Who's Playing
Marquette Golden Eagles @ Xavier Musketeers
Current Records: Marquette 10-2, Xavier 8-4
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 12 p.m. ET
- Where: Cintas Center -- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
What to Know
We've got another exciting Big East matchup on schedule as the Marquette Golden Eagles and the Xavier Musketeers are set to tip at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Cintas Center. The Golden Eagles are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 81.4 points per game this season.
Marquette took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They came out on top against Butler by a score of 80-70.
Marquette's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Kam Jones, who scored 23 points plus seven rebounds and five assists, and Stevie Mitchell, who almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine rebounds. What's more, Mitchell also racked up five offensive rebounds, the most he's had since back in March. Ben Gold was another key player, posting nine points.
Marquette smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Xavier fought the good fight in their overtime game against UConn on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 94-89 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Huskies. The Musketeers have been going strong on the season, but this is now their second loss in a row.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Dayvion McKnight, who went 6 for 9 en route to 18 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryan Conwell, who went 9 for 13 en route to 23 points.
Marquette pushed their record up to 10-2 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home. As for Xavier, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-4.
Keep an eye on the arc in Saturday's match: Marquette has made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 9.6 threes per game. However, it's not like Xavier struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.2. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Marquette beat Xavier 86-80 when the teams last played back in March. Does Marquette have another victory up their sleeve, or will Xavier turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Series History
Marquette has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Xavier.
- Mar 09, 2024 - Marquette 86 vs. Xavier 80
- Feb 25, 2024 - Marquette 88 vs. Xavier 64
- Mar 11, 2023 - Marquette 65 vs. Xavier 51
- Feb 15, 2023 - Marquette 69 vs. Xavier 68
- Jan 15, 2023 - Xavier 80 vs. Marquette 76
- Jan 23, 2022 - Marquette 75 vs. Xavier 64
- Dec 18, 2021 - Xavier 80 vs. Marquette 71
- Mar 06, 2021 - Marquette 66 vs. Xavier 59
- Dec 20, 2020 - Xavier 91 vs. Marquette 88
- Jan 29, 2020 - Marquette 84 vs. Xavier 82