MBB Minute – In the league’s lone contest on MLK Day, homestanding Marquette took special care of the basketball in its 87-74 victory over Villanova. A pair of games involving longstanding rivals is the BIG EAST’s two for Tuesday.
 
Marquette (12-5, 3-3 BIG EAST) committed only three turnovers and had 24 assists on 37 made baskets. The Golden Eagles also held the advantage in shooting percentage from the floor, making 58.7 percent to 47.2 percent for the Wildcats (11-6, 4-2).  The trio of Kam Jones (22 points), Tyler Kolek (21) and Oso Ighodaro (18) shot 70.3 percent (26-of-37) from the floor. Mark Armstrong led Villanova with a career-high 24 points, which included five 3-pointers. VU shot 14-of-33 from beyond the arc.
 
Butler at Xavier starts the FS1 twinbill Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET. The two squads first met in 1937. The Bulldogs (11-6, 2-4) are coming off a 78-72 home loss to Seton Hall. The Musketeers (8-8, 2-3) won 85-65 at Providence. Both teams are led in scoring by transfers, Pierre Brooks (16.1) for Butler and Quincy Olivari (17.0) for Xavier.
 
At 8:30 p.m., Seton Hall hosts St. John’s in the 111^th meeting between the two original BIG EAST members. Both teams are 12-5 overall. The Pirates are tied for first place at 5-1, which is their best start since an 8-0 beginning in 2019-20. The Red Storm are 4-2 and have won four of their last five.
 
In this week’s Associated Press poll, Connecticut moved into the No. 1 position. Marquette is 17^th, Creighton 18^th with Seton Hall, St. John’s and Villanova receiving votes.