No. 9 Villanova hosts No. 13 Butler at Finneran Pavilion Tuesday night, where the Wildcats are 29-1 in BIG EAST play since 2013-14.
MBB Minute – Tuesday’s Schedule Includes No. 9 Villanova Versus No. 13 Butler
A battle between ranked BIG EAST foes is half of a two-game Tuesday.
Villanova, ranked ninth in this week’s Associated Press poll, hosts No. 13 Butler at Finneran Pavilion at 7 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network. The Wildcats are 29-1 on campus in the current six-plus seasons of the 10-team BIG EAST configuration, but the Bulldogs own the lone victory 74-66 on Feb. 22, 2017.
The Bulldogs (15-3, 3-2 BIG EAST) will be trying to snap a two-game losing streak. The Wildcats (14-3, 4-1) have won four straight. Butler ranks fifth nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 57.1 points per game. Villanova has improved defensively of late, yielding 63.2 points over its last seven contests.
The other Tuesday tilt has Marquette hosting St. John’s at 9 p.m. on FS1. The Golden Eagles (13-5, 3-3) have won their last two games. MU’s Markus Howard continues to lead the nation in scoring, averaging 28.2 points per game. In BIG EAST play, he’s been ever better, sporting a 31.7 average. St. John’s (12-7, 1-5) dropped two games last week by a total of eight points. Last season, St. John’s won both regular-season meetings, including a 70-69 victory at Fiserv Forum. In a BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinal contest, Marquette beat St. John’s 86-54.
In this week’s national polls, the BIG EAST has three squads among the top 13 – No. 9 Villanova, No. 10 Seton Hall and No. 13 Butler. In the USA Today poll, Seton Hall, Villanova and Butler are ranked 10th, 11th and 12th, respectively.
Home teams are 17-11 (.607) in league games going into Tuesday.