Standings | Stats
 
MBB Minute – On a Saturday when all three road teams claimed wins, the BIG EAST’s two ranked squads lost and St. John’s moved into first place by a half game.
 
St. John’s defeated Seton Hall 79-51 on the strength of a suffocating defense which held the Pirates to 4-of-30 shooting in the first half and 26.3 percent for the game. The Johnnies (16-3, 7-1) led 39-16 at the break. RJ Luis Jr. led the winners with 24 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. St. John’s has won 11 of its last 12 games. Isaiah Coleman was the lone double-figure scorer for the Pirates (6-12, 1-6) with 11 points.
 
Xavier built a 19-point second half lead at No. 7 Marquette, then held on for 59-57 victory for its third straight win. Zach Freemantle led the Musketeers (12-7, 4-4) with team-high 14 points and 10 rebounds. Dailyn Swain added 12 points and nine boards. The victory was Xavier’s first over a top 10 team since an 88-73 win against No. 2 UConn on Dec. 31, 2022. David Joplin paced the Golden Eagles (15-3, 6-1) with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. Kam Jones had 11 points and six assists.
 
Creighton ended No. 14 Connecticut’s 28-game home winning streak with a 68-63 victory at Gampel Pavilion. The Bluejays (12-6, 5-2) got a career-high 24 points from Jamiya Neal. Ryan Kalkbrenner added 16 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots. Steven Ashworth contributed 12 points, nine assists and six rebounds. He helped secure the win with four free throws in the final minute. Hassan Diarra and Solo Ball each had 15 points for the Huskies (13-5, 5-2).
 
BIG EAST play continues on MLK Day when Georgetown meets Villanova at Finneran Pavilion at 6 p.m. ET on FS1. The Hoyas (12-6, 3-4) will want to end a four-game losing streak. The Wildcats (12-7, 5-3) are 4-0 at home in league play.