MBB Minute – Butler, Creighton Go for 20th Wins on Saturday
The final third of the conference season begins on Saturday with a lighter-than-usual three games on the docket. Butler and Creighton will be looking to nail down their 20th wins of the season and Seton Hall and Providence will try to bounce back from losses on Wednesday.
Butler, ranked 19th by Associated Press, hosts Georgetown at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX. Butler (19-6, 7-5 BIG EAST) is coming off a 66-61 win over Xavier at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday. The Bulldogs won the first meeting with the Hoyas (14-10, 4-7) this season, recovering from an 11-point halftime deficit to win 69-64 on Jan. 28. But in the BIG EAST series, Georgetown is 5-1 at Hinkle, which includes an 84-76 win last season.
Creighton hosts DePaul at 7:30 p.m. on FS1. The No. 23 Bluejays (19-6, 8-4) are the only BIG EAST team with a winning “streak.” They’ve won two in a row. Creighton has taken 11 straight in the series with the Blue Demons (13-11, 1-10), including an 83-68 triumph in Chicago on Jan. 22. DePaul will try to end a six-game losing streak. Creighton will play four of its last six regular-season games at the CHI Health Center. The Bluejays have won 20 or more games in eight of the last nine seasons under coach Greg McDermott.
Seton Hall will aim to bounce back from Wednesday’s 87-82 loss to Creighton when it visits Providence at 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. The Pirates (18-6, 10-2) beat the Friars (13-12, 6-6) in the first meeting 73-64 on Jan. 22. The all-time series between the teams in tied 53-53, though Seton Hall has won seven of the last nine meetings. Providence senior Alpha Diallo leads all BIG EAST active players with 428 career rebounds in league competition. He had a career-high 17 boards at St. John’s on Wednesday.
On Sunday, the BIG EAST non-conference schedule concludes with Villanova traveling to Temple for a 1 p.m. tipoff on ESPN.
Home teams are 34-25 (.576) in league games going into Saturday.