MBB Minute: St. John's used a strong second half to pull away from Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse, while DePaul's demonstrative defensive efforts led to a home win over Georgetown. Wednesday night features a trio of games in BIG EAST play, beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
Tuesday, Jan. 6
St. John's 84,
Butler 70 -
Box Score
Five St. John's players reached double figures, led by 18 points from Zuby Ejiofor and 17 from Bryce Hopkins as the Red Storm earned an 84-70 win at Butler. In a first half that saw four lead changes and 10 ties, the Bulldogs held a seven-point advantage (35-28) with 4:31 left in the opening period. SJU would close out the half on a 14-7 push and the score was knotted at 42-42 at the break. The Red Storm used a 32-13 scoring run in the second half to pull away from the Bulldogs, earning their second BIG EAST road win of the season and fifth straight road win in league play, dating back to last season. The Bulldogs committed a season-high 21 turnovers; they entered the game averaging under 12 turnovers a game. Finley Bizjack scored a game-high 21 points for the Bulldogs, while Michael Ajayi finished short of his 13th double-double of the season with 14 points and nine boards. Butler's four BIG EAST losses are against teams that are a combined 14-2 in league play.
DePaul 56,
Georgetown 50 -
Box Score
Brandon Maclin registered his first collegiate double-double with 13 points and 11 boards as DePaul won its second straight in BIG EAST play. The Blue Demons opened with the game's first nine points en route to a 14-4 lead less than six minutes in. But the Hoyas responded with a 13-6 push to get within three - and closed the half on a 10-3 run to take a 35-32 lead at the half. A dunk by NJ Benson with 15:38 left gave the Blue Demons the lead for good, as DePaul held Georgetown to a lone field goal the rest of the way. Benson tied the program's BIG EAST rebounding record with 16, while also tallying nine points, four assists and three blocks. Georgetown was led by 18 points and seven boards from KJ Lewis. Vince Iwuchukwu returned to the Hoya lineup after missing the last 10 games, tallying two points, three rebounds, four blocks, and three steals in 20 minutes.
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Looking Ahead: Wednesday features a trio of games, beginning at 7 p.m. ET as Xavier visits Marquette (FS1). UConn heads to Providence (Peacock/NBCSN) with a 7 p.m. ET start, while Creighton travels to Villanova (Peacock) set to tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Wednesday, Jan. 7
FS1
Xavier at
Marquette - 7 p.m. ET
Jeff Levering (pxp); Nick Bahe (analyst)
Peacock/NBCSN
UConn at
Providence - 7 p.m. ET
John Fanta (pxp); Donny Marshall (analyst)
Peacock
Creighton at
Villanova - 7:30 p.m. ET
Ed Cohen (pxp); Tarik Turner (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.