No. 8 Xavier will try to extend its 11-game winning streak when it travels to DePaul on Wednesday night in a Big East matchup. The Musketeers are the only unbeaten team in conference play this season, improving to 7-0 with their 80-76 win against then-No. 25 Marquette on Sunday. DePaul has lost six of its last eight games, including a 71-67 setback against Seton Hall on Saturday.
Xavier had a nondescript start to the season with its 4-3 record through its first seven games, losing to then-No. 12 Indiana, then-No. 8 Duke and then-No. 6 Gonzaga. The Musketeers were not able to pick up a marquee non-conference win, but that does not seem to matter right now. They have rattled off an 11-game winning streak since those losses to Duke and Gonzaga, winning their first seven Big East games. Xavier took down then-No. 2 UConn on New Year’s Eve and have since added wins over Villanova, Creighton and then-No. 25 Marquette. The Musketeers are the lone undefeated team in the Big East standings, so they have established themselves as the conference leader.
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— Xavier Basketball (@XavierMBB) January 17, 2023
Souley Boum scored nine points in the final three-plus minutes of the win over Marquette, including a 4 of 4 mark from the charity stripe. The Musketeers are riding their longest winning streak since the 2015-16 season when they opened with a 12-0 record. Jack Nunge recorded his fifth double-double of the season against Marquette, helping hold the Golden Eagles to 28 points in the second half after trailing by four points at the intermission. Xavier has relied on its offense to win games, as it ranks fifth in the country in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency ratings. The Musketeers are draining 40.2% of their 3-pointers, which also ranks fifth. They have been solid in just about every offensive statistic and are facing a DePaul defense that is No. 214 in effective field goal percentage.