Drama enthralled Madison Square Garden in the first game of the 2017 Big East Tournament and the Xavier Musketeers and DePaul Blue Demons hoped to continue the trend after the Georgetown Hoyas and St. John’s Red Storm set the table for them.
After a slow start, Xavier and DePaul traded blows for the better part of the first half. The Blue Demons showed plenty of fight for a team sitting in the cellar of the conference while the Musketeers countered each bucket, looking to stymie their slide of late and avoid the NIT.