MBB Minute – The four games on Wednesday were important in the late-season jockeying for position in the standings. What was surprising were the margins of victory. All four winning teams won by at least 21 points.
 
No. 5 Marquette sealed a first-round bye in the BIG EAST Tournament with a 91-69 win over Providence at Fiserv Forum. The Golden Eagles (22-6, 13-4 BIG EAST) took the drama out of the contest with a 27-4 spurt to start the game. Kam Jones led five MU players in double figures with 17 points. Devin Carter continued his stellar play with 18 points for the Friars (18-10, 9-8).
 
No. 12 Creighton led wire to wire in an 85-64 victory over Seton Hall at CHI Health Center that pushed the Bluejays (21-8, 12-6) ahead of the Pirates (18-10, 11-6) into third place. Ryan Kalkbrenner shot 10-of-10 from the floor and finished with 23 points. Baylor Scheierman became the 11^th player in D-I history to score 1,000 points for multiple schools. He had 20 points and 11 rebounds. Dre Davis led the Pirates with 18 points and eight boards.
 
St. John’s was the only road victor, defeating Butler 82-59 at Hinkle Field House. The Red Storm (17-12, 9-9) pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Bulldogs (16-13, 7-11) 43-26 for their third win in a row. Glenn Taylor Jr. netted a season-high 17 points. Posh Alexander led Butler with 15 points.
 
Xavier ended a four-game losing streak with a 91-58 triumph over DePaul at Cintas Center. Quincy Olivari poured in 32 points. The Musketeers (14-14, 8-9) outscored the Blue Demons (3-25, 0-17) 58-29 after the break. Olivari had 43 points in the first meeting. DePaul got 14 points and six rebounds from Elijah Fisher.
 
Saturday’s slate includes a doubleheader on FOX. At noon ET, Providence hosts Villanova. Both teams are 9-8 in the league. At 2:30 p.m., Marquette plays at Creighton. FS1 will telecast Butler at DePaul, also at noon, and Xavier at Georgetown at 7:30 p.m.