Schedule: Saturday, December 21, 2024
Venue: Cintas Center, Cincinnati, OH
Broadcast: FOX
The Xavier Musketeers (8-4) will host the Marquette Golden Eagles (10-2) at Cintas Center this Saturday, looking to secure a crucial victory.
In their previous game, the Marquette Golden Eagles triumphed over Butler, finishing with a score of 80-70. Marquette concluded the game with a shooting percentage of 42.7%, making 32 out of 75 attempts, including 6 of 30 from long range. At the free-throw line, they excelled, converting 10 of 12 attempts, resulting in an impressive 83.3%. On the boards, they gathered 36 rebounds, which included 18 offensive rebounds, and provided 12 assists while forcing Butler into 14 turnovers, resulting in 6 steals. Defensively, Marquette allowed Butler to shoot 51.1% with 24 successful shots from 47 attempts. Butler managed 13 assists and recorded 1 steal, while grabbing 25 rebounds (3 were offensive) and did not block any shots. They finished 86.7% at the charity stripe, making 13 of 15 attempts, and found success with 9 out of 22 attempts from three-point territory. In total, Marquette committed 14 personal fouls compared to Butler’s 13.
Kameron Jones had a standout performance, scoring 23 points on 11 of 24 shooting, contributing significantly with 7 rebounds in his 36 minutes on the court, while maintaining a 45.8% shooting efficiency and dishing out 5 assists.
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The Golden Eagles are entering this matchup with a season record of 10-2. They average 81.4 points per game, ranking 65th in college basketball, coupled with a shooting accuracy of 46.6% from the field. From beyond the arc, Marquette has a conversion rate of 32.5% (115 of 354) and enjoy a 74.4% success rate from the free-throw line. Their rebounding average stands at 34.3 boards per game, along with a total of 178 assists this season, which ranks them 97th in college hoops for team assists. Marquette averages 9.1 turnovers per game and incurs 16.3 fouls per game.
Defensively, the Golden Eagles force their opponents into an average of 16.1 turnovers while committing 15.1 personal fouls. They rank 323rd nationally in assists allowed, with 180 given up so far. Opponents shoot 44.1% from the field against Marquette, who allow 33.8 rebounds per game. Their three-point defense checks in at 31.6%, positioning them 79th in the country for opponents’ points per game at 67.1.
In their last outing, the Xavier Musketeers were narrowly defeated by Connecticut, finishing 94-89. In that matchup, they managed to secure 18 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive boards for a total of 21. The Musketeers turned the ball over 9 times and snagged 3 steals. Connecticut committed 16 fouls, sending Xavier to the free-throw line 21 times, where they achieved an 85.7% success rate, converting 18 attempts. From beyond the arc, Xavier shot 54.2%, making 13 of 24 attempts. Their overall shooting percentage for the game was 50.0%, landing 29 of 58 attempts. Defensively, Xavier allowed Connecticut to convert 33 out of 69 field goal attempts (47.8%) while opponents shot 33.3% from three-point land (8 of 24) and 95.2% from the charity stripe (20 of 21). Xavier also allowed 32 rebounds to Connecticut, with 12 of those being offensive boards.
Ryan Conwell was pivotal for the Musketeers, scoring 23 points across 41 minutes, with a shooting percentage of 69.2% from the field on 9 out of 13 attempts, while also contributing 1 assist and 3 rebounds.
The current record for Xavier stands at 8-4 this season. The Musketeers average 16.6 fouls per game while shooting 78.5% from the free-throw line. They average 17.6 assists per game, ranking 28th nationally, with 11.5 turnovers per game. So far this season, Xavier has scored a total of 965 points (80.4 per game) and retrieves 36.3 rebounds per contest. From the field, they have an offensive shooting percentage of 47.0%, placing them 99th in the nation.
On the defensive front, Xavier ranks 128th in college basketball by allowing 69.1 points per game. They generate an average of 12.1 turnovers from their opponents and permit teams to shoot 42.2% from the floor (143rd nationally). Opponents shoot 35.2% from three-point range (83 of 236), while allowing 70.9% at the free-throw line. They also yield 13.8 assists per game and 31.6 rebounds, ranking 248th and 56th, respectively, in Division I.
Free Prediction: Bet on Marquette (-5.0)
