Scouting report: Keys to victory for Xavier Musketeers against Villanova Wildcats Tuesday

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During the grind of a college basketball season, especially once conference play begins, teams will take a confidence boost wherever they can find it.

Xavier got just that in its trip to Chicago over the weekend. The Musketeers arrived in the Windy City having lost seven of their last 10 games. Xavier left Wintrust Arena with its first road win in 315 days and just its second victory in a month.

While it was a Quadrant 2 victory for Xavier, there’s still a ton of work that needs to be done if the Musketeers want to make a run at the NCAA Tournament (16.3% chance, according to TeamRankings.com).

Sean Miller after Xavier’s road win over DePaul: “We leave here excited about the win. Now we have to build on it and bring it back home.”

With 14 Big East games left on the schedule, Xavier has to stack some quality wins, fast. Like many teams in mid-January, Xavier controls its own destiny with formidable foes lined up on the schedule over the next three weeks.

Xavier will play it next seven games against the six teams currently above .500 in Big East play, beginning on Tuesday when Villanova visits Cintas Center.

Date

Opponent

Opponent’s Record/NET Ranking

Quadrant

Jan. 14

vs. Villanova

11-6 (4-2 Big East)/ No. 50

2

Jan. 18

at No. 7 Marquette

14-2 (5-0 Big East)/ No. 12

1

Jan. 22

at St. John’s

14-3 (5-1 Big East)/ No. 28

1

Jan. 25

vs. No. 14 UConn

13-4 (5-1 Big East)/ No. 25

1

Jan. 29

at Creighton

10-6 (3-2 Big East)/ No. 54

1

Feb. 4

vs. Georgetown

12-4 (3-2 Big East)/ No. 69

2

Feb. 9

at Villanova

11-6 (4-2 Big East)/ No. 50

1

Welcome back

In Xavier’s last home game, the Musketeers were embarrassed by St. John’s in an 82-72 loss. There was little energy in the building with the student section still on Christmas break and some fans skipping out on the matchup with heavy snowfall in Greater Cincinnati.

Xavier will get part of its home-court advantage back on Tuesday with the students returning to campus.

X-Treme Fans, the official student section of Xavier University, tosses newspaper into the air after the Musketeers’…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/scouting-report-keys-victory-xavier-050510021.html

Author : Cincinnati.com | The Enquirer

Publish date : 2025-01-14 05:05:00

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