David Joplin led Marquette with 18 points and guard Stevie Mitchell was huge down the stretch, scoring seven straight to cut Xavier's lead to 53-49 at the final media timeout. Overall, Xavier held Marquette to just 37.1% shooting and 8-of-29 from three-point range. The Golden Eagles got to the free-throw line just seven times.

Xavier plays five of its next seven games on the road over the next 26 days beginning with a Quadrant 1 opportunity in Milwaukee Saturday afternoon.

Marquette has the defense to neutralize Xavier's 87th-ranked offense. Marquette is 56th in the nation, allowing just 67.4 points per game. The one area where Marquette will have to be careful is with Xavier's three-point shooting, but the Golden Eagles have been above-average this season with a 31.7% three-point efficiency allowed.

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