MBB Minute – Villanova got its offense going Friday night in a 94-69 victory over DePaul at Finneran Pavilion. The victory pushed the Wildcats into a four-way tie for first place in the BIG EAST standings at 4-1. Three games on Saturday will bring more changes to the top of the standings.
 
Villanova (11-5, 4-1 BIG EAST) leaned on Eric Dixon, who scored a game-high 24 points, grabbed six rebounds and made three steals. Brendan Hausen, who added 17 points, was 5-of-6 from 3-point range in the first half to help Villanova gain a 43-32 lead at intermission. DePaul (3-13, 0-5) got 20 points from Da’Sean Nelson. Chico Carter Jr. added 14 points and reached the 1,000-point plateau for his career.
 
The three-game Saturday slate starts with Seton Hall playing at Butler at noon ET on FS1. The Pirates (11-5, 4-1) are one of the four teams tied for first. They have won six of their last seven games and have taken five of the last seven in the series between the two teams at Hinkle Field House. The Bulldogs (11-5, 2-3) are coming off a 69-62 win at No. 11 Marquette and are 8-1 at Hinkle this season.
 
At 1 p.m, St. John’s plays at No. 22 Creighton on FOX. The Red Storm (12-4, 4-1) beat Providence 75-73 on Wednesday. Defensively, they have allowed opponents to connect on only 26.7 percent from 3-point range. The Bluejays (12-4, 3-2) lost their first two league games by a total of seven points, but have won their last three.
 
Xavier travels to Providence for a 2 p.m. tip on FS1. Two of the last three meetings between the two teams have gone into overtime. The Musketeers (7-8, 1-3) won both matchups last year. Quincy Olivari leads the BIG EAST in scoring with an 18.3 mark. The Friars (11-5, 2-3) are 10-1 at home this season. In the loss at St. John’s, Devin Carter posted 31 points and 13 rebounds. In league games, he is first in scoring at 22.4 ppg.