INSIDER
Kansas cruises to 81-65 win over Villanova in Final Four
Read full article: Kansas cruises to 81-65 win over Villanova in Final FourDavid McCormack muscled his way to 25 points, Ochai Agbaji added 21 and hot-shooting Kansas withstood every Villanova run for a 81-65 victory Saturday night that sent the Jayhawks back to the national title game.
Final Four gets experience boost from transfer portal, COVID
Read full article: Final Four gets experience boost from transfer portal, COVIDExactly 10 years after a bunch of one-and-done phenoms for Kentucky cut down the nets in the Big Easy, there is a much more old-school feel to this yearās Final Four.
Villanova to 7th Final Four, beats Houston 50-44 in South
Read full article: Villanova to 7th Final Four, beats Houston 50-44 in SouthJermaine Samuels had 16 points and 10 rebounds as Villanova advanced to its third Final Four in the last six NCAA Tournaments with a 50-44 victory over Houston in the South Region final.
TIPPING OFF: Coach K win away from record 13th Final Four
Read full article: TIPPING OFF: Coach K win away from record 13th Final FourMike Krzyzewski would pass famed UCLA coach John Wooden for most Final Four appearances if No. 2 seed Duke can beat fourth-seeded Arkansas in the West Region final in San Francisco.
Villanova back to Sweet 16 after 71-61 win over Ohio State
Read full article: Villanova back to Sweet 16 after 71-61 win over Ohio StateCollin Gillespie scored 20 points, Eric Dixon hit a big 3-pointer late and second-seeded Villanova fended off seventh-seeded Ohio State 71-61 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
TIPPING OFF: Izzo, Coach K meet for last time, Sweet 16 spot
Read full article: TIPPING OFF: Izzo, Coach K meet for last time, Sweet 16 spotThe matchup between Hall of Fame coaches Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and Tom Izzo of Michigan State highlights the final day of the NCAA Tournament's opening weekend.
Champs again: Villanova tops Creighton to win Big East title
Read full article: Champs again: Villanova tops Creighton to win Big East titleCollin Gillespie nailed consecutive 3-pointers late in the game that put No. 8 Villanova ahead for good, and the Wildcats beat Creighton 54-48 to win the Big East Tournament championship at Madison Square Garden.
Gillespie nets 31, No. 10 Villanova beats No. 8 Friars 89-84
Read full article: Gillespie nets 31, No. 10 Villanova beats No. 8 Friars 89-84Collin Gillespie had five 3-pointers and a career-high 33 points, including a key 3 with 23 seconds left, and 10th-ranked Villanova held on to beat eighth-ranked Providence 89-84.
Creighton finishes strong, knocks off No. 9 Villanova 79-59
Read full article: Creighton finishes strong, knocks off No. 9 Villanova 79-59Ryan Hawkins scored 19 points to lead four players in double figures and Creighton closed with a flurry in a 79-59 victory over No. 9 Villanova in the Big East opener for both teams.
No. 5 Villanova routs No. 17 Tennessee 71-53 in Tip-Off
Read full article: No. 5 Villanova routs No. 17 Tennessee 71-53 in Tip-OffJermaine Samuels scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as No. 5 Villanova eased to a 71-53 win over No. 17 Tennessee Saturday in the opening round of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off tournament in Connecticut.
Close range: Baylor grinds to Elite 8 in 62-51 win ova 'Nova
Read full article: Close range: Baylor grinds to Elite 8 in 62-51 win ova 'NovaDavion Mitchell, a 46% shooter from 3 this season, went 0 for 3 from long range on a 14-point day. Jared Butler scored nine points on 1-for-9 shooting from 3, and MaCio Teague had five points without a 3. The guards did a great job of not settling and probing more.āBecause of that, Baylor shot 53% in the second half, even though it made only one 3. Constantly harassing Villanova shooters who'd carved out space in the first half, Baylor held Villanova to 37.5% shooting in the second and 0 for 9 from 3. Forward Brandon Slater left the game about midway through the second half after landing awkwardly during a fight for a rebound.
Pick Six: Veterans to watch as NCAA Tournament begins
Read full article: Pick Six: Veterans to watch as NCAA Tournament begins(AP Photo/Chase Stevens)INDIANAPOLIS ā There has never been a better time to have senior leadership in the NCAA Tournament than this season. AdVirginia intends to play after withdrawing from the ACC Tournament because of COVID-19 protocols, which means fans will get to say Sam Hauser running the show. Dru Smith is their leading scorer and Jeremiah Tilmon finally reached his potential this season, and both aim to help Missouri snap a four-game NCAA Tournament skid. Herb Jones is an All-American candidate and Jaden Shackelford is Alabama's leading scorer, but John Petty Jr. makes the SEC Tournament champs go. Then there's Tennessee forward John Fulkerson, who sustained facial fractures in an SEC Tournament win over Florida and underwent surgery Sunday.
Georgetown upsets Big East top seed Villanova 72-71 at MSG
Read full article: Georgetown upsets Big East top seed Villanova 72-71 at MSGThe Hoyas are back in the Big East Tournament semifinals for the first time in six years, with the former Georgetown and Knicks star leading the way. Georgetown last reached the Big East semifinals in 2015. āWe played against the Cadillac, the Bentley, whatever you want to call them, of the Big East ā the class of the Big East. The quarterfinal day at the Garden is often the best of the Big East Tournament. They had not won even a single Big East Tournament game since 2016 before beating Marquette in the first round Wednesday.
Late tip-in helps Providence hold off No. 10 Villanova 54-52
Read full article: Late tip-in helps Providence hold off No. 10 Villanova 54-52(AP Photo/Stew Milne)David Duke made a tiebreaking tip-in with 2.8 seconds left on Saturday and Providence held on after blowing a 20-point lead to beat No. Duke and Nate Watson scored 20 points apiece, and Noah Horchler had 10 points and 13 rebounds for Providence (13-12, 9-10 Big East). PC led 38-18 in the first before Villanova scored the first 11 points of the second. He joined Gillespie on the bench for the second half, wearing a boot. SECOND HALF WOESProvidence took an 11-point lead into halftime in its last game, against St. Johnās on Wednesday.
Villanova wins Big East title; McDermott coaches under fire
Read full article: Villanova wins Big East title; McDermott coaches under fireMcDermottās use of a phrase evoking slavery overshadowed what was expected to be fantastic showdown between the top two teams in the Big East. 10 Villanova capture the Big East title with a 72-60 win over 14th-ranked Creighton. āThe pain I saw in their eyes was immense,ā McDermott said after the game. The Big East title was a formality on the Main Line ā Villanova is 114-26 with two national titles since the conference was reconfigured in 2013. BIG PICTURECreighton: McDermott isnāt off the hot seat yet.
Bulldogs show some bite in 73-61 win over No. 8 Villanova
Read full article: Bulldogs show some bite in 73-61 win over No. 8 Villanova(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS ā Chuck Harris scored 20 points and Jair Bolden added 15 on Sunday to lead Butler to a 73-61 victory over No. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds to lead Villanova (15-4, 10-3), which had won 13 of its previous 15 and was favored by 10 1/2 points. Butler swung the game with defense, limiting the Wildcats to one basket during the final seven minutes of the first half. Clearly, Villanova wasn't itself during the first half ā shooting 28% from the field, grabbing just one offensive rebound and giving up 34 points. But the Bulldogs produced two solid performances this week by beating Seton Hall and now Villanova.
No. 19 Creighton rolls past No. 5 'Nova behind Zegarowski
Read full article: No. 19 Creighton rolls past No. 5 'Nova behind ZegarowskiThe Bluejays pulled away early in the second half of the meeting of the Big East's top two teams. Early in the second half, Zegarowski made a move to get Gillespie to go the other way, then swished a one-handed floater in the lane. The Wildcats had shot 70% in the second half of that game and a season-best 63% overall. The Wildcats weren't nearly as good at CHI Health Center, shooting 33% in the second half and 37.5% for the game. Creighton: This was the performance the Bluejays had been looking for from Zegarowski, who had been up and down following offseason knee surgery.
St. John's shuts down No. 3 Villanova in 70-59 upset
Read full article: St. John's shuts down No. 3 Villanova in 70-59 upsetAlexander scored 16 points and St. John's smothered No. The latest victory gave St. John's its first four-game Big East winning streak since the 2014-15 NCAA Tournament team. 'āAdVillanova was the first top-5 opponent to play in the Queens gym since St. John's lost 72-71 to No. If we can get a Big East game, weāve got to play the Big East game. St. John's: Saturday at Providence, which has won nine of the past 11 meetings.
No. 3 Villanova rolls to 9th straight, handles Seton Hall
Read full article: No. 3 Villanova rolls to 9th straight, handles Seton Hall3 Villanova went up by 16 points in the second half, Jay Wright never felt comfortable against Seton Hall. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl scored 23 points in a foul-plagued 21 minutes and Villanova rolled to ninth straight victory with an unexpectedly easy 80-72 decision over Seton Hall on Saturday. Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard was disappointed. That kills you against really good teams.āUP NEXTVillanova: at St. John's on Wednesday. Seton Hall: at Providence on Wednesday.
No. 3 Villanova edges Seton Hall in return from 27-day break
Read full article: No. 3 Villanova edges Seton Hall in return from 27-day break3 Villanova win its first game in 27 days, 76-74 over Seton Hall on Tuesday night. Mamukelashvili scored 23 points and Rhoden had 19. Myles Cale pulled Seton Hall to 72-70 with 2:33 left and Novaās Justin Moore was whistled for an offensive foul. Mamukelashvili tied it and the Seton Hall bench started chanting āDefense! Gillespie missed a 3 and Shavar Reynolds grabbed the defensive board to set up a late look for Seton Hall.
Villanova coach Wright gets 600th win in victory over Butler
Read full article: Villanova coach Wright gets 600th win in victory over Butler7 Villanova, and coach Jay Wright won his 600th career game in an 85-66 victory over Butler on Wednesday night. Wright (600-268) was already Villanova's winningest coach and he became the 39th coach in Division I history to reach 600 wins. Wright is 478-183 since he was hired in 2001 and he has built the Wildcats into one of the elite programs in college basketball. Villanova: The Wildcats hit 10 3s and showed they have the talent to again win the Big East. ___More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
No. 12 Villanova hands No. 17 Texas first loss 68-64
Read full article: No. 12 Villanova hands No. 17 Texas first loss 68-64(AP Photo/Michael Thomas)AUSTIN, Texas ā After opening the season in a Connecticut ābubble,ā Villanova went all the way down to Texas to get a big win. 17 Texas 68-64 Sunday, handing the Longhorns their first loss after a strong start. BIG PICTUREVillanova: The Wildcats won in their first trip to Texas since winning the 2018 national championship in San Antonio. STAT LINE:Kai Jones, who doesnāt start for Texas but is averaging 20 minutes per game, is shooting 19 of 22 this season. Texas hosts Texas State on Wednesday night in the Longhornsā final non-conference game before starting Big 12 play.
Iowa's Garza heads list of notable seniors in 2020-21 season
Read full article: Iowa's Garza heads list of notable seniors in 2020-21 seasonAfter boosting his stock with an outstanding junior season that got cut short, Garza heads the list of star seniors gearing up for the 2020-21 campaign. The 6-10 forward averaged 16.8 points and 8.5 rebounds, up from 7.9 points and 5.6 rebounds as a sophomore. KANSAS G MARCUS GARRETTGarrett averaged 9.2 points last season, but his biggest contributions come on the other end of the floor. VILLANOVA G COLLIN GILLESPIEThis 6-3 guard averaged 15.1 points, 4.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals last season. GONZAGA F COREY KISPERTThe 6-foot-7 Kispert earned preseason AP All-America honors as he begins his final season with the top-ranked Bulldogs.
No. 1 Zags: Gonzaga begins season atop Top 25 for first time
Read full article: No. 1 Zags: Gonzaga begins season atop Top 25 for first timeFILE - Gonzaga players celebrate after defeating Saint Mary's in an NCAA college basketball game in the final of the West Coast Conference men's tournament in Las Vegas, in this Tuesday, March 10, 2020, file photo. Gonzaga will begin the college basketball season No. 1 for the first time after coach Mark Few's bunch earned 28 first-place votes in the preseason AP Top 25 poll released Monday, Nov. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
No. 1 Zags: Gonzaga begins season atop Top 25 for first time
Read full article: No. 1 Zags: Gonzaga begins season atop Top 25 for first timeIowa was picked fifth behind national player of the year front-runner Luka Garza, its highest preseason ranking in school history. The Bears, who also have their highest preseason ranking, spent five weeks at No. THE REST OF THE POLLCreighton lost Ty-Shon Alexander to the NBA and Davion Mintz to Kentucky but still landed the highest preseason ranking in school history at No. 17, its highest preseason ranking since the final Phi Slama Jama team of Hakeem Olajuwon began the 1983-84 season at No. 6 in the final poll last season but losing Mountain West player of the year Malachi Flynn and two other elite producers.