Wednesday’s BIG EAST action included Providence taking down No. 3 Villanova, Trevon Bluiett pouring in 37 points in a Xavier win and St. John’s staying hot with a road victory.
At the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence used a balanced scoring attack led by Kyron Cartwright’s 17 points to defeat Villanova 76-71. Rodney Bullock and Alpha Diallo each added 14 points and six rebounds. The Friar defense helped force the Wildcats into 19 turnovers. Mikal Bridges had 19 points for Villanova (23-3, 10-3), which shot 50 percent from the field, but only 3-of-20 from 3-point range. Providence (17-9, 8-5) is 7-1 this season in games decided by five points or less.