Wednesday, March 11th | Madison Square Garden | 6:30 PM | Peacock | -5.5 Marquette
It’s the postseason, folks! This means that the Xavier Musketeers and Marquette Golden Eagles are fighting for their lives. This matchup proves to be promising, as Marquette and X split the season series 1-1, with two thrilling games. It feels like Xavier and Marquette have a storied history of meeting in the Big East Tournament, with another matchup coming Wednesday.
Tre Carroll could return with a vengeance for the Musketeers, as he had to sit out Xavier’s last game due to injury, and he lost out on the Big East scoring crown by .1 points. While he is questionable, I’m sure he will give everything he’s got to try and play. For the Golden Eagles, watch out for freshman Nigel James Jr, who had 30 points the last time they met. This gives me the same vibes that Kam Jones and Ryan Conwell did when they dueled last year in the Big East Quarterfinals.
The Golden Eagles are hot and have won three in a row headed into the tourney, while X has been struggling against some of the top teams. Will the momentum of the Golden Eagles carry them to a win or can Tre Carroll play, and put the team on his back and steal a win for Xavier? If the Musketeers are without Tre, Marquette’s chances would skyrocket. Let’s get into it!
First Two Meetings
These two split the season series, with the home team winning each one. Let’s start with the first matchup.
Marquette 66 | Xavier 65 | January 7th, 2026
This game was UGLY, 31 total turnovers, 28 fouls, Xavier was 37% from the field and Marquette was 40%. Honestly, I think both fanbases would agree that this might have been one of their ugliest games all year. It turned into a battle of who could screw up less and Marquette messed up one less time. I will give MU credit, they had some stifling defense down the stretch to close it out. You can’t tell much from this game at all, the second meeting should tell us more.
Xavier 96 | Marquette 88 | February 14th, 2026
Xavier led from the jump in this game and never really looked back. The Muskies shot 47% from 3 and only had 8 turnovers. They also had 4 guys with 15+ points: Jovan Milicevic, Tre Carroll, Filip Borovicanin, and All Wright. Marquette was carried by Nigel James Jr. (30 points) and Royce Parham (24 points). Xavier won this game due to an explosive start, as they jumped to a 28-10 lead in 8 minutes of play. If their offense is on point, they will be hard to beat.
Keys to the Game
Quick Start: As mentioned before, the Muskies got out to a quick start and led for 39 minutes of the second meeting. If they can jump out to an early lead, I believe their offense will outperform Marquette’s the rest of the way. As for the Golden Eagles, they must slow down the start of the game and keep Xavier from controlling the pace.
Involve Everyone: Xavier and Marquette both heavily rely on their stars, and that won’t cut it in a high-stakes game. Whoever can distribute the ball and keep their scoring balanced will have a pretty good shot at taking this. Tre Carroll is a force at full strength, but even if he suits up Wednesday, it’s unlikely he’ll be operating at 100%. X must get guys like Malik Messina-Moore and Jovan Milicevic involved. For Marquette, they need Royce Parham and Chase Ross to step up. However, if either team can get a role player to have a big game, they are looking good. For Xavier, look for a guy like All Wright, as for Marquette, someone like Adrien Stevens.
Limit Fouls: Xavier cannot afford to lose Jovan Milicevic to foul trouble, especially in a tournament where it’s win or go home. When Xavier can keep their 2nd highest scorer in the game, they are much more dangerous. For the Golden Eagles, attack Jovan in the paint and force him to contest, as he sometimes lacks discipline in those situations. Expect Royce Parham and Ben Gold to get the ball down low early to execute this.
Starting Rotations
Disclaimer: These are based on past games and are subject to change. If Tre Carroll does not play, Walker would likely slide into the starting role as he did in Philly last weekend.
Stats are minutes per game, points per game, rebounds per game, and assists per game.
Xavier
- Malik Messina-Moore: 33.2 MPG, 10.9 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 3.9 APG
- Jovan Milicevic: 25.8 MPG, 12.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.4 APG
- Filip Borovicanin: 31.0 MPG, 10.5 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 4.2 APG
- All Wright: 22.9 MPG, 7.7 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 2.0 APG
- Tre Carroll: 31.4 MPG, 18.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.6 APG
Marquette
- Ben Gold: 27.0 MPG, 8.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 0.9 APG
- Nigel James Jr: 29.2 MPG, 16.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 4.8 APG
- Adrien Stevens: 26.1 MPG, 8.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.5 APG
- Chase Ross: 32.9 MPG, 14.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.4 APG
- Royce Parham: 28.5 MPG, 12.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 0.9 APG
Prediction
An evening showdown in MSG, games like this are always thrilling to watch. I think Xavier owes Marquette for last year. I see them coming out hot from 3 and sneaking on by with an upset win! Final score of Xavier 78-Marquette 74.
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