That means taking care of the basketball and working to find the right shot. Butler's going to bring toughness and Xavier has to match that as well. Steele added that his team needs to get out in transition and push the pace. Butler wants to take its time offensively, but Xavier has to get out and open up the pace because that will lead to more shots and more possessions, and that's an advantage for the Musketeers.
But ultimately, this game will largely be decided by how Xavier defends.
"I want to see our defense progress," said Steele. "Can't get any worse than it was against St. John's."
Xavier's also preparing as if Butler's Bryce Nze will play, although it's unclear at this time if he will. Nze missed Butler's last game with an injury and he was a factor in the first meeting with Xavier, posting a team-high 16 points and 11 rebounds.
With Xavier's last two losses the Musketeers have drifted backward, closer to the NCAA Tournament bubble than they would like to be.
"We have a together group," said Steele. "I've met with each guy individually since coming back from St. John's just to make sure they're clear on where they stand with their role on our team – what we need from each individual – and each guy, to a man, understands that.
"They just want to win. I think that's really important. That's probably the most important thing that you can have at this point in the season. Usually, what happens a lot of times is guys start checking out, they do. They start thinking about maybe I can go here. In three weeks, man, I can't wait until practice is over or ... where's my next stop going to be? Am I going to play professionally? Am I going to transfer?
"... That's a lot of kids right now. A lot of teams are battling that right now as we speak and I think to a man on our team we've got all guys onboard, which is really, really important."
The Game
Tipoff: 7 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21 at Cintas CenterTV/Radio: FS1 with play-by-play from Eric Collins and analysis from Dickey Simpkins. Byron Larkin and Joe Sunderman will have the radio call on WLW-AM (700). Broadcast also available on Sirius XM channel 385 and internet 975.Series info: Xavier leads the series 42-23.
Scouting Report Xavier Musketeers (11-4, 4-4)
Coach: Travis Steele, third season (49-33 overall)
Offense: 77.9 ppg
Defense: 70.9 ppg
Projected lineup
Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)
Paul Scruggs (G, 6'4", 14.2 ppg)
Zach Freemantle (F, 6'9", 16.5 ppg)
Adam Kunkel (G, 6'4", 7.1 ppg)
Jason Carter (F, 6'8", 7.0 rpg)
Nate Johnson (G, 6'4", 11.9 ppg)
Butler Bulldogs (7-12, 6-10)
Coach: LaVall Jordan, fifth season, fourth at Butler (77-76 overall)
Offense: 63.4 ppg
Defense: 68.0 ppg
Projected lineup
Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)
Bo Hodges (G, 6'5", 9.8 ppg)
Aaron Thompson (G, 6'2", 10.4 ppg)
Bryce Golden (F, 6'9", 9.6 ppg)
Bryce Nze (F, 6'7", 7.7 rpg)
Myles Tate (G, 6'0", 7.0 ppg)
Players to watch Bo Hodges
Hodges made his debut for Butler in the first meeting against Xavier a few weeks ago and he provided quite the spark with 11 points and six rebounds off the bench. He's since worked his way into Butler's starting lineup.
Paul Scruggs
Scruggs was monumental in the first meeting with Butler, essentially carrying the Musketeers on his back to the finish line with a game-high 24 points. That version of Scruggs is what Xavier needs on Sunday and the rest of this season.
Key to the game Details
Xavier needs a win. The Musketeers also need a game in which they commit to the details – the little things that go a long way – at both ends of the floor. If Xavier can't find the details against a struggling Butler team, it likely won't bode well for the remainder of this season.
Rankings KenPom.com : Xavier (60); Butler (125).
NET : Xavier (48); Butler (142).
