Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Villanova’s Wright claims win No. 600
VILLANOVA, Pa. — Jay Wright flashed the “V” toward empty bleachers and then encountered a divine interception on his way to celebrate in the locker room. His face red and bundled in winter clothes, the Rev. Peter M. Donohue stopped Wright to congratulate him on his 600th career coaching victory.
Donohue, Villanova’s president, had no idea Wright was near the milestone until he heard it mentioned on TV. So he walked in the snow to the Pavilion — even in this era with no fans allowed inside the arena, a Very Important President gets a free pass — to greet Wright after the victory.
Donohue wasn’t alone in nearly missing No. 600. The Wildcats were set to head home until graduate assistants clued them in on the mark.
“I was confused because I thought somebody would have mentioned it,” guard Collin Gillespie said.
Already a two- time national champion and with the most coaching wins in program history, Wright won his 600th career game in the No. 7 Wildcats’ 85-66 victory over Butler on Wednesday night.
“It just means I know I have a really good job,” Wright said.
Wright (600-268) became the 39th coach in Division I history to reach 600 wins. He is 478-183 at Villanova since he was hired in 2001 and has built the Wildcats into one of the elite programs in college basketball. Wright won national championships in 2016 and 2018 and again has the preseason favorite to win the Big East — a team expected to contend for another national title.
Wright earned the milestone in the latest home opener for Villanova since Dec. 22, 1992, against Vermont. The pandemic wreaked havoc on the schedule and Villanova had home games against Temple, Saint Joseph’s and DePaul canceled or postponed. So the Wildcats hit the road and went 4-1 in Connecticut’s “Bubbleville” and won at Texas and Georgetown.
Gillespie and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl each scored 18 points for the Wildcats (6-1, 2-0 Big East), and Justin Moore had 13.
Jair Bolden scored 18 points and helped the Bulldogs (1-1, 0-1 Big East) stay competitive with three-pointers that kept them within two in the second half.
NO. 11 TEXAS 79, SAM HOUSTON STATE 63
AUSTIN, Texas — Courtney Ramey and Greg Brown scored 17 points apiece as No. 11 Texas beat Sam Houston State.
Ramey also had six assists. Brown, a freshman, grabbed 10 rebounds, made 2 steals and blocked 2 shots.
Ramey, a junior, matched his career best with five three-pointers. He made his fifth with 16 minutes remaining but only attempted two more. Ramey hit five three-pointers in a game twice as a freshman, when he shot 38.6% from behind the arc. Last season he slipped to 31%.
Andrew Jones added 13 points for Texas (6-1).
Zach Nutall led Sam Houston State (3-5) with 23 points. Donte Powers scored 11.
PURDUE 67, NO. 20 OHIO STATE 60
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Trevion Williams scored 16 points and came close to a triple-double, leading Purdue past No. 20 Ohio State..
Williams had nine rebounds and a career-high eight assists in his second game coming off the bench. Eric Hunter Jr. added a season-best 15 points as Matt Painter beat a ranked team for the 50th time in 16 seasons as Boilermakers coach.
Purdue (5-2, 1-0 Big Ten) has won two in a row and four of its last five.
Justice Sueing led the Buckeyes (5-1, 0-1) with 14 points and Duane Washington Jr. had 13.
Behind Williams and Hunter, the Boilermakers were just good enough in the second half when they methodically extended the lead to 59-45 courtesy of Hunter’s three-pointer with 8:36 to play. Ohio State closed to 65-59 when Washington made a three-pointer with 2:50 left.
NO. 21 DUKE 75, NOTRE DAME 65
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Sophomore forward Matthew Hurt scored 18 points and three Duke freshmen also scored 10 or more points as the 21st-ranked Blue Devils opened ACC play with a victory over Notre Dame.
D.J. Steward had 16 points to go with seven rebounds, while Jeremy Roach scored 14 and Jaemyn Brakefield added 10 for Duke, which led from the second minute onward.
The Blue Devils (3-2, 1-0) entered the game in jeopardy of falling below .500 for the first time since 1999, but convincingly steered clear.
Dane Goodwin scored 25 points for the Fighting Irish (2-3, 0-1), hitting 10 of 12 shots from the floor with four three-pointers. Prentiss Hubb added 12 points.
Duke shot 52% and went 8 of 15 on three-pointers. The Blue Devils also outrebounded Notre Dame 33-23 and outscored the Irish 34-20 in the paint.