MBB Minute – In Wednesday’s BIG EAST action, Seton Hall won its third game in a row, using its strong defense to subdue Drexel 66-49. DePaul dropped a 66-55 decision at Duquesne.
 
Seton Hall (7-4) gained a 31-16 edge by halftime after limiting the Dragons to 20.7 percent shooting from the field and 12.5 percent from 3-point range. The Hall has held its last six opponents to 55 points or less. Offensively, Pirate reserves Tray Jackson and Dre Davis each scored 12 points.
 
DePaul fell behind early at Duquesne and could not make a serious run in the second half. Javan Johnson continued his strong offensive play with a game-high 19 points. The Blue Demons (6-5) finish their non-conference schedule Saturday at Northwestern.
 
No BIG EAST teams are playing on Thursday. The Friday slate has two league games on FS1. Xavier plays at Georgetown at 6:30 p.m. ET followed by Creighton at Marquette at 8:30 p.m.
 
Xavier (8-3) has all five starters averaging in double figures led by Souley Boum at 17.0 points. He ranks fourth in the league. The Hoyas (5-6) are led by Primo Spears, who is third in scoring with a 17.2 mark.  The Musketeers rank first in field goal shooting at 50.7 percent and first in 3-point shooting at 40.8 percent. Xavier has won nine of the last 11 meetings with the Hoyas.
 
Marquette (8-3) has won five of its last six while Creighton (6-5) is aiming to end a five-game losing streak after a 6-0 start. The Golden Eagles have been led recently by Kam Jones, who was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Monday. His 16.4 scoring average is sixth in the BIG EAST. Tyler Kolek ranks first in assists with 7.8 per game. The Bluejays have missed Ryan Kalkbrenner, who did not play in the last two games due to illness. The road team has won six of the last eight games in the series.