SPORTS WRAP
BY WILLIAM HATHAWAY, JR.
This past week the Big East Tournament took place like always in New York City at Madison Square Garden. In the first round, Xavier beat Butler 76-72 with Desmond Claude leading the winners with 26 points and 9 rebounds while Xavier was led by Dayvion McKnight’s 20 points and 9 rebounds. Providence dropped a struggling Georgetown team 74-56 thanks to Josh Oduro’s 20 points and 9 rebounds and Devin Carter’s 19 points and 9 rebounds.
The quarterfinals saw defending National Champion Connecticut eliminate Xavier 87-60 Donovan Clinger and Tristian Newton both had 13 points and 7 rebounds. Meanwhile, Marquette beat Villanova in overtime game 71-65. David Joplin led his team to the OT win with 14 points and 8 rebounds while Kam Jones had 18 points and 6 rebounds. Leading Villanova was South Orange native Mark Armstrong with 15 points and 3 rebounds.
That same day, Seton Hall lost to rival St. John’s 91-72. St. John’s got 11 points and five rebounds from Daniss Jenkins. Leading The Hall was Kadary Richmond with 13 points and 5 rebounds and Dre Davis with 8 points and 6 rebounds. Because of the loss, SHU missed the NCAA Tournament and had to settle for a #1 seed in the NIT. In the night session, Providence beating Creighton 78-73 thanks to 22 points and 11 rebounds from Devin Carter. Creighton was led by Ryan Kalkbrenner with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
In the semifinals, Connecticut outlasted St. John’s 95-90. Daniss Jenkins gave the Johnnies 27 points and 2 rebounds in the losing effort, while UConn was led by Tristian Newton’s 25 points and 6 rebounds. Marquette went over Providence 79-68 thanks to Kam Jones and his 23 points and five rebounds. Carter had 27 points in the loss.
Finally, the Big East final had the UConn Huskies easily beating Marquette 73-57. Tristan Newton earned the Dave Gavitt trophy as the most outstanding player of the Big East Tournament. The 2024 All Big East Tournament team included Connecticut’s Donovan Clinger, Kam Jones and Oso Ighodaro from Marquette, Devin Carter and Daniss Jenkins.
As expected, UConn went on to claim the overall #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and are set to defend their crown against fellow #1s Purdue, North Carolina, and Houston as well as the rest of the field. A year after their incredible run, St. Peter’s is a #15 seed, playing #2 Tennessee in the Midwest Region.
