Big East Round-Up 2.17.26: Seton Hall keeps bubble hopes alive, Solo Ball finding his range

As has seemingly been the case for weeks, the latest stretch of Big East basketball saw the league’s top teams experience some scares before eventually pulling out victories. UConn pulled out wins over Butler and Georgetown that were perhaps a touch closer than expected, St. John’s needed overtime to hold off Xavier (albeit now eight days ago), Villanova needed to come from behind to beat Marquette, and Seton Hall needed to come from behind to beat Butler. Nonetheless, the four at-large contenders avoided losses.

For UConn and St. John’s, there was and will not be anything to worry about regarding making the NCAA Tournament; they are playing for seeding. Barring a collapse, the same can likely be said about Villanova. For Seton Hall, though, its back-to-back wins over Providence (home) and Butler (away) this past week were exactly what was needed to stay in the bubble mix. 

This edition of the Big East Round-Up will start with the Pirates, but also delve into the teams above them in the standings, and some other news across the league.

Budd Clark propels crucial comeback at Butler

As has often been the case this season, Seton Hall’s defense shut down Butler this past weekend but its offense struggled to take advantage. At least, for the first 30 minutes. With 9:11 left to go in Hinkle Fieldhouse, the Pirates were shooting just 43.6% from the field with 10 assists to 13 turnovers to trail by seven points despite holding the Bulldogs to just 33.3% shooting. At that point, though, head coach Shaheen Holloway elected to bring Budd Clark back with four fouls. Clark had struggled to that point; in addition to four fouls, he had only scored four points on 2-for-8 and had dished two assists to four turnovers.

Immediately upon his return, Clark seemed to take command of the game along with co-star AJ Staton-McCray. The latter kickstarted the comeback with a pair of free throws, then Clark recorded assists on each of Seton Hall’s next five baskets: a jumper by Staton-McCray, a 3-pointer by Mike Williams, a 3-pointer by Staton-McCray, a layup by Staton-McCray, and yet another 3-pointer by Staton-McCray. Add in a bucket of Clark’s own later, and a few free throws, and the two guards combined to account for 20 of Seton Hall’s last 23 points in the win.

After the game, Butler head coach Thad Matta complimented Clark’s understanding of his role as the team’s point guard down the stretch: “[Clark] knew he was in foul trouble, and got the ball where it needed to be,” Matta said. “Even when he got into the paint, he hit his pull-up but he also found guys. He had a great understanding of what they needed and when they needed it.”

Clark’s playmaking has been paramount to Seton Hall’s success this season. His scoring is not all that different in wins (12.7 per game) versus losses (12.1), but his playmaking is: Clark is averaging 5.3 assists (2.23 A:TO) in wins compared to 3.5 assists (1.75 A:TO) in losses. For the Pirates to make a late push for an at-large bid, it starts with Clark.

Providence’s Duncan Powell suspended for three games

The most discussed moment in Big East basketball this past week, though, occurred between St. John’s and Providence. Midway through the second half of a tight game, Providence’s Duncan Powell was ejected for a hard foul in transition on former-Friar, now-Red Storm forward Bryce Hopkins, which led to a significant altercation on the floor:

In addition to Powell, five other players were ejected amid the brawl: Providence’s Jaylin Sellers, and St. John’s Dillon Mitchell, Kelvin Odih, Ruben Prey, and Sadiku Ibine Ayo (Odih, Prey, and Ibine Ayo for leaving the bench). 

Providence fans cheered Powell’s name as he hyped up the crowd as he went to the locker room after the ejection. In terms of on-the-court action, though, St. John’s scored eight straight points after the altercation to turn what had been a one-point deficit into a seven-point lead. The Red Storm never trailed from that point forward, and led by as many as 13.

In the aftermath of the game, the Big East announced that Powell, who averages 4.9 points per game, will be suspended for two additional games beyond the automatic one-game suspension mandated by NCAA rules. No one else was suspended. Powell will miss Providence’s games against DePaul (away), Xavier (home), and Creighton (away). 

Dylan Darling steps up for the Red Storm

Dylan Darling has shown flashes of big-time play throughout this season for St. John's, but stepped up in arguably his biggest way in the win over Providence. After a 16-point, 5-rebound, 4-assist performance in the overtime win over Xavier that preceded, Darling followed it up with a season-high 23 points against Friars. He also secured eight rebounds and came away with three steals.

More than just his box score numbers, he helped propel the run that put SJU ahead for good against Providence. Less than a minute after game resumed following the fight, Darling buried a 3-pointer to put SJU up by seven. On the next offensive possession, he buried another. Another minute later, and he turned a Providence inbound into a steal and score the other way to notch eight straight for the Red Storm — the second-longest streak by an SJU player for the season.

The second-half impact didn't stop there. Darling added another eight points over the final nine minutes to score 16 of his 23 not just after halftime — but in the 14:25 following the ejections of his teammates. He was +11 in 16 second-half minutes. St. John's is undefeated at 14-0 when Darling scores five or more points.

Pick your poison with UConn's offense.

Solo Ball has been UConn’s most high-volume offensive player all year, but the efficiency has not always been there. The junior guard is plenty capable as a shooter, evidenced by his 99 made 3s on 41.4% accuracy last season and the way opposing defenses stick to him on the perimeter, but he entered this past week still shooting under 30% from beyond the arc. Perhaps this past week was his slump-buster, though, buying 6-of-12 3s at Butler before returning home to make 5-of-15 trifectas against Georgetown. They were his second and third games of 5+ made 3s this season, and he notched 20+ points in each contest:

UConn is already one of the most deadly 3-point shooting teams in the country with the way it spaces the floor around Tarris Reed. Alex Karaban commands attention, as does star freshman Braylon Mullins. Ball’s reputation and volume demand heavy defensive coverages as well, but when the shots are falling as they did this past week, UConn becomes even more dangerous.

After his team’s win over Butler, head coach Dan Hurley remarked that Silas Demary and Tarris Reed can play somewhat 2-on-2 with the way the other shooters draw defenders. Those two combined for 17 assists to four turnovers in that game, and followed it up with 10 assists to four turnovers in the win over Georgetown. Both are also plenty capable scorers as well in a balanced offense that features five players averaging between 11 and 15 points.

UConn isn’t perfect, and its margins could have been larger this past week, but its offense is quickly becoming pick-your-poison. The Huskies are averaging 11.7 made 3s on 42.2% efficiency over their last six games. If the defense returns to earlier season form, watch out.

DePaul beats Creighton for the first time since 2015

DePaul only played once this past week, but it was a memorable result. Behind a 23-point performance from big man NJ Benson and a game-winner from Brandon Maclin, the Blue Demons defended their home court against Creighton:

It marked DePaul's first win over the Big East foe since 2015, snapping a stretch of 23 straight losses; it was the program's first home win over Creighton since 2005, before they shared conference affiliation.

While the single result is impressive from that perspective, it also brought DePaul's overall record to 13-12 (5-9 BE). The Blue Demons have already won their most conference games since the 2021-22 season and still have six games left to play. Although only favored in one more game, per KenPom, they would notch their most wins in a league season since 2007 if they can finish 3-3.

Additionally, the Blue Demons are now tied for sixth in the league standings, and 1.5 games ahead of Providence, Butler, and Marquette. While there are still games to be played to determine the final standings, DePaul has not finished above three teams in the Big East standings since 2008.

Games to watch this week:

• Feb. 21: UConn at Villanova (Thill Score: 83.1)
  • 5:30pm ET on TNT
• Feb. 17: Villanova at Xavier (Thrill Score: 61.5)
  • 6:30pm ET on Fox Sports 1
• Feb. 21: Providence at DePaul (Thrill Score: 57.8)
  • 8:00pm ET on Fox Sports 1
• Feb. 18: Butler at Georgetown (Thrill Score: 56.0)
  • 6:30pm ET on Fox Sports 1
• Feb. 18: St. John's at Marquette (Thrill Score: 54.9)
  • 9:00pm ET on TNT