Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Late Night Snacks: No. 6 Villanova wins Big East regular season title

nova

GAME OF THE NIGHT: Northwestern State 119, Central Arkansas 102

Central Arkansas scored 52 points in the first half and 50 in the second...and still lost by 17 points. Why? The Demons scored 72 points in the second half, shooting 70.3% from the field and assisting on 19 of their 26 made field goals. Northwestern State also forced 13 turnovers in the second half, converting those opportunities into 23 points. Jalan West scored 26 points and Zikiteran Woodley added 24 for Northwestern State, which locked up the four seed in next week’s Southland tournament.

IMPORTANT OUTCOMES

1) N0. 6 Villanova 77, Xavier 70

From the Xavier angle this result represents a missed opportunity to further solidify their standing with regards to the NCAA tournament. As for the Wildcats, Jay Wright’s team wins the Big East regular season title outright for the first time since 1982. Darrun Hilliard continued his solid play by scoring 19 points, and the victory keeps the Wildcats in contention for a one-seed in the NCAA tournament. This is one of the best teams in the country, and Jay Wright’s done an outstanding job with this group.

2) No. 22 Michigan State 86, No. 24 Iowa 76

The big news for the Spartans: Keith Appling knocked down some shots. Appearing more confident Appling scored 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting, and Travis Trice scored 17 points off the bench. As for Iowa the night was a frustrating one, as they once again struggled to string together stops. Michigan State shot 58.3% from the field, and if the Hawkeyes don’t find away to get better defensively they won’t be in the NCAA tournament very long.

3) No. 15 Cincinnati 97, No. 20 Memphis 84

On Senior Night the Bearcats senior starters did as they’ve done all season long: they led in regards to both the numbers and the intangibles. Sean Kilpatrick scored 34 points, Titus Rubles 24 and Justin Jackson added 13 to go along with nine rebounds, three assists and three steals. Cincinnati can win a share of the American Athletic Conference title with a win at Rutgers on Saturday. As for Memphis, the Tigers struggled defensively and as a result they’re locked into the 4/5 game in next week’s conference tournament.

STARRED

1) F Brandon Edwards (UT-Arlington)

33 points (13-for-16 FG), 19 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in the Mavericks’ 87-86 win at Troy.

2) G Antoine Mason (Niagara)

38 points (13-for-19 FG), six rebounds and four assists in the Purple Eagles’ 78-76 win over Marist in a MAAC tournament first-round game.

3) G Sean Kilpatrick (Cincinnati)

34 points (11-for-18 FG) and three assists in the Bearcats’ 97-84 win over No. 20 Memphis.

STRUGGLED

1) Northwestern and DePaul

Both Chicagoland-area teams were bad in home losses. The Wildcats fell to Penn State 59-32, and DePaul lost to Butler 79-46.

2) G Ledrick Eackles (McNeese State)

Eackles missed all 11 of his field goal attempts in the Cowboys’ 67-51 loss at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

3) ShawnDre’ Jones (Richmond)

Shot 1-for-11 from the field in the Spiders’ 56-50 loss to VCU, finishing with three points, two assists and five turnovers.

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS


  • Atlantic Sun: FGCU, Mercer set up title game rematch
    Last season FGCU began its run with a win in the A-Sun title game on Mercer’s home floor. This year the Bears will aim to return the favor, with the top two seeds winning semifinal games at home. FGCU outlasted ETSU 69-64, and Mercer needed double-overtime to beat USC Upstate 78-75.
  • MAAC: Desi Washington victimizes Fairfield again
    Both regular season meeting between Saint Peter’s and Fairfield ended on Desi Washington three-pointers, and Washington did it again as the Peacocks eliminated the Stags, 65-62 in overtime. The other winners on day one were Niagara (over Marist) and Rider (over Monmouth).
  • MVC: Loyola-Illinois knocks off Bradley
    The Ramblers are now 1-0 all-time at “Arch Madness” by virtue of their 74-72 win over Bradley. Milton Doyle’s three-pointer as time expired was the difference. The other winner on opening night was Evansville, which will take on No. 2 Wichita State after beating Drake 69-61.
  • OVC: Seeds hold to form in the quarters
    After picking up wins on day one Tennessee Tech and Southeast Missouri State looked to pick up a second win, but both fell short. Morehead State eliminated Tennessee Tech, with Angelo Warner scoring 23 points in their 76-61 win over the Eagles. And SEMO fell 84-76 to Eastern Kentucky as Corey Walden led the victors with 17 points.
  • WCC: Lower-seeded teams win on day one
    With the opportunity to take on top seeds Gonzaga and BYU on the line, Santa Clara and Loyola Marymount advanced in Las Vegas. The Broncos beat WCC tournament debutant Pacific 81-64, and they’ll take on Gonzaga Saturday. As for the Lions, they’ll look to duplicate their run to the WCC semifinals last season by beating BYU after coming back to beat Portland 67-64.

NOTABLES


  • Conference USA finished its regular season with a four-way tie for the regular season crown, with Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Southern Miss and Tulsa all finishing 13-3 in conference play. How they’ll be seeded in the conference tournament: Louisiana Tech gets the top seed, followed by Tulsa, Middle Tennessee and Southern Miss.
  • Western Kentucky clinched the second seed in the Sun Belt with a 75-72 win over Louisiana. George Fant scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half to help the Hilltoppers hold off the Ragin’ Cajuns, who were led offensively by Elfrid Payton (31 points, 13 rebounds and three assists).
  • North Carolina Central concluded its 15-1 run through the MEAC with a 76-70 win at Norfolk State. Jeremy Ingram scored 19 points to lead the Eagles, who are 25-5 overall.
  • UC Irvine maintained its hold on first place in the Big West with a 62-44 win at Cal-State Fullerton, guaranteeing themselves at least a share of their first conference title in 12 years.
  • Jordan Adams scored 31 points to lead UCLA to 91-82 win at Washington. While the Bruins are locked into the two-seed in next week’s Pac-12 tournament, they’re still playing to improve their NCAA tournament seeding.
  • Southern Utah ended a 31-game losing streak against Division I opponents with a 77-71 win over North Dakota.
  • Portland State beat Weber State 66-59, limiting the Wildcats to 17 points in the first half. The win was a big one for the Vikings, one of five teams competing for the final three spots in next week’s Big Sky tournament.
  • VCU moved to 11-4 in Atlantic 10 play with a 56-50 win at Richmond, keeping alive their hopes of winning a share of the conference title. They’ll need help in the form of another Saint Louis loss, however.
  • Stephen F. Austin moved to 17-0 in the Southland with an 83-72 win over Oral Roberts. Thomas Walkup led three Lumberjacks in double figures with 16 points.

Follow @raphiellej