Connecticut, the only BIG EAST team in action on Thursday, improved to 3-0 with a 61-58 victory over USC in the Legends Classic at Mohegan Sun Arena.

The Huskies built a 13-point lead in the second half and withstood a late rally by the Trojans.  James Bouknight notched a team-high 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds.  Isaiah Whaley finished with 10 points, five rebounds and five blocked shots.  UConn is back at Mohegan Sun on Saturday against NC State at noon ET.

Friday’s BIG EAST schedule shows three contests that make up an FS1 tripleheader.  Starting at 5 p.m. ET, Creighton hosts Kennesaw State.  A win would give the Bluejays a 3-0 record and a 10-game home winning streak.  Greg McDermott will be coaching in his 350th game at Creighton.  He is 233-116 (.668).

At 7 p.m., Marquette hosts No. 4 Wisconsin, the annual in-state battle.  The Golden Eagles won 74-69 in overtime at home two seasons ago.  The series began in 1917.  This season, Koby McEwen leads the Golden Eagles in scoring with a 15.7 average.  Dawson Garcia is the top freshman scorer in the BIG EAST with a 13.0 mark.

After the Marquette-Wisconsin battle, it’s back to the CHI Health Center in Omaha where Seton Hall will play No. 21 Oregon.  The Pirates (1-2) want to bounce back from Wednesday’s 76-63 loss at Rhode Island.  Sandro Mamukelashvili leads the BIG EAST in scoring with a 21.7 average.  He had a game-high 25 points against the Rams.

The BIG EAST’s overall record is 23-8 (.742) going into Friday.