Colorado @ Xavier preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 7, 2016 ) Xavier 66, Colorado 68

With a pair of revenge victories already under their belts, No. 14 Xavier will look to take care of another team it lost to last season as it hosts Colorado on Saturday afternoon. The Musketeers exacted sweet vengeance in victories over Baylor and Cincinnati, and built a little more momentum heading into their encounter with the Buffaloes as they cruised past Kent State 96-70.

The nonconference part of a contender's schedule is often uneventful - but you certainly can't say that about Xavier's which has already featured a handful of games against quality opponents. And don't think for a minute that the Musketeers aren't thinking about last year's two-point heartbreaker to the Buffaloes. "We just talked about it," senior forward Sean O'Mara said following the win over Kent State. "We've got Baylor already, we've got UC already. They're next on the list." Colorado certainly won't go lightly in this one - the Buffaloes have opened with victories in seven of their first eight games and bounced back from their first loss of the campaign with an 18-point rout of New Mexico.

TV: 5 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

ABOUT COLORADO (7-1): Sensational boards work has been the catalyst for the Buffaloes' sizzling start to the season; Colorado pulls down nearly 31 defensive rebounds per game heading into the weekend, 10th-most among Division I schools. George King averages 8.9 rebounds - fourth-most in the Pac-12 - while adding 14.4 points per game, second on the team to McKinley Wright IV (15.6); King had 10 points and 11 rebounds against New Mexico for his second double-double in the last three games. Wright added 12 points and 10 boards in the victory and contributes 5.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists in addition to leading the team in scoring.

ABOUT XAVIER (8-1): Senior guard Trevon Bluiett has emerged as one of the most dangerous scorers in the Big East, coming into Saturday's game ranked third in the conference in scoring (21.4 ppg) after pouring in a combined 54 points in the victories over Cincinnati and Kent State. His scoring spike has helped mask the struggles of J.P. Macura, who had just 11 points in the wins over the Bearcats and Golden Flashes but remains second on the team in scoring at 12.6 points per game. Quentin Goodwin is struggling with his shot (7-for-27 over his last four games) but has dished out at least six assists in each game during that stretch.

TIP-INS

1. Colorado averages a paltry four steals per game - more than only five Division I teams.

2. Bluiett has nine made 3-pointers over his past two games.

3. Xavier is shooting 53.9 percent from the field, the second-best rate in the nation.

PREDICTION: Xavier 86, Colorado 76