MBB Minute: Villanova, DePaul Grab One-Point Victories On The Road
In a pair of games that show the competitiveness of BIG EAST play this season, Villanova and DePaul were able to eke out one-point wins on the road on Wednesday.
No. 4/4 Villanova survived at Seton Hall 72-71 and DePaul picked up its first league win with a 57-56 victory at Marquette.
Ryan Arcidiacono’s layup with 26.5 seconds snapped a 69-69 tie and helped propel the Wildcats to their victory. Daniel Ochefu made two key defensive plays in the final seconds. Josh Hart posted his fifth double-double in his last nine games with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
For Seton Hall, Isaiah Whitehead scored 19 of his game-high 21 points in the second half and had five assists. Khadeen Carrington added 17 points.
In a game that featured 12 ties and nine lead changes, DePaul’s Billy Garrett Jr. took the ball the length of the court and was fouled while making a layup with 1.1 seconds to play. He made the free throw to give coach Dave Leitao his first BIG EAST win.
Myke Henry helped the Blue Demon cause with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Garrett Jr. finished with 14 points, five assists and three steals. Duane Wilson led Marquette with a game-high 19 points.
Nine of the 10 BIG EAST teams are back in action on Saturday.
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.