MBB Minute -- Home Teams Taste Victory In Conference Openers
The four teams playing at home on the first night of BIG EAST play all notched a victory, though the closest score of the four contests may have been the most surprising.
No. 1 Villanova held off DePaul 68-65 at The Pavilion. Josh Hart lifted the Wildcats (13-0) to victory again, tallying a game-high 25 points. He also had six rebounds and did not commit a turnover. Tre’Darius McCallum led the Blue Demons with 19 points and seven rebounds. Billy Garrett Jr. added 17 points. His open 3-point attempt that went off the rim at the buzzer would have forced overtime. Villanova has won 19 in a row dating to last year’s NCAA Tournament.
No. 10/9 Creighton also improved to 13-0 with an 89-75 win over Seton Hall. The Bluejays placed all five starters in double figures led by Maurice Watson Jr., who posted his sixth double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 assists. Creighton shot 56.6 percent from the field and helped force 18 Pirate turnovers. The Hall got 27 points from Khadeen Carrington and 24 from Desi Rodriguez.
Creighton hosts Villanova on Saturday in a battle of unbeaten top-10 teams at 1 p.m. ET on FS1.
No. 17 Xavier registered its largest margin of victory in a BIG EAST game when it defeated Providence 82-56. The Musketeers (11-2) were led by Trevon Bluiett, who posted game highs of 22 points and nine rebounds. Xavier held PC’s Rodney Bullock to two points on 1-of-11 shooting. Isaiah Jackson led the Friars with 17 points.
Marquette started its game against Georgetown with an 11-0 run, then subdued Hoya comeback attempts in a 76-66 victory. Freshman Markus Howard, playing in his first BIG EAST game, had 23 points, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range. Rodney Pryor led the Hoyas with 23 points. MU (10-3) has won eight of its last nine games.
No. 13 Butler and St. John’s start league play Thursday with a matchup at Carnesecca Arena at 7 p.m. on FS1. The Bulldogs (11-1) are shooting 49.5 percent from the floor this season. They’ve take the last four meetings against the Red Storm, who are averaging 83.0 points per game at Carnesecca this year and coming off a 93-60 win last week at Syracuse.