CINCINNATI (Interstat) — The Seton Hall Pirates, looking to solidify their NCAA Tournament resume, visit the Xavier Musketeers in a pivotal Big East clash Tuesday night at Cintas Center. Seton Hall (19-10, 8-8 Big East) enters on the heels of a narrow 71-67 road loss at Connecticut last Saturday, a game in which they led late. The Pirates have won three of their last five, with their offense keyed by standout guard AJ Staton-McCray. He is averaging 16.4 points over his last five games, including a 20-point effort against the Huskies. Xavier (14-15, 5-11) snapped a four-game skid with a 91-84 home win over Georgetown on Saturday. The Musketeers’ offense runs through versatile forward Filip Borovicanin, who nearly posted a triple-double (15 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists) in a win over Marquette on Feb. 14 and scored 18 points in the Georgetown victory. The Pirates handily won the first meeting this season, 86-68, in Newark on Jan. 28. Xavier has struggled at home in conference play, posting a 3-5 record at Cintas Center. For Seton Hall, a road win would provide a crucial Quadrant 1 victory and move them above .500 in the league ahead of their regular-season finale against St. John’s. Xavier, sitting below .500 overall, needs a strong finish to avoid its first losing season since 2020-21 and will lean on its high-powered offense, which has scored 88 or more points in three of its last five games. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on FS1.