MBB Minute – In a battle of two hot squads streaking toward postseason berths, Creighton defeated Xavier at home and No. 25 UConn needed a second-half surge to beat visiting DePaul. The results kept Creighton in third place in the league standings, a game ahead of UConn.
 
Creighton (15-6, 8-2 BIG EAST) extended its winning streak to six games with an 86-77 victory against Xavier (13-9, 5-6) at the CHI Health Center. The six-game run matches Creighton’s second longest as a BIG EAST member. The game was tied 61-61 with just under 10 minutes to play. Ryan Kalkbrenner finished with 29 points and nine rebounds and moved into second place on CU’s all-time scoring list with 2,137 points. The Musketeers, who had won four of their last five, were led by Ryan Conwell’s 20 points.
 
DePaul led UConn by as many as 14 points in the first half at XL Center before the Huskies rallied for a 72-61 win. The Huskies (15-6, 7-3) outscored the Blue Demons (10-12, 1-10) 43-24 in the second half. Solo Ball and Tarris Reed Jr. led a balanced UConn scoring effort with 16 points each. The Huskies had the edge in bench scoring 26-9. Layden Blocker led DePaul with 18 points.
 
BIG EAST play picks up on Friday with a single contest. Georgetown hosts Butler at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Both teams lost at home to ranked squads on Tuesday. The Hoyas (13-8, 4-6) want to bounce back from a 66-41 loss to No. 15 St. John’s. The Bulldogs are looking for a better outcome after a 78-69 loss to No. 9 Marquette.