MBB Minute – Seton Hall won a close one at Butler on Saturday to move into first place in the BIG EAST standings by a half-game. Creighton took a one-point decision against St. John’s in a drama filled contest. Xavier pulled away in the second half to win at Providence.
 
The results leave Seton Hall in the top spot at 5-1, ahead of Connecticut and Villanova at 4-1. In a back-and-forth battle with Butler, the Pirates, 12-5 overall, scored the last eight points of the game and captured a 78-72 victory. Kadary Richmond continued his strong play with 24 points and 12 rebounds. He scored eight of the Pirates’ final 10 points. Posh Alexander led the Bulldogs (11-6, 2-4) with 17 points.
 
In a battle that included 18 lead changes, Creighton’s Trey Alexander created the final change, making two free throws with 12.3 seconds left to give the No. 22 Bluejays (13-4, 4-2) a 66-65 win over visiting St. John’s (12-5, 4-2). Ryan Kalkbrenner helped the CU cause with 18 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. Baylor Scheierman added 17 points and 12 boards. Joel Soriano led the Red Storm with 13 points and 11 rebounds. St. John’s got 29 points from its bench.
 
Providence has been extremely tough at home, but Xavier won its second straight on the Friars’ homecourt with an 85-65 triumph. The Musketeers (8-8, 2-3) used a 13-1 run to take a 41-40 lead at halftime before pulling away in the second half. Freshman Trey Green came off the bench to net a collegiate-high 23 points with 18 coming in the second half. Desmond Claude added 21 points. Josh Oduro led the Friars (11-6, 2-4) with 20 points. Devin Carter had 18.
 
Georgetown meets No. 4 UConn at XL Center in Hartford in Sunday’s only game. FOX will televise at noon ET. The Huskies (14-2, 4-1) own a four-game winning streak. Cam Spencer leads a balanced offense, averaging 15.4 points. The Hoyas (8-8, 1-4) are led offensively by Jaden Epps, whose 18.2 scoring mark ranks second in the league.