Butler's Kamar Baldwin won MVP honors at the CBE Hall of Fame Classic.
MBB Minute -- Butler, DePaul Stay Unbeaten with Tuesday Victories
They went about it in completely different ways, but both Butler and DePaul will enjoy their Thanksgiving dinners with 7-0 records after winning on Tuesday.
On the shoulders of Kamar Baldwin, Butler edged Stanford 68-67 in the title game of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic. The Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team guard scored 17 of the Bulldogs’ final 20 points, including the game-winning hoop on a pull-up jumper with eight seconds left. Baldwin was named Tournament MVP. Bryce Nze continued his strong play with 13 points and eight rebounds. In five of the last six times in the 2000s that the Bulldogs have started 7-0, they have made the NCAA Tournament.
DePaul was playing Central Michigan, the nation’s top scoring team, and fell behind 50-32 by halftime. But the Blue Demons stormed back and took the lead in less than nine minutes and went on to win 88-75. DePaul got double-double performances from Paul Reed (23 pts., 11 rebs.), Charlie Moore (18 pts., 13 assts.) and Jaylen Butz (15 pts., 11 rebs.). Jalen Coleman-Lands was 6-of-12 from 3-point range and finished with a career-high 21 points. The Blue Demons are off to their best start since 1986-87.
BIG EAST teams are 48-12 (.800) overall going into Wednesday’s schedule, which has only one game.
Seton Hall, ranked 13th in both national polls, meets Oregon, ranked 11th in AP, in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Pirate guard Myles Powell leads the BIG EAST in scoring with a 22.6 average.
Three other BIG EAST teams begin their tournament competition on Thanksgiving Day. Providence plays Long Beach State in the Wooden Legacy at 2 p.m. on ESPNU, which also will telecast Marquette versus Davidson in the Orlando Invitational at 6:30 p.m. Creighton battles San Diego State in the Las Vegas Invitational at 10:30 p.m. on FS1.