Preview: 3 keys for Xavier Musketeers to get Big East road win over Butler Bulldogs

[ad_1]

For all the buildup of Xavier’s win over Creighton, the Musketeers have an equally important test on deck this week to tip-off the final week of the regular season.

It’s another Quad 2 chance for Xavier Wednesday when it visits the Butler Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Creighton is still nine spots away in the NCAA NET (No. 39) from being a Quad 1 win. Butler (No. 78) is just three spots from Quad 1 territory since it’s on the road.

Riding a five-game winning streak, Xavier can’t afford an off night while on the NCAA Tournament bubble. They must move on from an emotional win over Creighton at a sold-out Cintas Center to beating a sub-.500 Butler squad that has been feisty at its home venue.

More: Why Xavier is using Kobe Bryant’s ‘mamba mentality’ while on the NCAA Tournament bubble

“One of the things we’ve done a good job of is that we haven’t gotten too ahead of ourselves, and we haven’t gotten too down when things haven’t gone well,” Xavier head coach Sean Miller said Saturday. “I think it’s really important for us as we approach the final week of the regular season that that remains true.”

NCAA Tournament bubble: Is 21 Xavier Musketeers’ magic number of wins for at-large bid?

3 keys to a Xavier Musketeers’ win over Butler Bulldogs

1. Will another fast start extend Xavier’s winning streak?

Xavier has done an excellent job of starting strong. Xavier has held a double-digit halftime advantage in every game of its winning streak, with an average lead of 16 points.

Xavier is 15-3 this season when leading at halftime and 15-1 when leading by more than a point. The Musketeers have been efficient on both sides of the ball in the first half. Defensively, Xavier is 25th in the nation in first-half points allowed (30.6 per game) and Butler has the Big East’s worst first-half scoring defense (35.4 per game), which is 253rd in the country.

Xavier guard Ryan Conwell (7) is coming off back-to-back 20-point performances for the first time as a Musketeer.

2. Xavier needs another efficient…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/preview-3-keys-xavier-musketeers-010536170.html

Author : The Enquirer

Publish date : 2025-03-05 01:05:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.