Isaiah Whitehead, Seton Hall
MBB Minute: Seton Hall Tops Troy; Saturday Schedule Has Undefeated Flavor
Seton Hall scored the last 10 points of the first half and went on to beat Troy 78-69 in the lone game involving a BIG EAST team on Thursday. Isaiah Whitehead scored a game-high 20 points and the Pirates got double-doubles from Desi Rodriguez (18 pts., 11 rebs.) and Angel Delgado (12 pts., 11 rebs.). A dunk by Rodriguez was the No. 1 play on FOX Sports Live and ESPN SportsCenter.
BIG EAST teams have compiled a 67-19 (.779) record against non-conference competition.
There are still 10 undefeated squads in college basketball going into the weekend and three of them will be involved in BIG EAST games on Saturday.
No. 12/13 Xavier puts its 9-0 record on the line at home against No. 23/22 Cincinnati in the Crosstown Shootout on FOX at 5:30 p.m. ET. It’s first time since 1994 that both teams are ranked for the game. Xavier has six players averaging in double figures led by Trevon Bluiett at 15.9 ppg. A 10-0 start would match the best record in school history for XU set in 1996-97.
Georgetown hosts a UNC-Wilmington team that comes to the Verizon Center with a 5-0 mark. The Hoyas have won four in a row and are in the middle of a six-game homestand. CBS Sports Network will televise at 2:30 p.m.
The DePaul Blue Demons, who also have won four in a row, meet surprising Arkansas-Little Rock at Allstate Arena on FS1 at 10 p.m. The 7-0 Trojans lead the nation in scoring defense (54.6). Billy Garrett, Jr. is tops for the Blue Demons with a 15.6 scoring mark.
The DePaul-Little Rock game, at 10 p.m., is the last of four straight contests on FS1. The FS1 day begins at noon with Providence hosting Bryant. The Friars beat Boston College on Wednesday without Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil playing the second half due to illness and an ankle injury, respectively.
At 2:30 p.m., Butler hosts Tennessee. The 7-1 Bulldogs want to avenge a last season’s 67-55 loss to the Volunteers. Butler ranks second in the nation in scoring offense (91.1). Last year, BU averaged 69.0 ppg.
At 5:30 p.m., Creighton meets visiting IUPUI. The Bluejays got back on track with Wednesday’s win over Nebraska. Center Geoffrey Groselle ranks second in the league in field goal shooting at 68.3 percent and freshman guard Khyri Thomas is third at 63.9 percent.
Marquette takes the bus to Madison for the 122th meeting between the Golden Eagles and Wisconsin. Marquette is riding a six-game winning streak with at least 40 percent of its points, rebounds, assists and steals coming from newcomers. ESPN2 has the game at 1:30 p.m.