MBB Minute – On a wild Wednesday in BIG EAST play, DePaul and Seton Hall took down ranked opponents with one-point victories and, in a battle of ranked teams, No. 20 Marquette staved off No. 22 Providence.
 
After leading most of the game, DePaul (9-10, 3-5 BIG EAST) needed a layup by Da’Sean Nelson with 28 seconds left to defeat No. 8 Xavier (15-4, 7-1 BE). It was three years to the day since the Blue Demons beat a top-10 opponent, a victory over No. 5 Butler. Umoja Gibson scored a game-high 22 points and Javan Johnson added 16 for DePaul. Xavier’s 11-game win streak came to an end. The Musketeers got 18 points and 12 rebounds from Zach Freemantle and 16 points and 13 boards from Jack Nunge. 
 
Seton Hall trailed No. 15 Connecticut by 17 points in the first half, but rallied to post a 67-66 victory at Prudential Center. KC Ndefo’s putback with 1.6 seconds left gave the Pirates (12-8, 5-4) the win. Kadary Richmond led the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Ndefo finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. The Huskies were led by Adama Sanogo’s 16 points. Seton Hall led for only eight seconds in the game. The 17-point comeback was the Pirates’ best since 2006.
 
No. 20 Marquette established a 38-31 lead by halftime against visiting No. 22 Providence, then held off PC rally attempts and recorded a 83-75 win. Kam Jones paced four Golden Eagles (15-5, 7-2 BE) in double figures with 21 points. Tyler Kolek excelled with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists. The Friars (14-5, 6-2 BE) were led by Ed Croswell’s 21 points. Bryce Hopkins posted 19 points and 10 boards. Marquette is 3-1 against ranked opponents.
 
BIG EAST play resumes on Friday night when Villanova meets St. John’s at Madison Square Garden at 7.p.m. ET on FS1. The Johnnies (13-6, 3-5 BE) have won their last two games, including an 85-74 victory at UConn on Sunday. The Wildcats (9-10, 3-5 BE) are coming off a 77-73 win against Georgetown on Monday.