Three Big East showdowns turned into Big East blowouts Wednesday night. Not sure anyone saw that coming.
Rob Dauster will have more in the Morning Shootoutaround, but here are some numbers to tide you over until then.
No. 4 Syracuse ensured St. John’s had a miserable offensive night en route to a 17-0 start, the second-best start in school history and the 1,800th in the program’s history. Only Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina and Duke have more wins. The Johnnies’ eFG% was just 38.9 and they committed 16 turnovers – more than one ever four possessions. Kris Joseph had a game-high 18 points, his third-straight outing with at least 15 points.
In one of two ranked showdowns, No. 7 Villanova outran No. 18 Louisville in the second half, turning a 1-point lead into an 88-74 win. The Cards made 12 of 25 3s, but allowed the Wildcats to post an eFG% of 60.3 and dish 20 assists on 31 field goals. Mouphtaou Yarou had a season-high 18.
Perhaps the most surprising final was No. 5 Pitt beating No. 22 Georgetown 72-57, in a game that wasn’t even that close. The Panthers were crisp on offense and limited the Hoyas’ Big 3 to just 31 points. Rob’ll have more on this later as well.
Want more? I’m also on Twitter @BeyndArcMMiller.