Scouting report: No. 20 Xavier heads to scorching Marquette Sunday for Big East rematch

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – It's been a little while since Xavier's men's basketball team has put together a complete performance and Sunday (2 p.m., Fox Sports 1) at Fiserv Forum would be a great time to do so against Marquette, the hottest team in the Big East Conference with five wins in a row.

No. 20 Xavier (14-3, 4-2), which hasn't won a road trip to Marquette since the 2017-18 season, beat Marquette 80-71 on Dec. 18 in the Big East opener for both teams.

That game was the start of a three-game conference losing streak for the Golden Eagles that they promptly turned into a five-game winning streak that most recently includes a win over Villanova at Finneran Pavilion.

When Xavier head coach Travis Steele met with the media Friday for his pre-game press conference, he said Marquette hasn't changed anything from the first time they met.

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The difference over the last month of the season has been confidence, something Steele said Marquette has an abundance of at the moment.

"It's amazing what confidence can do for individuals, right?" said Steele. "They're playing with a lot of confidence ... it's amazing what can happen when you string a couple wins together, guys start believing."

Marquette's shooting the cover off the ball right now, too. During its five-game win streak, the Golden Eagles have made 54 3-pointers.

Xavier, riding two comeback wins in a row, will need its defense to be much better than it was at DePaul and its offense to take care of the ball much better.

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For the second time this season, Xavier's battling illness. Steele called it a "stomach bug" and it kept Dieonte Miles from making the road trip to DePaul, and it limited Adam Kunkel in that game.

Steele said Friday that Miles and Kunkel have both recovered but now junior forward Zach Freemantle's battling it. Freemantle didn't practice Friday. Steele said he's hopeful, based on how long the bug hit Miles and Kunkel, and he anticipates Freemantle being able to play at Marquette.

The Game

• Tipoff: 2 p.m. on Sunday at Fiserv Forum

• TV/Radio: FS1 with play-by-play from Matt Schumacker and analysis from Nick Bahe. Byron Larkin and Joe Sunderman will have the radio call on WLW-AM (700). Broadcast is also available on Sirius (83), XM (83) and the SXM App (83).

• Series info: Marquette leads the series 54-26. Xavier won the first meeting this season 80-71 at Cintas Center on Dec. 18 in the Big East opener.

Xavier Musketeers (14-3, 4-2)

Coach: Travis Steele, fourth season (65-40 overall)

Offense: 75.1 ppg

Defense: 63.6 ppg

Projected lineup

Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)

Paul Scruggs (G, 6'5", 11.0 ppg)

Jerome Hunter (F, 6'8", 6.4 ppg)

Colby Jones (G, 6'6", 11.3 ppg)

Zach Freemantle (F, 6'9", 8.3 ppg)

Nate Johnson (G, 6'4", 11.6 ppg)

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Marquette Golden Eagles (13-6, 5-3)

Coach: Shaka Smart, first season (285-148 overall)

Offense: 74.2 ppg

Defense: 69.5 ppg

Projected lineup

Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)

Justin Lewis (F, 6'7", 15.6 ppg)

Darryl Morsell (G, 6'5", 13.6 ppg)

Kam Jones (G, 6'4", 7.5 ppg)

Kur Kuath (F, 6'10", 2.9 bpg)

Tyler Kolek (G, 6'3", 6.4 apg)

Players to watch

Justin Lewis

Lewis just hit the game-winner on the road at Villanova. He leads the Golden Eagles in scoring and rebounding (7.6). Xavier has to do a great job matching up against Lewis.

Nate Johnson

Johnson's been held to one made field goal in each of Xavier's last two games for a combined five points. Johnson went 0-for-5 from beyond the arc at DePaul and it feels like he's due for a game where he makes his presence felt with his shooting ability.

Keys to the game

Get it going, keep it going

The slow starts recently have hindered Xavier greatly. The Musketeers won their last two games despite poor first halves, but that style won't last – it's a matter of time until it catches up with the Musketeers. Xavier can't afford to try and play catch-up at Marquette. The Golden Eagles are playing too well. The Musketeers need a complete game of efficient basketball in order to complete the regular-season sweep over Marquette.

Rankings

KenPom.com: Xavier (20); Marquette (39).

NET: Xavier (16); Marquette (33).

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Big East: Tough test awaits No. 20 Xavier on Sunday at Marquette