Xavier's Trevon Bluiett Scored 26 Points in OT Win at Butler
MBB Minute -- Xavier, Providence Win Close Decisions on Tuesday
In a pair of dramatic finishes on Tuesday, Xavier gained an overtime win at Butler and Providence used a late rally to upend Georgetown.
At Hinkle Fieldhouse, No. 5 Xavier built a 31-18 lead in the first half and had an 80-73 advantage with 1:57 left in the second half before Butler rallied with three 3-pointers in the final minute to force overtime. The Musketeers prevailed in the extra period 98-93. Trevon Bluiett led Xavier with 26 points, including six in the extra session, followed by Kerem Kanter with 22 points. Butler’s Kelan Martin finished with 34 points, seven rebounds and four assists while playing all 45 minutes.
At the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence came back to score the last nine points of the game to defeat Georgetown 73-69. Jalen Lindsey led the Friars (16-8, 7-4) with 17 points and Alpha Diallo added 11 points, 12 rebounds and four steals. Jessie Govan scored a game-high 27 points and pulled down seven rebounds for the Hoyas (13-10, 3-9).
A three-game Wednesday includes an FS1 doubleheader that starts with Seton Hall hosting Marquette at 7 p.m. ET. The Pirates (17-6, 6-4) and Golden Eagles (13-10, 4-7) met on Jan. 9 with Seton Hall taking an 84-64 decision. Both teams won by three points in last year’s regular-season meetings before Seton Hall won 82-76 in the BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals.
In the second game on FS1, Creighton visits DePaul at 9 p.m. The Bluejays (17-6, 7-4) are led offensively by Marcus Foster’s 19.9 scoring average. Max Strus leads the Blue Demons (9-13, 2-8) in scoring with a 17.3 mark. Creighton has won the last six meetings in the series.
St. John’s, coming off its 81-77 win over Duke, faces its third straight top 10 team when it travels to No. 1 Villanova. Guard Shamorie Ponds has averaged 25.0 points in six games against ranked opponents this season. Villanova (22-1, 9-1) has won nine in a row, including a 78-71 victory over St. John’s (11-13, 0-11) at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 13. CBS Sports Network has the game at 7 p.m.