Phil Booth and Villanova Meet Connecticut at MSG on Saturday.
MBB Minute -- Schedule Shows Strong Matchups on Friday, Saturday
The Friday and Saturday schedules include plenty of intriguing contests as league teams get one more game in before the holidays.
Friday’s four-game schedule includes No. 20 Marquette hosting No. 14 Buffalo on FS1 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Golden Eagles (9-2) are riding a six-game winning streak and will be looking for their third win this year against a ranked opponent. Providence travels to Texas for an ESPN2 telecast at 9 p.m. Guard Maliek White has averaged 17.0 points in the last two games for the Friars (9-2) filling in for injured A.J. Reeves.
Butler will try to win its 50th straight home game against non-league competition when it hosts UC-Irvine on FS1 at 6:30 p.m. The visiting Anteaters have already won games at Texas A&M and St. Mary’s. Xavier completes its non-conference schedule when it hosts Detroit on FS2 at 7 p.m. The Musketeers (7-5) have won their last four at Cintas Center. Point guard Quentin Goodin leads the team in scoring (13.5) and is second in the BIG EAST in assists (5.1).
Saturday’s five-game slate includes Villanova battling former conference member Connecticut at Madison Square Garden. CBS will televise at 12:30 p.m. ET. Since the start of the 2014-15 season, the Wildcats are 16-1 at MSG, which includes three BIG EAST Tournament crowns.
FS1 has a doubleheader that starts at 3:30 p.m. with DePaul hosting another former BIG EAST member, Boston College, followed by Seton Hall at Maryland at 5:30 p.m. The Blue Demons (8-2) have gained all eight of their wins at Wintrust Arena. Seton Hall (8-3) has won four in a row.
Georgetown (8-3) hosts Little Rock at noon on FSN. After leading scorer Jessie Govan (18.5), the next top three scorers are freshmen – James Akinjo (13.6), Mac McClung (10.0) and Josh LeBlanc (9.2). St. John’s (11-0) aims to stay undefeated when it meets Sacred Heart at Carnesecca Arena at 8 p.m. on FSN. Sacred Heart lost at Seton Hall 90-76 on Wednesday.
In Thursday’s only game involving a league team, Creighton beat D-III opponent Coe College 110-60. The Bluejays made a record 22 3-pointers. Freshman Marcus Zegarowski got six of the long-range baskets en route to a game-high 20 points.