MBB Minute – “If you wanted to capture BIG EAST basketball in 40 minutes, that was it,” said Creighton coach Greg McDermott after his team battled past Connecticut 56-53 at a sold-out CHI Health Center. The 23^rd-ranked Bluejays (17-8, 11-3 BIG EAST) led for most of the game, but the No. 21 Huskies (19-7, 8-7 BE) tied the game at 46-46 with seven minutes left and had chances to tie or take the lead down the stretch. CU’s Trey Alexander led the Bluejays with 17 points. UConn got 17 points and 10 rebounds from Adama Sanogo. Creighton owns an eight-game winning streak.
 
St. John’s led virtually wire-to-wire in its 73-68 win over No. 20 Providence at Madison Square Garden. David Jones led the Johnnies (15-11, 5-10 BE) with 16 points and seven rebounds. Joel Soriano posted his 20^th double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Bryce Hopkins led the Friars (18-7, 10-4 BE) with 29 points.
 
No. 10 Marquette gained a 19-9 advantage at Georgetown and maintained a comfortable lead in an 89-75 victory. The Golden Eagles (20-6, 12-3) took over first place in the standings, a half-game ahead of Xavier and Creighton, and became the first league team to reach 20 wins. Tyler Kolek became the fourth MU player to go over 200 assists in a season. The Hoyas (6-20, 1-14 BE) were led by Jay Heath’s 18 points.
 
Villanova and Seton Hall also played a defensive battle. The Wildcats (12-13, 6-8 BE) prevailed 58-54 over the Pirates (15-11, 8-7 BE) at Wells Fargo Center, in part, by scoring 23 points off 18 Seton Hall turnovers. Eric Dixon had 19 points and Caleb Daniels added 18. The Hall’s Tyrese Samuel had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
 
BIG EAST play continues on Tuesday.