MBB Minute – In a Friday night ranked vs. ranked battle, No. 12 St. John’s overcame a 14-point deficit in the first half and used a late 12-0 run to grab a 68-62 victory over No. 19 UConn at Gampel Pavilion. The win was the Johnnies’ 16^th in their last 17 games overall and solidified their hold on first place in the league standings.
 
St. John’s (21-3, 12-1) also beat No. 11 Marquette on Tuesday. They have defeated two ranked opponents in the same week for the first time since 2006. The Johnnies’ 12-1 BIG EAST mark is their best since 1984-85.
 
UConn (16-7, 8-4) had double-double performances from Liam McNeeley and Tarris Reed Jr. McNeeley, who had been out with a leg injury since Jan. 1, posted 18 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes. Reed Jr. contributed 12 points and 15 boards. St. John’s R.J. Luis paced four players in double figures with 21 points. The Johnnies committed only seven turnovers while the Huskies had 22. UConn won the rebounding battle 43-33.
 
Saturday’s slate starts with Seton Hall at Georgetown at noon ET on FS1. The host Hoyas (14-9, 5-7) won the first matchup between the two teams 61-60 on Dec. 22, which snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Pirates (6-17, 1-11) in the series.
 
At 2 p.m. on FOX, No. 11 Marquette plays at Creighton. In the last 22 games in the series, 18 have been decided by eight points or less. The Golden Eagles (18-5, 9-3) beat the Bluejays (17-6, 10-2) 79-71 on Jan. 3.  Creighton is riding an eight-game winning streak. The two teams will meet for the 121^st time.
 
Providence travels to Butler for a 3 p.m. contest on Peacock. The Friars (11-12, 5-7) took the first meeting 89-65 on Jan. 8. The Bulldogs (10-13, 3-9) are coming off an 84-54 win at Seton Hall on Wednesday. PC has taken eight of the last nine games in the series.