MBB Minute: Villanova connected on 13 3-pointers - led by five from Devin Askew - as the Wildcats improved to 16-5 and 7-3 in the BIG EAST with a win over Providence at home on Friday night.

Friday, Jan. 30

Villanova 87, Providence 73 - Box Score 
Devin Askew scored a game-high 20 points, connecting on 5-of-8 from beyond the arc as Villanova used its long-distance shooting to propel it to a win over Providence.  The opening eight minutes of the game saw three ties and three lead changes before a 13-3 Nova run pushed the lead to 10 (28-18) with 9:16 left in the half.  The Wildcats would not trail the rest of the way.  In the second half, a 3-pointer from Providence's Stefan Vaaks got the Friars within eight (59-51) with 9:51 to play, but a 13-1 push from Nova put the game out of reach. In addition to Askew, four Wildcats reached double-digits in the scoring column - Tyler Perkins added 19 points and six boards; Acaden Lewis had 12 points and eight assists; Bryce Lindsay finished with 11 and Matthew Hodge 10.  Providence was led by Vaaks' game-high 25 points, as the freshman made 10-of-18 shots from the floor including five 3-pointers.  Jaylin Sellers added 16 and Ryan Mela 14.

Of Note:

• It was Devin Askew's fourth 20-point performance of the season - and third in his last five games.
• With his five 3-pointers, Stefan Vaaks now has 60 3-pointers on the season - second-most among all freshmen nationally (Jake Hall, New Mexico - 61)

 
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Today's Action: Four games are set for Saturday, beginning with a trio of early afternoon tips - Marquette at Seton Hall (Peacock/NBCSN) and Georgetown at Butler (TNT/HBO Max) and noon ET and DePaul at Xavier (FS1) at 1 p.m. ET. Saturday's action concludes with UConn visiting Creighton at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. 

Saturday, Jan. 31

Peacock; NBC Sports Network
Marquette at Seton Hall - Noon ET
John Fanta (pxp); Jordan Cornette (analyst)

TNT; HBO Max
Georgetown at Butler - Noon ET
Brian Anderson (pxp); Grant Hill (analyst); Andy Katz (reporter)

FS1
DePaul at Xavier - 1 p.m. ET
Jack Kizer (pxp); Nick Bahe (analyst)

FOX
UConn at Creighton - 8 p.m. ET
Tim Brando (pxp); Donny Marshall (analyst)

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This Week in the BIG EAST Podcast:  Villanova head coach Kevin Willard, UConn's Tarris Reed Jr., and TNT Sports' Spero Dedes are the guests on the fifth episode of This Week in the BIG EAST.  Now in its 12th season, This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) is distributed by Westwood One radio and is available wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.  

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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.