Billy Garrett, Jr., DePaul
MBB Minute: Three-Game Saturday Includes FS1 Doubleheader
FS1 has a Saturday afternoon doubleheader with Georgetown hosting DePaul at noon ET followed by Creighton at Seton Hall at 2 p.m. Marquette hosts St. John’s, also at 2 p.m., on FOX Sports Networks.
The DePaul-Georgetown clash is the first conference rematch of the season. The Hoyas beat the Blue Demons 70-58 at Allstate Arena on Dec. 30. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Isaac Copeland led GU with 15 points each. Billy Garrett, Jr. had 21 points for the Blue Demons. Four of the last six meetings between the two clubs have been decided by six points or less.
Creighton and Seton Hall are two of five BIG EAST teams holding 2-1 league records. The Bluejays are coming off a 79-66 home win over Georgetown while the Pirates lost at Villanova 72-63. Creighton leads the BIG EAST in 3-point shooting, making 38.5 percent while Seton Hall is first in 3-point defense, yielding only 31.5 percent to opponents.
Marquette won at Providence 65-64 on Tuesday and will try to keep the momentum going against St. John’s. Freshman Henry Ellenson ranks third in the BIG EAST in scoring (16.0) and first in rebounding (9.9). The Red Storm battled Xavier for 40 minutes before falling 74-66 on Wednesday. St. John’s has won the last four meetings against the Golden Eagles.
According to RPIRatings.com through Thursday’s games, Xavier is ranked No. 1 nationally with Villanova at No. 2. In Strength of Schedule rankings, Villanova is second nationally and Xavier is ninth.