Huskies set their sights on No. 1 seed Marquette

— UConn's quest to win New York the program's first Big East tournament title in 12 years is still on course after Thursday's nerve-wracking quarterfinal win.

Next up is top-seeded Marquette. The teams will meet for the first time in the Big East tournament, facing off in the semifinals at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Madison Square Garden.

“We feel great,” senior Tristen Newton said after fourth-seeded UConn beat No. 5 Providence 73-66. “Obviously, we want to win the championship, so it's one game at a time. We got a win. We'll do scout and film on Marquette tonight and be ready for them tomorrow.”

Marquette (26-6) is enjoying a magical season.

After being picked ninth in the Big East coaches' preseason poll, Marquette won the regular-season title. Point guard Tyler Kolek won the league's player of the year.

The teams split during the regular season, with UConn winning 87-72 Feb. 7 at home and losing 82-76 Jan. 11 on the road.

“Every game in the Big East is tough, so anyone can beat anyone,” redshirt freshman Alex Karaban said. “They're the Big East regular season champs for a reason. They're one helluva team and are having one helluva year.”

Both teams survived tough tests in the quarterfinals.

Marquette rallied to beat No. 8 St. John's 72-70 in overtime. Kolek led the way with 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists. The Golden Eagles trailed by as many as 14 points.

“We faced a lot of adversity today and the guys stared down the adversity,” said Marquete's Shaka Smart, the Big East coach of the year. “They stayed connected. They continued to respond.”

Newton, Alleyne disciplined

For the first time this season, Newton wasn't in the starting lineup for UConn. He was replaced by Hassan Diarra who made his third start, the first since Nov. 15 against Buffalo.

Reserve Nahiem Alleyne, the first guard off the bench in the rotation, made his first appearance later than usual in the first half.

Both changes were due to disciplinary action.

“Our culture is really important,” coach Dan Hurley said. “And I just felt like a small message needed to be sent to Tristen. And Nahiem is normally the first guard off the bench. He was the last guy in the rotation.

Whether you're playing in the Big East tournament or a regular-season game, you've got to have principles and try to teach some larger lessons.”

Hurley was happy with the duo's response.

After entering the game for the first time with just under 13 minutes left in the first half, Newton buried his first shot, a 3-pointer. He finished with 16 points and seven assists. Alleyne chipped in five points.

“That was my fault that I didn't start,” Newton said. “I'm not going to come on the bench and hold my head down. He told me I was going to get in there. So, when I get in there, I'm trying to make an impact every time I'm in the game.”

With Newton and Alleyne making contributions, UConn's bench outscored PC's reserves 27-17. The Huskies improved to 14-1 when their reserves score at least 20 points.

“Everybody who came in played their role and did what they had to do to get the win,” junior Andre Jackson said.

Crazy environment

All the Huskies, with the exception of Jackson and junior Adama Sanogo, played in their first Big East tournament game.

It's an experience they'll never forget.

The energy in the building was electric and the noise rose to ear-splitting levels with the competing fan bases of UConn and Providence among the sold-out crowd.

“This environment was crazy,” Karaban said. “I didn't expect it to be like this. We didn't have a shootaround here this morning. So, I ran out there and saw all the lights and fans, I was like, ‘Whoa, this is something else.'

“To add on it was Providence, too, just made it so much better. This environment was crazy. You heard the UConn fans in the first half and then heard the Providence fans in the second half. It doesn't get much better than this.”

News and notes

Turnovers continue to be an issue for UConn, which finished with 18. “That will be the issue that could prevent this team from really achieving great things,” Hurley said. “The 21 assists is great, but 18 turnovers really allowed them back in the game. … The Huskies improved to 4-0 in firstround league tournament games under Hurley.