A light Saturday schedule saw BIG EAST teams split a pair of non-conference games.
Wearing a mask to protect a broken nose, Villanova’s Jeremiah Robinson-Earl showed no fear, while leading the Wildcats to an 88-68 home victory over Saint Joseph’s. Robinson-Earl’s stat line included a game-high 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Villanova (7-1), ranked seventh this week by Associated Press, got a combined 37 points from guards Caleb Daniels (19 points) and Justin Moore (18).
In the annual Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis, Butler had a 37-32 halftime lead against Indiana, but the Hoosiers came out quickly in the second half, that included a 22-5 run, and beat the Bulldogs 68-60. Jair Bolden led Butler (1-2) with 20 points, which included 6-of-9 from 3-point range. The Bulldogs missed Aaron Thompson, who was out with a knee injury.
The BIG EAST has a loaded Sunday with four games – all on FS1.
The day starts with Creighton visiting Connecticut meeting for the first time on the hardwood. The Huskies (3-0) will finally be playing their first BIG EAST game since rejoining the conference. They have been off since Dec. 3 for COVID reasons. James Bouknight leads UConn with an 18.7 scoring mark. The ninth-ranked Bluejays (5-2, 1-1 BIG EAST) are coming off a 94-78 road win at St. John’s on Wednesday. Creighton boasts five players averaging in double figures led by Denzel Mahoney at 16.2.
At 2 p.m., Xavier plays its BIG EAST opener when it hosts Marquette. The undefeated Musketeers (7-0) have been off since Dec. 9 due to COVID issues. In its last game, Xavier set a school record 19 3-pointers in a 99-77 win over Oklahoma. Marquette (5-3, 1-1 BIG EAST) has split a pair of league games this week, winning 89-84 at Creighton and losing 70-63 at home to Seton Hall. The Golden Eagles have taken the last four games in the series.
Seton Hall hosts Providence at 4:30 p.m. The Pirates (5-3, 2-0) are on a four-game winning streak after Wednesday’s win at Marquette. The Hall has started 2-0 in BIG EAST play nine times, which has resulted in seven NCAA Tournament bids. The Friars (4-2) are playing their league opener. PC’s last game was a 79-70 win at TCU. David Duke is the Friar scoring leader, averaging 19.7 points. The teams have met 107 times with Providence holding a 54-53 edge.
BIG EAST play ends with St. John’s (5-4, 0-3) hosting Georgetown (3-3, 1-1) at 6:30 p.m. It will be the Hoyas’ first trip to the Johnnies’ campus since 1981. The two squads met last Sunday with Georgetown rallying late in regulation and prevailing 97-94 in overtime. That game was the first meeting on the Georgetown campus between the teams also since 1981. Georgetown has won the last four regular-season meetings, though St. John’s took a 75-62 decision in the first round of last year’s BIG EAST Tournament.
BIG EAST teams own an overall record of 38-13 (.745) in non-conference play.