Xavier Basketball: 3 keys to a victory over rival Cincinnati Bearcats

Emotions will be running high in Cincinnati this weekend when the Xavier Musketeers visit the Bearcats at Fifth Third Arena on Saturday afternoon. Sean Miller's Musketeers are seeking a critical road victory after coming down from their hot start to the season.

While Xavier only has two losses, they haven't looked the part of a real contender in the Big East. Before Thanksgiving, they were crushed by a Michigan team that was underrated at the time, but still not good enough to beat the Musketeers by 25.

Now they need to head to Cincinnati to face a resurgent Bearcats team, which is ranked No. 22 in the most recent Associated Press poll. A loss to Villanova dulled the shine of Cincinnati's start, but they appear poised to have a big year and will be looking for a big win against a rival to boost the resume.

Both teams will be looking for a nice win this weekend. Here are three keys for Xavier to get it done and pull the road upset.

1. Feed the hot hand

Xavier's most impressive performance of the season came in its most recent game. Morgan State is not a high-caliber opponent, but the Musketeers still managed to beat them by an insane 61 points, a performance that included 67 points in the second half for the team.

The biggest difference in that game was how Xavier dominated the boards, but the Musketeers were also very efficient from the perimeter, knocking down 12-of-18 three-point attempts. Zach Freemantle, Ryan Conwell, Marcus Foster, and Cam Fletcher all knocked down at least two triples.

Xavier is making more than 40 percent of its threes, with Foster, Conwell, and Dayvion McKnight all shooting at least 45 percent from deep. Find whoever has the hot hand or the best looks on Saturday and make Cincinnati pay.

2. Defend the other perimeter

Is it obvious that a recipe for success is to hit your threes and stop your opponent from doing the same? Perhaps. Doesn't make it any less true, especially for these two teams.

In the loss to Villanova, Cincinnati knocked down less than 30 percent of their threes. In each of the team's last three games, the Bearcats have hit less than 35 percent of their perimeter shots. It's in danger of becoming a weakness.

But this is a weak spot for the Musketeers, one of the worst perimeter defenders in the Big East. Xavier is one of the worst defensive teams in the conference and the only team allowing opponents to shoot better from three is UConn. This would be a good time for Xavier to improve upon that.

3. Start fast

Cincinnati and its crowd are going to be hyped to start this rivalry game. Coach Wes Miller has yet to take down the Musketeers during his tenure and Xavier has won five of the last six and nine of the last 11. This appears to be a golden opportunity to flip the rivalry's recent script.

A fast start for Xavier could suck some of the energy out of the building, allowing them to settle things down and play their own game without the crowd being a big factor.