This game is huge for both teams, albeit for different reasons. Xavier is on the brink of putting themselves into position to win the league. If they take care of business tonight, the showdown with Nova on the weekend is a battling for the driver’s seat in the Big East.
Seton Hall probably needs this one more than Xavier does. The Pirates were looking good at 14-2 early in January, with seeding being their only concern on Selection Sunday. Since then they’ve gone 3-6 and slid to some bubble-adjacent real estate. They’re probably still going to be fine for the tournament, but 5 of their last 6 regular season games are tier A according to KenPom, so arresting the slide isn’t going to be easy.