Seton Hall's Myles Powell scored 28 points in the win over Rutgers
MBB Minute -- Seton Hall Tops Rutgers, Xavier Sets National Season Shooting Mark
Seton Hall and Xavier were the victorious league teams Saturday on a day when two others lost to ranked teams by three points away from home.
Seton Hall won its in-state battle against Rutgers 72-66 at a sold-out Prudential Center. The Pirates get to keep the New Jersey Hardwood Classic trophy for the next year thanks to Myles Powell’s 28 points, which included six 3-pointers. Sandro Mamukelashvili continued his strong play with 15 points and nine rebounds. The Hall held Rutgers to 31.6 percent shooting from the floor.
Xavier posted an NCAA season-high shooting percentage, making 71.4 percent (35-of-49) of its shots from the field in a 95-77 victory against visiting Eastern Kentucky. Quentin Goodin and Naji Marshall each produced double-doubles. Goodin had 16 points and 10 assists. Marshall posted 15 points and 10 rebounds. Xavier players have registered seven double-doubles this season, the most of any team in the BIG EAST.
Butler led Indiana for 37 minutes at the Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis, but the final three minutes went back and forth until the Hoosiers heaved a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to win 71-68. Sean McDermott posted team highs of 20 points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs (7-3). Kamar Baldwin added 16 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Villanova ventured into storied Allen Fieldhouse to play No. 1 Kansas and fell short of a win, 74-71. The Wildcats (8-4) led 54-51 with 9:14 remaining before a 10-2 Jayhawk run allowed the home team to take the lead and fend off numerous Wildcat comeback attempts. Phil Booth led Villanova with a career-high 29 points and Eric Paschall added 17 points.
Georgetown fell behind 39-34 at halftime against SMU and could never get the lead back in an 81-73 loss at Capital One Arena. Jessie Govan had a team-high 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Guard James Akinjo added 16 points and seven boards.
Sunday’s schedule has two games. Providence hosts Central Connecticut at 2 p.m. ET on FS1. The Friars (7-3) have been in exams this past week. Freshman A.J. Reeves, who had already been named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week three times, injured his foot and will miss 4-6 weeks.
St. John’s hosts Wagner at Carnesecca Arena at 4:30 p.m., also on FS1. A victory would give the Johnnies a 10-0 start, the best beginning since 1982-83, Chris Mullin’s sophomore year as a player.