Meanwhile, Seton Hall WBB beat Xavier on the road 64-55 and clinched a bye in the Big East tournament. They're the clear No. 3 team in the Big East but even that might not be enough for the committee to include them. I'm looking forward to seeing them vs. Villanova next week.

Out in Happy Valley, it was a defense-optional sort of game but Rutgers shoots a season-high season 56.6% to beat Penn State 85-72. That probably says more about Penn State but good for RU to string a few wins in a row.

Seton Hall keeps Tajuan Simpkins in the starting lineup instead of Mike Williams. The rest stays the same. Pirates need to keep an eye on CJ Gunn (19 points in first meeting) and N.J. Benson (23 on 10-of-11 shooting vs. Creighton) in particular. Game on!

DePaul warms up ahead of tonight's Big East game at Seton Hall. The Pirates (18-8, 8-7) need to keep winning to improve their chances at an NCAA at-large. Looks like my last Seton Hall men's game of the regular season due to scheduling reasons. On the scene for Guarden State 🏀

I didn't see this game but no shots, five fouls (w/a tech) in eight minutes is hockey enforcer type shit. Gotta check out the guy's hard foul on Cooper.

Iowa State, please don't lose in the Round of 32. I really like this program and want to believe in their Final Four potential.

Finding it tough to keep up with NJ college hoops news lately? Me too, so I tried to round up everything here. Kavion McClain is balling for Monmouth. Jack Stanton is done for Princeton. Rutgers won a game! Seton Hall changed its lineup! guardenstate.substack.com/p/weekend-wr...

Kavion McClain!!! 🥶

This is my first time getting to watch Kavion McClain, and even though he isn't shooting well tonight I like what he brings to the table for Monmouth.

Seton Hall at Butler has gotten really entertaining. Staton-McCray hot at the perfect time

Scottie Scheffler is otherworldly

Bringing the newsletter back sometime tomorrow after a semi-bye week. Rutgers happy to string together two good halves of defense today to end its skid. Then Seton Hall plays at Butler later tonight, a sneaky Q1 opportunity (away vs. Top-75 NET team, for now)

FINAL: Rutgers ends its seven-game drought with its first win since Jan. 11, beating Maryland 68-57. Tariq Francis: 21 points, 12-13 FT Harun Zrno: 13 points, 11 in the second half Dylan Grant: 9 points, 6 reb

Rutgers starters: Tariq Francis, Kaden Powers, Harun Zrno, Dylan Grant, Emmanuel Ogbole. Francis stays in the starting lineup after last week's shakeup for the Nebraska game. Maryland starters: Darius Adams, Andre Mills, Solomon Washington, Elijah Saunders, Collin Metcalf.

In place for Maryland-Rutgers. They just wrapped up inducting Kelvin Troy, Roy Hinson and John Battle into the Knights of Honor. Rutgers (9-15, 2-11) trying to end a seven-game losing streak, its longest in eight years.

I haven't been to Columbia before (yet) but from TV that gym looks packed on a Friday night to see the premier rivalry in Ivy women's hoops. Will No. 24 Princeton avoid a fourth straight loss to the Lions?

Somerset's own Mikayla Blakes is the best player on one of the best women's teams in the country. Last year's USBWA National Freshman of the Year (I voted for her!), Blakes dropped 34 points in No. 5 Vanderbilt's 86-70 win over No. 4 Texas tonight.

America East-leading NJIT gets out of New Hampshire with a 76-70 win to improve to 9-2. UMBC (8-2), Vermont (8-3) win their games to keep pace. Wrote about the Highlanders this morning to lead off N.J. bracketology:

New Jersey bracketology, Part II: All hail NJIT, tournament contenders guardenstate.substack.com/p/new-jersey...

31 points. Eight assists. Five steals. He is Budd Clark. Seton Hall gets off the schneid by beating Providence, 87-80.

The Godswill Erheriene game

Budd Clark takeover in full effect.

Not there tonight, but Providence-Seton Hall is a classic offense versus defense battle. Pirates need a win in the worst way.

I've appreciated the warm response to this essay, including from coaches who have deep connections to the place. Reposting now with the Super Bowl behind us.

If the Seahawks beat the Patriots now 11 years after the Malcolm Butler pick it resets the timeline

The correct opinion for Jets fans to have is that it's great Sam Darnold won a Super Bowl. He escaped Adam Gase and has had a really cool redemption arc. He wasn't the problem, Woody/NYJ front office were and are.

I think it's time to count out Touchdown Tom

I get a lot of people like Cris Collinsworth as a color commentator. Funny noises and tittering and "Here's a guy" are not my flavor of ice cream.

The magic of the Palestra has been so well chronicled that I can't do it justice in the same way. But I can tell you about who I met on my first visit to the Cathedral and why I was left hopeful for college basketball's future. guardenstate.substack.com/p/my-first-t...

Had to book it after postgame pressers but before I did, I grabbed this photo. For the first time since Feb. 6, 2018, Penn beat Princeton. The Tigers' first-ever lead in the series was a brief one. Essay tomorrow in Guarden State.

On Jack Stanton (3 fouls, 6 minutes) not being available for the second half, Mitch Henderson said, "I have no idea. We're gonna evaluate, but tough not having him out there."

FINAL: Penn staves off Princeton's comeback to win 61-60. Dalen Davis got the last shot and his jumper in the lane found the front of the rim. And the Quakers players and fans revel in tying the all-time series back up, 127-127.

Princeton starters: Dalen Davis, Landon Clark, Jackson Hicke, Malik Abdullahi, CJ Happy. Lineup change: This is Jack Stanton's first time coming off the bench this year. Big cheer for Radnor, Pa. native Jackson Hicke.

I had one item on the Season 5 bucket list. This was it. Princeton vs. Penn at the Palestra. Taking in today's game from the upper press box at the Cathedral of College Basketball. Stay tuned.

The basketball at MSG is very good and very, very fun

Another 19 points, seven rebounds and five steals for Olivia Hutcherson tonight in Princeton's win over Penn. My story about the Princeton starting five's dark horse from earlier this week: guardenstate.substack.com/p/olivia-hut...

NJIT is destroying UMass Lowell on the way to a season sweep, and I'm going to go ahead and jinx this with four minutes to play: Melvyn Ebonkoli, who's been stellar in conference play, is 10-for-10 for 20 points right now.

There's only so many ways to say it… Seton Hall can't shoot. In today's Guarden State, a quick story from Villanova, capped with a preview of all five New Jersey mid-majors in action tonight. guardenstate.substack.com/p/shooting-w...

Will have a Guarden State on Nova-Hall in the morning. That'll make it four newsletters in five days. The beat goes on.

Holloway: Make no mistake, this is a big two-game stretch for us. This will sting, I want it to sting.

FINAL: Willard and Villanova complete the sweep of Holloway and Seton Hall, 72-60. Tyler Perkins scored 18 and Malachi Palmer had a career-high 15 to lead Villanova, the clear No. 3 team in the Big East. Budd Clark went for 18 but Hall shot a woeful 2-of-17 from deep.

No surprises in the starting lineups. Seton Hall: Clark, Staton-McCray, Williams, Fisher, Payne. Villanova: Lindsay, Perkins, Lewis, Brennan, Hodge. Tip-off's at 6:30. Follow along!

The beat goes on. Hello from Villanova, where Seton Hall and the Wildcats meet for the second time this season. Another edition of Willard vs. Holloway after Nova won the first meeting Dec. 23. I'm here for @fieldlevelmedia.bsky.social and Guarden State.

@bryancurtis.bsky.social sharply points out something we shouldn't look past: Going all-in on politics and natsec and stripping away all the rest is - among many other things - a dumb business decision. (And read his reporting: WaPo never told the section to change or entertain new ideas.)

Me on the death of the Washington Post sports section. This isn't a day to be nostalgic. It's a day to be angry. www.theringer.com/2026/02/04/m...

"I asked him, 'Do you want to start?' He's like, 'Coach, I really don't care, man. Whatever's best for the team.'" If I've learned one thing on the beat this season, it's that players and coaches aren't as obsessed with starting lineups as fans are. guardenstate.substack.com/p/new-jersey...

This is truly awful for Washington and truly embarrassing for those in charge at the Post. The people of the DMV deserve better coverage of their teams (not to mention local news). And the best journalists around deserve a supportive place to do their work. I am so sorry.

Hold on, Rutgers may have a chance now

The MAAC basketball championships are staying in Atlantic City through 2031, the league announced. The conference council of presidents "unanimously selected" AC over other proposals. All-on-campus games and hybrid models were also considered.

Not the column I thought I'd write today: Beleaguered Rider deserves the 'cake and ice cream' from stunning win over Saint Peter's. "Nobody wants this record," Kevin Baggett said, "but these guys are prideful … We know we're better than this." guardenstate.substack.com/p/column-rid...