Big East Basketball

Providence suspended men's basketball player Alyn Breed indefinitely after he was charged with multiple firearm and domestic counts, per ESPN's Myron Medcalf.

Medcalf shared the athletic department's statement stemming from Saturday's off-campus incident:

"It was announced [Saturday] by the Providence Police Department that Providence College student-athlete Alyn Breed was charged with several crimes for actions that occurred off campus on Saturday, April 1. As a result of these charges, athletic director Steve Napolillo and head coach Kim English have determined that Breed is suspended from the men's basketball team and will not be allowed to participate in any other athletic department-related activities. [Providence] will follow its student-conduct disciplinary process regarding this matter. At this time, there will not be any further comment."

Bill Koch and Patrick Anderson of the Providence Journal noted Breed was charged with "numerous firearm offenses," unlawful entry of a home, robbery, vandalism and taking someone's car without permission.

The incident comes just more than a week after Providence introduced English, who was previously with George Mason, as their head coach.

He is replacing Ed Cooley after the latter left to join Big East rival Georgetown.

Breed appeared in 32 games last season for the Friars and was expected to be a contributor for the 2023-24 team under English.

A historic run for Princeton in the men's 2023 NCAA tournament finally came to an end Friday with an 86-75 loss to Creighton at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. And it was a run that won't be forgotten anytime soon by college basketball fans.

The Tigers reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1967, eight years before head coach Mitch Henderson was born.

In the process of making history, they came up with one of the biggest upsets of the tournament when they took down Pac-12 tournament champions Arizona, who were the No. 2 seed in the South Region. The Tigers did it in dramatic fashion as well, storming back from a late 10-point deficit in the second half against the Wildcats.

In the round of 32, the Ivy League tournament champion pulled off another stunner, taking down one of the more talented teams in the SEC in seventh-seeded Missouri with an impressive offensive display, pouring in 78 points.

Even in their loss against No. 6 Creighton, the Tigers didn't bow out without giving the nation a show. They scored 75 points while shooting 42.9 percent from the three-point line and gave the Bluejays a bit of a fright.

Princeton put on a performance not seen often from an Ivy League program. Cornell was the last team from the conference to make it to the Sweet 16 over a decade ago in 2010.

Twitter gave Princeton nothing but respect.

Despite all of the admiration for Princeton, it'd be hard to ignore the history that Creighton is making in its own right. The Bluejays have been uber-impressive through the first three rounds behind an elite starting five who all average double-digit points.

The program will now advance to its first Elite Eight since 1941 and will look to go to its first-ever Final Four against San Diego State on Sunday. The Aztecs just eliminated Alabama, which was the top overall seed in the tournament.

Watch March Madness Live to stream every tournament game through the Final Four.

Rick Pitino is returning to a high-profile position after becoming the head coach at St. John's, but with it comes the need to address his past.

The 70-year-old was asked about his departure from Louisville Tuesday on SportsCenter (4:30 in video):

"I've never cheated the game, I've never cheated in the game," Pitino said. "You can't vacate a national championship. Look, you can take a banner down. ... You can't change history. We won the national championship. We didn't cheat to win the game."

Pitino led Louisville to the national championship in 2013, the coach's second career title after winning in 1996 with Kentucky, but the win was later vacated by the NCAA after a 2018 investigation. The governing body determined that Louisville director of basketball operations Andre McGee paid women for sex acts for players and recruits.

The Cardinals were also involved in a pay-for-play scandal, with the team allegedly paying the family of a recruit $100,000. Pitino was fired for cause in 2017.

"Looking back on it now, I deserved to be fired by Louisville," Pitino said in 2020. "Was I innocent of any wrongdoing? Yes I was, but I was the leader and I deserved to be fired."

After three years away from college basketball, mostly coaching in Greece, Pitino returned to the U.S. in 2020 to become the head coach at Iona. In three seasons, the Gaels reached the NCAA tournament twice, including this past season where the squad also won the MAAC regular-season title.

Pitino is now back in the spotlight after signing a six-year deal with St. John's, preparing for his third stint in the Big East after his time with Louisville and Providence. Though there are question marks about his history, the veteran coach maintains his innocence.

Iona men's basketball head coach Rick Pitino is on the move after three seasons with the Gaels.

The 70-year-old has agreed to become the next head coach of the St. John's Red Storm, the school announced Monday. The deal is for six years, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Pitino said in a statement:

"One of my great coaching memories was having the distinct privilege of coaching against Lou Carnesecca and St John's, a Hall of Fame coach and historic program that I have always respected. It is surreal to now have this opportunity to bring St John's back to prominence. I'm honored, humbled and grateful to Fr. Shanley, Bill Janetschek and Mike Cragg for making me feel so special."

The news comes after ESPN's Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello reported Monday that Pitino had met with St. John's officials and that the two sides were in "serious discussions" to make him the Red Storm's next head coach.

Pitino will replace Mike Anderson, who was fired as the team's head coach on March 10 following a disappointing 18-15 season. The Red Storm didn't make the NCAA tournament in any of Anderson's four seasons at the helm.

In his three seasons at Iona, the Gaels won the MAAC tournament and made the NCAA tournament twice. He led the team to a 27-8 finish during the 2022-23 season and a 64-22 record overall.

During his tenure with Kentucky from 1989 to 1997, the Wildcats made the NCAA tournament in all six seasons they were eligible, making three Final Four appearances and winning an NCAA title during the 1995-96 campaign.

Following his stint with Kentucky, Pitino coached the Boston Celtics for parts of four seasons before ending up with Louisville from 2001 to 2017. He led the team to 13 NCAA tournament appearances, including three Final Fours and a national championship. He was fired in October 2017 following a recruiting scandal.

St. John's now hopes Pitino can revive the Red Storm and bring the team back to prominence in 2023 and beyond.

Former St. John's men's basketball head coach Mike Anderson will sue the school after he was fired for cause, according to ESPN's Myron Medcalf.

Meanwhile, the program is in "serious" talks with Iona's Rick Pitino to succeed Anderson in the role, per ESPN's Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel.

According to Medcalf, St. John's termination letter to Anderson after it fired him March 10 said he was let go because of a "failure to create and support an environment that strongly encourages student-athletes who are in the men's basketball program to meet all university academic requirements."

Additionally, it cited a "failure to perform your duties and responsibilities in a manner that reflected positively on St. John's University ... in actions [that] brought serious discredit" to the school, as well as a "failure to appropriately supervise and communicate with your assistant coaches."

Because he was fired for cause, St. John's no longer owed Anderson the $11 million he was due to receive. He told Medcalf he will file an arbitration lawsuit and argue he was wrongfully terminated.

"I vehemently disagree with the university's decision to terminate my contract for cause," he said in a statement to Medcalf. "The for cause accusation is wholly without merit and I will be aggressively defending my contractual rights through an arbitration process."

The 63-year-old went 68-56 in four years as the St. John's head coach, failing to reach the NCAA tournament. His tenure wasn't without controversy, as his former assistant Steve DeMeo sued him and the school for wrongful termination in 2021.

Pitino, 70, would be a high-profile replacement. The former Hawai'i, Boston University, Providence, Kentucky and Louisville head coach—and current Iona head honcho—has an 834-293 record with 23 tournament appearances, seven trips to the Final Four and two national championships.

In three seasons at Iona, he's gone 64-22 with two regular-season championships, two conference tournament championships and two NCAA tournament appearances.

Two days after Iona fell to UConn in the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, head coach Rick Pitino reportedly could be on the verge of finding a new home.

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello, Pitino has met with officials from St. John's, and the two sides are in "serious discussions" for him to become the team's next head coach. Thamel and Borzello noted that "the meeting was viewed as productive," as Pitino "laid out his vision for the program."

Pitino is reportedly the "primary target" of St. John's, which became free to engage him in discussions when the Gaels were bounced from March Madness. The school fired Mike Anderson on March 10 following a 7-13 campaign.

In terms of major-conference schools, Pitino most recently made his mark as head coach of Louisville from 2001 to 2017, leading the team to three Final Fours and a national championship. His involvement in a recruiting scandal led to his dismissal, and he spent some time coaching in Greece before being hired by Iona in March 2020.

The 70-year-old, who has also coached at Boston University, Providence and Kentucky, has coached the Gaels to a 64-22 record with two NCAA tournament appearances in three seasons.

A native New Yorker, Pitino would instantly breathe new life into a St. John's program that hasn't made it to the NCAA tournament since 2019.

Watch March Madness Live to stream every tournament game through the Final Four.

Xavier is in the Sweet 16 for the first time in six years after an 84-73 victory over Pittsburgh in the 2023 NCAA tournament on Sunday.

This was an impressive all-around performance from head coach Sean Miller's team. They shot 47.6 percent from the field and had 22 assists on 30 made field goals.

The offense put up 48 points the first half despite Souley Boum, who led the team in scoring average during the regular season, being held scoreless.

Adam Kunkel made up for Boum's early struggles by scoring 15 points and going 5-of-5 from three-point range in the first half.

Fans on Twitter singled out Kunkel's dazzling first-half performance in the Musketeers' victory:

As a team, Xavier only made eight of its 24 three-point attempts. Kunkel was responsible for five of them. He also made his presence felt in other ways with four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Boum did eventually come alive in the second half, scoring 14 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out five assists.

All five starters for the Musketeers scored in double figures and Desmond Claude had 11 points off the bench.

If the non-Boum starters can continue to play at this level and Boum can avoid the type of slow start he had today, Xavier has the potential to make a deep run in the tournament.

Miller has the Musketeers in the Sweet 16 in his first season as head coach. They have won seven of their last eight games overall dating back to Feb. 24, with the lone defeat coming against Marquette in the Big East tournament championship game.

Xavier will play Texas in the next round of the NCAA tournament on Friday, March 24.

Watch March Madness Live to stream every tournament game through the Final Four.

St. John's is looking to hire Rick Pitino "in the coming days" after his Iona Gaels lost in the first round of the 2023 NCAA men's basketball tournament, according to Fox Sports' John Fanta.

The 70-year-old has posted a 64-22 record in three seasons at Iona, and the program punched a ticket to the Big Dance on two occasions.

In the immediate aftermath of the Gaels' 87-63 loss to UConn, Pitino was broadly noncommittal about his future on the sidelines.

"I really don't have an answer to it, to be honest with you," he told reporters. "I have no idea if it is or isn't because I've focused everything on this game."

Louisville fired Pitino in October 2017 amid the wider fallout from the FBI's investigation into corruption in college basketball.

Over time, any criticism toward notable figures implicated in the scandal has dissipated, though. The dawn of the NIL era has effectively minimized many of the revelations stemming from the overarching story, and the investigation itself has since come under scrutiny.

Whereas Pitino might have been too toxic for St. John's a few years ago, there shouldn't be much trouble in bringing him aboard now.

An opportunity to coach the Red Storm might be tough to turn down. Moving to the Big East would be a step up, and the New York City native would get to return home.

For St. John's, hiring the Hall of Famer would send a clear message.

Pitino is about as sure a thing as you can get at the college level. His 834 wins are ninth all time in Division I history, and he has guided three different schools (Providence, Kentucky and Louisville) to the Final Four.

For fans of a certain age, the Red Storm retain a certain cachet. They were a tournament mainstay under Lou Carnesecca, and they had some epic battles in the heyday of the Big East.

But this is a program that hasn't reached the Final Four since 1985. The Red Storm's last win of any kind in the NCAA tournament was all the way back in 2000.

Given his age, Pitino wouldn't be a long-term solution. However, he might be able to deliver the kind of immediate success that allows St. John's to return to relevancy and remain there when he's gone.

Watch March Madness Live to stream every tournament game through the Final Four.

Marquette won its first-ever Big East tournament title with a 65-51 win over Xavier, and now fans are expecting a deep run in the NCAA tournament.

The Golden Eagles dominated Saturday's championship game from the opening tip, gaining a 20-4 advantage over the first seven minutes of the first half. The onslaught continued, with fans seeing this team as a Final Four contender or better:

Tyler Kolek led the way with 20 points and eight rebounds, although the team defense was more impressive while holding Xavier to just 34.4 percent shooting from the field.

Marquette has had a great season, going 17-3 in the Big East while improving to 28-6 overall. However, few nationally had taken notice until the latest wire-to-wire dominance over a quality opponent.

After knocking off UConn in the Big East semifinals, there aren't many question marks for this squad heading into the NCAA tournament.

BracketMatrix.com projected Marquette as a No. 3 seed entering Saturday, but the squad could be a popular pick to make a deep run.

Watch March Madness Live to stream every tournament game through the Final Four.

Georgetown has formed a list of at least two candidates as it begins the search for a new men's basketball coach after Patrick Ewing was fired on Thursday.

Per Jeff Goodman of Stadium, Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry has emerged as "one of the leading candidates" for the Hoyas, but Rick Pitino isn't currently being considered.

Goodman reported earlier in the day that Georgetown is expected to "make a run" at Providence head coach Ed Cooley, who "will listen" to the school's offer.

Arguably the greatest player in Georgetown basketball history, Ewing was hired as head coach in April 2017. He was coming out of a long run as an assistant coach in the NBA with four different teams from 2002 to 2017.

The Hoyas gave Ewing his first job as a head coach at any level. He was tasked with turning around a program that was coming off back-to-back losing seasons under John Thompson III.

There were minor improvements under Ewing's watch with a .500 record in his first season and a 19-14 record in 2018-19. Georgetown made the NCAA tournament during the 2020-21 season for the first time in six years after winning the Big East tournament title.

Entering the tournament as a No. 12 seed, Georgetown lost 96-73 to Colorado in the first round.

Things bottomed out for the program over the past two seasons with a 13-50 record, though, including an 80-48 loss to Villanova in the Big East tournament on Wednesday in what turned out to be Ewing's final game.

Cooley is in his 12th season at Providence. The 53-year-old has a 242-152 record and six tournament appearances with the Friars. They have won at least 21 games in each of the past two seasons and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2021.

Providence is currently projected to be a No. 10 seed in the 2023 NCAA tournament by ESPN's Joe Lunardi.

Shrewsberry, in his second season with the program, has the Nittany Lions in the Big Ten tournament semifinals against Indiana on Saturday. He's led them to 21 wins so far this season, their most since 2019-20. They could make the NCAA tournament for the first time in 12 years.