Mustapha Heron had 15 points in Wednesday's win over Columbia..
MBB Minute -- St. John's Wins, Three BIG EAST Teams Start Tourney Play Thursday
St. John’s got back into the winning mode with an 82-63 victory over Columbia in the only BIG EAST action on Wednesday. The Johnnies (4-1) led 49-27 by halftime and were ahead by as many as 30 points in the second half.
Mustapha Heron led a balanced scoring attack with 15 points. Freshman Julian Champagnie added 14 points and seven rebounds and newcomer Rasheem Dunn contributed 14 points. St. John’s leads the league in scoring offense, averaging 84.5 points per game.
BIG EAST teams have compiled a 33-7 (.815) record going into Thursday.
The three BIG EAST squads in action on Thursday are all in tournament play. The action starts early with Villanova (2-1) meets Middle Tennessee State (3-1) in the Myrtle Beach Classic at 11:30 a.m. ET on ESPN2. The Wildcats, who are ranked 17th in this week’s Associated Press poll and 15th in USA Today, have won their last six November tournaments. Freshman guard Bryan Antoine has been cleared to play after recovering from shoulder surgery.
Xavier is also in South Carolina, participating in the Charleston Classic. The Musketeers, ranked 18th in AP and 21st in USA Today, will battle Towson (2-2) at 7 p.m. on ESPNU. Naji Marshall has continued his all-around productivity in the early season. He leads the team in scoring (16.5) and assists (3.8) and is averaging 6.8 rebounds.
Georgetown also tips at 7 p.m. in a matchup with No. 22/22 Texas in the 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden. ESPN2 will televise. Transfer Omer Yurtseven has posted a double-double in every game this season and is averaging 17.0 points and a league-leading 12.5 rebounds. The Hoyas (3-1) lead the BIG EAST in rebound margin at +11.0.