Showing posts with label Marquette. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marquette. Show all posts
Saturday, 22 March 2025
Monday, 18 March 2024
MARCH MADNESS BRACKETS ARE HERE ARE HERE. HERE'S HOW TO PICK YOUR TEAMS
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| AP Photo |
March Madness this year comes at a time of great uncertainty in college sports.
In addition to eyeing potential 5-12 upsets and trying to figure out which sleeper to put in the Elite Eight, fans also have to consider more existential questions about college basketball's future. How will realignment affect the makeup of Division I? How much will football-related decisions affect basketball? How long will the NCAA Tournament stay at 68 teams, and if it changes, what will that mean for the Cinderellas of March?
For now, this event looks pretty much the way it has for a generation. Don't take it for granted as you fill out your brackets — and if you need some tips, here you go. A Final Four with UConn, Houston, Gonzaga and Michigan State? Let us explain:
EAST REGION
First round winners: UConn, Northwestern, San Diego State, Auburn, BYU, Illinois, Drake, Iowa State.
Yale brings 7-footer Danny Wolf and an experienced supporting cast, but drew a tough first-round matchup against fourth-seeded Auburn. The Tigers are ranked No. 4 in the country by Ken Pomeroy.
Second round winners: UConn, Auburn, Illinois, Iowa State.
The Sweet 16 in this region could include the conference tournament champions of the Big East, SEC, Big Ten and Big 12.
Regional semifinal winners: UConn, Iowa State.
UConn is the betting favorite to win a second straight national title. The Huskies are also ranked No. 1 by Pomeroy, and although we're used to surprises it's hard to pick them to exit before the Elite Eight.
Regional champion: UConn. Iowa State had a case for a No. 1 seed, but there's a gap between the Cyclones and the Huskies.
SOUTH REGION
First Four: Colorado over Boise State.
First round winners: Houston, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Duke, Texas Tech, Kentucky, Florida, Marquette.
James Madison over Wisconsin figures to be a popular first-round upset pick — maybe a little too popular. Same with Vermont over Duke. The chalk holds in this region, for this round anyway.
Second round winners: Houston, Duke, Kentucky, Florida.
Kentucky's defense should be its undoing eventually, but the Wildcats beat Texas Tech in a clash of styles.
Regional semifinal winners: Houston, Kentucky.
The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in the South are being held in Dallas, so expect the Cougars to have plenty of support.
Regional champion: Houston. The Cougars should be well prepared after joining the Big 12 and facing a power-conference schedule. It's on to the Final Four for Kelvin Sampson's team.
Sunday, 17 March 2024
NO. 2 UCONN BEATS NO. 10 MARQUETTE 73-57 TO WIN FIRST BIG EAST TOURNAMENT SINCE 2011
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| AP Photo |
NEW YORK (AP) — UConn coach Dan Hurley climbed the ladder with “New York, New York” playing in Madison Square Garden — or as he calls it, “Storrs South.”
The New Jersey native clipped the last piece of net off the rim, let out a “Wooooo!” as he whirled it over his head and then tapped the Big East sign on the backboard before making his way back down.
Hurley and his defending national champions have eyes on even bigger prizes this March, but make no mistake, winning the Big East Tournament was a big deal for the Huskies.
Donovan Clingan had 22 points and a career-best 16 rebounds, Jaylin Stewart gave No. 2 UConn an unexpected boost with three second-half 3-pointers during a decisive surge and the Huskies beat No. 10 Marquette 73-57 on Saturday night to win the tournament for the first time since rejoining the conference four years ago.
“MSG, Big East Tournament, there's nothing like it,” Hurley said. “There's just no comparison anywhere to what this place is like.”
Tournament MVP Tristen Newton added 13 points and 10 assists as the top-seeded Huskies won their eighth title, matching Georgetown for the most in conference history. It was their first since 2011, when Kemba Walker led UConn to five wins in five days at The Garden — and then a national title.
Stewart, a freshman who was averaging 2.4 points off the bench, scored nine in about four minutes as UConn (31-3) pulled away from a gritty Marquette team playing without injured star Tyler Kolek (oblique) for a sixth straight game.
Kam Jones led the third-seeded Golden Eagles (25-9), the defending tournament champions, with 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
On a night when the Huskies struggled from the perimeter, they relied on the 7-foot-2 Clingan inside. The Connecticut native was 7 for 12 from the field and, as the final seconds ticked off the clock, the sophomore big man waved on hyped-up Huskies fans who packed the Midtown Manhattan arena.
“It means everything," Clingan said. "This was one of our goals at the beginning of the season, so to complete it means a lot.”
Two years after UConn's last Big East Tournament title the league broke up and the Huskies went with the football schools to form the American Athletic Conference, where they won another national championship in 2014 — and then fell off.
UConn returned to the Big East in 2020-21 and to national prominence. The Huskies won their fifth NCAA title last year, but the conference tournament championship had eluded Hurley's team. UConn hadn't even reached the final in its first three seasons back in the Big East.
Hurley rattled off all his team has accomplished in the last year as he accepted the trophy Saturday night and told the crowd: “But we ain't done yet.”
UConn improved to 8-3 in Big East finals, and 7-0 at MSG this season.
As usual, UConn fans packed The Garden and for the second straight night Marquette faced a road-game environment. The Golden Eagles overcame a raucous Providence crowd in a rugged semifinal Friday night.
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| AP Photo |
“Today was rough for sure," said David Joplin, who had 12 points and six rebounds in the Golden Eagles' lowest-scoring game of the season by 12 points. “We’ve got a great team, and we’ve got a great chance to play well in the (NCAA) Tournament, and that’s all you need is a chance.”
Two of the country's best teams played one of the ugliest nine minutes of basketball imaginable to start the game.
At the second media timeout, the score was tied at 4 and the Golden Eagles and Huskies were a combined 3 for 22 from the floor. The defense was aggressive and physical, but it was also hard to keep track of just how many point-blank shots rolled off the rim.
Things picked up from there, and Newton swished a 3-pointer with three seconds left in the first half to give UConn a 26-24 lead at the break.
The shots started falling in the second half for both teams and UConn began asserting itself with about 10 minutes left, led by Stewart.
The Huskies went on a 19-5 run and led 60-44 with 5:54 remaining when Hassan Diarra made a corner 3.
“I thought we ran out of steam there probably in the last 10 minutes,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said. “Donovan Clingan was the biggest difference.”
Stewart keyed UConn's surge with his long-range shooting. He came into the game just 6 for 30 from 3-point range on the season.
“Biggest shots of my life,” Stewart said. “It was electric in there.”
Thursday, 23 November 2023
EDEY'S 28 POINTS, 15 REBOUNDS POWER NO. 2 PURDUE PAST NO. 4 MARQUETTE FOR MAUI INVITATIONAL TITLE
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| AP Photo |
HONOLULU (AP) — Zach Edey and his Purdue teammates certainly earned a Thanksgiving feast. Forgive them if all they really want is a well-deserved break.
Edey had 28 points and 15 rebounds to carry the second-ranked Boilermakers to a 78-75 win over No. 4 Marquette in the championship game of the Maui Invitational on Wednesday.
The early-season matchup of undefeated teams did not disappoint in an entertaining event featuring five programs ranked among the top 11 in the country. Purdue took home the title after three hard-fought wins in three days against No. 11 Gonzaga, No. 7 Tennessee and then Marquette.
Wednesday, 22 November 2023
Monday, 20 March 2023
Friday, 26 February 2021
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