After two losses in a row, No. 25 Xavier hosts No. 24 Connecticut on Friday night (7 p.m., Fox Sports 1) and it's an important game for the Musketeers.
It's a chance at a Quad 1 win, but it's also an opportunity to put a complete game together against a quality opponent and put the last few weeks of inconsistency behind them.
It's a short turnaround, a rescheduled game from late December due to COVID-19 issues, and it comes 48 hours after a disappointing 73-71 loss at Seton Hall on Wednesday.
The same issues are all still staring at the Musketeers – putting two halves together, taking care of the basketball, taking good shots.
The big issue, though, is Xavier just got bullied on the boards against a big, physical Seton Hall team, and UConn ranks No. 2 nationally in offensive rebounding.
"If we want to have a chance to win the game we gotta meet that challenge on the glass," Xavier head coach Travis Steele said Thursday during his pre-game press conference. "I told our guys the game starts for UConn on the offensive end when the shot happens. A lot of times that's a pass for them, they go get it off the glass."
