NEW YORK, March 7 (UPI) -- Jeremy Lamb's 25-point effort Tuesday sent Connecticut to an 81-67 win over DePaul in the opening round of the Big East Conference Tournament.
For the second year in a row, the Huskies face the daunting task of winning five games in five days to capture the tournament title. Connecticut became the first team to pull off that feat last year and then went on to capture the national championship.
Pittsburgh advanced past the first round Tuesday with a 73-59 win over St. John's, Seton Hall defeated Providence 79-47 and Villanova ousted Rutgers 70-49.
Connecticut built a 13-point halftime lead and was not threatened during the second period. Lamb made 6-of-7 from the field and hit three 3-pointers. Ryan Boatright added 19 points for the Huskies.
Connecticut will meet West Virginia in the second round Wednesday.
Ashton Gibbs scored 20 points for Pittsburgh in a win that sent the Panthers to a second-round meeting with Georgetown, which at No. 14 will be the only nationally ranked team to compete during the first two days of the tournament.
Pittsburgh held St. John's to 33 percent shooting and opened the second half on a 15-8 run.
Seton Hall, likely needing a strong showing in the Big East tourney to ensure a spot in the NCAA field, shot 55 percent and had five players in double figures. Herb Pope and Brandon Mobley led the way with 16 points each.
The Pirates will meet Louisville Wednesday.
Maalik Wayns scored 28 points for Villanova, which advanced as the No. 14 seed in the 16-team league. The Wildcats held Rutgers to 15 second-half points and will meet South Florida in the second round.
