Alpha Diallo and the Friars host Massachusetts Friday at 7 p.m. ET on FS1.
MBB Minute -- Providence Hosts UMass Tonight, Challenging Saturday Schedule Awaits
Providence is the only BIG EAST team in action on Friday. The Friars host Massachusetts on FS1 at 7 p.m. ET. Guard A.J. Reeves has been impressive in helping PC to a 7-2 record. The 6-6 guard leads all BIG EAST freshmen with a 14.9 scoring average and his rebound mark of 7.6 is tied for sixth.
BIG EAST teams have some difficult assignments Saturday with eight games on the slate. Seton Hall, Marquette and Creighton will battle ranked opponents. Georgetown, Xavier and DePaul will play long-time rivals away from home.
At noon ET on FOX, Seton Hall will play No. 9 Kentucky in the Citi Hoops Classic at Madison Square Garden. The Pirates (5-3) have won eight of their last 11 games at the World’s Most Famous Arena. Also at noon, DePaul makes the short ride to Northwestern for a BTN telecast. The Blue Demons (5-1) lost last year’s meeting 62-60. Over the last eight-plus seasons, DePaul is 17-5 against Chicagoland opponents.
Xavier also makes a short trip, going cross-town to play at local rival Cincinnati at 2 p.m. on ESPN2. The Musketeers (6-3) take a four-game winning streak into the contest. Xavier has won eight of the last 11 meetings with the Bearcats and took an 89-76 decision last December at Cintas Center.
Villanova plays the third of its four consecutive Philadelphia Big 5 opponents when it hosts Saint Joseph’s at 2 p.m. on FS1. The 21st-ranked Wildcats (7-2) are coming off a 69-59 win against Temple and have won a record 24 straight Big 5 games.
Georgetown and Syracuse, once long-time BIG EAST rivals, get together at the Carrier Dome at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN. The Hoyas (7-1) have won their last four games. Center Jessie Govan is the only player in the BIG EAST to rank among the top six in scoring and rebounding. He is fourth in scoring (19.5) and tied for sixth in rebounding (7.6).
Butler hosts Northern Illinois at 4:30 p.m. on FS1. The Bulldogs (6-2) are coming off a 70-55 victory over Brown on Wednesday. Butler has won 47 straight home contests against non-conference competition. The Bulldogs are led in scoring by the backcourt duo of Paul Jorgensen (17.4) and Kamar Baldwin (17.0).
In what will be the first sellout in the new Fiserv Forum, Marquette will host No. 12 Wisconsin at 5 p.m. on FOX. A week ago at Fiserv, the Golden Eagles took down Kansas State 83-71. Coincidentally, Kansas State also was ranked 12th in the AP poll at the time. In last year’s battle in Madison, Marquette beat the Badgers 82-63.
Creighton has beaten Nebraska in the last seven meetings, including last year’s 75-65 victory in Omaha. BTN will telecast Saturday’s in-state meeting at 6 p.m. The Bluejays rank second nationally in 3-point shooting, making 45.8 percent and are fourth in field goal shooting at 52.5 percent.