MBB Minute -- Saturday's Full Slate Includes Villanova at Xavier
All 10 BIG EAST teams are in action on Saturday with plenty of attention focused on a matchup of the top two teams in the standings, Villanova and Xavier.
The two squads will meet at Xavier’s Cintas Center at 2:30 p.m. ET on the FOX broadcast network. No. 2/2 Villanova is 23-2 overall and 10-2 in BIG EAST play. No. 24/25 Xavier goes in at 18-6 overall and 8-3 in the league. Last year’s meeting at Cintas was one of the top contests of the college basketball season when No. 5 Xavier beat No. 1 Villanova 90-83. In his last six games, Xavier’s Trevon Bluiett has averaged 24.2 points and 6.7 rebounds. The next Villanova victory will be the 500
th career win for coach Jay Wright.
FOX’s Saturday coverage starts at noon when Marquette visits Georgetown. The two teams met on Dec. 28 in the conference opener with Marquette taking a 76-66 decision. Over the last six games, MU’s Luke Fischer has averaged a team-high 14.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and has shot 70.9 percent from the floor. GU’s L.J. Peak leads the Hoyas with a 16.4 scoring mark.
Also at noon, on CBS Sports Network, St. John’s hosts Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden in the 97
th meeting between the two teams. The Pirates beat the Red Storm 86-73 on Jan. 22 at Prudential Center. SHU’s Angel Delgado leads the nation in rebounding with a 13.2 mark and is even better in BIG EAST play at 14.7. In league games, the Red Storm’s freshman guard duo of Marcus LoVett and Shamorie Ponds are ranked second and third in scoring at 17.6 and 17.1 ppg, respectively.
No. 23/23 Creighton will try to stay in the middle of the league race when it plays at DePaul at 2 p.m. on FS1. The Bluejays are 7-4 in the league standings, a game behind second-place Xavier and a half-game behind Butler at 8-4. CU’s Marcus Foster is averaging 18.0 ppg, the highest average for a first-year Bluejay since 1969-70. DePaul’s Billy Garrett Jr. leads all active BIG EAST players with 824 career points in league games.
No. 22/21 Butler travels to Providence for a 4 p.m. tip on CBS Sports Network. The Bulldogs knocked off the Friars 78-61 on Jan. 1 at home. Butler is 15-0 this season when it holds its opponent to less than 70 points. PC’s Rodney Bullock is seventh in the league in scoring (17.0) and ninth in rebounding (6.0).