It was an incredible Day Two of the BIG EAST Tournament as capacity crowds filled Madison Square Garden packed in to see an incredible day of College Hoops.
To start the action it was New York based St. John’s University showing why they are going to be a team to watch for in the Tournament, by defeating Butler by the score of 78-57.
Leading the way for the Red Storm was RJ Luis Jr with his 20 points from 8-18 scoring from the field, while also grabbing seven rebounds.
Also having stellar performances were Kadary Richmond and Aaron Scott with 15 points each.
Butler put on a fine performance in showing that they are going to be a team to watch for in the BIG EAST Conference.
Patrick McCaffrey and Jahmyl Telfort led the way in scoring with 16 and 11 points respectively.
Fans are encouraged to view the following videos:
St. John’s Head Coach Rick Pitino along with student-athletes Aaron Scott and Kadary Richmond share these thoughts:
Head Coach Thad Matta along with student-athlete Jahmyl Telfor share these thoughts from Butler after the loss to St. John’s:
Fans are also encouraged to check out the following photo galleries
St. John’s v Butler
Profile photos
Then it was back-to-back thrillers as Marquette defeating Xavier 89-87 then in one of the most epic clashes of College Hoops seen to this day it was Creighton defeating DePaul 85-81 in Double Overtime.
Marquette is now going to be taking on St. John’s in the Semis of the BIG EAST Tournament, and amazingly enough going to be facing the Red Storm on a quick turnaround. It was these two BIG EAST Conference Schools that had the chance to meet to conclude the regular season.
With that meeting fresh on the minds of both team’s it’ll be fascinating to see what differences there are going to be in terms of offense and defense as both teams are hoping to be in the final game on Saturday.
Then the clash between DePaul and Creighton, as the Blue Demons almost pulled up another upset in defeating Creighton. It was an impressive performance by the Chicago-based BIG EAST Squad as there were highlight reel shots that were taken by members of the roster.
Somehow someway though the composure and poise by Creighton got them to the next round of the BIG EAST Tournament.
Leading the way for the Bluejays was Ryan Kalkbrenner with his 32 points. It is a thrill to be able to see Kalkbrenner play with Creighton as he is projected to be the potential second-round pick in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft.
Then it was a tale of two halves as Villanova was oh so close to a meeting with Creigton in the Semis. Ultimately though it was the comeback kids of UConn winning by a final of 73-56 to advance for a chance to defend the BIG EAST Tournament Championship.
Leading the way for the Huskies was Alex Karaban with his 18 points, as for Villanova they were led by Wooga Poplar with his 25 points.
Poplar was a thrill to watch for the Wildcats as he provided highlight reel plays.
Overall the second day of the BIG EAST Tournament rocked Madison Square Garden, and set the stage for the Semis.
The Semis are goin gto feature Marquette taking on St. John’s at 6:30 p.m. then UConn taking on Creighton at 9:00 p.m. Both games are going to be aired on the FOX network.
For more information on the BIG EAST Tournament fans are encouraged to click on the link below: