James Akinjo scored all 23 of his points in the second half in the win against Xavier.
MBB Minute -- Georgetown Rallies Past Xavier, Seton Hall Meets Butler in All-Access Game
Georgetown freshman guard James Akinjo scored all 23 of his points in the second half to lead the Hoyas to an 80-73 come-from-behind victory over visiting Xavier on Thursday. The victory pushed Georgetown to the top of the group of eight teams below Villanova and Marquette in the standings.
Xavier led for the first 30 minutes before Akinjo’s efforts gave Georgetown the lead. He shot 6-of-10 from the field, 4-of-7 from 3-point range and 7-of-7 from the foul line. Josh LeBlanc added 17 points. Naji Marshall led the Musketeers (11-11, 3-6) with 16 points and Paul Scruggs added 15 points.
On Saturday, Seton Hall and Butler will meet at Hinkle Fieldhouse in the FOX All-Access Game on FS1 at noon ET. Pirate head coach Kevin Willard and Bulldog head coach LaVall Jordan will be mic’d live and the game will be telecast without commercials. The Pirates (13-8, 4-5) ended a four-game losing streak with a 65-63 win over Providence on Wednesday while the Bulldogs (12-10, 3-6) lost 76-58 to Marquette.
In a series that’s not played every year, but has plenty of memorable moments, St. John’s will battle Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on ESPN at noon. The No. 2-ranked Blue Devils have won 146 straight at home against non-conference opponents, with their last loss coming against St. John’s 83-82 on Feb. 26, 2000. The two teams met last year with St. John’s winning 81-77 at MSG on Feb. 3 behind Shamorie Ponds’ 33 points. That victory ended an 11-game losing streak for St. John’s.
Providence (13-8, 3-5) travels to DePaul for a 2:30 p.m. tip on FS1. The two teams met just last Sunday with the Friars taking a 70-67 decision. Alpha Diallo scored a game-high 21 points. Providence’s last three games have been decided by a total of seven points. DePaul (11-9, 3-6) will be aiming to end a three-game losing streak. The Friars have won four of the last seven meetings between the teams.
After Thursday, home teams hold only a 23-20 edge in conference play with 19 of the 43 conference games decided by six points or less.