Xavier @ Seton Hall preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 8, 2020 ) Seton Hall 83, Xavier 71

Ninth-ranked Seton Hall had to rally late last time out to extend its winning streak to double digits and looks to take charge early Saturday morning when it hosts struggling Xavier in a Big East contest. The Pirates trailed with six minutes left Wednesday before pulling out a 64-57 victory over DePaul to reach 10 consecutive victories - the longest streak since 1992-93 when they won 12 straight.

“Sometimes teams need to be reminded of not slipping on the little things,” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard told reporters. “Not that they have, but there’s some things that I’ve been seeing, and I just want to make sure we stay on top of what we’ve been doing to get to this point. This is a great group, they work hard, obviously they play hard, we’re just trying to keep them focused.” The Pirates took an eight-point lead at halftime en route to an 83-71 victory at Xavier in the first meeting on Jan. 8 as senior guard Myles Powell poured in 24 points and hauled in nine rebounds. That loss started the current 1-5 slump for the Musketeers, who lost by 11 at Creighton last Sunday before dropping a double-overtime thriller against Marquette 84-82 at home on Wednesday. “That’s a gut-wrenching loss for us,” Xavier coach Travis Steele told reporters. “We’ve got to pick ourselves up off the mat on Saturday. Seton Hall’s not going to feel sorry for us.”

TIME: 11 a.m. ET. TV: FOX

ABOUT XAVIER (13-8, 2-6 Big East): Junior forward Naji Marshall has continued to score despite being hampered by a knee injury the last two contests and leads the team with 16.7 points per game - 17.4 in the past eight. Junior guard Paul Scruggs scores 13.7 per contest and senior forward Tyrique Jones averages 13.3 points along with 10.1 rebounds after stringing together three straight double-doubles to bring his season total to 12. Senior guard Quentin Goodin stepped up with 19 points against Marquette after managing 22 combined in six games prior to missing a pair of outings due a knee injury.

ABOUT SETON HALL (16-4, 8-0): Powell is second in the Big East at 22.1 points per contest after recording at least 23 in six of his last eight outings and has connected on 53 shots from 3-point range in the 18 games he has played. Senior guard Quincy McKnight is the only other player averaging in double figures scoring (11.3, team-best 5.5 assists) and junior forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (9.9 points) returned Wednesday after missing 10 games with a fractured wrist. “Sandro brings a different aspect to the game for us with his versatility,” McKnight told reporters. “When he subbed in I heard the horn, and the next thing I know I heard the crowd going crazy.”

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Xavier freshman F Zach Freemantle is averaging 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds over his past two contests.

2. Seton Hall sophomore G Jared Rhoden (8.9 points) scored 29 total and grabbed 19 rebounds in the last two games.

3. The Musketeers went 11-of-25 from the free-throw line in Wednesday’s loss and ranks last in the league at 66.1 percent.

PREDICTION: Seton Hall 80, Xavier 68