James Milliken, Creighton
MBB Minute: Creighton Is The New No. 3 After Villanova, Xavier
Villanova and Xavier solidified their spots at the top of the BIG EAST standings with Saturday victories, while Creighton won its third game in a row and moved into sole possession of third place.
The Bluejays’ James Milliken hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with just over a minute left to lift Creighton to a 65-62 win at Marquette. With three straight wins, the Bluejays are 8-5 in BIG EAST play. Maurice Watson Jr. again directed the winning effort with 18 points and 10 assists. Marquette’s Henry Ellenson had 16 points and eight rebounds.
Villanova, ranked No. 1 in both major polls, got off to a quick start in the second half and pulled away from St. John’s for a 73-63 victory at Wells Fargo Center before 18,052 fans. After leading 28-27 at intermission, Villanova opened the second half by making 9-of-11 shots from the floor. Daniel Ochefu scored a career-high 25 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Amar Albegovic tallied a career-high 18 points and had six rebounds for St. John’s. Villanova is 12-1 in BIG EAST play.
Xavier bounced back from Tuesday’s loss at Creighton with a 74-57 win at Butler in front of a record crowd of 9,344 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The balanced Musketeers were led by J.P. Macura’s 13 points. Edmond Sumner and Remy Abell added 12 points each. The Musketeers are in second place with a 10-3 league mark. Kelan Martin continued his productive play for the Bulldogs with 15 points and 12 rebounds. The loss ended Butler’s three-game winning streak.
The Dunkin’ Donuts Center also was full (12,582) and the hometown Providence Friars built a 49-29 halftime lead against Georgetown. But the Hoyas almost came all the way back, cutting the lead to one point in the final minute before Providence won 75-72. PC’s Rodney Bullock scored 18 of his game-high 23 points in the first 20 minutes. Kris Dunn had 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. The Hoyas were led by Marcus Derrickson’s 18 points and nine boards. GU got 69 points and 22 rebounds from freshmen and sophomores.