Big East Basketball

Creighton head coach Greg McDermott issued an apology after making an analogy to a plantation following a 77-69 loss to Xavier last Saturday.

McDermott acknowledged saying he would "need everybody to stay on the plantation" and "can't have everybody leave."

He followed up to say he "immediately recognized my egregious mistake and quickly addressed my use of such insensitive words with the team."

McDermott said he met with athletes, staffers, parents and school administrators regarding the matter and "realize[d] the pain that my words have caused."

Creighton issued a statement as well, saying McDermott "used deplorable language that is inconsistent with the university's values and commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment." The school declined to disclose the nature of any disciplinary action he might receive.

Creighton fell to 17-6 on the season with last weekend's defeat. The Bluejays slipped from 13th to 14th in the Associated Press' Top 25 poll. They face off with No. 10 Villanova on Wednesday and close out the regular season Saturday against Butler.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi projects Creighton to be a No. 5 seed in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

The 2020-21 season has been a nightmare for Butler, but the Bulldogs appear determined to finish strong.

Chuck Harris scored 20 points and Jair Bolden added 15 as Butler pulled off a 73-61 upset of No. 8 Villanova on Sunday.

The Bulldogs (9-13) have won two straight games for just the third time this season. Building off its strong defensive performance against Seton Hall, Butler held Villanova to 38.1 percent shooting and set the tone by limiting the Wildcats to 24 first-half points.

Bryce Golden and Bryce Nze were also in double figures for Butler. 

Villanova's loss could knock Jay Wright's team off the No. 2 seed for the time being. ESPN's Joe Lunardi has had the Wildcats slotted for a No. 2 seed for weeks, but they may wind up dropping after losing two of their last four games.

The margin is thinner than ever in a shortened season, and Villanova laid an egg against a Butler team that will finish under .500 for the first time since 2012-13 barring a deep run in the Big East tournament.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Justin Moore and Collin Gillespie were in double figures for Villanova, which boasts a 10-3 conference record with two regular-season games remaining.

Wednesday's matchup against Creighton will essentially decide the regular-season Big East champion and give the Wildcats a chance to right themselves after a 16-point loss to the Bluejays earlier this month.

For now, Wright and Co. will have to go back to the drawing board and figure out a way to get back into the Top 10 after they likely fall out in Monday's rankings update.

Butler closes its regular season Saturday against Creighton. 

No. 5 Villanova suffered just its third loss of the year Saturday but by far its worst of the season.

The No. 19 Creighton Bluejays took down the Wildcats, 86-70, at CHI Health Center as the high-scoring Nova offense struggled to defend in the second half. The Wildcats' biggest defeat this year before Saturday came in a 70-59 loss to St. John's on Feb. 3.

Creighton shot 59.3 percent from the field in the win as Marcus Zegarowski poured in a game-high 25 points.

A 15-6 run by the Bluejays early in the second half proved too much for head coach Jay Wright's team to overcome—especially as the Wildcats continued to brick three-pointer after three-pointer.

Villanova had averaged 38.7 percent from behind the arc but connected on just 10 of 32 attempts against Creighton. As the Wildcats attempted to quickly shoot themselves back into the game, Creighton was able to take its time on offense and find solid looks for its starters.

The Jays received eight points from their bench while every starter except Denzel Mahoney (seven points) finished in double figures. Christian Bishop proved the most efficient Creighton shooter, going 6-of-7 from the field for 16 points and nine rebounds.

The win is unquestionably the best on the Bluejays' resume this year and comes hours after the March Madness selection committee announced Villanova as a preliminary No. 2 seed for the NCAA tournament. That's now likely to change.

Creighton still has to travel to play at Villanova on March 3 for their penultimate contest of the regular season. That game now carries extra weight as the two Big East rivals look to establish themselves ahead of Selection Sunday.

Before Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing starred on the 1992 Dream Team, they made their Olympic debuts with the 1984 U.S. men's basketball squad. However, Ewing almost didn't make it to the Summer Games.

Head coach Bob Knight wanted to send the Georgetown center home because of some horseplay with Jordan.

"He and Jordan are roommates," assistant coach C.M. Newton told then-Notre Dame head coach Digger Phelps, per Doug Haller of The Athletic. "They were wrestling in their room, and Ewing has a twisted neck."

Phelps, a friend of Knight's, was working with ABC as an analyst during the Olympics. Phelps insisted to the coach that he needed Ewing on the roster, and Knight refrained from making any changes.

Ewing averaged 11.0 points per game during Team USA's run to the gold medal and topped the squad with 18 blocks in eight games. Jordan led the team with 17.1 points per game.

The Marquette men's basketball team took a knee prior to its game against UConn on Tuesday and wore black uniforms after Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley declined to file charges against law enforcement officers involved in the Aug. 23 shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Marquette also released a statement:

The shooting sparked nationwide protests amid a year filled with demonstrations advocating for social justice, an end to systemic racism and police reform.

The men's hoops team is one of a few in Wisconsin that have demonstrated following the Blake shooting.

Of note, the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court for a playoff game against the Orlando Magic soon after the shooting, sparking a three-day pause in the league's postseason. The Bucks' stand led to other franchises, such as all 12 WNBA teams, to postpone play.

Police officer Rusten Sheskey, who is white, shot Blake shot seven times in the back. Blake survived but is now paralyzed from the waist down.

Todd Richmond and Michael Tarm of the Associated Press relayed comments from Graveley regarding his decision:

"Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley said investigators concluded Blake was carrying a knife when police responded to a report he was trying to steal a car. Officer Rusten Sheskey said he 'feared Jacob Blake was going to stab him with the knife' as he tried to stop Blake from fleeing the scene.

"'I do not believe the state ... would be able to prove that the privilege of self-defense is not available,' Graveley said."

ESPN News Services provided a recounting of the events leading to the shooting of Blake, which was caught on video:

"The shooting occurred as officers were responding to a call from a woman who reported her boyfriend was not supposed to be around. Cellphone video shows Blake walking to the driver-side door of an SUV as officers follow with guns drawn, shouting. As Blake opens the door and leans into the SUV, Sheskey grabs Blake's shirt from behind and opens fire. Sheskey's attorney, Brendan Matthews, said Sheskey fired because Blake started turning toward the officer while holding a knife."

The Bucks also released a statement regarding the DA's decision:

Other athletes spoke out, including Los Angeles Lakers guard/forward LeBron James.

Villanova is pausing its basketball activities following an outbreak of COVID-19 within the program, the team announced Sunday.

Head coach Jay Wright is among those confirmed to have tested positive for the coronavirus and addressed the situation:

"Our players have been very diligent and disciplined with all of the COVID protocols. Unfortunately, we have had two staff members test positive. I am one of them. My symptoms are mild, and we remain connected as a team and staff by phone and Zoom. I am grateful to our team physician, Dr. Mike Duncan, who has worked tirelessly to help guide us safely through this."

The Big East has postponed the No. 5 Wildcats' January 2 matchup with No. 22 Xavier. No makeup date has been announced.  

It's the second consecutive game Villanova has postponed after both the Wildcats and St. John's agreed to push back their conference meeting scheduled for December 30.

"We just thought our players needed a break," Wright said of the St. John's game. "Their well-being is our top priority. We appreciate that St. John's is in agreement with us on this in wanting the same for their players." 

Nova has now had five games postponed this season. The length of the program's layoff is to be determined as well. 

The Wildcats last played December 23 in an 85-68 victory over Marquette to extend their winning streak to six games. Villanova remains atop the Big East standings with a half-game lead over No. 13 Creighton and Seton Hall. 

If there are no further cancellations, the program could return for a January 5 contest against DePaul—which was previously postponed December 14.

The Georgetown Hoyas landed an impact player for the 2021 class with the commitment of Aminu Mohammed.

The shooting guard announced his decision Monday:

The Washington, D.C., native is a 5-star recruit and the No. 16 overall player in the class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

Mohammed has excellent athleticism, helping him to attack the paint and consistently finish at the rim. He has a good enough handle to create opportunities for himself and others, allowing him to play on the ball at the next level.

At 6'5", his strength manifested on both ends of the court. It's helped him to dominate at the high school level for Greenwood, causing headaches for opposing coaches.

"You can't stop him, and it is unrealistic for me to expect my guys to stop him," Purdy coach Ryan Stokes said of Mohammed, per Jared Lankford of the Monett Times.

His high level of play got the attention of numerous college coaches, but he decided to play for the Hoyas.

Mohammed has the chance to make an early impact with his new team before potentially moving on to the NBA within the next couple of years.

Marquette handed Creighton its second loss of the season as the Golden Eagles beat the ninth-ranked Bluejays 89-84 on Monday night.

Creighton trailed by eight with 57 seconds left before getting five quick points from Christian Bishop and Mitch Ballock. Two free throws from Koby McEwen gave Marquette some breathing room before Greg Elliott fouled Denzel Mahoney on a three-pointer to hand the Bluejays a possible lifeline.

Mahoney only made one of the three free throws, though, which all but sealed the Golden Eagles' upset bid. Jamal Cain fouled Mahoney on another long-range jumper with 5.5 seconds left, but his three points at the charity stripe were too little, too late.

Creighton lost despite the best efforts of Ballock, who finished with a game-high 26 points and six rebounds.

Mahoney had 21 points, a total that is skewed somewhat by his seven makes at the foul line. He and Marcus Zegarowski combined to shoot 9-of-26 from the field.

Creighton's defense deservers much more of the blame for the result. The Bluejays' 84 points were nearly equal to their season average (84.2), but they allowed Marquette to shoot 53.6 percent overall and 57.1 percent from the perimeter.

The Golden Eagles had a decided advantage inside, too, out-rebounding Creighton 42-27 and owning a 30-20 edge in points in the paint.

D.J. Carton led the way for Steve Wojciechowski's squad, putting up 20 points. The sophomore guard drilled a critical jumper from the corner that put Marquette up four points with 2:12 left on the clock as Creighton was knocking on the door.

Heading into this year, expectations weren't especially high for the Golden Eagles after they won 18 games in 2019-20 and lost leading scorer Markus Howard. Now, they have wins over two Top 10 opponents after having toppled No. 4 Wisconsin on Dec. 4.

Marquette continues Big East play Thursday against Seton Hall before hitting the road to play Xavier on Sunday. Finishing out the week with two more victories should see the team climb into the Top 25.

Several Black college basketball head coaches are set to honor the late John Thompson by wearing a towel over their right shoulder during their season openers.

Myron Medcalf of ESPN reported some coaches will carry out the gesture throughout the 2020-21 season. None of the coaches who are participating have been publicly identified.

"We've talked about the ways to honor him and his legacy," one head coach said. "I'll have [a towel] every game."

Thompson died Aug. 30, three days shy of his 79th birthday.

The iconic Georgetown coach wore a towel draped over his right shoulder throughout his career, leading the Hoyas to three Final Four appearances and the 1984 national championship. Georgetown made the NCAA tournament 14 consecutive seasons from 1979 to 1992 and reached the Dance 20 times overall in Thompson's tenure.

Beyond his coaching acumen, Thompson was also known as a fiercely protective father figure to his players and a champion of racial justice. Allen Iverson credited Thompson for saving his life by taking a chance on him at Georgetown.

Numerous other players and coaches have pointed to Thompson as an inspiration, for both his success on the court and his grace off it.