MBB Minute: UConn held off a strong second half push at Seton Hall, Villanova took down Providence to win its fourth BIG EAST road game, St. John's won its third straight game downing Marquette, and Creighton held on in overtime at home against Georgetown in an action-packed Tuesday slate of games.
Tuesday, Jan. 13
UConn 69,
Seton Hall 64 -
Box Score
In a matchup of two ranked teams, No. 3/4 UConn outlasted a late push from No. 25/RV Seton Hall in Newark. The Huskies' Tarris Reed Jr. led all scorers with 21 points to go with nine rebounds. After a back-and-forth first 14 minutes, UConn used a 16-2 run to close the first half, leading 35-22 at the break. The Huskies' lead grew to as many as 18 in the second half, before the Pirates began to chip away at the deficit. A 14-5 SHU push, capped by a Mike Williams III 3-pointer with 48 ticks remaining made it a one-point game - 65-64 - but that was as close at the Pirates would get down the stretch. Alex Karaban had 13 points and Braylon Mullins 11 - including a key late blocked shot - for the Huskies. Williams finished with a team-high 16 points for Seton Hall, while Budd Clark scored 12.
St. John's 92,
Marquette 68 -
Box Score
Oziyah Sellers (24) and Zuby Ejiofor (22) combined for 46 points as St. John's won its third straight, downing Marquette at Madison Square Garden. SJU led wire-to-wire, jumping out to an early 12-2 advantage. The Golden Eagles would get within four - 19-15 - at the 12:01 mark and trailed 40-34 at halftime, but St. John's would connect on nearly 53% from the floor over the final 20 minutes, building as much as a 24-point lead. The Red Storm reached the 90-point mark in back-to-back BIG EAST regular season contests for the first time in program history. Chase Ross led Marquette with 20 points, while Nigel James Jr. added 17.
Villanova 88,
Providence 82 -
Box Score
The Wildcats improved to 4-0 in BIG EAST road games, earning a six-point win at Providence. Devin Askew led four Nova players in double figures with 20 points. The two teams traded baskets for the first 10 minutes of the game before a 10-2 Nova run pushed its lead to double digits. Providence would heat up offensively in the second half, connecting on nearly 55% from the floor, getting within single digits - and as close as five points - with under three minutes to play. Tyler Perkins (15) Duke Brennan (14) each tallied eight boards in the win. Three Friars reached the 20-point mark, led by Jaylin Sellers' 24. Jamier Jones finished with 23 and Stefan Vaaks added 21.
Creighton 86,
Georgetown 83 OT -
Box Score
The Bluejays rallied from seven points down with less than two minutes to play to push past Georgetown in overtime. CU's Austin Swartz finished with a career-high 33 points in the win, including a game-tying 3-pointer with less than 18 seconds left. The game was close throughout the first half before the Hoyas and Jays traded double-digit runs. Creighton led 38-36 at the break. The second half was back-and-forth, tied at 67-67 with less than six minutes to go before seven straight from Georgetown put them up 74-67 with 1:56 left. Josh Dix had 15 and Nik Graves 13 in the win for Creighton, while Malik Mack led four Hoyas in double figures with 17.
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Looking Ahead: There is one game on the schedule for Wednesday, Jan. 14 as Butler travels to Xavier. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET and the game will air on FS1.
FS1
Butler at
Xavier - 6:30 p.m. ET
Connor Onion (pxp); LaPhonso Ellis (analyst)
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BIG EAST Men's Basketball Public Availability Reports
Beginning in 2025-26, the BIG EAST Conference will provide public reports on the availability of student-athletes in conference games in the sports of men's and women's basketball.
Men's Basketball Availability Report
BIG EAST schools will be required to submit availability reports three hours before the scheduled tipoff time. Under the reporting structure, players will be designated as "questionable" or "out." Availability reports will be posted on the BIG EAST website throughout the 2025-26 season.