In Saturday’s battle between ranked teams, No. 12/13 Butler made 13-of-14 from the foul line in the final 2:18 and emerged with an 83-78 win over No. 15/14 Xavier at Hinkle Fieldhouse. After scoring a season-low 25 points in the first half and trailing by six at the break, the Bulldogs netted 58 points in the second half. Freshman Kamar Baldwin scored all of his 21 points after intermission. Edmond Sumner led Xavier with 22 points. Butler is 5-1 against ranked teams this season.
Villanova struggled early against St. John’s at Madison Square Garden before recovering for a 70-57 victory.