Stevie Mitchell, Marquette, head to NCAA Tournament as Big East champs

Wilson grad Stevie Mitchell and top-seeded Marquette won their first Big East championship Saturday, beating Xavier 65-51 in the title game at Madison Square Garden.

Mitchell, a sophomore, scored nine points, grabbed three rebounds, blocked a shot and played a key defensive role as the Golden Eagles held Xavier to a season-low scoring total. He started and played 19 minutes, 57 seconds.

Tyler Kolek scored 20 points and was named the tournament’s Outstanding Player.

Marquette improved to 28-6 overall and is projected as a No. 2 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

The Golden Eagles won the Big East regular season crown with a 17-3 record.

They’ll enter the national tournament on a nine-game winning streak.

Their 28 wins ties the program record, established in 1970-71 when the legendary Al McGuire was the head coach.

Mitchell is averaging 6.9 points and is second on the team with 58 steals. He has started every game and is averaging 23.4 minutes.

Mitchell is the all-time scoring leader at Wilson with 2,060 points and led the Bulldogs to their only District 3 championship, as a junior in 2020.

The championship is the first for Marquette wince 1997, when it won the Conference USA title.

Marquette is the first top-seeded team to win the tournament since Villanova in 2019.

Kam Jones and David Joplin of Marquette were named to the all-tournament team.