MBB Minute – Creighton Tops Villanova in BIG EAST Opener, Two More League Games Set for Saturday - Big East Conference Skip To Main Content

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Ryan Hawkins had 19 points and 11 rebounds in Friday's win over Villanova.
Ryan Hawkins had 19 points and 11 rebounds in Friday's win over Villanova.

Men's Basketball

MBB Minute – Creighton Tops Villanova in BIG EAST Opener, Two More League Games Set for Saturday

Holding a 56-54 lead with 8:38 to play, Creighton closed with a 23-5 run to defeat ninth-ranked Villanova 79-59 at the CHI Health Center in the first BIG EAST game of the season. Ryan Hawkins led the Bluejays (9-3, 1-0 BIG EAST) with game highs of 19 points and 11 rebounds. Collin Gillespie led the Wildcats (7-4, 0-1) with 16 points.
 
Two more BIG EAST games are set for Saturday afternoon. No. 22 Xavier (10-1) hosts Marquette (8-3) at 4 p.m. ET on FS1. The Musketeers have won six in a row. Xavier won last year’s meeting at Cintas Center 91-88 behind Paul Scruggs’ 29 points. Marquette’s Tyler Kolek leads the BIG EAST in assists with a 5.6 average. The two teams are meeting for the 80th time.
 
At 5 p.m. on FOX, Providence plays No. 20 UConn in Hartford. The Friars (10-1) have a share of the BIG EAST’s top overall record and take a five-game winning streak into the game. They won their only true road game this season 63-58 at Wisconsin on Nov. 15. UConn will be playing its first home game before an expected sellout crowd since rejoining the BIG EAST in 2020.
 
Saturday action starts at noon with St. John’s meeting Pittsburgh in the Gotham Classic at Madison Square Garden on FS1. The Johnnies (8-2) will be making their season debut at MSG.  Julian Champagnie ranks second the league in scoring with a 20.3 average. Posh Alexander is first in steals at 2.3. St. John’s has a seven-game winning streak against former members of the BIG EAST.
 
Also at noon, Butler takes on No. 3 Purdue in the Crossroads Classic in downtown Indianapolis. The Bulldogs (7-3) are riding a four-game winning streak. They are first in the BIG EAST in scoring defense, allowing only 58.3 points per game. Butler defeated Purdue 70-61 in the 2019 Crossroads Classic.
 
Georgetown hosts TCU in the final matchup of the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle at 2 p.m. on FS1. The Hoyas (6-4) have won three in a row after Wednesday’s 85-73 win against Howard. Freshman Aminu Mohammed is averaging 14.0 points and a league-leading 8.5 rebounds per game.
 
Going into the weekend, with still a few non-league games to play, BIG EAST teams have an overall record of 91-24 (.791).