Xavier Edges Marquette in Thrilling Big East Tournament Opener

Jovan Milicevic's crucial layup with just over a minute left helped Xavier defeat Marquette 89-87 in the Big East tournament's first round. The 10th-seeded Musketeers overcame a late collapse to advance to the quarterfinals against UConn.

The Big East tournament opened with dramatic fashion Wednesday in New York as Xavier’s Jovan Milicevic delivered a clutch performance, netting 21 points to lead the 10th-seeded Musketeers past seventh-seeded Marquette, 89-87.

Milicevic’s decisive moment came with 1:14 on the clock when he drove to the basket for a go-ahead layup that broke an 80-80 deadlock. The senior guard shot efficiently throughout the contest, connecting on 7 of 11 field goal attempts and draining 4 of 7 three-point shots. His scoring output fell just two points short of his career-best performance, which ironically came against these same Golden Eagles in a February matchup that Xavier won 96-88.

The Musketeers (15-17) had to recover after watching a 10-point advantage evaporate before Milicevic’s heroics. Isaiah Walker sealed the victory by converting two free throws with eight seconds remaining, sending Xavier to Thursday night’s quarterfinal round against second-seeded UConn.

Marquette received a strong effort from Royce Parham, who tallied 22 points while grabbing nine rebounds. Big East Freshman of the Year Nigel James Jr. contributed 18 points but endured shooting struggles, managing just 6 of 17 attempts from the field. Chase Ross chipped in 16 points for the Golden Eagles (12-20), who connected on 11 three-pointers out of a season-high 40 attempts while shooting 42.5% overall.

In other tournament action, Providence mounted an impressive comeback to defeat Butler 91-81. Stefan Vaaks erupted for a personal-best 28 points, including a career-high eight three-pointers, as the Friars erased a 16-point first-half deficit. Ryan Mela added a career-high 23 points on outstanding 10-of-14 shooting, while Jaylin Sellers bounced back from a poor first half to score 19 of his 23 points after intermission. The Friars (15-17) earned a Thursday afternoon quarterfinal date with top-seeded St. John’s.

Butler (16-16) was paced by Michael Ajayi’s double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds, though he played the final 10-plus minutes in foul trouble with four personal fouls. Finley Bizjack managed 17 points despite connecting on only 5 of 15 shot attempts.

Georgetown completed the opening round action with a 63-56 victory over DePaul. Reserve center Vince Iwuchukwu dominated with 17 points and 14 rebounds to propel the 11th-seeded Hoyas past the sixth-seeded Blue Demons. Jeremiah Williams also scored 17 points before fouling out late, while Malik Mack added 16 points. Georgetown (15-17) has now won consecutive games following a seven-game losing streak and will face third-seeded Villanova in Thursday night’s quarterfinals.

DePaul (16-16) got 16 points from bench player Layden Blocker, though he shot just 5 of 14 from the field. NJ Benson contributed 12 points, but CJ Gunn struggled significantly, scoring only seven points on 3-of-13 shooting.