MBB Minute – St. John’s and Providence improved their respective standing with victories on the road Tuesday night, though very little has been decided in terms of BIG EAST Tournament seeds. Three more games Wednesday will provide a little more clarity, but plenty figures to be decided Saturday, the final day of the regular season.
St. John’s has a four-game winning streak after a 104-77 victory at
DePaul. The Johnnies (18-12, 10-9) tied a program record for most points scored in a BIG EAST game. Chris Ledlum and Jordan Dingle each scored 19 points and shot a combined 16-of-21 from the field. The Blue Demons (3-27, 0-19) were led by Chico Carter Jr., who had 23 points on 6-of-8 shooting from 3-point range. The previous 104-point BIG EAST outing for St. John’s came against Providence on Feb. 15, 1999.
After leading 30-26 at halftime,
Providence used a 16-4 run early in the second half to help secure a 71-58 victory at
Georgetown. Devin Carter led the Friars (19-11, 10-9) with game highs of 24 points and 12 rebounds. Josh Oduro chipped in 14 points and nine boards. Jayden Epps led four Hoyas (9-21, 2-17) in double figures with 16 points.
Villanova at
Seton Hall tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET is the first game of an intriguing doubleheader. The Hall is in fourth place at 11-7 in the league standings while Villanova is 10-8. The Wildcats have won five of their last six games and took the first meeting 80-54 on Feb. 11.
No. 8
Marquette hosts No. 2
Connecticut in the second game on FS1 at 8:30 p.m. The No. 2 Huskies (26-3, 16-2) won the first battle 81-53 in Hartford on Feb. 17. The No. 8 Golden Eagles (22-7, 13-5) will be without point guard Tyler Kolek, who is out with an oblique injury. A Husky win would create a two-way tie for second place with Marquette and No. 10
Creighton at 13-6.
Xavier plays at
Butler at 7:30 p.m. on CBSSN. The Musketeers (15-14, 9-9) can still move up in the standings and avoid the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament. The Bulldogs (17-13, 8-11) are locked into the “8-9” game in the Tournament. Xavier defeated Butler 85-71 on Jan. 16.