NCAA Tournament Update: Marquette Stifling Xavier At Halftime
The No. 11 seeded Marquette Golden Eagles are showing off their stifling defense against No. 6 Xavier. The Golden Eagles closed the first half on a 13-3 run and lead the Musketeers 33-20 at halftime of this NCAA Tournament matchup.
Marquette’s defense has been stifling, and Xavier’s offense has been sloppy. The combination of these two things have led to Xavier shooting just 30 percent from the field and turning the ball over nine times. Xavier faces some decent competition in the Atlantic 10, but evidently, they are not used to Marquette’s pressure defense. Jimmy Butler has 11 points to lead Marquette, while Kenny Frease leads Xavier with eight points. Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Tu Holloway has yet to score and is 0-6 from the field.
Read Article >NCAA Bracket Preview, Predictions: No. 6 Xavier Vs. No. 11 Marquette
Star Watch: Butler’s one of just two seniors playing more than 20% of Marquette’s minutes, and he’s on the floor for more than 84% of the Golden Eagles’ available minutes. He’s also no sure thing at the NBA level, so a strong NCAA Tournament would really help his NBA Draft stock.
Prediction: In the Holloway-Butler duel everyone will be hoping for, Butler gets a late bucket to give Marquette a 78-76 upset.
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