Game Keys: How Marquette Fell to Xavier in Big East Face-off

Marquette entered Saturday’s contest versus the Musketeers as heavy favorites (-9.5). This line made plenty of sense pregame. A quick glance at wins and losses makes Marquette look as if they have rolled through Big East play thus far. A closer look at reality though, shows a history of close calls and tough wins. Recent wins versus DePaul, Georgetown, Creighton, along with their last matchup versus Xavier, could have easily been losses if a few plays down the stretch transpired differently. Still, Shaka Smart and his program continue to harp on these wins as “winning anyway.” 

Before Saturday’s game, hesitantly confident was the seniment about Marquette’s chances. A look at history and statistics for each team says a few things: 

First, in Xavier's last matchup with Marquette, Zach Freemantle was noticeably absent. He made his presence clear in Fiserv on Saturday with an efficient 14-point, 10-rebound performance. Not to mention the high stress that Shaka Smart had to put just to limit him in any way. 

Second, Kam Jones had torched Xavier in his last three faceoffs against the Musketeers. Before Saturday, Kam Jones’ last three versus Xavier went to the tune of an average of 28 points and 5.6 assists per game. On Saturday, though, it was obvious Xavier coach Sean Miller made a conscious choice to blitz and get the ball out of Jones’ hands. Kam finished with only 11 points and 6 assists while collecting an unfortunate 6 turnovers. 

The third point is the turnovers for the Golden Eagles. Marquette is one of the best teams in the nation in terms of not turning the ball over. In fact, even after their rough 13-turnover performance, they are still second in the nation on turnover% (13.1%). The 13 turnovers came mostly via Xavier speeding up Marquette’s pace and getting the ball out of Kam Jones’ hands. 

A final, yet important note on the game's momentum was Sean Miller’s timeouts down the stretch. I had a chance to ask Zach Freemantle about these timeouts that seemed to stun the Golden Eagle’s runs down the stretch, where he answered, “Sean just wants to dial it down, let the building settle down a little bit; we just had to calm down and refocus.” As a team that lives by big runs, Xavier and Sean Miller did a fantastic job of keeping the Golden Eagles off-rhythm while limiting massive runs down the stretch. 

The Musketeers have an absolute gauntlet of Big East opponents upcoming that includes St. Johns, UCONN, and Creighton. But recent wins over Villanova and Marquette are a fantastic start to a stretch that will define whether or not Xavier gets a postseason bid. After the win over the Golden Eagles, the Musketeers' chance at a tournament bid grew from 20% to 36% (Team Rankings Bracketology). 

For Marquette, the best thing is to take it as a learning experience. Coach Shaka Smart commented postgame: “I did think our guys showed incredible character, resiliency, fight, and the stubborn mentality of not giving up.” Beyond effort, getting out to hot starts early and often will be the main key going forward. The Golden Eagle runs were just too little, too late. For personnel, getting Kam Jones’ three-ball back and finding real reliable options on the bench will be major keys as we near March. 

Marquette Guard Kam Jones warms-up Pregame

Saturday’s loss was Marquette’s first home loss and Big East loss of the season. They look to bounce back versus Seton Hall on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Xavier’s weekend triumph over Marquette meant its first top-10 win since Dec. 31, 2022, when it defeated then-No. 2 UConn 83-73 at Cintas Center. They face another challenge at St. Johns on Wednesday.

For More: Check out Postgame Takeaways for Marquette vs Xavier (1/18/25):

Also available @MUWIRESPORTS on Twitter (X)