Souley Boum scored a season-low 1 point, shooting 0-9 from field goal range, and the No.2 seed Xaiver Musketeers were outpaced by the No.1 seed Marquette Golden Eagles 65-51 in the Big East championship game. Marquette, which survived each of its previous two games by 2 points, won its first ever Big East tournament title in convincing fashion while Xaiver went 0-2 in the championship game, with their last appearance being a 69-52 loss to Villanova in 2015.
The Musketeers struggled offensively as they shot an abysmal 34.4% from field goal range and 5-20 from behind the arch while allowing the Golden Eagles to score 17 points off 13 turnovers. Xaiver trailed by 15 halftime and were down by as many as 27 in the second half.
Xavier’s head coach Sean Miller on the team’s performance “We couldn’t get a good shot, and that is to their [Marquette’s] credit. They have a program. They have depth. They have spirit. They have communication. Tonight, we would have had to be at our very, very best to beat them.”
Marquette’s Tyler Kolek, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, led the team with 20 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.
On Selection Sunday, Xavier earned an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament as a No.3 seed in the Midwest Region and will face the No.14 seed Kennesaw State Owls, which earned an AQ bid via winning the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament title game and is making its first-ever appearance in the Big Dance, on Thursday, March 17 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Big East had five teams land in the tournament, tied for third most among all 32 division 1 conferences.
