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Xavier is coming off a huge home win against Providence, and wants to keep riding rising sophomore Jalen Reynolds until other teams prove that they can effectively stop him. Reynolds was named to the weekly Big East Honor Roll after he averaged 18 points and 7.5 boards in two games last week. Marquette is coming off a huge win as well, which occurred at Seton Hall over the weekend. Matt Carlino did not play in that game due to a concussion and he is still questionable to play tonight. That is an important storyline, since Carlino torched the Muskies from behind the arc last game going 6-9 from deep and putting up 27 points total.
Xavier cannot afford to lose to Marquette if they want to stay competitive in the Big East this season, here are three things the Muskies must do to win in Milwaukee:
Feed the Hot Hand(s)
Last game Jalen Reynolds and Trevon Bluiett put up 19 points each while Myles Davis added 14 points on 4-5 shooting from deep. This trio of Muskies played very well last game, especially Reynolds, so if they can continue to stay hot Xavier will be very tough to beat, even on the road. J.P. Macura also show good signs last game as he put up 10 points in 21 minutes of play.
Get the Young Bloods Going
As mentioned above, J.P. Macura and Trevon Bluiett had good games in their last outing at home against Providence, posting 10 and 19 points respectively. Sean O'Mara played 11 minutes against the Friars, Stainbrook had foul trouble early, and was very productive for the short amount of time he was on the floor. He posted five points, three boards and two blocks in limited playing time. If Sean can produce at a similar level, expect to see him get more playing time.
Establish Stainbrook Early
Matt Stainbrook had one of his worst games of the year against Providence as he posted a stat line of 0/5/2. t is pretty amazing that the Muskies were able to score 78 points on a team like Providence, when, arguably, their best player did not have a point and only played 22 minutes. Coach Chris Mack told media members that Matt has been lacking confidence lately, so getting him involved early will be crucial for Xavier.