11:40am:
Live for a full day of action packed hoops from MSG. Still a surreal feeling. Butler's got an uphill battle in front of them, against the Big East champs in their building. But Pitino said via the Peacock broadcast that Butler is a tough cover for them. I have to think it's because the strength of Brooks and Telfort can match the SJU wings, and Butler's ability to space the floor restricts SJU's ability to help. I think Butler beating a St. John's press consistently is tough to see however. Butler's guards have struggled with pressure, especially in a moment as big as this one. People are filling in to the arena as we're minutes away from getting this show on the road. Busy day of hoops, can't ask for anything better. -MD
11:50 pm:
We are moments from tip here at day two of the BET. In our pick’em contest on Road to the Garden, I took the Bulldogs to stay within the number at +12.5, and I’d consider them a very live dog. The SJU faithful have showed out and are a strong contingent, it’ll very much feel like every other home game for St. John’s, but Butler looked solid yesterday! They gave up over 20 offensive rebounds to a PC team, who are significantly less impactful on the glass than SJU. So, Butler will need to clean that up, but if they do – who knows, stranger things have happened.
Sidenote, chicken+waffles in the Garden media room this morning. A food that I simply have never got behind. Maybe my Minnesota is showing. -CT
How in gods name has Chris never got behind Chicken and Waffles. What a bad take. -MD
12:16 pm: 7-3 SJU | 14:57
Jahmyl Telfort picked up his second foul of the game within the first few minutes of play. You cannot overstate the importance of that call, leading to Telfort heading to the bench. I’d imagine we see more of Jah in the first half, don’t think Butler can hang without him.
Butler trotted out a zone to begin the game – but it’s harder to rebound in a zone and SJU has made them pay. The zone only lasted a couple of minutes after a pair of SJU offensive rebounds. Newly minted Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis is 0-3 from the floor to start this one. -CT
12:25 pm: 18-3 SJU | 11:53
We’re currently seeing why SJU is one of the nation’s premier teams. They’re outrebounding Butler 12-4 in the opening minutes, and are currently on a 15-0 run over the span of five minutes. Butler is completely out of sorts offensively – when they do get a shot up, they aren’t high quality looks for the most part.
Butler is just 1-8 from the floor, while SJU is 6-15. This is the Red Storm speciality, getting more opportunities than the other team. Deivon Smith checked in (for all of about 30 seconds) for the Johnnies, it was unclear whether he would be able to play while dealing with an injury. -CT
12:45 pm: 33-21 SJU | 3:18
Butler was on an 8-2 run and closed out a possession defensive, and then a careless outlet pass from Pierre Brooks led to an easy SJU layup that negated any positive momentum that the Bulldogs have acquired. It’s small plays like that one that lose you games against superior competition.
Have to close out the half strong if Butler wants any shot to compete in the final 20 minutes. I thought Boden Kapke has actually played just fine against the SJU bigs, he’s been physical and has frustrated them. Jahmyl Telfort has 8 points on 3-6 from the floor, despite the constant defensive attention from SJU.
The Johnnies have been as balanced as ever. Seven SJU players have scored already. -CT
1:00 pm: 37-26 SJU | HALF
A couple of halftime takeaways from me. Immediately, I was impressed by Lefteris Liotopoulos off the bench. He wasn’t forcing, and he played really well within the flow of the game. He let the game come to him and made some really aggressive hustle plays. He earned all of the minutes he got, playing some really solid defense too. Was quite impressed by his production.
Butler’s defense, I honestly thought, wasn’t too bad. SJU did score 37 points, and there were certainly some breakdowns, but Butler made SJU score over outstretched arms a lot and take some tough jumpers. The bar isn’t very high, but the Bulldogs held SJU to 39.5% from the field and 4/13 from three. They switched between man, a 2-3 zone, and a 1-3-1. They gave the Johnnies multiple looks, and are trying whatever they can.
Just St. John’s has nine offensive rebounds, and just three turnovers. The Johnnies are getting extra attempts and shot 12 more attempts than Butler, which is the difference in this one. A lot of Butler’s shots have been these really tough jumpers too, they’re really not getting any dribble penetration, which makes it hard for them to run their offense.
An awesome half from Kadary Richmond, and SJU’s effort on the glass is the difference thus far. -MD
1:21 pm: 49-31 SJU | 15:05
It’s really starting to look like the beginning of the end here for the Butler Bulldogs. St. John’s is currently on a 10-0 run and have officially pulled away. Butler’s shooting splits of 34/28/60 were just never going to be good enough on this stage, especially not against the conference’s best team. But, all credit goes to SJU in forcing poor shots from Butler.
Seeing the Red Storm pressure up close and personal is pretty special. They just never cease to attack, forcing turnovers and constantly moving. The Garden is at about 95% capacity already – not bad for a Thursday at 1:00. This truly feels like a home game for St. John’s. -CT
1:51 pm: 74-51 SJU | 3:04
This is going to be the end of Butler’s season, which was a mixed bag. In the preseason, they were selected eighth in the preseason Big East poll – ended up tied for the eight spot and won a game in the Big East Tournament. They went on a nine game losing streak in December-January that really tanked their season. The talent was always there with this team, a player like Telfort being the lead, and some quality pieces around him. It just didn’t come together. Fortunately, Butler has the best recruiting class in program history coming in next year. We shall see how long it takes for them to develop. Dependant on portal additions, the Bulldogs could be in a rough place for ‘25-26.
As for SJU, they will face the winner of Xavier and Marquette in the semifinals tomorrow afternoon. The Johnnies have actually shot the three at a good clip today (37%). They’ve started to find that piece of the game – if they can keep it, they’ll be a really tough out both in this tournament, and the one that starts next week.
RJ Luis leads all scorers with 20 pts (8-18 FG), while Aaron Scott and Kadary Richmond have 15 apiece. -CT
2:53 pm: 16-10 Xavier
This game is the most interesting one on this Quarterfinal Thursday. What version of Marquette are we getting today, and how does that prepare them moving forward? Also, for Xavier, does winning this game help their tournament chances, or will the committee decide again to ignore conference tournaments for bracketing?
Either way, I think this game can tell us a lot about the futures for both teams. Xavier’s come out firing, and the crowd on their side can be heard. Not a lot of people shuffled out, there’s still a decent crowd here catching this game after the Johnnies left. Xavier’s defense around the rim has been pretty stiff thus far, Marquette isn’t getting the looks they want.
On the last play before the Marquette timeout, Coach Miller went onto the floor begging for a jump ball, but instead, the officials ruled Stevie Mitchell called a timeout. Xavier Assistant, Dante Jackson went out to talk to an official as we entered the break. Xavier looks like the team that has won the last seven games, how will Marquette punch back? -MD
3:07 pm: 21-18 XU | 7:58
It’s been a fun one after twelve minutes. The problem with Marquette over the past couple months is simply just shooting the basketball. That has continued tonight, as MU is just 35% from the floor, 22% from beyond the arc. You never have to question the energy or activity from Shaka Smart’s bunch and that has certainly been apparent tonight. But the question remains – when Kam Jones is struggling to score, who steps up and creates consistently?
Ben Gold has done a wonderful job on Zach Freemantle thus far. It may be the best posterior defense we’ve seen from him in quite a while – Xavier is having a hard time getting him touches. Marcus Foster leads a balanced Musketeer scoring attack with just five points. All seven players who have checked into the game are between two and five points.
Marquette will need to hit some of these open threes if they want to break their long losing streak against NCAA Tournament quality competition. -CT
3:27 pm: 46-36 Xavier | HALF
This game has been fun. Very action-packed thus far. Xavier has played a much better game early on, shooting a staggering 55.2% from the field and 46.2% from three. The Musketeers have it rolling, as Freemantle and Conwell both have 11 each. Marquette has tried multiple defensive approaches, going with man and zone at different stretches, but they have not found an answer to stop these Musketeers.
Kam Jones leads all scorers with 12 points and has easily been Marquette’s best player. A lot of his buckets have been pretty tough; Xavier has made him earn everything. Chase Ross has seven and David Joplin has eight for Marquette.
One note from me is how Xavier is using Zach Freemantle defensively. They have him guarding either Stevie Mitchell or Zaide Lowery and are trying to force those guys to beat them. The duo has combined for just five points on 2/8 shooting. If Marquette’s going to win, one of those guys will at least have to prove a viable offensive threat to open up spacing for the slashing Jones and Ross.
4:00 pm: 62-53 XU | 13:03
Ryan Conwell is up to 23 points and leads all scorers. He has been an absolute killer – better than I ever thought he would transfer up. Zach Freemantle has added eleven points on 4-7 shooting. Both teams have combined to make nine of their last eleven shots, including a few tough ones finding the bottom of the net.
Marquette is even with Ben Gold in the game today, that matches the eye test. I am hoping Shaka uses a heavy dose of Gold down the stretch in this one, despite his lack of offensive production.
Kam Jones and Ryan Conwell trading tough shot for tough shot — really fun basketball in the Garden.
4:22 pm: 77-73 MU | 3:53
The Marquette Golden Eagles have taken flight. Shots have started to fall, and their defensive intensity has finally caught to Xavier just a bit. Kam Jones is up to 24 points (9-19), and the players around him are playing their role. David Joplin hit a key three to extend the lead to four.
Xavier has to find a way to get Zach Freemantle consistent touches – it’s been too stop-and-go getting into the paint. Ryan Conwell is delivering a masterclass, currently, that has at least kept Xavier above water.
Alright, Sean Miller. NCAA Tournament berth on the line, how do the Musketeers respond…
4:55 pm: 89-87 MU | Final
Marquette takes home a win against one of the other top five teams in the league for the first time since January 3rd. It was an unbelievable, back-and-forth affair. Senior David Joplin had the key shot at the end, extending the lead to four with just :26 seconds to play. This was a good statement for Marquette, showing they can still do it at that level.
Ryan Conwell had an all-time performance for Xavier, putting up 38 points. Watching he and Kam Jones create and play to their potential was unbelievably fun. Unfortunately, this loss puts a lot of speculation in the air regarding Xavier’s tournament hopes. I hope that the committee watched that game and understands the level of basketball the Musketeers have played in the past month. Time will tell.
Onto game three, featuring Creighton and DePaul. Creighton handled DePaul with relative ease in both regular-season matchups. But, NJ Benson was a force in Wednesday’s win over Georgetown. Maybe a newfound confidence in Benson and a hot CJ Gunn will be enough to keep DePaul in the game with the second-seeded Bluejays. -CT
7:12 pm: 4-2 DePaul | 15:58 1H
The ball has been tipped to start out a second slate of games between DePaul and Creighton. Bit of a feeling-out process in this one, both teams are generating open looks, but have yet to hit one, until Isaiah Rivera hits a tough contested two. DePaul’s energy shows that thy are not going down without a fight in this one. They’re playing with a legit intensity.
Good double team from DePaul to get the ball out of Kalkbrenner’s hands and force a turnover. Seems like, especially with a hobbled NJ Benson, Creighton will go to Kalkbrenner early and often. DePaul will have to find a way to contain the big man, and respond on the other end.
Still feeling each other out, the game has yet to hit that flow state. The UConn and Nova fans also have yet to show up, the building is pretty quiet without them here.-MD
7:35 pm: 22-11 DePaul | 6:40 1H
DePaul has been running a lot of screen the screeer/Spain PnR action to counter the Creighton drop. Just getting a body in front of Kalkbrenner, then popping that guy to the perimeter. Has gotten multiple decent looks.
Off the offensive rebound, DePaul found Isaiah Rivera and a pretty poor closeout from Fedor Zugic gave Rivera his right hand, and has him going to the line for two points. Zugic’s feet were tied up, and he didn’t have any leverage to stop the drive.
Creighton is still yet to find a rhythm offensively, this DePaul defense has been very good. That said, I don’t know how much longer Creighton will shoot 26.7% from the field and 12.5% from three. Would like to see them be more aggressive inside and use their size to their advantage. -MD
7:57 pm: 32-21 DePaul | HALF
That has to be the third or fourth time that Jamiya Neal has gotten both feet in the paint and passed out. He was wide open twice on the interior and passed out. He was driving to pass, and not driving aggressively. If Creighton ramps up the aggression and looks to play on the interior, I could see them making a push in the second half. Set up your plat on the outside with some bodies on the interior. If they just look to play from the perimeter, they’re going to get beat. DePaul has set a tone, Creighton has to respond.
Isaiah Rivera has been excellent in this game for DePaul. He was largely ineffective for the Blue Demons yesterday, but has turnt up in this game today. Creighton does not have a matchup for him, and he’s taking advantage. He’s been the most aggressive player at getting downhill and converting with nine points, or finding open teammates (game high three assists as well). CJ Gunn adds eight points, but picked up his third foul on a pretty cheap push off call late in the first half. Something to monitor there.
On the Creighton side, nobody has really stood out to me. DePaul’s pressure and constant double-teaming has really messed with Creighton. The Jays took over 50% of their shot attempts from three. Which is in line with how they play, but a lot of those three-point looks are poor since DePaul’s defense is largely giving them the lane. That half went about as poorly as it could have if you are a Jays fan. -MD
8:31 pm: 46-37 DePaul | 12:12 left
This is a much tougher matchup for him than yesterday, for obvious reasons, but I still really like what I’ve seen from NJ Benson. He’s been pretty darn good again, though isn’t stuffing the stat sheet today. The block he had on Ashworth was FILTHY.
Isaiah Rivera has also been very impressive for DePaul. He’s getting downhill and causing problems for the Creighton defense. The duo with Blocker and Gunn have both been pretty solid for DePaul.
Ryan Kalkbrenner has been excellent for Creighton, as expected. 18 points and hit two huge threes to keep the Jays in this. Can DePaul hold off another Creighton push? - MD
8:43 pm: 54-44 DePaul | 7:47 left
It's winning time in New York. DePaul is finding ways to get good looks from the perimeter, and have hit some pretty crazy shots. I don't know how often they shoot over 50% from three, but no doubt this has been an impressive performance. Creighton seems like they've got one last final push in them, can the Blue Demons hold them off? Creighton is shooting free throws the rest of the way, which means DePaul's defense will have to be very disciplined down the stretch. If there's a team you don't want to put on the line, it's Creighton. -MD
8:54 pm: 60-51 DePaul | 3:42 left
Kalkbrenner was just called for a very questionable over the back. Still, though, you have to be impressed by this DePaul performance. The way they have spaced the floor from all five positions has really limited Kalkbrenner's defensive impact. The Demons have also doubled him relentlessly and made someone else beat them today. The gameplan they came here with was awesome, and their execution has been just as good. We also hear a ton of people call Jamiya Neal Creighton's X-Factor. That goes both ways. Today, he's just 2/7 for seven points, four assists and two turnovers. He hasn't been able to create much in the half-court, despite DePaul funnelling a lot to him. Creighton will need him to be much better if they want a tournament win, here and in the NCAA's.
9:31 pm: 73-73 Tie | 2OT
My entire thing here is to try to put all of this into words. I don't really know how to. Long live the Big East.
Great game here. Creighton is too darn good to go down soft. They made a huge final punch, with big plays from Isac Traudt and their two senior stars, Steven Ashworth and Ryan Kalkbrenner. Ashworth hit this three from deeeep range, and pulled without a hesitant thought. Then DePaul ran this really nice decoy action to try to win the game and slipped D'Amico, but Kalkbrenner read that play like a book. The 4x DPOY made 4x DPOY type plays. Creighton made a vicious counter punch, and I thought had this game completely locked up. Nope. Layden Blocker was not going down that easy. What a stretch for the sophomore. He went from getting no PT at Arkansas, to willing his Blue Demons to double OT, in the face of an All-American. How about it!!! -MD
9:46 pm FINAL Creighton 85, DePaul 81
Man, what a game that was. That performance belonged to your Big East DPOY who made big plays late. And how about Ty Davis from the free throw line??? 45.5% on the season... yeah he's not a 45.5% shooter, no way. Man, also, if you are a DePaul fan, how are you not optimistic about the future? The game plan was excellent, and your guys fought a full 50 minutes, shorthanded. You've gotten a taste of competitive basketball, and there should be many more games ahead of you. Awesome, awesome game, and a full credit to the performance from both teams. -MD
10:50 pm: 22-19 Villanova | 7:38 1H
The crowd has leveled up in this game, as I imagine the broadcast is picking up. UConn fans have packed this place. Before Hurley got his technical foul, he was WORKING the officials. He earned that technical. And since that moment, UConn hasn't gotten called for a foul. They hand-check a lot, and have gotten away with a few that I've been able to see. UPDATE: As I was seconds away from posting this, UConn got called for a foul, and you would've thought Hurley saw a bomb. He doesn't ever agree with any foul call, even the very obvious ones.
UConn fans have shown out, and as has Wooga Poplar. He's much faster in person, and his elevation is just so smooth. Really, really impressed by him today. When he's wanted to get to the rim, he's gotten there. -MD
11:02 pm: 29-26 VU | 3:05
Alright, I have returned! The Creighton University Bluejays won the basketball game, somehow, and I was doing some postgame interviews with guys. Villanova! Up three currently, and an Aiden Mahaney triple forces a Kyle Neptune timeout. Nova is shooting just 36% from the floor, compared to UConn’s 52%. But the Wildcats have been able to get to the line a lot, much to the chagrin of Dan Hurley.
Wooga Poplar leads all scorers with 11 points, he’s been great. Eric Dixon didn’t score in the first half last night, and hasn’t hit a shot yet in the first half of this one either. He’s still forcing UConn to give him a ton of attention, but Dixon will have to get going for Villanova to keep its pace. -CT
11:14 pm: 36-31 VU | Half
And that’s the half here in the nightcap. Wooga Poplar buries a midrange jumper and Villanova takes a five point lead to the break. Dan Hurley continues to be upset at officiating (I, for one, am surprised at this revelation), but the Huskies are getting some needed contributions from Mahaney and Jaylin Stewart. It’s been needed, as Solo Ball has actually struggled a bit finding his shot. He’s just 1-5 shooting.
Jhamir Brickus is one guy I’ve been super impressed with watching live now for a couple straight days. He controls the pace of the game so well and has the ball on an absolute string. May have the best handles in the Big East. -CT
11:35 pm: 43-40 VU | 15:13
Wooga Poplar continued his incredible night by burying two threes to start the second half. UConn has answered by making their last four shots. UConn is winning the points in the paint battle 24-6.
Alex Karaban has had a down year, it’s true. But man, he’s a terrific leader out there. He’s vocal, and ensures everyone stays levelheaded. He’s the exact mentality UConn needs in a leader to counteract the different, yet also great in opposite ways, leadership of Hurley.
Eric Dixon just really hasn’t gotten it going, he’s 1-6 shooting. Easy E, it’s time, young fella. Time to extend your career. Time to break the Villanova all-time scoring record. -CT
11:57 pm: 51-50 CONN | 7:58
Wooga Poplar is 10-13 shooting, the rest of Villanova is 4-24 (16%). That’s really been the story on their end. Eric Dixon just got an and-one, maybe that will start the engine of the nation’s leading scorer.
Aidan Mahaney has been excellent in this second half. He’s provided good stretches defensively, and hit a pair of shots. UConn’s scoring has been exceptionally balanced, which is fairly representative of them on the season.
This game rocks. The third straight at the Garden that has had some real juice to it. -CT
12:07 am: 60-54 UConn | 4:35 left
Eric Dixn has been driving these last few minutes just trying to draw contact. He's not driving to score. He's getting held a bit, but the refs have established they aren't calling that. Villanova really could use their star and the nation's leading scorer to make one final push.
UConn has all the momentum, and McNeeley was just HYPED after that last timeout. The energy is all favoring the Huskies, and Villanova needs a quick hitting response, and needs it FAST. Can they do it, or is this the end of Eric Dixon's career? -MD
12:16 am 65-54 UConn | 2:53 left
Alex Karaban has decided he wanted the game to be over. The longtime Husky hit a pair of triples and tossed an absolute dime to Samson Johnson, all on three consecutive possessions. Karaban has 16 pts, 7 reb, and 5 ast, so go along with a great defensive day.
Eric Dixon’s career is going to end on unfortunately one of his very worst games as a Wildcat. He’s 2-14 shooting, and just hasn’t been himself tonight. But a bad night shouldn’t mar a spectacular career. He will go down as one of the best Wildcats of all time, and will finish 2024-25 as the nation’s leading scorer. The mind already drifts to what’s next for Villanova as it is very likely that we are witnessing the last of the Neptune era. -CT
12:22 am: 73-56 UConn | FINAL The Huskies made their final push, and UConn just didn't have the energy to punch back. Poplar gave them everything he could, but it wasn't enough. He slowed down late, and the Wildcats could not find another option.
Eric Dixon's career ends on a low note, just eight points on 2/14 shooting. Poplar was special, but Villanova players not named Wooga Poplar made just 5 field goals all game. Villanova didn't score for the last 5:00 before a Poplar FT and UConn ended this game on a 15-0 run.
UConn found an answer for Poplar and got a classic performance from Alex Karaban. Karaban stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points (4/6 3PT), seven boards and five assists, to just one turnover. He was magnificent when UConn needed him most. Also, Hurley grilling the officials and getting that technical worked. Villanova could not buy a whistle down the stretch, and that is magnified when you are driving just to draw contact. This very likely marks the end of the Kyle Neptune Era, and a fresh start for Villanova basketball next season. Very interesting next month and a half for Villanova fans. -MD
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