NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates 
[ad_1]
Winning on the road in college basketball is one of the hardest things to do. When you pull it off, the rewards are significant.
Xavier nearly doubled its chances of reaching the NCAA Tournament (20% to 35.4%, according to TeamRankings.com) with its 59-57 upset of No. 7 Marquette at Fiserv Forum.
Xavier’s first road win over a top 10 team in nearly four years was a giant step in the right direction to getting this season back on track.
“You can’t get too high on anything. Things are never as good or as bad as they seem,” Zach Freemantle said. “We just gotta stay even keeled. Enjoy the win but move onto the next game.”
Xavier’s Zach Freemantle had a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double in the Musketeers’ 59-57 road win at Marquette Jan. 18, 2025.
More: Here are the numbers behind Xavier’s historic road upset of No. 7 Marquette Saturday
A veteran answer from Xavier’s veteran forward. The Musketeers had a few hours to celebrate beating Marquette before turning the page to another Quadrant 1 opportunity Wednesday against No. 20 St. John’s at Madison Square Garden.
More: Xavier women’s basketball snaps 47-game Big East losing streak with win over Butler
3 keys to a Xavier Musketeers win over St. John’s
1. Xavier has to bring toughness to rebounding battle
The focal point to Wednesday’s rematch with St. John’s will be on the glass. Earlier this month, St. John’s walked into Cintas Center and left with an 82-72 victory by winning the rebounding battle, 50-30. The Red Storm turned 20 offensive rebounds − the most allowed by Xavier since 2013 − into 22 second-chance points.
Sean Miller called the loss Xavier’s “low point.” Xavier has won three straight since to get back in the Big East mix.
Xavier’s ability to flip the script Wednesday will go a long way to another chance at a road upset. St. John’s, No. 12 in KenPom in offensive rebounding, is still going to crash the glass with ruthless abandon. Can Xavier keep the floodgates shut on the boards?
St. John’s won the rebounding battle,…
[ad_2]Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/scouting-report-keys-xavier-musketeers-160819240.html
Author : Cincinnati.com | The Enquirer
Publish date : 2025-01-21 16:08:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
