MBB Minute – In the first night of conference play, Providence took down preseason favorite Marquette 72-57 and Butler extended its winning streak to seven games with a 74-64 victory over Georgetown. Six more teams start BIG EAST play Wednesday night.
 
Providence ended the first half with a 10-2 run that produced a 40-29 lead at the break. The Friars (10-2, 1-0 BIG EAST) maintained a double-digit lead for most of the second half. Devin Carter led PC with a game-high 22 points, which included five 3-pointers. He also had eight rebounds and four assists. Marquette (9-2, 0-1) was led by Tyler Kolek, who finished with 21 points, nine boards and five assists. PC has defeated a ranked Marquette team at home in each of the last three years.
 
Butler also used a late first-half spurt to take control of its game against Georgetown. Posh Alexander helped the Bulldogs (10-2, 1-0) with 13 points, seven assists and five steals. Pierre Brooks also had 13 points and grabbed six rebounds. The Hoyas (7-5, 0-1) got 19 points from Dontrez Styles. Jayden Epps returned to the lineup after missing two games due to illness. He scored 12 points off the bench.
 
Butler plays at Providence on Saturday at noon ET.
 
Three games are set for Wednesday. No. 5 Connecticut travels to Seton Hall for a 7 p.m. tip on CBSSN. Both teams are coming off impressive road wins. UConn (10-1) defeated Gonzaga 76-63 and Seton Hall (7-4) beat Missouri 93-87.
 
Also at 7 p.m., St. John’s hosts Xavier at Carnesecca Arena on FS1. St. John’s (7-3) leads the nation in offensive rebounding, averaging 17.8 per game. The Musketeers (6-4) have won their last two games and are led by newcomer Quincy Olivari, who sports a 17.6 scoring average.
 
Villanova travels to No. 12 Creighton for 9 p.m. tip on FS1. Creighton will retire Doug McDermott’s No. 3 jersey before the game. He was national Player of the Year in 2013-14. Villanova leads the nation in free throw percentage, making 81.7 percent. The ‘Cats are 6-2 this season when attempting more that 15 or more at the line. They have led the nation in each of the past two seasons.