Big East tournament roundup: Georgetown stuns Villanova, gets UConn next

Julius Halaifonua collected 21 points and a career-high 10 rebounds for his first career double-double as 11th-seeded Georgetown pulled away late in the second half for a decisive 78-64 victory over third-seeded Villanova on Thursday in the Big East tournament quarterfinals.

The Hoyas (16-17) advanced to the semifinals for the first time since their surprise run to the 2021 title as an No. 8 seed. Georgetown will face second-seeded and sixth-ranked UConn, which rolled to a 93-68 rout of Xavier earlier in the day.

Jeremiah Williams added 14 points and Kayvaun Mulready also scored 14, including eight straight Hoyas points when they surged to a double-digit lead late in the second half. Malik Mack scored 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting but hit a tying 3-pointer with 76 seconds left in the first half.

Villanova (24-8) failed in a bid to reach the semifinals for the first time since winning the title in 2022 during coach Jay Wright's final season. Duke Brennan led the Wildcats with 14 points and six rebounds. Tyler Perkins added 13 points and Bryce Lindsay chipped in 11, but star freshman Acaden Lewis and sixth man Devin Askew combined for 12 points on 5-of-21 shooting.

UConn 93, Xavier 68

Solo Ball scored 19 points as the second-seeded Huskies led by double digits most of the way and cruised to a wire-to-wire rout of the 10th-seeded Musketeers in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament.

The Huskies (28-4), who will face Georgetown in the semifinals, led by double digits for the final 28:35 and advanced to the semifinals for the sixth straight season since rejoining the Big East for the 2020-21 season. Tarris Reed collected 17 points and a season-high 14 rebounds for his 10th double-double this season.

Filip Borovicanin led Xavier with a career-high 22 points, but the Musketeers lost the three meetings with UConn by a combined 80 points. Roddie Anderson III added 15 and Tre Carroll struggled and shot 2 of 10 in a 12-point showing.

St. John's 85, Providence 72

Zuby Ejiofor compiled 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and No. 13 St. John's sailed to a win over Providence in the Big East tournament quarterfinals in New York.

The Big East Player of the Year, Ejiofor made 9 of 14 shots and added three blocks while three teammates finished with 14 points: Oziyah Sellers, Bryce Hopkins and Ian Jackson. The top-seeded Red Storm (26-6) will face Seton Hall in the semifinals.

St. John's dominated ninth-seeded Providence 51-30 on the glass, including 18-4 on offensive rebounds. Hopkins, an ex-Friar, had 13 rebounds, including six on offense.

Seton Hall 72, Creighton 61

Adam "Budd" Clark tallied 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists and Jacob Dar had an enormous second half to lift the fourth-seeded Pirates to a victory over the fifth-seeded Bluejays in the Big East tournament quarterfinals in New York.

Dar did not play in the first half before exploding for a season-high 16 points and five rebounds in 15 second-half minutes. The Pirates (21-11) kept their faint NCAA Tournament hopes alive but must face top-seeded St. John's in Friday's first semifinal game.

Creighton (15-17) finished below .500 for the first time since 2014-15 and will miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. Josh Dix led all scorers with 22 points, Nik Graves had 15 points and five assists and Austin Swartz added 10 points for the Bluejays.