Standings | League Stats

MBB Minute: UConn made a record 18 3-pointers en route to an overtime win at Providence, Creighton moved to 4-1 in BIG EAST play with a win at Villanova, and Marquette notched a home win over Xavier on Wednesday night.  The three games on Wednesday were determined by a total of 10 points, with road teams notching two victories.

Wednesday, Jan. 7

UConn 103, Providence 98 OT - Box Score 
The No. 4/4 Huskies erased an 11-point deficit with 3:12 left in regulation, forcing overtime and eventually winning in extra time at Providence.  Four Huskies reached the 20-point mark, led by a season-high 24 points by Braylon Mullins - the freshman knocked down six 3-pointers, leading UConn to a record 18 made long-range shots for the game. The Friars and Huskies traded baskets throughout the start of the first half.  In the back half, Providence scored 11 straight amidst an extended 21-6 run, giving it a 47-37 lead at the break.  That lead extended to as many as 13, as the Friars connected on 5-of-9 shots from the perimeter in the period.  The Friars' Ryan Mela finished with an around-the-back reverse layup in transition with 3:12 to go put Providence ahead 86-75 before the Huskies' forged their late comeback.  Alex Karaban scored seven of his 23 points down the stretch in regulation, keying a 14-3 push capped by a game-tying layup by Tarris Reed Jr. that tied it at 89-89.  In overtime, UConn's Mullins scored eight of his 24 points, but Providence used 3-pointers from Jamier Jones and Duncan Powell to keep it within reach.  Six Friars reached double-digits, led by 19 from Mela and 18 from Jones.  The Huskies' Silas Demary Jr. logged 23 points and a career-best 15 assists to go with five steals, while Tarris Reed Jr. added 20 points and eight boards.

Of Note

• UConn's 18 3-pointers set a new single-game program record.  The Huskies made 56.3% of its long-range attempts (18-32) on the night
• Providence connected on 14 3-pointers at a 58.3% clip (14-24), marking the first time since Feb. 5, 2001 that two BIG EAST teams shot better than 56% from 3-point land in the same game - Notre Dame (6-10, 60%) and St. John's (11-18, 61.1%).
• UConn's Silas Demary Jr. became the first BIG EAST player to log at least 20 points and 15 assists since Providence's Kyron Cartwright had 21 points and 15 dimes against St. John's on Dec. 28, 2017.
• Demary logged one turnover - marking only the fifth time in BIG EAST history that a player had 15 assists with one or fewer turnovers (last - Marquette's Tyler Kolek had 15 assists and zero turns on Jan. 7, 2023 vs. Georgetown)
• The Friars held a 41-3 advantage in bench scoring

Creighton 76, Villanova 72 - Box Score 
The Bluejays handed Villanova its first home loss of the season, erasing a 10-point first half deficit to improve to 4-1 in BIG EAST play.  The Wildcats led 25-15 with 7:44 left in the first half before a 13-4 run got CU within one - 29-28 with less than two minutes in the period.  Nova would lead 34-30 at the break. The second half saw both teams trade runs.  A Tyler Perkins 3-pointer to start the period gave Nova a 37-30 lead before a 15-8 Creighton push tied it at 45-45. After a 6-1 run put the Wildcats up 51-46 with just under 13 minutes to play, the Bluejays took the lead for good on a 13-2 push - capped by a Blake Harper layup - making it 59-53 in favor of Creighton with 8:43 left.  Austin Swartz led three Bluejays in double figures with 20 points, while Harper and Josh Dix each added 17 points apiece.  Villanova was led by 20 points and seven assists from Acaden Lewis, while Perkins chipped in with with 18 and Duke Brennan logged his sixth double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 boards.

Of Note

• It was Creighton's first win this season when overcoming a double-digit deficit
• The loss was Villanova's first at home during the 2025-26 campaign
• CU's Josh Dix recorded his 50th career game scoring at least 10 points
• Villanova's Acaden Lewis is among five freshmen nationally to log at least seven assists on five or more occasions

Marquette 66, Xavier 65 - Box Score 
Marquette earned its first BIG EAST victory of the season on Wednesday, holding off a late push from Xavier.  Royce Parham led MU with 14 points while Chase Ross had 12 points and a team-high nine boards.  The Golden Eagles throughout the opening 20 minutes, extending to a double-digit lead after an 8-0 run - capped by a Chase Ross jumper with 41 ticks left in the period - gave MU a 37-27 lead at the half.  The Musketeers scored the first four points of the second half before a Marquette 16-9 counter pushed its lead to as many as 13.  X would respond with 11 unanswered - connecting on three straight 3-pointers - to get within two (53-51) with 10:14 to go.  A late 10-2 run gave the Musketeers a 65-64 lead with 2:07 to play, as a Malik Messina-Moore layup gave them the lead.  MU held Xavier scoreless the rest of the way and took the lead for good on an offensive rebound and put back dunk by Ben Gold - he finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.  Xavier was led by 22 points from Messina-Moore, while Tre Carroll added 12 points and Roddie Anderson III 10.

Of Note

• Marquette grabbed 19 offensive rebounds - its highest total in BIG EAST play this season - converting those into 17 second-chance points, including the go-ahead dunk by Gold.
• For only the second time this season, Xavier logged more turnovers than assists.  The Musketeers still rank 11th nationally in assist/turnover ratio, at 1.81:1.  That mark is the best ATR by a BIG EAST team since the 2023-24 season (UConn, 1.95:1).

Looking Ahead: BIG EAST teams are off on Thursday and Friday before a full five-game slate set for Saturday.  TNT and truTV begin the day with a doubleheader, starting with DePaul visiting UConn at 12:30 p.m. ET and followed by Villanova traveling to Marquette for a 2:30 p.m. ET tipoff.  A tripleheader of action on FS1 begins with St. John's playing at Creighton at 2 p.m. ET, followed by Providence at Xavier at 4 p.m. ET, and finishing with Seton Hall taking on Georgetown in D.C. at 6 p.m. ET.

Saturday, Jan. 10

TNT & truTV
DePaul at UConn - 12:30 p.m. ET
Spedo Dedes (pxp); Greg Anthony (analyst)

Villanova at Marquette - 2:30 p.m. ET
Brian Anderson (pxp); Grant Hill (analyst)

FS1
St. John's at Creighton - 2 p.m. ET
Tim Brando (pxp); Donny Marshall (analyst)

Providence at Xavier - 4 p.m. ET
Connor Onion (pxp); Nick Bahe (analyst)

Seton Hall at Georgetown - 6 p.m. ET
Chris Vosters (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.