Villanova's Jalen Brunson
MBB Minute -- Villanova Gets To 25 Wins Again With Win At DePaul
For the fourth straight season, Villanova has reached 25 wins after its 75-62 victory at DePaul on Monday. The Wildcats got out of the gate quickly with a 10-2 run to start the game and led 39-18 by halftime. In his return to his hometown area, guard Jalen Brunson led four Wildcats in double figures with 18 points. Josh Hart overcome some first-half foul trouble and finished with 16 points. For DePaul, Chris Harrison-Docks came off the bench to score 18 points. Villanova is 25-2 overall and atop the BIG EAST standings with a 12-2 mark. DePaul fell to 8-18 overall and 1-12 in the league.
Valentine’s Day is a BIG EAST hoops holiday this year. Action continues on Wednesday with three games.
Xavier and No. 20/22 Creighton, tied for second place with 8-4 records, are both on the road. Xavier plays at Providence on FS1 at 6:30 p.m. and Creighton visits Seton Hall on CBSSN at 8 p.m.
The game at Providence begins a three-game road trip for Xavier. The Musketeers have won their last two away from home, at St. John’s (82-77) on Jan. 29 and at Creighton (82-80) on Feb. 4. They are 5-1 this season in games decided by four points or less. Providence is coming off a 71-65 win over Butler. The Friars are 5-8 in the BIG EAST. PC’s Rodney Bullock ranks seventh in the BIG EAST in scoring at 16.8 ppg and eighth in rebounding at 6.0.
Creighton and Seton Hall opened the league schedule against each other on Dec. 28 with the Bluejays taking an 89-75 decision. Creighton is 10-1 away from home this season. Freshman center Justin Patton is third in the nation in field goal shooting, making 70.0 percent. He is averaging 13.6 points and 6.5 rebounds. The Pirates’ Angel Delgado has 19 double-doubles in 24 games this season. He is averaging 15.1 points and a nation-leading 13.0 rebounds.
No. 24/25 Butler, at 8-5 in the league, hosts St. John’s on FS1 at 8:30 p.m. The Bulldogs want to get back on track after losing three of their last four games. The last eight Butler games have been decided by single digits. St. John’s is 6-7 in BIG EAST play and has won four of its last seven games. The Red Storm beat the Bulldogs 76-73 at Carnesecca Arena in the conference opener on Dec. 29. Shamorie Ponds led the winners with 26 points and seven rebounds.
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