MBB Minute – St. John’s, Butler Fall in Gavitt Games; UConn Moves to 3-0 - Big East Conference Skip To Main Content

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MBB Minute – St. John’s, Butler Fall in Gavitt Games; UConn Moves to 3-0

A St. John’s rally fell short and Butler could not get going offensively in their respective Gavitt Tipoff Games contests on Wednesday, while UConn comfortably improved to 3-0.

After a bit of a slow start, UConn handled Long Island U. 93-40 at Gampel Pavilion. The Huskies have placed five players in double figures in all three games this season. On Wednesday, graduate student Tyler Polley was the scoring leader with 17 points. The margin of victory was UConn’s largest since a 103-47 win over Tennessee-Chattanooga in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

After trailing by as many as 14 points, St. John’s rallied to tie the game twice, but the Johnnies lost 76-74 at Indiana. Julian Champagnie poured in 32 points – the highest scoring total by a BIG EAST player this season – and made a career-high six 3-pointers. Stef Smith scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half.

Butler lost 73-52 to Michigan State at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs made only 29 percent from the field and had to deal with an injury to Bryce Nze, who hurt his shoulder seven minutes into the game and did not return. Graduate student Ty Groce led Butler with 15 points and nine rebounds.

Thursday’s schedule includes the completion of the Gavitt Games in addition to a pair of non-conference battles. Xavier (3-0) hosts No. 19 Ohio State in the Gavitt Games at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The two teams have not met since the second round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. The Musketeers have won 11 of their last 15 games against Big Ten teams.

In the second game of the Gavitt Games doubleheader, DePaul hosts Rutgers at 8:30 p.m. The Blue Demons are 2-0 under new coach Tony Stubblefield and are coming off a 99-66 win over Central Michigan. Javon Freeman-Liberty was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 23.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists in the two victories.

The two BIG EAST teams that won in the Gavitt Games on Monday are back in action. Marquette meets Mississippi in the first round of the Charleston Classic on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. The Golden Eagles (3-0) are coming off a 67-66 win over No.10 Illinois when they helped force 26 Illini turnovers. Providence won at Wisconsin 63-58. The Friars (3-0) are led by Nate Watson, who is averaging 20.0 points and 7.3 rebounds, while shooting 71.1 percent from the field.  New Hampshire lost at Marquette 75-70 last Friday.

BIG EAST teams own a collective 27-4 record going into Thursday’s schedule.