MBB Minute – Butler moved to 3-0 Tuesday with another comfortable win while St. John’s, Villanova and Xavier were saddled with losses.
 
Butler rolled past East Tennessee State 81-47 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs closed the first half with a 33-9 run to take a 45-20 advantage at the break. Transfer guard DJ Davis paced five Butler players in double figures with 15 points. The Bulldogs have won their three games by a total of 108 points. They play at No. 18 Michigan State Friday in a Gavitt Tipoff Games matchup.
 
St. John’s lost its Madison Square Garden debut in the Rick Pitino era 89-73 to Michigan in a Gavitt Tipoff Games contest. The Wolverines used a late run in the first half to lead 48-38 at halftime and maintained their double-digit advantage the rest of the way. The Johnnies’ Joel Soriano had 15 points, nine rebounds and went over the 1,000-point career scoring mark.
 
Villanova dropped a 76-72 decision to Penn at The Palestra. Justin Moore led the 21^st-ranked Wildcats with 25 points, seven rebounds and three assists. The Quakers gained the lead early in the second half and held off VU rally attempts. Villanova made only 9-of-33 from 3-point range.
 
Xavier hung in at No. 2 Purdue, but could not prevail in an 83-71 victory for the homestanding Boilermakers in the Gavitt Tipoff Games. Demond Claude scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the second half. He also dished six assists.
 
Tuesday’s schedule includes three more Gavitt Tipoff Games battles. Wisconsin plays at Providence at 6 p.m. No. 4 Marquette visits No. 23 Illinois at 8 p.m. and Iowa plays at No. 8 Creighton at 10 p.m. FS1 will carry all three games. On FS2, No. 5 Connecticut hosts Mississippi Valley State at Gampel Pavilion at 7 p.m. followed by DePaul hosting South Dakota at 9 p.m.