Naji Marshall had a game-high 23 points in Tuesday's win against DePaul.
MBB Minute -- Xavier Defeats DePaul; Two More Pivotal Games Wednesday
Xavier made 10 3-pointers in the first half to build a 44-36 halftime lead and beat DePaul 78-67 at Cintas Center on Tuesday. With the win, the Musketeers moved into a sixth-place tie with Butler at 7-8 in the standings. They have won five of their last seven games. The Blue Demons, who cut the lead to three points three different times early in the second half, fell to 14-14 overall and 2-12 in the BIG EAST.
Xavier’s Naji Marshall filled his stat line with 23 points, six rebounds and six steals. Paul Scruggs added 12 points. DePaul’s Paul Reed notched his 16th double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds. He also blocked three shots. Romeo Weems had 16 points and five steals.
FS1 will carry both league games on Wednesday when St. John’s plays Villanova at Finneran Pavilion at 6:30 p.m. ET followed by Marquette hosting Georgetown at 8:30 p.m.
The Wildcats (21-6, 10-4) sit in third place in the standings, a half-game behind Creighton (11-4). The Wildcats are on a three-game winning streak, all on the road. In the first meeting versus St. John’s at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 28, Villanova won 79-59. L.J. Figueroa leads the Johnnies (14-13, 3-11) in scoring with a 14.6 average. In true road games, he is even better, scoring at a 17.7 clip.
Marquette, at 7-7 in league play, will aim to end a three-game losing skid. The Golden Eagles (17-9, 7-7) won the first meeting against the Hoyas 84-80 on Jan. 8 when Markus Howard poured in 42 points. Georgetown’s Omer Yurtseven returned from a leg injury to play in Saturday’s loss at DePaul. He is one of three BIG EAST players who averages a double-double with 15.8 points and 10.8 rebounds.
Home teams have won five of the last six contests and are 42-31 (.575) in league games going into Wednesday.