Villanova and Providence kept winning streaks going with Saturday wins, while DePaul ended a losing streak.
Villanova, ranked 12th by AP, exerted what coach Jay Wright called maybe their best defensive effort of the year in a 64-55 road win at Xavier and a fourth win in a row. The Wildcats, 21-6 overall and 10-4 in the BIG EAST, held the Musketeers (17-10, 6-8) to their lowest point total of the season. Saddiq Bey scored a game-high 22 points for the Wildcats. Jermaine Samuels added 17 points and eight rebounds. Xavier’s Tyrique Jones scored all 17 of his points in the second half and grabbed 14 rebounds for his ninth straight double-double.