March 8, 2029
Big East Tournament Quarterfinal
(1) #1 Villanova 91, (9) Connecticut 73
After our double bye, we face the Huskies again at Madison Square Garden. There, away from the Huskies' vocal fans, we have an easier time of things.
Our senior guards combine for 44 points: 23 from
Jacob Allen and 21 from
Duncan Sims. They make 7 of their 15 threes and combine for 8 rebounds and 6 assists.
Caleb Blaney adds 17 points,
Avery Sullivan 13.
Ten-seed Pitt shocks Georgetown, 66-55, so the Hoyas will head home and await the NCAA tournament selection committee's verdict.
Record: 31-1.
March 9, 2029
Big East Tournament Semifinal
(1) #1 Villanova 63, (4) #10 West Virginia 57
We come back from a 7-point halftime deficit to defeat the Mountaineers and advance to the championship game.
Both teams contest every possession, and we find it hard to get good shots.
Jacob Allen (18) and
Duncan Sims (11) are our only double-figure scorers. Duncan is named Player of the Game; he adds 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and a steal.
St. John's wins the other semifinal, 62-52, so we'll face the Red Storm in the championship game.
Record: 32-1.
March 10, 2029
Big East Tournament Championship
(1) #1 Villanova 57, (6) St. John's 54
Code:
#1 Villanova 57, St. John's 54
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St. John's (21-14, 10-8):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Denis Freed C 34 3-11 0-0 2 10 0 4 6
James Pompey PF 31 0-2 0-0 2 9 1 4 0
Garth Ussery SF 33 4-15 2-2 0 4 6 2 10
Romeo Meek SG 32 4-10 1-2 3 7 2 2 10
Mack Radcliff PG 20 2-5 2-3 0 0 0 5 6
Lorenzo Imhoff SG 19 2-7 2-2 0 1 2 0 8
Angelo Moritz SF 11 0-0 1-2 1 2 2 0 1
Robert Walcott PF 13 1-2 4-4 0 3 2 4 6
Boris Conant SG 4 2-3 0-1 0 0 0 0 4
Brian Easterling PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Franklin Snyder PF 2 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 3
Turnovers: 13 (J.Pompey 2, G.Ussery 1, R.Meek 3,
M.Radcliff 2, L.Imhoff 1, A.Moritz 2, R.Walcott 1,
B.Conant 1)
Blocked Shots: 7 (D.Freed 7)
Steals: 8 (G.Ussery 4, R.Meek 2, A.Moritz 1, F.Snyder 1)
3P FGs: 4-15 (J.Pompey 0-1, G.Ussery 0-3, R.Meek 1-3,
L.Imhoff 2-5, R.Walcott 0-1, B.Conant 0-1, F.Snyder
1-1)
Villanova (33-1, 17-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Avery Sullivan C 30 4-8 2-4 2 9 1 2 10
Tony Ezell PF 31 2-9 5-7 2 8 2 2 9
Caleb Blaney SF 29 3-7 2-3 3 6 1 2 8
Jacob Allen SG 24 4-13 0-0 0 1 1 5 9
Duncan Sims SG 31 3-6 0-0 2 8 5 0 8
Blake Norton PG 22 1-4 2-4 0 5 3 3 5
Corey Hicks SF 11 0-3 1-2 2 2 0 1 1
Lowell Welter C 16 3-4 0-1 1 4 0 1 7
Clemens Schwaiger C 2 0-0 0-0 1 2 0 0 0
Ronald Verdugo SG 3 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 1 0
Turnovers: 16 (A.Sullivan 1, T.Ezell 2, J.Allen 3,
D.Sims 4, B.Norton 1, C.Hicks 2, C.Schwaiger 1,
R.Verdugo 2)
Blocked Shots: 6 (A.Sullivan 4, T.Ezell 2)
Steals: 6 (C.Blaney 1, J.Allen 1, D.Sims 1, B.Norton 1,
C.Hicks 2)
3P FGs: 5-18 (C.Blaney 0-3, J.Allen 1-5, D.Sims 2-4,
B.Norton 1-3, C.Hicks 0-2, L.Welter 1-1)
Player of Game: C Avery Sullivan (VLNV)
The Johnnies slow the pace down and play tight defense, especially against three-point shooters, so I'm not surprised when the game takes this shape.
Avery Sullivan works hard for his PoG honors, battling St. John's tough senior center,
Denis Freed, all evening long.
Their long tournament run makes the Red Storm a lock for the NCAA tournament. As many as nine teams from the Big East might make the Big Dance.
Colgate (22-11) wins the Patriot League tournament, so they'll be dancing, too.
Lafayette (24-8) was upset by Lehigh in the semifinals, but their record will be good enough to earn an at-large bid.
Record: 33-1.