MBB Minute: No. 5 Xavier Tops No. 1 Villanova, Marquette Wins At Creighton
In front of a record home crowd of 10,727 at the Cintas Center, No. 5 Xavier defeated No. 1 Villanova 90-83 on Wednesday. It was the first conference game between two teams ranked in the top five in the BIG EAST’s current 10-team alignment.
The Musketeers placed six players in double figures with Edmond Sumner and J.P. Macura each scoring 19 points. Sumner also had nine assists and six rebounds. Macura scored 13 of his points in the first half when Xavier built a 40-37 lead by halftime. The Musketeers did not trail in the second half.
Villanova’s Kris Jenkins scored a game-high 22 points despite fouling out in only 19 minutes. Josh Hart added 13 points for the Wildcats, who saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end. Villanova had won all six of the previous meetings against Xavier in BIG EAST play.
With the win, Xavier has clinched at least the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament. The Musketeers are 13-3 in the standings, a half-game behind the Wildcats, who are 13-2.
Marquette moved into a three-way tie for sixth place at 7-8 with a 66-61 win at Creighton. Henry Ellenson produced his league-leading 16th double-double of the season with game highs of 22 points and 10 rebounds. Jajuan Johnson helped with 15 points, nine rebounds and four steals.
The Golden Eagles put together a 15-point lead early in the second half before holding off a Bluejay rally. Creighton fell to 8-7 in BIG EAST play. Maurice Watson Jr. had 14 points and five assists.
The two BIG EAST games slated for Thursday are part of an FS1 doubleheader. In the first game at 7 p.m. ET, Providence plays at Seton Hall with both teams aiming to bolster their postseason resumes. The Pirates are 19-7 overall and 9-5 in league play. The Friars 19-8 and 7-7. In the second game, St. John’s visits DePaul at 9 p.m. The Red Storm won the recent first meeting with the Blue Demons 80-65 on Feb. 17.