NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. – This is not a vintage Big East, at least by past conference standards.
A season after Villanova won its second NCAA Tournament championship in three years, the Big East does not have an AP Top 10 team or a legitimate national contender. No one from this 10 team non-football league is expected seeded higher than fifth when the selection committee announces its gjn brackets.
But the Big East tournament tied to bragging rights and the fact that two Metro area teams—St. John’s and Seton Hall—should qualify for the 68-team field has added local interest and should help the crowd numbers at the Garden.
Villanova may have repeated as Big East champions for a fifth straight season but given the fact the Cats (22-9, 14-4) have lost four of their last six games, any team could cut down the nets here Saturday night.
That includes Providence, which plays the Wildcats Thursday at 12 noon. This has been a rebuilding year for the eighth seeded Friars (18-14, 7-11), who start two freshman and a sophomore. But they took out their frustrations on Butler, burying ninth seeded Bulldogs (16-16, 7-11) for a third time in 16 days, 80-57, in the first round of the tournament.
‘‘There’s something about this building that is spectacular for the Friars,’’ Cooley said.
Providence should be motivated by the fact they are playing for an NIT bid and maybe more. Butler is headed home after another disappointing trip to Manhattan. This was the fourth time in the last five years Butler has been eliminated in the first round.
‘I think we’d love to stay longer,’’ Butler coach LaVall Jordan said. “Providence had a different thought in mind. I know it’s a heck of a league. You look at all the parity in the league this year, every game is going to be a battle.”
Providence started slow, falling behind, 17-7 with 10:02 left in the half. But the Friars eventually calmed down after a timeout and proceeded to light Butler up from the perimeter, shooting 55.6 percent for the game and 60 percent in the second half when they played A plus basketball according to coach Ed Cooley, outscoring the Bulldogs, 42-30, The Friars made 11 three point goals and used their length and a sticky zone defense to cheat out toward the three point line and push Butler’s offense out of its comfort zone. The Bulldogs shot just 7 for 21 from beyond the arc.
Providence got its biggest boost from 6-3 junior guard Maliek White, who came into the game averaging just 5.6 points. White missed his first three shots, then went off, making eight in a row, including three 3 pointers, to finish with a game high 19 points. “I think my teammates just gave me confidence,’’ White said. “They tell me to keep shooting. I know I started off and missed three straight open threes. In that time out, coach told us to we need to take those shots. I was fortunate enough for it to keep going in.’’
Junior guard Alpha Diallo, a second team All-Big East selection, scored 18 points on 7 for 13 shooting and freshman guard David Duke added 16 on 6 of 8 shooting. Jordan Tucker, a Duke transfer, led Butler with 14 points but guard Kamar Baldwin, the Bulldogs’ best player, only had eight.
“Maliek looked like Superman out there today,’’ Cooley said. ‘I was really happy for Maliek, with that level of energy and enthusiasm, making shots, leading the team. That was pretty much fun to watch. We’re going to need him to do that again in about 15 hours.’’
Villanova has beaten Providence twice so far. But if the Friars shoot it like they did against Butler and limit the Cats’ threes, they could play the role of Cinderella.
