Note: John Fanta is sharing takeaways on the action throughout the Big East Tournament.
Game 1: Marquette 72, St. John’s 70, OT
NEW YORK — With less than two minutes to go in overtime in front of a capacity crowd at Madison Square Garden, St. John’s cut Marquette’s lead to one again.
Shaka Smart didn’t hesitate about who he was going to ride down the stretch, and the Golden Eagles reminded everybody why they earned the top seed at the Big East tournament, as well as the conference’s coach and player of the year honors.
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Tyler Kolek, the former 3-star recruit who started his college career at George Mason after getting overlooked, had the ball in his hands with a Friday night in New York City up for grabs. But this time, one of the nation’s assist leaders wasn’t distributing. He was finishing with take after take to the basket, scoring the game’s last seven points as the Golden Eagles held off St. John’s 72-70 in overtime to advance to the Big East tournament semifinals for the first time since 2019.
“We needed someone to step up and be the guy for our team to finish,” Smart said. “If you’re in that position, and you’ve got the best player in this conference, I’m taking my chances with him. We did, and he delivered.”
The emotion from the Golden Eagles?
“In the locker room, I’d be lying to you if I said it wasn’t a sense of relief from our guys,” Smart added. “Being the top seed in this tournament, our plan was to come in here and go on a run this week. Huge credit to St. John’s because they had a great game plan and never went away. I give our guys credit because they didn’t give in.”
Marquette defeats St. John’s in overtime
The Golden Eagles held off the Red Storm after Posh Alexander missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The win in overtime marked Marquette’s largest comeback from a halftime deficit this season, as the Johnnies set the tone with an inspired effort, racing out to a 36-26 lead at the break. Posh Alexander got a clean look for the win from beyond the arc at the end of the overtime period, but it fell just short. Despite a 16-point effort and clutch shot-making from Dylan Addae-Wusu and double-doubles from Joel Soriano and David Jones, it wasn’t enough for a Red Storm team that fell to 18-15 on the season after starting the year 11-1.
It’s a familiar refrain for the Johnnies, who have gone four years without an NCAA Tournament under Mike Anderson, leading to the talks that change is on the way in Queens.
Anderson was asked postgame about his future in Queens and deflected the question, wishing everyone a great day.
Soriano, a senior who has another year of eligibility, went to bat for his head coach after the game, stating that he would only return if Anderson is back in Queens.
While one era might be ending in New York, Marquette showed the toughness that Smart has created in Milwaukee with a great defensive second half to get back into the game, holding St. John’s to just 25 points in the final 20 minutes.
It will be UConn or Providence for the Golden Eagles at 6:30 p.m. ET Friday on FS1 for a ticket to the Big East championship game. Marquette will be seeking its first appearance in program history.
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.
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