#MUBB Faces Xavier For BIG EAST Tournament Title

The No. 6/6 Marquette University men's basketball team (27-6, 17-3 BIG EAST) plays for its first-ever BIG EAST Tournament title Saturday, March 11 at 5:30 p.m. CT when the squad faces No. 15/15 Xavier (25-8, 15-5 BIG EAST) in Madison Square Garden. FOX features the national television broadcast, with Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Jim Jackson (analyst) and Kristina Pink (reporter) calling the action.

Marquette Facing Xavier For 84th Time

Marquette and Xavier will meet for the 84th time on Saturday night, continuing a series that spans nearly half of the program's 105-year history.

The Golden Eagles own a 56-27 overall lead in matchups that date back to the 1958-59 campaign. MU dominated the pairings during the Al McGuire and Hank Raymonds era, at one point claiming 26-straight victories between 1969 and 1983.

The two teams split the season series, with each squad winning on its respective home court. In the most recent matchup, Olivier-Maxence Prosper's tip-in with 1.6 seconds left proved to be the difference in a 69-68 win at Fiserv Forum on Feb. 15.

Marquette and Xavier last met in the BIG EAST tourney in 2016, which resulted in a 90-72 win by the Musketeers in the quarterfinals.

Late Heroics Extend Winning Streak, Again

Marquette is currently in the midst of a season-long eight-game winning streak after the semifinal victory over UConn.

MU also claimed eight-consecutive decisions in 2018-19 and last won nine straight during the 2015-16 campaign. In the eight wins, Tyler Kolek leads the way with 18.0 points per game and the Golden Eagles are forcing 16.0 turnovers per contest, led by guard Stevie Mitchell's 2.9 steals per game.

Five of the eight games have been decided by two points or less, including both of the outings in Madison Square Garden. For the season, Marquette is 6-2 in one-possession games.