Heart, hustle and plenty of pluck can only take you so far in a rough and tumble conference like the Big East.
Advertisement
Marquette didn’t have enough firepower to keep up with the Big East’s No. 2 seed, but Markus Howard (23 points, three assists and five made three-pointers) and Andrew Rowsey (22 points, two assists and five made three-pointers) did what they could in the losing effort. Kyron Cartwright had 19 and Rodney Bullock 10. With AP Photos.Mikal Bridges scored 25 points and hit two 3-pointers in overtime to lift No. 2 Villanova to a 76-66 win over Providence in the Big East Tournament championship game. Brunson hit a jumper with 1:17 to play, and Providence didn’t score another point. The duo combined to make all the big shots. Still, knocking off the No. 4 and No. 1 seeds in consecutive days is no small task no matter the margin of victory.
ORLANDO, Fla. – Senior guard Rob Gray never liked the idea of waiting for the selection committee to put his No. 21 Houston Cougars into the NCAA Tournament. I just want them to see that I’m coming at them every play, every play, every play – no matter what the situation is.
“I saw JB driving and I was trying to move off the ball and fill behind him”, said Bridges, who was named the victor of the Dave Gavitt Trophy as the Most Outstanding Player in the tournament. We wanted to bring two [defenders] to the ball, that worked for us all game. “I just have so much respect for them, and our players do too”.
Providence: Will play in the title game against either second-seeded and No. 2 Villanova or Butler on Saturday evening. “He was credited with six offensive rebounds but there was a number that he tipped free that we came up with”.
“I don’t think we checked out the way we’re supposed to, the way we practiced”, Cooley said.
Offensive Rebounds Killed the Friars: It’s ironic that Cartwright drew comparisons to Bryce Cotton after the Xavier win. They have five players who can shoot the ball on the court at all times.
However, Villanova would tie the game on two free throws by Brunson with 30 seconds left after a foul was called on Diallo. Bridges, who scored 25 points, opened overtime with a 3 and hit another that helped stretch the lead for good.
In describing Jalen Brunson, above, Villanova Coach Jay Wright said Xavier Coach “Chris Mack had the greatest line: He said if you pull down the skin on his face, there would be wires behind it”. The 39th edition of the Big East championship game, the 36th at MSG, lived up to all that came before it.
Brunson tried to give the Wildcats separation with a pair of strong drives to the basket, but Cartwright nailed a step back jumper and junior Isaiah Jackson (Gainesville, Fla.) hit a transition three-pointer to pull Providence within 49-41 with 12 minutes to play. Brunson went the length of the floor, but Edwards awaited him, drawing a charge and keeping PC alive at the 3:30 mark.
Advertisement
Cartwright had eight straight points, including two 3-pointers, in a 92 second run midway through the second half to get the Friars back into the game. Bluiett had 13 on 2 of 14 shooting.
