Big East Championship Game 2023: Xavier vs. Marquette Schedule, Preview

A first-time champion of the Big East tournament will be crowned on Saturday night inside Madison Square Garden.

The Marquette Golden Eagles will be playing in their first-ever Big East tournament final. The Xavier Musketeers are making their second appearance in the championship game.

Marquette was the class of the conference all season. Shaka Smart's team won its first Big East regular-season title and it has lost just twice since January 1.

Xavier comes into Saturday's final on a five-game winning streak and off a blowout victory over the Creighton Bluejays.

Another first will be achieved in the Xavier-Marquette matchup, as it marks the first time the top two seeds will play each other in the Big East tournament final in the current configuration of the league.

Big East Tournament Final Info

Date: Saturday, March 11

Start Time: 5:30 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Live Stream: FoxSports.com and Fox Sports app

Make your picks: Play the NCAA March Madness Men's Bracket Challenge and Tournament Run.

Preview

Marquette will enter the Big East tournament final as the favorite to cut down the nets.

Smart's team suffered three losses in Big East play, and it is 16-2 since the calendar flipped over to 2023.

Big East Player of the Year Tyler Kolek drives every part of Marquette's game, and he will be front and center on every key play for the Golden Eagles on Saturday.

Kolek is one of four Marquette players with a scoring average in double figures, and he is second in the nation in assists per game.

The sophomore guard tortured the Xavier defense in both regular-season meetings. He had 25 points in an 80-76 loss on January 15. He produced 15 points and eight assists in a 69-68 victory on February 15.

Souley Boum holds the same role as Kolek for Xavier. He produced 40 points in the two games against Marquette.

Boum and Xavier's other top scorers will try to attack the lane to achieve the same success they did on January 15.

Sean Miller's Musketeers shot 44.9 percent from the field and hit 13 of their 17 free throws to cover up for 10 turnovers and a 27 percent day from three-point range.

Xavier recorded a better percentage from the field in its loss to the Golden Eagles, but it only got to the free-throw line on nine occasions on February 15.

Marquette earned that win over Xavier despite shooting 38.2 percent from the field and 22.7 percent from three-point range.

The Golden Eagles offense has not struggled much since that victory, as they hit the 70-point threshold in seven straight games.

Xavier is on a similar streak with at least 75 points in each of its last five games, but it can be inconsistent at times on offense. The Musketeers failed to hit 70 points in four of their five Big East losses.

Marquette needs to guard the three-point line well again to take down Xavier. The Musketeers rank fifth in Division I in three-point shooting percentage, even though they did not shoot well from deep in the two meetings with Marquette.

The Golden Eagles rank ninth in overall field-goal percentage, and they will try to attack the rim through Kolek's dribble penetration. Oso Ighidaro and O'Max Prosper give Kolek two solid options to dish to when he carves into the lane.

Xavier must contain Kolek's dribble drives through Boum and others to avoid getting into a track meet.

Xavier's defense has held opponents under 70 points in four of its last six wins, and if that trend continues, it can upend the Golden Eagles. Meanwhile, a higher-scoring affair favors the Golden Eagles.

The winner will earn a new honor for its basketball program and it will be just the fourth different Big East tournament winner since 2014.