Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
The Big East is off to a flying start in the Gavitt Tipoff Games, with Marquette and Providence both earning wins Monday night.
Marquette rallied from a 12-point deficit with 10 minutes to play to knock off No. 10 Illinois 67-66 at Fiserv Forum. Tyler Kolek’s layup with 18 seconds left gave the Golden Eagles (3-0) the win. Darryl Morsell led MU in scoring for the third straight game, finishing with 21 points. The Marquette defense helped force 26 Illini turnovers.
Providence was impressive on the road, capturing a 63-58 victory at Wisconsin. Nate Watson continued his strong play with 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the floor and six rebounds. PC held the Badgers to 32.8 percent from the field. The Friars are 3-0 for the first time since 2015-16.
The Gavitt Tipoff Games continue Tuesday on FS1 with Creighton at Nebraska at 7 p.m. ET and Seton Hall at Michigan at 9 p.m.
Creighton and Nebraska, annual in-state rivals, have met 54 times. The Bluejays (2-0) have won eight of the last nine matchups, all by double digits. Alex O’Connell leads the team with a 16.5 scoring average.
Seton Hall and Michigan met in the 1989 National Championship Game. The Wolverines won 80-79 in overtime at the Kingdome in Seattle. This year, Seton Hall is 2-0 after an 80-44 win against Yale. Michigan is ranked No. 4 in this week’s AP poll.
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
