MBB Minute: Butler-PC, Gtown-Xavier Meet In FS1 Doubleheader
Three of the four ranked BIG EAST teams are in action Tuesday. FS1 has both games.
No. 18/24 Butler travels to No. 16/17 Providence in the first game of the doubleheader that tips off at 6:30 p.m. It will be the fifth conference game this season between two ranked teams.
The Butler-PC game is a rematch from Dec. 31 when the Friars beat the Bulldogs 81-73 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. PC’s Rodney Bullock came through with 25 points and 10 rebounds. The game will feature three of the BIG EAST’s top five scorers -- PC’s Ben Bentil and Kris Dunn along with BU’s Kellen Dunham. Bentil ranks first in the league with a 19.2 scoring average, Dunn is second at 17.8 with Dunham fifth at 15.8.
Georgetown at No. 5/6 Xavier is the second game of the doubleheader at 8:30 p.m. The host Musketeers have streaked to a 16-1 record and a 4-1 BIG EAST mark. Their No. 5 AP ranking is the highest in school history. The Hoyas are 11-7 overall and 4-2 in the league.
D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera is third in the BIG EAST in scoring with a 16.2 average. Xavier’s Trevon Bluiett leads four Musketeers in double figures with a 15.3 scoring mark. Edmond Sumner returned from an injury suffered on Dec. 31 at Villanova and scored 15 points and dished five assists in a 74-66 win at Marquette. He is second on the team in scoring with an 11.3 average.
With Villanova at No. 4 and Xavier at No. 5, the BIG EAST has two teams in the AP top five for the first time in its current 10-team alignment.