MBB Minute -- Butler Defeats Arizona, Wins Las Vegas Invitational
Butler let a nine-point lead in the second half slip away, but recovered with a late 10-0 run to upend No. 8/9 Arizona 69-65 and win the Las Vegas Invitational. Andrew Chrabascz, who had 14 points and seven rebounds, was named the tournament MVP. Kelan Martin led the Bulldogs with 16 points. It is Butler’s third consecutive season with a win over a top-10 foe.
Butler becomes the fourth BIG EAST team to win an in-season tournament this month. The others are: Creighton (Paradise Jam), Villanova (Charleston Classic) and Xavier (Tire Pros Invitational in Orlando, Fla.).
Providence started slowly against Memphis in the Emerald Coast Classic, but pulled away in the second half and posted a 60-51 victory. Rodney Bullock scored 18 points and Emmitt Holt added 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Friars play No. 7/6 Virginia Saturday night in the final at 7 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
Seton Hall also had a slow start in its game against Quinnipiac in the Advocare Invitational, but Pirates finished with a 90-79 win. Michael Nzei, filling in for the injured Ismael Sanogo, registered his second career double-double with 19 points and 12 boards. Desi Rodriguez contributed 23 points and 11 rebounds. The Pirates finish play in the tournament with a game against Stanford on Sunday night at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.
St. John’s had a late rally against Old Dominion fall short in a 63-55 defeat, the Red Storm’s final game in the Battle 4 Atlantis. St. John’s cut a 16-point deficit in the second half to three, but could not come all the way back. Marcus LoVett scored a team-high 16 points and Shamorie Ponds had 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
In addition to Providence’s game on Saturday, three other BIG EAST teams are in action at home. All three contests are on FS2 -- Xavier hosts Northern Iowa at noon ET, Creighton plays Loyola, Md. at 4:30 p.m. and Marquette hosts Houston Baptist at 7:30 p.m.