana Barros in 1989.
#10 Creighton v. # 7 DePaul: 78-63
Creighton Bluejays defeated the DePaul Blue Demons 78-63. James Milliken scored a game-high 22 points. The game had eight ties and six lead changes. The difference in the game was 21-8 free throw advantage for the Bluejays.
