Naji Marshall had 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals at DePaul.
MBB Minute -- Xavier Wins Second Straight Road Game; All Four Ranked Teams Play Wednesday
Xavier won its second straight game in its blue uniforms, taking a 67-59 decision at DePaul on Tuesday. The Musketeers built a 17-point early in the second half and withstood a late rally that cut the deficit to six points in the final minute.
Xavier’s Tyrique Jones continued to rule the boards, pulling down a game-high 18 rebounds while posting his 15th double-double of the season. In his last three games, Jones has 44 points, 51 rebounds and eight blocked shots. Four other Musketeers (15-8, 4-6 BIG EAST) scored in double figures. Paul Reed flirted with a triple-double for DePaul (13-9, 1-9), finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds and seven steals.
All four ranked BIG EAST squads play Wednesday. In the first game of an FS1 doubleheader at 6:30 p.m. ET, No. 10 Villanova travels to No. 19 Butler. The Wildcats won the first meeting 76-61 on Jan. 21. In the series, Villanova has taken the last five meetings after the Bulldogs had won three straight. Butler leads the BIG EAST in scoring defense (59.9 ppg) and is 13th nationally in field goal defense (.378).
Creighton, the team that ended Villanova’s seven-game winning streak on Saturday stays, on the road for a contest at Providence at 7 p.m. on FSN. The 21st-ranked Bluejays are on a four-game winning streak. The Friars are coming off a 65-61 victory at Butler. Creighton will be PC’s fifth straight ranked opponent, the longest streak for the Friars since they played 10 straight ranked foes in 1990-91.
No. 12 Seton Hall starts a stretch of three of four on the road when it plays at Georgetown at 8:30 p.m. on FS1. The Pirates had their 10-game winning streak end with a loss to Xavier on Saturday. Still, their 9-1 BIG EAST start is the best in program history. The Hoyas are coming a 73-72 win at St. John’s that was accomplished without Mac McClung who sat out with an injury.
Home teams are 25-22 (.532) in league games going into Wednesday. Road teams have won 10 of the last 13 games.