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Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
With just under a month until Selection Sunday, so much is still up in the air for so many Big East teams.
Two of those teams face off Tuesday evening, as the Xavier Musketeers (11-3, 4-3) head to Queens to take on the St. John’s Red Storm (13-8, 7-7).
It feels like Xavier is pretty safely in the NCAA Tournament at this point, having crossed the 13-game eligibility threshold. Continuing to win games can only help Xavier going forward, as ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently projects the Musketeers as a 9-seed.
St. John’s, on the other hand, find themselves on the outside looking in at the moment. Lunardi has them in the Next Four Out, which makes sense. St. John’s has been bogged down a bit by inconsistent play prior to this month when they ripped off six straight wins before falling to Butler in overtime. St. John’s has a favorable schedule going forward and could defnitely play their way off the bubble, but it would start with winning a coin fl
Xavier and Butler Square Off
The Musketeers return to action!
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THE FACTS
Records: Butler (5-8, 4-6 BIG EAST) | Xavier (10-2, 3-2 BIG EAST)
Rankings: Butler (#86 KenPom) | Xavier (#51 KenPom)
TV Channel: FS1
GAME PREVIEW
The Xavier Musketeers return to action Saturday after missing nearly three weeks of play due to COVID-related issues. They face the Butler Bulldogs, who nearly had a COVID problem of their own this week as a referee from their previous game tested positive. The Xavier-Butler matchup was postponed from Friday until Saturday so the Bulldogs could get their test results back and ensure there were no positives.
Xavier Stuns Providence Late
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Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
First Adam Kunkel, now Colby Jones. For the second time in Big East play, Xavier hit the last shot to get a win. Paul Scruggs found Jones wide open at the top of the key, and he drilled the shot to put Xavier ahead 74-73 with 0.1 seconds remaining. The Musketeers capped the game on an 8-0 run, with three points from Jones and Nate Johnson and two from Zach Freemantle.
For the Friars, it was their second consecutive loss. Both came in heartbreaking fashion. Against Creighton, Christian Bishop slammed one home in the final second to avoid overtime and give the Bluejays a victory. Today, Ed Cooley’s defense was unable to hold again, giving up a seven point lead over the final 1:13 and a two point lead on the final possession.
January 10, 2021 6:43 pm
The Providence College men’s basketball team was defeated by the Xavier Musketeers, 74-73, on Sunday, January 10 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Friars fall to 7-5 overall and 3-3 in BIG EAST play. Colby Jones hit a three with .1 second left to give the Musketeers the win. It marked the Friars’ second consecutive loss in the final second of the game.
“I have to do a good job and our staff has to do a good job of keeping our players focused, motivated, and excited for the next opportunity,” Head Coach Ed Cooley said. “The good thing about playing in [the BIG EAST] is that there is another great opportunity ahead of us.”