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Hawkins, Kalkbrenner Lead Creighton Past Marquette
Truth be told, expectations weren’t exactly sky high for Creighton entering this season. Not after losing its entire starting five from a season ago from a team that reached its first Sweet 16 since 1974. Picked to finish eighth in the BIG EAST Coaches Preseason poll? Yeah, that seemed about right.
Marquette was in a similar situation. The Golden Eagles, too, had huge turnover on their roster with Justin Lewis and Greg Elliott the only two returnees of merit. Oh, and there was a new coach, Shaka Smart, coming aboard as well. Lean times were expected in Milwaukee as well, and number nine in the conference preseason poll was where you’d find the Golden Eagles.
Two teams basically beginning the season with matching clean slates saw that spill over into the postseason as the history between these two programs was, well, there is no history, as neither team had ever faced the other in the BIG EAST Tournament. The Bluejays did sweep the season series from the Golden Eagles and had won six of the last seven matchups going into Thursday. So I guess that will have to pass for the history between the two programs, paltry as it is.
But as each team surged above its expectations this year, each was looking to add to its surprising season with perhaps a deep run through the BIG EAST Tournament. And thanks to Ryan Hawkins, that team will be Creighton.
The Bluejays’ senior sniper canned a clutch three-pointer with 2:03 to play to help stem a valiant Marquette rally, then the Jays closed out the game with an 8-0 run in the final 1:18 to pull out a 74-63 victory in a quarterfinal battle.
Creighton (20-11), the fourth seed, moves on to face top-seeded Providence in Friday semifinals. The Bluejays are 1-2 against the Friars in the BIG EAST Tournament with their win coming in the 2017 quarterfinals.
“I thought my guys were terrific,” Creighton head coach Greg McDermott said. “Marquette’s a heck of a basketball team and we’ve played them in two previous games that frankly we were probably lucky to win both of them. But kind of found a way at the end.”
The Blue Jays broke open what had been a tight game throughout the first half and early second when they used a 20-9 run that turned a 31-29 advantage early in the second half into a seemingly commanding 51-38 cushion after a three-point play by KeyShawn Feazell with 11:234 remaining. Creighton was still holding on to a 12-point lead (60-48) with just over 7:00 to play, but that’s when Marquette began to mount a spirited comeback. Darryl Morsell played a major role in the Golden Eagles’ 13-3 run, scoring seven points in the spurt as Marquette shaved the Creighton lead to a mere 63-61 with 3:06 to go. Greg Elliott capped the Golden Eagles’ run with a three-point play and suddenly it was once again anyone’s game.
But that’s when Hawkins stepped up and hit what was arguably his biggest shot of the season as his three ball from the top of the key nudged the Bluejays lead to 66-61 with just 2:03 left to play. Justin Lewis gave Marquette’s comeback attempt one last gasp when he nailed a jumper with 1:44 to go to pull the Golden Eagles within 66-63. But that would be as close as they would get as Creighton closed out the game with that 8-0 run.
The Bluejays will enjoy their victory for a bit before turning their attention to the top-seeded Friars, who defeated Creighton, 72-51, in their only meeting this season, that coming on Feb. 26 at the Dunkin Donuts Center.
“We played them on a night when I’m not sure the Golden State Warriors could have gone in there and won that night,” Creighton head coach Greg McDermott said. “That place was electric and the town was rocking. We weren’t really able to get our footing. But we’re excited about the opportunity to play again and we’re excited (about) what this win does for our resume.”
Providence Advances Past Butler
The BIG EAST Tournament was just supposed to be the next step in a magical season for Providence.
The Friars have been on quite the ride since the season tipped off in November, accomplishing a plethora of goals along the way. Let’s see, there were 14 conference wins this season, the most in program history. There were the 20-plus wins the Friars logged for the first time since the 2017-18 season. They were nationally ranked - currently sitting at No. 11 - for the first time since 2016. They won the BIG EAST regular season title for the first time in school history, earned the top seed in the conference tournament and saw head Friar, Ed Cooley, land conference Coach of the Year honors.
All that while sporting the oldest team in the league, featuring a starting lineup that boasts three graduate students and a redshirt senior. It’s a team that has an average age of 23 years among its top seven players, making it the college basketball equivalent of an AARP-card carrying crowd.
So with all that going for them this season, the Friars weren’t about to let Butler - make that ninth-seeded Butler - derail their dream season? Were they?
It sure looked that way with less than a minute to play and the Bulldogs holding onto a 59-58 lead. But then Al Durham made a rare appearance from three-point range and sank a three-ball from right in front of the Friars bench with 39.8 seconds to play to give the Friars the lead for good as they escaped with a thrilling 65-61 victory in front of a sold out crowd of 19, 812 at Madison Square Garden. It was the first sellout for a Thursday afternoon session since the 2013-14 realignment.
It was the closest quarterfinal victory for a No. 1 seed since 2012 when top-seeded Syracuse topped No. 9 UConn, 58-55. Top-seeded Providence moves on to the semifinals Friday night where the Friars (25-4) will face the winner of Marquette-Creighton.
So how rare was Durham’s contribution from three-point land, you ask? Well, before he canned the pivotal shot to hold off Butler, Durham had not made a three-pointer since - wait for it - January. And he couldn’t have picked a better time to deliver from long range.
“It’s a blessing just to be out there again with my teammates and they gave me energy,” Durham said. “It was a little tough out there, but the last shot went in. It’s been a long time since January, a long stretch.”
The game was knotted at 31-31 at intermission and through the first eight minutes of the second half neither team could manage more than a three-point lead. Butler looked to be pulling away when Bryce Golden scored eight straight points for the Bulldogs as they grabbed a 51-45 lead with 9:15 to play. But Providence immediately closed the gap with a putback by Nate Watson tying the score 53-53 with 4:46 to go.
Golden’s last points came on a layup with 2:39 to go for a 59-56 Butler lead but a layup by Watson pulled the Friars within 59-58 before they took the lead for good on Durham’s clutch three-pointer.
Lost in Durham’s big moment was a crucial defensive play by Justin Minaya, who blocked a layup attempt by Butler’s Simas Lukosius with 29 seconds to play which helped seal the win for Providence.
“Justin Minaya, we haven’t said his name enough,” Durham said. “He’s the best defender in the BIG EAST and I feel there should be national recognition about it. He comes up big for us and does the things that don’t show up on the stat sheet.”
Watson, who finished with a game-high 26 points, echoed Durham’s sentiments.
“Justin Minaya is a great player,” Watson said. “He knows what to do and he’s been around for a number of years and that’s just what he does for the Friars. He’s a great defensive player, a great offensive rebounder and that major block kind of saved the game for us.”
Cooley, the newly-minted BIG EAST Coach of the Year, gave a tip of the hat to a very game Butler team while also acknowledging how thankful he is to be back at a filled-to-the-brim Garden for the BIG EAST Tournament.
“Can’t go without saying how hard Butler played,” Cooley said. “How tough they are. (And) I couldn’t be more excited to play here in this incredible tournament. I don’t think there is a better tournament in the world, let alone the country, than to play in the BIG EAST Tournament right here in Madison Square Garden.”