MBB Minute: No. 1 Villanova At No. 5 Xavier Headlines Wednesday's Schedule
The first BIG EAST game between teams ranked in the top five in its current 10-team configuration happens tonight at the Cintas Center when No. 1 Villanova visits No. 5 Xavier. FS1 has the telecast at 7 p.m. ET.
Villanova has been at the top of the polls for three straight weeks and Xavier has been in the top 10 for nine of the past 10 weeks.
Not much has been decided for seeding in the BIG EAST Tournament Presented by the Jeep Brand, but a Villanova victory tonight will clinch the tourney’s No. 1 seed. A Xavier win assures the Musketeers of at least a No. 2 seed.
The Wildcats won the first meeting 95-64 on Dec. 31 at The Pavilion. Ryan Arcidiacono scored a season-high 27 points to lead VU. The game certainly was impacted by an injury to Xavier guard Edmond Sumner who was hurt in the first three minutes and did not return.
Villanova has won all six meetings between the two teams in BIG EAST play, including a 69-52 victory in last year’s BIG EAST Tournament title game at Madison Square Garden.
Also on Wednesday, Marquette visits Creighton at CenturyLink Center. CBS Sports Network has the game at 8 p.m. Both teams will carry 17-10 records into the contest. Creighton is 8-6 and in fourth place in the league standings. Marquette is 6-8. The Bluejays clipped the Golden Eagles 65-62 on Feb. 13. CU guard Maurice Watson Jr. scored a team-high 18 points.
The Bluejays have won three of their last four games. Marquette has taken two of its last three. The series between the two schools began in 1922-23.