The Big East is off to a great start this year, but the Gavitt Tipoff Games have been a case of meeting their match. All three losses by conference members have come in the event, which is tied at three games apiece heading into the final night of action. Two came on Wednesday night, while a third looked likely for a while.
We’ll start with the early game, where Ohio State blasted Villanova 76-51 in a classic case of one team being hot and the other team being cold, though it was probably not only that. Ohio State shot 60 percent from the field, including 9-16 from long range, while Villanova shot under 31 percent. This was basically never a ballgame, as Ohio State raced out to a 19-3 lead just after the first media timeout and went up 36-10 over 13 minutes in. Villanova scored the last nine points of the first half, but halftime sapped any momentum and it was too much to overcome.
Later, Northwestern hosted Providence in their first game since losing to Division I newcomer Merrimack on Friday night. The Wildcats were much better this time around, though they did give the ball away 20 times, but they held on to beat Providence 72-63. They shot just under 49 percent from the field, including 7-16 from deep, and they slowed Providence star Alpha Diallo as he had 15 points but was just 6-21 from the field. Northwestern also surrendered 20 offensive rebounds, so Providence had plenty of chances to get closer and ultimately win this game.
Finally, one of the best games of the night was in Milwaukee as Purdue visited Marquette. Purdue ran out to a 38-20 lead, but Marquette scored the last five points of the half and picked right up where they left off after intermission, getting it within single digits before the first media timeout. They would slowly cut into the lead more and tie it at 49, but Purdue regained the lead on the next possession before Sacar Anim scored five straight points to start an 11-0 run that would give Marquette the lead for good.
Utah State transfer Kobe McEwen (23 points) and Markus Howard (18) were the closers for the Golden Eagles with free throws and big shots in their 65-55 win. An encouraging sign for them is that this was a defensive battle as neither team shot well and each team committed just 10 turnovers. Purdue shot below 34 percent from the field, going 6-24 from long range, although they did grab 16 offensive boards.
It’s a big plus that the Gavitt Tipoff Games have expanded after they first started, and right now a 4-4 split seems like a good possibility. For the Big East, it has been the one place where they haven’t been consistent winners this year, but that also tells you something about how their teams have started. While the Pac-12 shows signs of a resurgence with their first week-plus of action, the Big East looks like it will be better than last year as well, although in both cases it’s still very early (especially after the disaster that December was for the Pac-12 last year).
Side Dishes
VCU improved to 3-0 with a quality win as they held off LSU 84-82 in a game that saw the return of former VCU head coach Will Wade. At VCU, Wade’s contract required that he bring his new team to the Siegel Center or have his new school pay VCU $250,000. The Rams forced 26 Tiger turnovers and led for most of the game, then responded like a veteran team when LSU rallied to tie the game with a 15-2 run in the second half as they went on an 11-4 run of their own.
South Florida threw up another stinker at home, losing 70-53 to IUPUI three days after Boston College handled them. The Bulls figured to be one of the better teams in the American Athletic Conference even with Alexis Yetna out for the season, but they are 1-2 with two double-digit home losses.
Give Oklahoma State credit for going on the road to College of Charleston, and then a little more for leaving there with a convincing 73-54 win. Thomas Dziagwa, one of the nation’s best shooters, had seven three-pointers for all of his 21 points as they beat a team that should contend in the CAA.
The best stat lines of the night: Ohio University guard Jason Preston had 27 points, 14 rebounds and five assists in the Bobcats’ 81-72 win at Iona, while Christian Vital had 26 points and 16 rebounds in the losing effort as Saint Joseph’s beat UConn 96-87 in Storrs and Nico Carvacho had 21 points and 19 rebounds to lead Colorado State past Omaha 80-65.
Tonight’s Menu
The last of the Gavitt Tipoff Games highlights a fairly light slate on the evening.
- In those aforementioned games, Georgetown hosts Penn State (6:30 p.m.) and Seton Hall hosts Michigan State (8:30 p.m.)
- The Red Wolves Classic gets going in Jonesboro, Arkansas, with UC Davis taking on Idaho (6 p.m.) and VMI taking on host Arkansas State (8:30 p.m.)
- Florida gets a visit from a typically good defensive team in Towson, while Richmond hosts Vanderbilt in a battle of teams that haven’t lost on the young season (7 p.m.)
- A very good mid-major matchup is Winthrop traveling to East Tennessee State (7 p.m.)
- Saint Mary’s tries to bounce back from the loss to Winthrop as they host Long Beach State (10 p.m.)
