Starters were just announced at Madison Square Garden.
Marquette starters: Kam Jones, Chase Ross, Stevie Mitchell, Ben Gold, David Joplin
Xavier starters: Dayvion McKnight, Ryan Conwell, Marcus Foster, Dailyn Swain, Zach Freemantle
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Who is favored between Xavier and Marquette?
According to BetMGM Sportsbook, Marquette is a 2.5-point favorite in Thursday’s quarterfinal matchup against Xavier. The total (over/under) for the game is at 145 points.
No. 1 seed St. John’s swarms Butler to open quarterfinals
Thursday’s quarterfinals opened with top-seeded St. John’s, the Big East’s regular-season champions, blowing out No. 9 Butler, 78-57.
Big East Player of the Year R.J. Luis Jr. led St. John’s with 20 points. Kadary Richmond and Aaron Scott each added 15.
St. John’s turned 15 Butler turnovers into 24 points and outscored the Bulldogs in the paint, 44-18. The Red Storm won the rebounding battle, 44-34, tallied 20 second-chance points and did not allow a fast-break point.
St. John’s will play the winner of Xavier/Marquette in Friday’s semifinals at 6:30 p.m.
NEW YORK CITY − After splitting a pair of two-point thrillers during the regular season with each squad winning on the road, Xavier and Marquette battle for a third time Thursday afternoon in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden.
No. 5 Marquette (No. 25 AP) has gone to the Big East Tournament title game in back-to-back seasons.
More: Preview: 3 keys for Xavier Musketeers to get Big East Tournament win over Marquette
No. 4 Xavier has played its way to the right side of the bubble heading into Manhattan by finishing the regular season on a seven-game winning streak. In a Saturday night update, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi listed Xavier as the penultimate team in the NCAA Tournament.
More: Xavier Musketeers history, field, odds, projections for Big East Tournament
A victory over Marquette could seal the deal for Xavier’s at-large chances. On Wednesday, Xavier picked up an additional Quad 1 victory when UConn moved to No. 30 in the NCAA NET Rankings. UConn dropped to No. 31 Thursday morning, meaning Xavier’s win over the Huskies at Cintas Center returned to a Quad 2.
Xavier, No. 45 in the NET, is currently 1-8 in Quad 1, 8-2 in Quad 2 and a combined 12-0 in Quad 3/4. Lunardi projects Marquette as a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Thursday marks the fourth time Xavier and Marquette have met in the Big East Tournament. The Musketeers won quarterfinal matchups over the Golden Eagles in 2014 (68-65) and 2016 (90-72) under Chris Mack. Marquette beat Xavier in the Big East Tournament final in 2023.
