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UConn, Xavier, St. John's win at home; Providence earns key road victory


MBB Minute: No. 6/6 UConn held off a tough Seton Hall squad at home, while Xavier reached the 90-point mark on the scoreboard for the sixth time this season in a win over Georgetown.  Providence went on the road at Creighton to earn its third straight win, while No. 15/15 St. John's was dominant in its home win against Villanova.

Saturday, Feb. 28
   
UConn 71, Seton Hall 67 - Box Score 
  • Alex Karaban scored a season-high 23 points, connecting on five 3-pointers, in the comeback win.
  • No. 6/6 UConn trailed by eight points with 8:45 to play before scoring 10 unanswered points to take a 58-56 lead with 5:57 to go.
  • The two teams continued to trade baskets down the stretch, as there were three lead changes and five ties before a pair of Solo Ball free throws gave UConn the lead for good.
  • The game was a back-and-forth affair from the tip, as the Huskies and Pirates traded the lead 12 times in the first half. 
  • SHU's Najai Hines converted a layup near the end of the period, giving the Pirates a 33-32 lead at the break. 
  • The Pirates connected on 9-of-18 attempts from the 3-point line, including four from AJ Staton-McCray and three from Mike Williams III.
  • For UConn, Ball finished with 14 points, while Braylon Mullins added 11. Tarris Reed Jr. logged a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards.  Silas Demary Jr. dished out nine assists.
  • Staton-McCray's 20 points led the Pirates, while Elijah Fisher added 12 points and Najai Hines a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards. Budd Clark dished out eight assists.


Of Note
  • Ahead of the game during Senior Day festivities, Alex Karaban was inducted into the Huskies of Honor - the first active player to do so. He concluded his career with a 60-6 record in home games.
  • Seton Hall registered 10 steals - the most in a game against UConn this season. It marked the 14th time the Pirates notched double-digit steals.


Xavier 91, Georgetown 84 - Box Score 
  • Tre Carroll scored 22 points and Roddie Anderson III added 21 points to lead Xavier.
  • The Hoyas used an 11-2 run midway through the first half and led by as many as six points after a Malik Mack 3-pointer with less than a minute to play in the period made it 39-33. 
  • Xavier scored five straight to cut the deficit to 39-38 at the break. There were seven lead changes and four ties in the game.
  • The Musketeers would not trail in the second half, after taking the lead for good after a pair of free throws from Carroll with 13:10 to play.
  • X would lead by as many as 10 points over the final 20 minutes of action.
  • Filip Borovicanin had 18 points, while Jovan Milicevic added 11 as the Musketeers shot nearly 51% from the floor, including 10-of-20 from the perimeter.
  • For the Hoyas, Kayvaun Mulready led the way with a career-high 19 points, while Malik Mack added 17 and Vince Iwuchukwu 15.  Jeremiah Williams notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists. 


Of Note
  • It marked the sixth time this season that Xavier scored 90 or more points. Four have come in conference play.  The Musketeers are 5-1 when scoring 90-plus.
  • Both teams shot well from the perimeter, as Georgetown made 12 3-pointers and Xavier 10.
  • Georgetown registered 24 assists - its most in BIG EAST play this season and the most in a conference game since Feb. 9, 2002 when the Hoyas had 28 helpers in a four-overtime affair with Notre Dame.


Providence 79, Creighton 76 - Box Score 
  • Jaylin Sellers led all scorers with 27 - 20 coming during the second half - as Providence extended win streak to three games
  • The game featured 13 ties and nine lead changes with neither team gaining more than an eight-point advantage
  • The Friars held an eight-point lead with 6:16 left in the first half before the Bluejays would quickly respond with eight straight to tie it up.  Providence held a 39-37 lead at the break. 
  • In the second half, Providence led by as many as six (62-56) with 9:05 to go before an 8-0 Jays run gave them their first lead of the half.
  • A Sellers 3-pointer with 4:55 to play gave Providence the lead for good, although Creighton got within one after a three-point play with 40 ticks left.
  • Jason Edwards added 18 points and four assists for Providence. Ryan Mela had 11 points and six boards, while Oswin Erhunmwunse added 11 rebounds to go with eight points.
  • Josh Dix and Austin Swartz led Creighton with 18 points apiece, while Jasen Green tallied 12 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists.


Of Note
  • It marked the seventh time that Providence's Jaylin Sellers scored 25 or more in a game this season.
  • He has scored 20 or more in six of the last seven outings for the Friars.
  • Creighton held a 33-6 advantage in bench scoring, while Providence outscored the Bluejays, 40-26, in the painted area


St. John's 89, Villanova 57 - Box Score 
  • Ian Jackson led all scorers with 19 points off the bench as No. 15/15 St. John's connected on 52.5% from the floor for the game (32-61), including 8-of-15 from the perimeter 
  • The Red Storm led for all but 22 seconds, using a 27-4 first half run to break the game open.  
  • A Bryce Hopkins layup with 1:15 left in the period gave the Johnnies a 30-point lead and held a 48-23 advantage at the break.
  • The Wildcats outscored SJU 15-7 to start the second half, getting as close as 17 points (55-38) with 13:48 to play.
  • With less than eight minutes to play, Jackson scored eight straight points for the Red Storm, pushing their lead back to 30.
  • For St. John's, Zuby Ejiofor tallied his first career triple-double, finishing with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. He also added three blocks.
  • Oziyah Sellers had 14, while Ruben Pray added 10 for the Red Storm.
  • Villanova was led by Duke Brennan, who had 12 points and eight rebounds.  Bryce Lindsay and Devin Askew each had 10 points.


Of Note
  • SJU's Zuby Ejiofor logged the second triple-double by a BIG EAST player this season, joining UConn's Silas Demary Jr.
  • It was the first triple-double by a St. John's player since Kadary Richmond had 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists vs. Marquette on March 14, 2025.
  • St. John's improved to 11-0 in games following a loss over the last two seasons under head coach Rick Pitino.


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Today's Action:  Sunday's lone game in league play features DePaul heading to Marquette for a 4 p.m. ET tip on FS1.

Sunday, March 1

FS1
DePaul at Marquette - 4 p.m. ET
Jack Kizer (pxp); Phil Martelli (analyst)

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This Week in the BIG EAST Podcast:  Creighton head coach Greg McDermott, DePaul's NJ Benson, and FOX and St. John's radio analyst Vin Parise are the guests on the ninth 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.