No. 18 Xavier (11-1, 1-0) vs. No. 23 Villanova (7-4, 0-1)
Finneran Pavilion, Villanova, Pennsylvania; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Two ranked teams meet as No. 18 Xavier visits No. 23 Villanova in a Big East showdown. Xavier has one win and zero losses against ranked opponents this season, while Villanova has won one of its four games against ranked teams.
LEADING THE CHARGE: The Musketeers are led by Jack Nunge and Colby Jones. Nunge has averaged 13 points and 7.8 rebounds while Jones has accounted for 11.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest. The Wildcats have been anchored by Collin Gillespie and Justin Moore, who are scoring 16.2 and 14.7 per game, respectively.JUMPING FOR JACK: Nunge has connected on 29.6 percent of the 27 3-pointers he’s attempted and has gone 3 for 6 over the last three games. He’s also converted 76.7 percent of his foul shots this season.
STREAK STATS: Villanova has won its last three home games, scoring an average of 90.7 points while giving up 61.3.
ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Musketeers have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Wildcats. Villanova has 24 assists on 58 field goals (41.4 percent) over its past three outings while Xavier has assists on 56 of 81 field goals (69.1 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: Villanova has committed a turnover on just 13.8 percent of its possessions this season, which is the seventh-best rate among all Division I teams. The Wildcats have turned the ball over only 8.8 times per game this season.
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