MBB Minute: Austin Swartz's putback as time expired proved to be the game winner as Creighton won, 94-93, in Omaha.  Villanova connected on nearly 60% from the floor over the final 20 minutes to pull away from Georgetown at Finneran Pavilion. 

Creighton 94, Xavier 93 - Box Score 
Austin Swartz's high banker in the final moments of regulation propelled Creighton to a 94-93 home win.  Xavier led by four with under a minute to play after a Tre Carroll layup made it 93-89.  On the next possession, CU's Blake Harper cut it to two on a drive with 45 ticks left.  After a defensive stop by the Jays, Swartz drew a shooting foul on the next possession.  He made 1-of-2, missing the second and corralling the offensive board which led to the gamewinner.  It was a back-and-forth affair throughout the game, with eight ties and 10 lead changes.  Neither team held more than a seven-point advantage, with both shooting better than 50% from the floor.  Creighton was led by 19 points from Josh Dix, while Swartz and Nik Graves added 16 apiece.  Xavier's Carroll made his first eight shots from the floor en route to finishing with 29 points (12-14 FG), while Filip Borovicanin had 16 points, eight boards, and nine assists.

Of Note

• Austin Swartz is the first Creighton player to hit a go-ahead shot in the final 10 seconds of a win at CHI Health Center Omaha since Marcus Zegarowski (3.2 sec. left) vs. Providence on Jan. 18, 2020.
• Over his last five games, Xavier's Tre Carroll is averaging 21.0 points per game, connecting on nearly 58% from the floor (45-78) - including back-to-back 29-point performances

Villanova 66, Georgetown 51 - Box Score
Tyler Perkins scored a game-high 16 points and Duke Brennan tallied a double-double for Villanova in a home win over Georgetown.  The Wildcats connected on 57.1% of their shots from the floor in the second half, outscoring the Hoyas 40-28 to pull away for the win.  The first half was a defensive showcase, as both teams traded stops through the first 20 minutes.  There were four ties and nine lead changes - the last coming on two late layups for Villanova from Devin Askew and Acaden Lewis, making it 26-23 at the break.  Those two scores began an extended 31-8 run, including a 16-1 run to start the second half. A 3-pointer from Askew gave the Villanova their largest lead - 24 points - with 9:42 to play.  Lewis finished with 15 points and a season-high seven rebounds for Villanova.  KJ Lewis and Kayvaun Mulready tallied 12 points apiece for Georgetown.  

Of Note

• Villanova finished the game with a season-high 12 steals - the most in a game for the Wildcats since tallying 13 swipes on Feb. 1, 2025 against Creighton
• The Hoyas' Kayvaun Mulready finished with a career-high 12 points - the 10th different Georgetown player to tally double-digits in a game this season

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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
Alex Faust (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)