MBB Minute: St. John's erased a 15-point second half deficit en route to its fifth straight win, while Butler used strong shooting in the second half to pull away from DePaul.

St. John's 65, Seton Hall 60 - Box Score 
Dillon Mitchell had 17 points and 11 rebounds and Bryce Hopkins added 13 points and eight boards for St. John's in a win over Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden.  Seton Hall led for much of the opening half, opening up a six-point advantage (20-14) midway through the period after an AJ Staton-McCray jumper.  The Johnnies responded with an 11-2 push to take a 23-22 lead, but the Pirates outscored the Red Storm 16-9 to close the half, taking a 38-32 lead into the break.  SHU scored the first nine points of the second half and led by 15 points with 16 minutes to play before the Red Storm ratcheted up their defensive pressure and closed out the half on a 33-13 scoring push to earn the victory.  Seton Hall was led by 16 points from Staton-McCray and a double-double from Stephon Payne, who finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds.

Of Note:

• The win was SJU head coach Rick Pitino's 899th career on-court victory, tying him for fourth all-time in NCAA Division I history
• It marked the first true road loss of the season for Seton Hall.  The Pirates are now 4-1 in road games and 6-2 in road/neutral contests
• Dillon Mitchell has recorded double-doubles in consecutive games for the first time since his sophomore season at Texas in 2024
• In four BIG EAST road games, SHU's Stephon Payne is averaging 11.8 points and 14.8 boards.

Butler 87, DePaul 80 - Box Score 
Finley Bizjack's game-high 24 points led four Butler players in double figures in its win over DePaul at Hinkle Fieldhouse.  The Bulldogs trailed 11-2 early on but would use a 19-9 run, capped by eight straight points from Evan Haywood, to take a 21-20 lead. DePaul responded with seven unanswered and took a 37-33 lead at halftime.  There were five lead changes through the first 20 minutes. The Bulldogs broke it open in the second half, fueled by a 15-2 run that gave them a 50-43 lead with 15:43 to go.  The lead would grow to as many as 15 as Butler scored  54 second half points en route to their second straight win.  Michael Ajayi finished with 17 points, eight boards, and five assists, while Haywood added 15 off the bench.  For DePaul, Layden Blocker scored a season-high 20 points, while CJ Gunn added 16.  

Of Note

• Over his last two games - both wins - Butler freshman guard Stink Robinson is averaging 13.5 points and 4.5 assists per game
• As a team, DePaul logged eight steals - tying for a season-high in BIG EAST play

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Today's Action: There are a pair of games set for Wednesday in the BIG EAST, as Xavier takes on Creighton in Omaha and Georgetown heads to Villanova.

Wednesday, Jan. 21

FS1
Xavier at Creighton - 7 p.m. ET
Connor Onion (pxp); Nick Bahe (analyst)

Peacock / NBC Sports Network
Georgetown at Villanova - 7 p.m. ET
Mike Corey (pxp); Brendan Haywood (analyst)

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Looking Ahead: With no games scheduled for Thursday, the BIG EAST returns to action with five total games between Friday and Saturday.

Friday, Jan. 23

FS1
Marquette at Butler - 8 p.m. ET
Jeff Levering (pxp); Dickey Simpkins (analyst) 

Saturday, Jan. 24

FOX
Villanova at Connecticut - 12:30 p.m. ET
Tim Brando (pxp); Nick Bahe (analyst)

TNT & truTV
Georgetown at Providence - 12:30 p.m. ET
JB Long (pxp); Jim Spanarkel (analyst)

St. John's at Xavier - 2:30 p.m. ET
Brian Anderson (pxp); Grant Hill (analyst); Andy Katz (reporter)

truTV
Seton Hall at DePaul - 5 p.m. ET
Brandon Gaudin (pxp); Greg Anthony (analyst); Nabil Karim (reporter)

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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.