Providence @ Creighton preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 6, 2019 ) Providence 70, Creighton 76

Providence has made a poor non-conference run a thing of the past with a strong start in Big East play, but the Friars face a daunting four-game stretch as they try to remain near the top of the league standings. That span begins Saturday with a visit to Creighton and also features roadies against No. 18 Seton Hall and No. 5 Butler, as well as a home game with No. 15 Villanova.

Providence enters the stretch after a 63-58 win over St. John's on Wednesday at home, as senior guard Alpha Diallo bailed out an otherwise sluggish offense with 19 points to allow the Friars to hit the challening portion of the schedule without a letdown. "Glad we were able to get back on the winning side," Providence coach Ed Cooley told reporters. "To be 4-1 in the Big East from how we started [the season], I'm proud of our group." The Bluejays have lost three of four since an eight-game winning streak, but two were to ranked teams and the latest was a three-point setback at Georgetown. Sophomore guard Marcus Zegarowski finished with 20 points, seven assists and three steals in the loss.

TIME: 4:30 p.m. ET. TV: Fox Sports 1

ABOUT PROVIDENCE (11-7, 4-1 Big East): Diallo has 40 points over the last two games to bump his team-leading scoring average to 14.3. He could use some help from his fellow guards, as sophomore David Duke (11.7) missed all five of his shots in the win over St. John's and senior Luwane Pipkins is 3-of-18 from the floor with one assist in 60 minutes over his last three games. The Friars played Wednesday's contest without backup guard A.J. Reeves (concussion protocol) and senior forward Emmitt Holt (ankle).

ABOUT CREIGHTON (13-5, 2-3): Zegarowski leads the Bluejays in scoring (17.2) and assists (4.9) while three others average between 15.9 and 11.6 points per game. At the bottom of that trio is junior transfer Denzel Mahoney, who has scored in double figures in six of his eight games since becoming eligible and had a season-high 19 in the loss to Georgetown. Junior guard Mitch Ballock sits just above Mahoney on the scoring chart at 12.3 per contest, but has been held to single digits in three of his last four games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Creighton is third in the Big East in field goal shooting (46.2 percent) while Providence ranks last (40.9).

2. Bluejays junior G Ty-Shon Alexander, who averages 15.9 points, is 5-of-26 from 3-point range over his last four games.

3. Creighton swept two meetings last season, including a 76-70 overtime win at home.

PREDICTION: Creighton 77, Providence 75