CHARLESTON, SC – In the lone Thursday game on the BIG EAST schedule, St. John’s survived a first-round battle at the Charleston Classic by edging North Texas 53-52. Six BIG EAST Teams are in action on Friday, including the two that will complete this year’s Gavitt Tipoff Games.
St. John’s led most of the way against North Texas before losing the lead with two minutes left. Joel Soriano made a pair of free throws with 1:11 remaining to grab the lead back for good. Soriano finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots. Daniss Jenkins led the scoring with 17 points.
The Johnnies start the Friday BIG EAST schedule with a second-round game against Dayton at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
At 6 p.m., Providence meets Kansas State in the Baha Mar Hoops in the Bahamas on CBS Sports Network. The Friars are coming off a solid 72-59 win Tuesday against Wisconsin in theit Gavitt Games matchup.
FS1 will telecast a Gavitt Games doubleheader with Butler traveling to Michigan State at 6:30 p.m. The unbeaten Bulldogs lead the nation in field goal percentage defense, allowing only a 30.6 percent. Villanova hosts Maryland at the Finneran Pavilion at 8:30 p.m. Maryland coach Kevin Willard is most familiar with the Wildcats from his 12-year tenure at Seton Hall.
DePaul and Xavier have late starts. The Blue Demons play South Carolina in the Arizona Tip-Off in Glendale, Ariz., at 11:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. DePaul picked up its first win of the year on Tuesday, a 72-60 decision against South Dakota.
At midnight, Xavier battles Washington in the Continental Tire Main Event in Las Vegas, Nev., on ESPN2. Desmond Clau