MBB Minute: Weekend Games Mark Halfway Point In League Season
After four conference games on Saturday and one on Sunday, the BIG EAST league season will be at its halfway point.
Saturday begins with Butler at Marquette at noon ET on FS1. The Bulldogs and Golden Eagles, both 3-5 in BIG EAST play, want to continue on the road to .500 and beyond in the standings.
Xavier, tied with Georgetown in second place at 6-2, travels to DePaul for a 2 p.m. start on CBS Sports Network. Trevon Bluiett leads a balanced scoring attack for Xavier with a 15.4 average. He has reached double figures in 19 of 20 games this season. The Blue Demons are only 1-7 in conference play, but they beat the Musketeers 71-68 in last year’s meeting at Allstate Arena.
At 8 p.m. on FS1, Providence visits Georgetown. The Friars are a game behind the Hoyas in the standings with a 5-3 record. The contest will feature the BIG EAST’s top three scorers: PC’s Ben Bentil (20.0) and Kris Dunn (16.9) along with Georgetown’s D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera (16.3). Dunn ranks first in assists (7.1) and steals (3.2).
It’s a similar standings situtation when Creighton hosts Seton Hall on FOX Sports Networks, also at 8 p.m. The Bluejays, at 5-3, are a game ahead of the 4-4 Pirates. The teams met at the Prudential Center on Jan. 9 with Creighton prevailing 82-67. Bluejay center Geoffrey Groselle scored a game-high 20 points. Angel Delgado has nine double-doubles for the Pirates and the team is unbeaten when he reaches that marker.
In Sunday’s game, Villanova meets St. John’s at Madison Square Garden on FOX. The Wildcats are ranked sixth in AP and USA Today polls. MSG is where the Red Storm’s last victory came, an 84-72 win against Syracuse on Dec. 13.