MBB Minute – In a wild final minute, Villanova’s Tyler Perkins hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with eight seconds left and St. John’s missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Wildcats a 73-71 victory over the No. 9 Red Storm at Finneran Pavilion.
 
Villanova (15-10, 8-6 BIG EAST) recovered from a 14-0 run that had given St. John’s a 62-59 lead with 6:22 remaining. Wooga Poplar led VU with 22 points, six rebounds and four steals. Eric Dixon added 17 points. Villanova has won three in a row.
 
St. John’s (21-4, 12-2), which saw its 10-game winning streak end, was led by Aaron Scott’s 22 points. Kadary Richmond posted 17 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. The Johnnies made 11 of a season-high 37 3-pointers.
 
Xavier (15-10, 7-7) built a big lead, then tempered an attempted second-half comeback and gained a 91-82 win at Providence (11-14, 5-9). Dante Maddox Jr. (26 points) and Zach Freemantle (23 points) led the way for the Musketeers’ offense that finished 13-of-23 from beyond the arc.
 
The Friars had five players in double figures, led by Bensley Joseph and Justyn Fernandez who each reached 15 points. Freshman Ryan Mela capped the night with a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds).
 
BIG EAST play resumes Saturday with four games on the docket. Starting with an FS1 doubleheader, Xavier hosts DePaul at Noon ET, before Georgetown hits the road against Butler at 2 p.m.
 
At 2:30 p.m. on FOX, Seton Hall welcomes UConn to the Prudential Center, before Providence hosts Villanova at 6 p.m. on CBSSN.