NEW YORK (Interstat) — Braylon Mullins scored 21 points to lead top-seeded Connecticut past Georgetown 67-51 in a Big East tournament quarterfinal Friday night at Madison Square Garden. The Huskies, improving to 29-4, never trailed before a crowd of 19,812. They led 32-21 at halftime and maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the second half. Vincent Iwuchukwu scored 11 points for ninth-seeded Georgetown, which finished its season at 16-18. Connecticut shot 48% from the field while holding the Hoyas to 32% shooting. The Huskies advanced to face the winner of the Creighton-Providence game.

NEW YORK (Interstat) — In a game defined by defensive pressure and offensive struggle, the Connecticut Huskies methodically dispatched the Georgetown Hoyas 67-51 in a Big East Conference men’s basketball tournament quarterfinal on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. A crowd of 19,812 saw the top-seeded Huskies, now 29-4, use a 15-2 first-half run to build a double-digit lead that the eighth-seeded Hoyas, who finish their season at 16-18, could never seriously threaten. Georgetown’s 51 points marked a season low, as they shot a frigid percentage from the field and committed 15 turnovers against a relentless Connecticut defense. The most important stretch of the game came early, turning a competitive opening into a commanding Connecticut lead. After Georgetown’s Julius Halaifonua tied the game at 7-7 with a dunk off an offensive rebound, the Huskies seized control. Braylon Mullins, the game’s leading scorer, ignited the decisive run with a 3-pointer assisted by Silas Demary. Following a Georgetown shot clock violation, Mullins connected on a floating jumper. A steal by Demary led to a fast-break dunk by Jayden Ross, forcing a Georgetown timeout with the Huskies ahead 20-7 just over 11 minutes into the game. That sequence encapsulated the evening: Connecticut creating turnovers, sharing the ball with eight assists from center Tarris Reed, and converting in transition, while Georgetown’s offense sputtered against the size and athleticism of the Huskies’ frontcourt. The Hoyas went nearly five minutes without a field goal during the run, a drought from which they never recovered. Mullins, a 6-foot-6 sophomore from Greenfield, Indiana, finished with a game-high 21 points in 32 minutes, showcasing a versatile scoring arsenal with pull-up jumpers, drives, and three 3-pointers. His backcourt mate, Silas Demary of Raleigh, North Carolina, added 10 points, four assists, and four steals, his defensive activity setting the tone. The interior presence of the 6-foot-10, 265-pound Reed was pivotal; alongside 7-foot-1 Eric Reibe of Hannover, Germany, who contributed eight points and two blocks, they anchored a defense that recorded nine blocks and altered countless other attempts. Georgetown, which had won three straight games including an upset of Villanova a day earlier, found minimal consistent offense. Their 7-foot-1 center Vincent Iwuchukwu from Imo State, Nigeria, led the team with 11 points, while Halaifonua, the 7-foot freshman from Auckland, New Zealand, added 10 points off the bench. Starting guards Malik Mack and Kayvaun Mulready combined for just 12 points on inefficient shooting. Connecticut led 32-21 at halftime and maintained at least a nine-point advantage throughout the second half. Any fleeting hope for Georgetown was extinguished when a Mullins 3-pointer pushed the Huskies’ lead to 46-31 with just over 12 minutes remaining. The Huskies’ lead ballooned to as many as 19 points in the final minutes. The victory advanced Connecticut to the Big East tournament semifinals as they continue their pursuit of a conference title. For Georgetown, the season ends with a record below .500, though their late surge to reach the quarterfinals provided a measure of positivity. The game’s outcome was rarely in doubt after Connecticut’s early defensive stand and explosive run, a testament to their status as one of the nation’s elite teams and the wide gap they enforced between themselves and the Hoyas on this night.

NEW YORK (Interstat) — A surging but heavy underdog Georgetown squad will face top-ranked Connecticut in a Big East Conference men’s basketball showdown Friday night at Madison Square Garden. The Huskies (28-4), the defending national champions and Big East regular-season titleholders, enter the contest as overwhelming favorites. National Statistical’s ELO system projects Connecticut with a 94.10% probability to win. They are riding high after a dominant 93-68 victory over Xavier on Thursday, powered by 17 points from forward Tarris Reed. Georgetown (16-17), the visiting Hoyas, have won three straight games, including a 78-64 road win at Villanova on Thursday. That recent success, however, contrasts with a season of struggles and two narrow losses to Connecticut earlier this year. The teams last met on Feb. 14 in Storrs, where the Huskies escaped with a 79-75 victory. Connecticut also won 64-62 at Georgetown on Jan. 17. A key player to watch for the Hoyas is Julius Halaifonua, who scored a team-high 21 points in 30 minutes against Villanova. Over his last 10 games, Halaifonua is averaging 9.1 points. He was limited to 4 points in 14 minutes in the February loss at Connecticut. For the Huskies, Reed has been a consistent force, averaging 13.9 points over his last seven contests. He had 4 points and 2 blocks in the previous meeting with Georgetown. The game tips off at 7 p.m. EDT Friday, March 13, 2026, at Madison Square Garden. Connecticut seeks to solidify its position for the NCAA tournament, while Georgetown aims to continue its late-season push and pull off a monumental upset on college basketball’s most famous stage.