Standings | Stats
 
MBB Minute – No. 10 Marquette took an early lead against Villanova and was able to hold off rally attempts the rest of the way in an 87-74 victory before a sell-out crowd at Fiserv Forum on Friday. MU moved back into a first-place tie with St. John’s at 9-1.
 
Marquette (17-3, 8-1 BIG EAST) was led by Stevie Mitchell, who tied a career scoring high with 21 points. Three other MU players reached double figures – Chase Ross (18 points), Kam Jones (16) and Royce Parham (10). Jordan Longino netted a career scoring high with 27 points for Villanova (12-9, 5-5). He also dished seven assists. Eric Dixon, the nation’s leading scorer, finished with 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
 
Saturday’s schedule starts with Georgetown at Providence at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX. The Hoyas (13-6, 4-4) are coming off a 64-63 win at Villanova. The Friars (9-10, 3-5) also met Villanova in their last game, losing 75-73.
 
Creighton hosts Seton Hall at 1:30 p.m. on FS1. The Bluejays (13-6, 6-2) are riding a four-game winning streak. The Pirates (6-13, 1-7) lead the all-time series 16-14, but Creighton has won the last four matchups. The Hall is led by Isaiah Coleman who ranks second in scoring in league games with a 20.6 average.
 
DePaul and Butler will be aiming for their second league wins when the two teams meet at Hinkle Fieldhouse at 4 p.m. on CBSSN. Both squads have taken ranked teams to overtime recently. The Blue Demons (10-10, 1-8) lost to Marquette 85-83 on Jan. 14. The Bulldogs were edged at UConn 80-78 on Tuesday.
 
Saturday’s action concludes with No. 19 UConn at Xavier on FOX at 8 p.m. In the first meeting on Dec. 18, the Huskies (14-5, 6-2) prevailed 94-89 in overtime. The Musketeers (12-8, 4-5) lost in OT 79-71 at St. John’s on Wednesday and are playing their third straight ranked opponent.