Updated Big East tournament bracket: Xavier shores up its at-large resume
By Chris Stone
Day two of the 2017 Big East conference tournament is in the books. Here’s where things stand.
After losing six of their last seven games, the Xavier Musketeers needed a few wins in the Big East tournament in order to solidify their at-large resume for the NCAA Tournament. With a 62-57 win over the Butler Bulldogs in the quarterfinals, the Musketeers did just that. Junior Trevon Bluiett led the way with 23 points, four assists and four rebounds in the victory. Now, with arguably its best win of its season under its belt, Xavier will head into the semifinals on Friday against the Creighton Blue Jays.
RELATED: Updated 2017 NCAA Tournament Bracket
Creighton pulled off an “upset” over the Providence Friars in the nightcap, beating them 70-58. Sophomore Khyri Thomas scored 19 points and grabbed six boards while junior Marcus Foster added 15 points of his own for the Blue Jays. The win should help alleviate some doubts that may have crept into the Selection Committee’s mind regarding Creighton without point guard Maurice Watson Jr.
Here’s a look at where things stand after Thursday’s action. Click the image to enlarge.
In the top half of the bracket, the Villanova Wildcats made sure to remind everyone in the country that they’re the defending national champion. The Wildcats throttled the St. John’s Red Storm, 108-67, behind 25 points from freshman Donte DiVincenzo and 24 from title game hero Kris Jenkins. Next up for Villanova is a meeting with the Seton Hall Pirates in the semifinals. It will be a rematch of last season’s title game.
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The Pirates knocked off the No. 4 seeded Marquette Golden Eagles, 82-76, to advance. The win should help Seton Hall bolster its seeding in the NCAA Tournament. With the loss, Marquette will spend the next several days on the bubble as it awaits its fate.
Although none of the remaining teams need help getting off the bubble, all four programs have seeding bumps to play for, so Friday should give us some exciting action at Madison Square Garden.