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Providence and Depaul Thread

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It's been a month since Providence had a game decided by at least 10 points, but DePaul is infrequently one to cause such drama. The Friars gave that game right back two days later with a 75-68 home loss to then-No. 7 Xavier before Saturday's 73-69 win at unranked Georgetown. Since an 83-65 home win over St. John's on Jan. 2, their 4-3 span has been about as tight as it gets with the Friars being outscored 482-480. Continue to Article

February 01, 2016 8:39:pm EST

Villanova has had a full week to deal with losing a Big East game for the first time in over a year. For St. John's, the wait between wins is beginning to feel like an eternity. The sixth-ranked Wildcats look to start a new streak and extend the Red Storm's longest skid in school history when the longtime conference rivals meet Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. Continue to Article

January 30, 2016 10:14:pm EST

Trevon Bluiett scored 15 points and No. 7 Xavier used an impressive burst spanning the halves to put away DePaul for an 86-65 victory on Saturday. The Musketeers trailed 32-25 before they ripped off 29 of the next 34 points to grab control. J.P. Macura made a 3-pointer and two free throws during a 17-1 run over the final 3:43 of the first half, and Bluiett had two layups and a jumper to help Xavier open a 54-37 lead with 16:13 remaining. Continue to Article

January 30, 2016 4:31:pm EST

Balanced production has been a calling card for Xavier's success, though Trevon Bluiett's performance might have been enough in the first meeting with DePaul. The Blue Demons haven't had an answer for Bluiett over the past two seasons. Bluiett spent a lot of time on his shooting touch ahead of a home date with DePaul on Jan. 12 after missing 13 of 15 from 3-point range in his previous three games. Continue to Article

January 29, 2016 5:46:pm EST

Chris Mack is probably the nation's happiest man that coaches can no longer call live-ball timeouts. Had that rule change not been implemented before this season, the Xavier coach would have wiped out the 3-pointer that clinched his team's 75-68 road win at No. 10 Providence. After the Friars sliced a 16-point second-half deficit to three with just over one minute to play Tuesday night, Mack signaled for one of his players to call timeout. Point guard Edmond Sumner ignored Mack's request and dished to reserve guard J.P. Macura, whose deep left-wing 3-pointer extended the seventh-ranked Musketeers' lead to six with 63 seconds to go. J.P. Macura #ONIONS for #7 @XavierMBB ! #BIGEAST #XAVvsPC https://t.co/Li6MZMF6w5 — FS1 (@FS1) January 27, 2016 The long-range shot from Macura was a gutsy play considering there was 19 seconds left on the shot clock and he's hardly a knock-down 3-point shooter. The 6-foot-5 sophomore is shooting 30.2 percent from behind the arc this season and had missed his only previous attempt Tuesday night. Xavier's road victory further solidifies the Musketeers as a contender for a top-two NCAA tournament seed and Villanova's top challenger in the Big East. The Musketeers (18-2, 6-2) are tied for second place in the Big East with Georgetown and just a game behind the first-place Wildcats. They own seven top 50 wins against the likes of Providence, Butler, Seton Hall, Dayton, USC, Cincinnati and Michigan. Their lone remaining game against Villanova comes at home in the Cintas Center. The key to Xavier's latest win was its depth and balance. Providence's Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil were the two best players on the floor, but their combined 41 points was not enough to overcome the Musketeers' multi-faceted attack. Forwards Trevion Bluiett, Jalen Reynolds and James Farr combined for 41 points and consistently hurt the Friars on the offensive glass. Sumner struggled uncharacteristically against Dunn, but Myles Davis picked up the slack, scoring 13 points and dishing out seven assists. Providence might have overcome that balanced attack had it been more successful attacking Xavier's 1-3-1 zone defense. The Friars shot 7-for-34 from behind the 3-point arc and did not find enough scoring from anyone besides Bentil and Dunn. - - - - - - - Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @JeffEisenberg Continue to Article

January 27, 2016 12:03:am EST

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