Two teams neck and neck in the Big East Conference standings and still fighting to solidify their place in the NCAA Tournament will square off on Saturday afternoon (3:30 p.m., Fox) at Cintas Center.
Those factors should create a highly competitive contest between Xavier and Seton Hall, two teams that have already had a memorable battle this season, won by the Pirates, 73-71.
Xavier's looking to end a three-game losing streak, and coming off an emotional triple-overtime loss on Wednesday at Providence, the Musketeers have a lot of positives to pull from that game, but they can't get hung up on the fact that they lost.
"You have to move on," Xavier head coach Travis Steele said Friday in his pre-game press conference. "Sun's gonna rise the next day. We're gonna prepare the same way we prepare for every other game. You gotta let go of it; that's what I told our guys."
'No moral victories': On Xavier's loss at Providence and the way forward
The same themes are important every time Xavier plays Seton Hall, a team that's won five of its last seven games. Rebounding is paramount, an area that the Pirates really dominated in game one against Xavier. Turnovers are critical. Physicality should play a major factor in which team wins this game. Defending Jared Rhoden is a difficult and extremely important challenge. Taking the right shots and not letting 7-foot-2 Ike Obiagu, one of the best shot blockers in the country, control the paint – all those things will have a say in Saturday's outcome.
The night before Xavier played at Providence, Steele did something he said he normally doesn't do.
"I felt like there was so much negativity going around," Steele said. So he showed his team blind resumes of Xavier and other teams as a way to remind them that they've had a good season, and Steele said his team was shocked.
"And there's still work to do ... there's games left to be played but our guys have done a good job to this point in the year to put us in a good position to play meaningful games here," Steele said.
The games are meaningful and Steele's right. Xavier has had a really nice season, but in order to head into March with some positive momentum, the Musketeers need to play with the same emotion, passion and efficiency they did at Providence and finish games in order to get back in the win column.
Fifth-year senior Nate Johnson is a game-time decision for the fourth straight game, but Steele said Friday Johnson's inching closer to returning.
"I don't know yet if he's gonna be available or not," Steele said. "He did workout today, though, this morning, which was a good sign.
"... If he feels good about it from a mental standpoint and he knows his body better than anybody because he feels it. As long as he feels good about it, he'll play on Saturday. If not, it's gonna be next-man-up mentality."
The game
- Tipoff: 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at Cintas Center
- TV/Radio: Fox National, including Fox 19 in Cincinnati, with play-by-play from Brandon Gaudin and analysis from Nick Bahe. Byron Larkin and Joe Sunderman will have the radio call on WKRC-AM (550). The broadcast is also on Sirius XM (382) and the Sirius XM App (972)
- Series info: Seton Hall leads the series 14-10, including a 73-71 win on Feb. 9 at the Prudential Center
Scouting report
Xavier Musketeers (17-10, 7-9)
Coach: Travis Steele, fourth season (68-47 overall)
Offense: 73.4 ppg
Defense: 67.4 ppg
Projected lineup
Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)
Paul Scruggs (G, 6'5", 12.3 ppg)
Jack Nunge (F, 7'0", 13.3 ppg)
Colby Jones (G, 6'6", 10.4 ppg)
Zach Freemantle (F, 6'9", 10.0 ppg)
Dwon Odom (G, 6'2", 6.1 ppg)
Seton Hall Pirates (17-9, 8-8)
Coach: Kevin Willard, 12th season (221-159 overall)
Offense: 74.3 ppg
Defense: 67.2 ppg
Projected lineup
Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)
Tray Jackson (F, 6'10", 7.4 ppg)
Myles Cale (G, 6'6", 9.4 ppg)
Jared Rhoden (F, 6'6", 15.5 ppg)
Kadary Richmond (G, 6'6", 8.9 ppg)
Ike Obiagu (C, 7'2", 3.1 bpg)
Players to watch
Jared Rhoden
Rhoden had 25 points against Xavier earlier this month. He's the Pirates' leading scorer and their most consistent go-to option offensively. Xavier has to do a great job as a team keeping Rhoden uncomfortable.
Zach Freemantle
Xavier can't let Seton Hall control the glass like it did in their first meeting. Freemantle has to have an impact on the boards in this game. Xavier needs Freemantle to play with the same effort and intensity he did on Wednesday at Providence.
Keys to the game
Rebounding, turnovers
In the first meeting at Seton Hall, Xavier had 10 turnovers in the first half and Seton Hall finished with 17 offensive rebounds. The Musketeers can't let those two areas jump up and bite them again this time around.
Rankings
KenPom.com: Xavier (35); Seton Hall (37).
NET: Xavier (25); Seton Hall (38).
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