Kelan Martin Had 26 Points in Win over Creighton
MBB Minute -- Butler Moves into Fourth Place with Win over Creighton
Senior Kelan Martin scored a game-high 26 points in his final game at Hinkle Fieldhouse and the Butler bench added 43 points in the Bulldogs’ 93-70 victory against Creighton on Tuesday. The win pushed Butler (19-10, 9-7) ahead of Creighton (19-9, 8-7) into fourth place in the BIG EAST standings. Butler shot 54.4 percent from the field and was 16-of-26 from 3-point range. The Bluejays, who were led by reserve Mitch Ballock’s 15 points, shot 8-of-26 from beyond the arc. Khyri Thomas added 14 points for Creighton.
Four of the 18 remaining conference games will be played Wednesday night. Seton Hall and Providence are two more teams in the middle of the standings. They square off at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on FSN at 6:30 p.m. ET. The Friars are in third place with an 8-6 BIG EAST record. The Pirates are sixth, but only one game behind PC, at 7-7.
Surging St. John’s, on a league-leading four-game winning streak, plays at Marquette at 8:30 p.m., also on FSN. Marquette, 6-8 in the BIG EAST, is coming off Saturday’s 90-86 win at Creighton. St. John’s, 3-11 in the league, won the first meeting between the two teams 86-78 on Feb. 10. St. John’s Shamorie Ponds scored 44 points and Marquette’s Andrew Rowsey had 34.
No. 4 Xavier travels to Georgetown for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff on FS1. The Musketeers are atop the BIG EAST standings with a 12-3 record, a half-game ahead of Villanova at 11-3. It took overtime for Xavier to best Georgetown in the first meeting, 96-91 on Feb. 3. The Hoyas, 5-9 in the BIG EAST, have won their last two games. The Musketeers have won their last four road contests.
No. 3 Villanova hosts DePaul in the second game of the FS1 doubleheader at 8:30 p.m. The Wildcats beat the Blue Demons 103-85 in Chicago on Dec. 27. Guard Phil Booth, who has missed the last seven games with a broken hand, is expected to play. Jalen Brunson is averaging a team-leading 19.5 points per game. He is the top guard in the BIG EAST in field goal shooting, ranking sixth at 54.3 percent. The Blue Demons, 3-11 in the standings, have won all three of their league games on the road. In conference play, DePaul ranks first in the league in rebounding, averaging 38.9 per game.