Tag: big east tournament
Big East Title Up For Grabs
by The Cowl Editor on November 29, 2018
Friar Sports
By Thomas Zinzarella ’21
Sports Staff
With Feast Week wrapping up this past week, we are just over a month away from Big East conference play. The Big East took a hit early on in non-conference play with its strongest team, Villanova University, getting blown out by University of Michigan at home in a rematch of the National Championship game last year. They also lost to Furman University, out of the Southern Conference.
With Villanova losing four of its key players in Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVencenzo, Omari Spellman, and Mikal Bridges all to the NBA Draft in June, this is the widest open the Big East has ever been since realignment. Starting with Villanova, the Wildcats added a graduate transfer, Joe Cremo, from the University of Albany, who can knock down the three, while also bringing back some experience from the National Championship team: Eric Paschall, Collin Gillespie, and Phil Booth. Villanova added 5-star recruit Jahvon Quinerly and one of the best 3-point shooters in the Big East, Cole Swider. The Wildcats also picked up a quality win this past weekend in the Advocare Invitational by defeating Oklahoma State University and against #15 Florida State University in the Championship game. With this win, the Wildcats hoisted their sixth straight November tournament title and have reentered the Top 25 at #23.
One of the favorites to dethrone the Villanova Wildcats are the Marquette University Golden Eagles. Head Coach Steve Wojciechowski has the most talented team yet in his tenure, led by the power scoring duo of Markus Howard and Sam Hauser. Both combined to hit 206 three-pointers last year, which was good enough to place seventh in the country. This Marquette team is a potent offense especially with Howard who dropped 52 points on the Friars at the Dunk last year. This year’s team will have to focus on defense and Wojciechowski brought in two transfers in Ed Morrow from Nebraska and graduate transfer Joseph Chartouny from Fordham University, where he was among the nations leaders in steals.
Another team that has stepped into the light has been the St. John’s University Red Storm. The Johnnies bring back leading scorer Shamorie Ponds who is one of the best pure scorers in the country. This talent has garnered him the Big East Pre-Season Player of the Year and is on the watch list for the Bob Cousy Award (Best PG). Head Coach Chris Mullin was also able to pull in prized Auburn University transfer Mustapha Heron. The former 5-star recruit from Waterbury, Connecticut averaged 15.8 points per game in his first two years at Auburn and has now made St. John’s one of the best backcourts in the country. St. John’s will have to hope that their other players like Marvin Clark, Justin Simon, and L.J. Figueroa complement their uber-talented offense. If not, Chris Mullin may find himself in the hot seat.
One team that is consistently at the top of the Big East rankings is the Butler University Bulldogs. In year two under head coach LaVall Jordan, the Bulldogs look to make their 5th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bulldogs will look towards Kamar Baldwin and guard Paul Jorgensen after the departure of Kelan Martin last year. Starting the spring semester of this year, Duke University transfer Jordan Tucker will be eligible to play for the Bulldogs. Tucker was ranked No. 40 in th ESPN 100 before transferring to Butler last December due to lack of playing time. Butler was able to knock off the University of Florida Gators in the Battle 4 Atlantis last week and has a good non-conference game against Indiana and a trip down to Gainesville to face the Florida Gators again.
A team that is well under the radar is the DePaul University Blue Demons. Yes, DePaul has been in the cellar of the Big East and the laughing stock for over the last decade but they are a team that is ready to make some noise. Dave Leitao and company are looking to get back to the tournament for the first time since 2004. The Blue Demons will be led by sharpshooting guard Max Strus, who averaged 16.8 points per game last year. DePaul also will see action from Illinois transfer Jalen Coleman-Lands and grad transfer from North Carolina A&T Femi Olujobi. Although DePaul may not finish high in Big East standings, this is a much-improved team and do not sleep on them when it comes to conference play.
The biggest surprise this year is the Creighton University Bluejays. Creighton was tabbed to finish ninth in the Big East pre-season polls and lost three starters from last year. Their best returning player Martin Krampelj is coming off a torn ACL but averaged 11.9 PPG and 8.1 RPG before the injury last year. This year, Creighton holds a 5-1 record with their only loss to #16 The Ohio State University and are fresh off a victory over previously ranked #16 Clemson Tigers to win the Cayman Islands Classic. A lot of their early season success has had to do with sophomore Ty-Shon Alexander. He only averaged 5.5 PPG as a freshman but has quickly emerged as a force to be reckoned with, averaging 19.2 PPG and shooting the three ball at just under 50 percent. Alexander led the charge with 36 points in the championship game against the Clemson Tigers. Damien Jefferson, a New Mexico transfer who sat out last year is providing a nice boost with 10.8 PPG and 5.5 RPG in the starting lineup. The Blue Jays have set themselves up with a rigorous non-conference that can help the conference if they win these games. Creighton hosts #1 Gonzaga on Dec. 1 and is also scheduled to play University of Nebraska and Gonzaga University.
Conference play should be exciting once again with this year being more of a learning curve, we may see some tight and exciting games. The Big East is always a dogfight and it looks to be the same again this year.
A Year in PC Sports: Friars Make Run At Big East Title
by The Cowl Editor on May 3, 2018
Friar Sports
Basketball Team Falls Just Short of Third Championship
By Jack Belanger ’21
Sports Co-Editor
The Providence College Men’s Basketball Team had an overall successful regular season this year, going 21-14 overall and 10-8 during Big East play. While there were disappointing losses to DePaul University and to the University of Massachusetts-Amherst who would go on to finish 13-20 in the regular season.
This left some fans frustrated with the team’s performance, but the Friars certainly made up for those losses with home wins against top 10 ranked Villanova University and Xavier University.
Despite the impressive upsets, many basketball experts still had PC on the edge of being picked for the NCAA National Basketball Tournament. Most people believed the Friars had to pick up a win or two in the Big East tournament to solidify a spot in the field. With a first round matchup against Creighton University, who also finished 10-8 in the Big East, a win was no guarantee. But by the end of the tournament, the Friars accomplished more than enough to earn a bid.
The game against Creighton was tight the whole time as neither team had more than a three-point lead in the final 10 minutes of regulation. Alpha Diallo ’20 scored on a putback layup with 12 seconds left to tie the game at 59-59 and force overtime.
In OT, Kyron Cartwright ’18 scored five out of Providence’s 13 points to lead the Friars to a 72-68 victory over the Blue Jays and a matchup with first place Xavier. Diallo was the leading scorer for the team with 19 points while Cartwright and Rodney Bullock ’18 each had 13 points.
The semifinal game did not start the way Providence had hoped as they found themselves down 17 points early in the second half. The Friars then went on a miraculous 29-12 run to tie the game at 64, sparked by Cartwright and Nate Watson ’21, who had 10 points in the second half. The Friars would head into overtime tied 68-68.
Again, it was Diallo and Cartwright who led the team in OT. Cartwright hit the go-ahead shot with less than a minute to go to give the Friars a 73-70 lead and then drew an offensive foul on Xavier’s J.P. Macura to seal give the ball back to the Friars. Diallo scored four points into overtime and his last second free throws forced Xavier to shoot a three that was too late.
The unbelievable win sent the Friars to their third Big East Finals appearance in team history and first since winning the Big East in 2014. The only team left standing in their way was the defending Big East Champions, the Villanova Wildcats.
While it may have been a daunting task to upset a heavily favored Villanova team, the Friars were already able to upset the Wildcats at home earlier in the season and beat Xavier twice.
After a close first-half where the Friars found themselves down by four, Villanova made a run to extend its lead to 12 early in the second half. Luckily, the Friars found enough magic once again to make a comeback to tie the game late. Diallo gave the Friars a 60-58 lead with 40 seconds left in regulation before Villanova managed to the tie the game and force Providence’s third straight overtime game, a Big East tournament record.
In overtime, Villanova took complete control and Providence was outscored 16-6 in the extra minutes. Diallo finished with another great game, scoring 22 points and had 10 rebounds while Cartwright had 19 points.
Even though the Friars fell short of the title, the team played its best when it counted the most. After a season with several disappointing games, the Friars showed college basketball what they were capable of when they played their best, a team that plays tough defense and hustles until the end. Despite losing the first round of the national tournament, Providence’s remarkable run in the Big East tournament proved that the season was a success.
Men’s Basketball Fights Hard in Big East Championship
by The Cowl Editor on March 15, 2018
Friar Sports
PC Falls to ‘Nova in the Big East Final
by Sullivan Burgess ’20
Sports Staff
It is only two weeks into March and needless to say it has been a crazy few weeks for the Providence College Friars Men’s Basketball Team and for Friar fanatics.
The month began for the Friars with a trip to the Big Apple for the Big East Tournament held annually in the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.
The Friars began the tournament as a fifth seed in the Big East standings, playing against the third seed Creighton University Bluejays. This season the Friars went 1-1 with Creighton, so expectations were high coming into the game.
The game came down to the wire and ultimately had to be decided in overtime after battling back and forth over each half. The victory was handed to the Friars as they took over in the last few minutes to secure the win 72-68.
Small forward Alpha Diallo ’20 led the game in scoring for the Friars with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Point guard Kyron Cartwright ’18 after the game said he was excited about the atmosphere of the Garden and stated to the press, “It’s like, feels like our second home sometimes. We got a lot of great alumni who come out, a lot of great fans, a lot of students here from the New York area. They always come out. They support us. They’re really loud out there and we feed off their energy.”
The Friars played the next day in the semi-final against the one seed Xavier University, who came off of a strong victory against St. John’s University.
Again the game went back and forth throughout each half and overall had to be decided again in overtime. In overtime, the Friars played with confidence and strength and defeated Xavier 75-72 to secure a spot in the championship game.
Cartwright and Rodney Bullock ’18 came in clutch as they made many great plays to win the game, including 15 and 17 points, respectively.
The time had then come to show the world what the Friars are really made of as they entered the championship game against conference rivals, the two seed Villanova University Wildcats. To match the common theme throughout the tournament for the Friars, the game had gone to overtime, after the Friars came back in the second half.
Unfortunately, overtime went to the Wildcats as they out-scored the Friars 16-6 in overtime resulting in a final score of 76-66. In the end, Cartwright and Diallo were named to the All-Tournament Team in the guard and guard/forward position.
Despite the loss, Coach Ed Cooley stated to the press after the game “I thought we played great. I thought we played tough. I thought we played together.” These strong words were enough to boost the spirits of the fans and students.
The next day after the championship was more nerve-wracking than the championship, as it was Selection Sunday for the NCAA March Madness Tournament.
While fans were tense throughout the day, they were anxious to see the placement of the Friars in the tournament. The performance of the Friars in the Big East Tournament was definitely able to push the team from on the bubble to either a seventh, eighth, nineth, or tenth seed.
The team was ultimately placed in the west region at a 10 seed, playing against seven seed Texas A&M. Providence was one of the six teams from the Big East that made the March Madness Tournament, along with Villanova and Xavier at one seeds, Creighton and Seton Hall University at eight, and Butler University at No. 10. Overall the Friars are ready to go dancing this March.
PC Swim Gets ready for Big East
by The Cowl Editor on February 15, 2018
Friar Sports
Swim Team Heads to Ohio to Face-Off Against Big East Rivals
by Jeremy Perrigo ’18
Sports Staff
February has come at last, and for the Providence College Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Team, this marks the end of a rigorous six months of training and competition that began back in early September.
The Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving teams travel to Geneva, Ohio on Feb. 21 for four days in the pool in a six-way battle against Big East conference rivals Seton Hall University, Georgetown University, Villanova University, Xavier University, and Butler University for the Big East Championship.
For a few Friars, this competition marks the last of their collegiate career. Alexandra Kartsounis ’18 shared her thoughts on what it will take to find success in Ohio, “Definitely working together, staying together, keep each other in a positive situation because it is a four-day-long meet and we have prelims in the morning, finals in the afternoon. It is just a lot going on and chemistry I think is really important.”
Leadership is an important aspect of any sports team, and as freshmen go on to become seniors, their roles change. When questioned about how her responsibility on the team has changed, Kartsounis had a few words to add about her fellow teammates, saying “It definitely puts you in a leadership position. I am not captain this year. My captains are Erin Cunningham ’18 and Katie Fallon ’18 and they both do an excellent job leading the team.” She went on to note that leadership can be found across the board, “I think it is important for all the seniors to kind of take that leadership role, and I think everyone does a pretty good job doing that. Mostly just lead by example and keep a positive attitude, I think is really important.”
The Friars are trying to use the championship to rebound from a disappointing loss in their last competition, a tri-meet against Georgetown and Seton Hall, “We all raced pretty well, but we lost to both teams. I think that meet is pretty difficult for our team just because it is so close to our championships so we have all been beaten down by training really hard. But overall I think everyone pulled through and had some pretty good times.”
When asked if a single team stood out from the rest going into the competition, Kartsounis, who specializes in backstroke and butterfly, pointed to one school in particular. “Butler is our closest competition; all the other schools are pretty strong but we always go and race our hardest.”
She also mentioned a group of Friars that she believes do not get enough credit for the boost they add to final scores: the divers. “The divers are super important to us because they contribute to the pointing scales.” She mentioned one teammate in particular. “Kendall Jerzyk ’18 made Big East and she is one of the top [divers] on the diving team and I do not think people give her enough credit. She gives us a bump up in our pointing scale,” Kartsounis said.
While cohesion amongst teammates is important, coaching plays just as integral a role, and good coaching is essential for any team that hopes to be successful. Kartsounis elaborated on the impact her coaches have had on her swimming career. She began with the man in charge, saying, “Our head coach John O’Neill is great, he has led our team through some good wins and tough losses but definitely kept us going through.”
Not forgotten is the impact of assistant coaches. “I also want to give note to Ken Reall, we got him my sophomore year I believe and he has a great swim background, great resume, and overall just a really good person and great motivator. I definitely think he has had a big impact on my swimming career here,” Kartsounis added.
The Friars have high hopes for the week ahead. For some athletes, the event marks the beginning of more to come. For this group of seniors, it presents the opportunity to put an exclamation point on an eventful four years.
Women’s Soccer: Tourney Bound
by The Cowl Editor on November 2, 2017
Friar Sports
By Eileen Flynn ’20
Sports Staff
The Providence College Women’s Soccer Team has o cially concluded their regular season play. The team nished with a solid record of 10-7-1, and 5-3-1 in the Big East. Throughout the season, the Friars clinched several big wins causing the team to stand out around campus and throughout the nation.
In the rst half of the season, the Friars remained undefeated over a ve game stretch from Sept. 7 through Sept. 23. On this run, PC claimed victories over Brown University (3- 1), University of Arkansas (4-3), St. Joseph’s University (3-0), University of Massachusetts-Lowell (2-0), and Villanova University (1-0).
On Oct.8, the Friars made the record books after out playing and out scoring a Big East rival. On Marquette University’s territory, the Friars beat the Golden Eagles for the first time ever in program history.
A week later, the Friars faced another tough Big East opponent. On Oct. 15, the Friars defeated then No. 15 Georgetown University in the last home game of the regular season. Christina Klaum ‘18 scored in the sixth minute of the first half for the Friars and was the lone scorer for the remaining 84 minutes. Goalkeeper Shelby Hogan ’20 played strong in net and held the No. 1 Big East team to a shutout. Hogan has seen over 1,600 minutes of action, posts a 0.96 goal-against average, and earned a 0.815 save percentage. This game marked Hogan’s shutouts at a high number of six games.
PC earned a No. 3 seed entering the Big East tournament. Georgetown University and Butler University are ranked first and second respectively and both received a first-round bye to the semi-final games. PC lined up to face the No. 6 seed, DePaul University, in the first round of the Big East Tournament. The two teams battled earlier in the season to a double-overtime draw (0-0) in Providence, Rhode Island on Oct. 19. DePaul then went on to beat Villanova (6-3) on Oct. 22 and St. John’s (1-0) on Oct. 26 and concluded their season.
The second match-up of the year marked the beginning of the Big East tournament. Both teams gathered at Chapey Field on Oct.29. The game followed a similar pattern of the previous encounter of the two teams, ending the first half tied 0-0. The Blue Demon’s goaltender stopped two shots while Hogan was only tested once. Both teams brought a new energy for the second half. Hannah McNulty’s ’21 header went just wide of the goal post. Alex Ben of DePaul also missed the net with two shots just over Hogan’s crossbar. In the 78th minute, Amber Birchwell ‘21 poked through DePaul’s defense and passed it over to teammate McNulty. McNulty’s shot hit the back of the net and put the Friars up 1-0.
With the game dwindling down, the Blue Demons did not let up. Off of a free kick, DePaul tied the game up with less than a minute left. The game spilled into two overtimes both ending in a stalemate. This forced the teams to finish the battle with penalty kicks. PC scored in the first two rounds. DePaul could get only one ball past Hogan in the third round. The Friars beat the Blue Demons with a 2-1 win in penalty kicks.
This win prolongs the season for the Friars and pushes them ahead to the Big East semi-final game against Butler on Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. at Butler University.