MBB Minute – Behind a monster performance by Eric Dixon, Villanova defeated No. 14 North Carolina 83-81 in overtime in the second round of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Thanksgiving Day. Butler, Creighton and Seton Hall lost their Turkey Day battles.
 
Dixon poured in a career-high 34 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to pace the Wildcats (5-1). Justin Moore added 16 points – all after halftime – and put Villanova ahead to stay 76-74 with a 3-point play with 2:08 left in OT. Dixon has 53 points in the first two games of the tournament.
 
Butler got off to a slow start against No. 19 Florida Atlantic in the first round of the ESPN Events International, but made it a battle until the end, dropping a 91-86 decision. The Bulldogs (3-2) cut a double-digit deficit to one on a 4-point play by Posh Alexander, which made the score 78-77 with 4:40 remaining. Jahmyl Telfort led five Bulldogs in double figures with 19 points.
 
The usually efficient Creighton offense struggled against undefeated Colorado State in a 69-48 loss in the title game of the Hall of Fame Classic. The Bluejays (5-1) shot 22.9 percent from the field in the first half and trailed 27-19 at the break. Baylor Scheierman scored a team high 13 points.
 
Seton Hall slashed a 20-point deficit to three, but could not complete the comeback in a 71-63 loss against No. 23 USC in the Rady’s Children’s Invitational. The Pirates (4-1) were led by Kadary Richmond, who finished with 18 points and six rebounds.
 
On a six-game Black Friday slate, Villanova plays for its third Battle 4 Atlantis title when it meets Memphis at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Butler takes on Penn State at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN+. Seton Hall meets Iowa at 6 p.m. on FOX.
 
Three BIG EAST teams return to non-tournament play. Xavier hosts Bryant at noon followed by Manhattan at UConn at 2 p.m. FS1 will telecast both games. At 7 p.m., Lehigh plays at Providence on FS2.