Xavier hosts Villanova on Tuesday at the Cintas Center

During the rigors of a college basketball season, especially when conference play begins, teams will get a confidence boost wherever they can find it.

That’s exactly what Xavier experienced on his 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 only its second victory in a month.

While it was a Quadrant 2 win for Xavier, there is still work to be done if the Musketeers want to compete in the NCAA Tournament (16.3% chance, according to TeamRankings.com).

With 14 Big East games left on the schedule, Xavier needs to get some quality wins quickly. Like many other teams, Xavier is in control of its own destiny in mid-January with formidable opponents on the schedule over the next three weeks.

Xavier will play the next seven games against the six teams currently over .500 in the Big East, starting Tuesday when Villanova visits the Cintas Center.

Date	Opponent	Opponent’s record/NET ranking	quadrant
January 14th	against Villanova	11-6 (4-2 Big East)/No. 50	2
January 18th	at No. 7 Marquette	14-2 (5-0 Big East)/No. 12	1
January 22nd	in St. John’s	14-3 (5-1 Big East)/No. 28	1
January 25th	against No. 14 UConn	13-4 (5-1 Big East)/No. 25	1
January 29th	in Creighton	10-6 (3-2 Big East)/No. 54	1
February 4th	against Georgetown	12-4 (3-2 Big East)/No. 69	2
February 9th	in Villanova	11-6 (4-2 Big East)/No. 50	1

Xavier has five chances in Quadrant 1 in the next seven games.

Welcome back

In Xavier’s final home game, the Musketeers were embarrassed by St. John’s in an 82-72 loss. There was little energy in the building as the student section was still on Christmas break and some fans skipped the match due to heavy snowfall in the Greater Cincinnati area.

Xavier will regain some of its home-field advantage on Tuesday when students return to campus.

“I think we’re all looking forward to some degree to see our students back in the Cintas Center,” Xavier head coach Sean Miller said Saturday in Chicago. “They make such a big difference to us.”

More:“That’s what we’re here for.” Xavier students bring the basketball fan base to the X-Treme

Villanova and Xavier

Tip: Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., Cintas Center (10.212)

TV/radio: FS1/700 WLW

Reviews: Xavier is No. 53 in KenPom and Villanova is No. 48. Villanova (No. 50) is 12 spots ahead of Xavier (No. 62) in the NCAA NET rankings.

Story: Villanova has dominated this rivalry with a 34-8 advantage in history. The Wildcats went 16-2 against Xavier from 2013 to 2022. The two teams have split four competitions over the past two seasons, with the last three encounters all decided by three points or less.

Xavier missed two game-winning tries in a 66-65 loss at Finneran Pavilion last January, then got a late stop to beat Villanova 56-53 at Cintas Center in February.

Villanova Wildcats Scouting Report

Record: 11-6 (4-2 Big East)

Head coach: Kyle Neptune (46-39 at Villanova, third season)

attack: 78.6 PPG

defense: 67.6 PPG

overview: Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune looked like a dead man with one of the hottest seats in the country after Villanova started 3-4 with losses to Columbia and Saint Joseph’s.

Since then, the Wildcats have gone 8-2 with wins over then-No. 14 UC on Dec. 3 and a 68-66 win over No. 9 UConn on Jan. 8. Villanova is coming off a 12-point loss to St. John’s at Madison Square Garden.

When scouting Villanova, it starts with veteran Eric Dixon. The fifth-year forward leads the nation with 25.3 points per game. He scored at least 23 points in eight straight games before being held to 18 in Saturday’s loss to St. John’s.

Xavier knows Dixon very well and vice versa. In six career games against the Musketeers, Dixon averaged 13.8 points and 6.8 rebounds.

Villanova is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country. Five Wildcats have made at least 24 triples this year, led by Dixon (54). Guards Wooga Poplar and Jhamir Brickus both have double-digit points. Brickus is shooting over 50% from downtown (34 for 66) and Poplar is the team’s leading rebounder (6.6).

Planned lineup

(Pos., Size, Statistics)

Jhamir Brickus (G, 5’11”, 11.2 PPG)

Wooga Poplar (G, 6’5″, 14.5 PPG)

Jordan Longino (G, 6’5″, 10 PPG)

Eric Dixon (F, 6’8″, 25.3 PPG)

Enoch Boakye (F, 6’11”, 4.5 PPG)

Xavier Musketeers Scouting Report

Record: 10-7 (2-4 Big East)

Head coach: Sean Miller (173-82 at Xavier, eighth season)

attack: 78.9 PPG

defense: 69.8 PPG

Planned lineup

(Pos., Size, Statistics)

Dayvion McKnight (G, 6’0″, 10.5 PPG)

Ryan Conwell (G, 6’4″, 16.1 PPG)

Marcus Foster (G, 6’5″, 8.4 PPG)

Jerome Hunter (F, 6’8″, 6.9 PPG)

Zach Freemantle (F, 6’9″, 17.4 PPG)

Players to watch

Jerome Hunter

It will take a concerted effort from Xavier’s frontcourt to keep Dixon from taking over the game. Last year, Xavier’s inexperienced frontcourt lineman held Dixon to a combined 7-of-22 from the field and 2-of-8 from deep.

It will be interesting to see if Miller keeps Hunter in the starting lineup or uses sophomore Dailyn Swain. Whatever the case, the frontcourt of Freemantle, Hunter and Swain will go a long way in trying to contain the country’s leading scorer.

Key to a Xavier win over Villanova

These aren’t your dad’s Villanova Wildcats

Villanova has long been considered a team that slows down the game and sets the tone with its physical defense. Last season, the Wildcats were No. 13 in KenPom in defensive efficiency.

This season, the Wildcats are ranked No. 178 on the defensive side of the ball but boast one of the best offenses in college basketball (No. 11).

Can Xavier win in the half court?

Tuesday could come down to which team can get quality looks through their halfcourt sets. Both defenses don’t force many turnovers (Xavier is No. 224 and Villanova is No. 265) and the Wildcats still play at one of the slowest paces in the country (No. 348).

Breaking News

Dellupodisabato

Xavier hosts Villanova on Tuesday at the Cintas Center

Leave a Reply Cancel reply