MBB Minute – In Saturday’s only contest, Butler won on the road at DePaul. Sunday’s schedule includes a battle between St. John’s and Connecticut along with two other contests that are critical to teams jockeying for BIG EAST Tournament seeding as the regular season goes into the final two weeks.
 
At Wintrust Arena, Butler let a 16-point lead slip away, but recovered for an 84-72 victory. The Bulldogs (13-14, 6-10 BIG EAST) have won four of their last five and moved into a tie for eighth place with Providence. Pierre Brooks II posted 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists. The Blue Demons (11-17, 2-15) took a 64-63 lead with 5:56 left, but Butler closed the game with a 17-4 run. DePaul was led by Layden Blocker’s career-high 25 points.
 
The three-game Sunday slate starts with a meeting between No. 10 St. John’s and UConn at Madison Square Garden at noon ET on FOX. The Red Storm (23-4, 14-2) can take a major step toward a regular season crown with a victory. A win for the Huskies (18-8, 10-5) puts them in a third-place tie with Marquette at 11-5. 
 
Xavier (17-10, 9-7) visits Seton Hall (7-19, 2-13) at 2 p.m. on FS1. The Musketeers want to win to stay one game ahead of Villanova in fifth place, which means a first-round bye in the tournament.
 
Georgetown (16-10, 7-8) plays at Creighton (18-8, 11-4) at 4 p.m. on Peacock. The Hoyas can stay in the chase for fifth place with a win. The Bluejays can remain alone in second place with a victory. 
 
St. John’s, Xavier and Georgetown won the first meetings between the respective teams.