Game 359 - (8) Saint John's vs. (1) Villanova

Big East quarterfinals
March 9 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY
FS1

St. John's didn't really take care of the ball (14 turnovers), though the eighth-seeded Red Storm actually shot well - 40% on threes and 47% overall. The problem was, Villanova is just exceptional in every facet of the game & the Wildcats put on an impressive shooting performance in Thursday's 108-67 romp.

Let's talk about the second half first, where the defending national champions missed just five of their 24 field goal attempts (79%!).

You're wondering about the first 20 minutes? Well, the top seed only went 17-of-33 from the field, handing out 11 assists on those 17 made baskets & didn't commit a foul. In fact, Villanova's first foul came at the 18:18 mark of half No. 2.

It's the first time a Villanova team has reached the 100-point mark since also defeating St. John's in the regular season finale in March, 2015.

Individually, Donte DiVicenzo came off the bench and scored a career-high 25 points, including a near-perfect, day from the field (7-for-8) and three-point range (5-for-6), to lead all scorers.

There are plenty of national title contenders this season - North Carolina, Kansas, Gonzaga, along with one of the top three Pac 12 teams, and possibly Kentucky, Louisville or Duke seems to be a solid list at this point. But right at the top is this Villanova team. What a performance today in their postseason opener.

Game 265 - Saint John's at Providence

January 25 at Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI
FS1

Marcus LoVett was fantastic, finishing with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting and Saint John's overcame outstanding Providence shooting (31-of-50, 62%) to pull the road upset.

Shamorie Ponds had a nice night as well, scoring 22 points and hitting 4-of-5 from three-point range.

The Friars have dropped two of their last three games at Dunkin Donuts Center after winning their previous 13 home games.