Providence College Friars lose to Villanova in Big East Championship game

Butler fell behind by 14 in the first half against Seton Hall on Thursday, coming back behind a heroic effort from Kamar Baldwin to earn its first-ever Big East tournament win.

The Jayhawks roared back to briefly tie the game, and trailed 34-33 at the break after De Sousa threw down an alley-oop dunk in transition in the closing seconds of the half. There might have been a snarl. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial no matter what package you choose, and you can get a free Amazon Fire TV if you prepay two months.

The Friars rallied from 11 points down in the second half to force overtime, but the Wildcats took control in the extra session and escaped with a 76-66 win for their second straight conference tournament championship. Cotton was never more heroic than in the 2014 NCAA Tournament against North Carolina when he scored 36 points. Brunson missed badly on a short jumper, but Spellman batted it out to a teammate to keep another possession alive.

“I thought everything we got came off our defense”, Wright said.

“I don’t think we checked out the way we’re supposed to, the way we practiced”, Cooley said. He’s on another level.

Players on the ’85 team have become minor celebrities definitely within the Nova Nation, but also outside their alma mater.

Check out the tournament details, which will get updated through the conclusion of the quarterfinals, followed by a recap of each game. Not to mention they have two National Player of the Year candidates in Bridges and Brunson.

Brunson had 13 first-half points and Bridges had 12, as the duo combined for 9-of-14 shooting. The other guys played off – they carried their team today.

Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 31 points Saturday.

Daxter Miles Jr. finished with 25 points, and Jevon Carter had 17 points and nine assists for the Mountaineers, who have lost three straight Big 12 Tournament championship games. PC erased a 17-point hole in the second half to beat top-seeded Xavier to reach the final.

So much of the reason Cooley’s Friars have been able to shine in these most intense moments is because the ship is often steered by Kyron Cartwright, a 5-foot-11 senior guard who, more often than not, wills his team to victory.

Villanova jumped out to a fast start with a Bridges three-point play giving the Wildcats a 9-2 lead at the under-16 media timeout.

With Brunson out of the game, the Bulldogs began to eat away at the deficit, if only slightly. It’s not that he doesn’t feel the pressure of having to make two free throws in front of a crowd of 19,812 at the end of regulation; it’s that he works to make sure no one ever sees him sweat. “We’re looking forward to whoever the victor of the next game is to prepare and – but these young men, all of them, they played their hearts out and left it out there”.

“Being in tough games in this environment, this arena, it’s not an easy environment”, Brunson said. “Sometimes things don’t go your way, but how are you going to respond to that?” THE UNDERDOG. Butler, who got off to a rocky start to the season and under first year head coach LaVall Jordan, have developed maybe the best chemistry in the Big East of all the teams.