GAME NOTES: An intriguing Atlantic 10 Conference matchup pits the 13th-ranked Xavier Musketeers against the Saint Joseph's Hawks in Cincinnati this afternoon. Saint Joseph's had won six consecutive decisions and 11 of 12 heading into Wednesday's road clash with Duquesne, but the result of that contest was a 102-88 loss. The Hawks are still 15-6 overall and 6-2 in league play, and they own an 8-4 record in true road games. As for Xavier, it is 19-4 overall and alone in first place in the A-10 with a 7-1 record. The Musketeers currently own a five-game win streak that includes a thrilling 70-68 decision over Saint Louis on Thursday. The club is now just one win away from its third straight 20-win campaign. Saint Joseph's owns a 19-14 series lead over Xavier, although the Musketeers hold an 11-7 edge since the two schools became A-10 rivals during the 1995-96 campaign.

Ahmad Nivins is listed as questionable for today's game, as the frontcourt standout for Saint Joseph's is suffering from a sprained right ankle. He missed the game against Duquesne, a major reason for the loss. Nivins is second on the team with 14.2 ppg and 6.5 rpg, so he would certainly be missed if the ankle keeps him from competing this evening. Fortunately for the Hawks, Pat Calathes is healthy and ready to compete. A strong candidate for A-10 Player of the Year honors, Calathes is scoring 18.5 ppg on the strength of his 44.6 percent shooting from three-point range and 80.8 percent efficiency from the foul line. He is also pulling down 8.2 rpg to go along with 55 assists, 30 blocks and 30 steals. Put simply, there is nothing the 6-10 standout can't do on the court. Saint Joseph's let Duquesne shoot 60.4 percent from the floor earlier this week, the most obvious reason for the negative result. Calathes finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the losing effort.

Xavier leads the Atlantic 10 in six major categories: scoring margin (+15.4 ppg.), rebounding margin (+6.8 rpg.), field goal percentage (.477), field goal percentage defense (.405), free-throw percentage (.758) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.26-to-1.00). The team is 16-0 this season when four or more players reached double figures in scoring, and six players are netting between 10.0 ppg and 12.2 ppg. Drew Lavender leads the way with 12.2 ppg and 109 assists, and he is also tops with 31 steals. With so many players capable of scoring the ball, Lavender is entrusted with getting everyone involved, and he has done an outstanding job thus far. Xavier is scoring 77.8 ppg this season while limiting opponents to 62.4 ppg on 40.5 percent shooting from the floor. The hero for Xavier against Saint Louis on Thursday was Derrick Brown, as his tip- in at the buzzer won the game. The Musketeers only committed nine turnovers in that clash, and Josh Duncan scored 15 points off the bench to pace the offensive attack.

Xavier gets the nod today, especially since Nivins will either miss the contest or be slowed. The home crowd will fuel the Musketeers to victory.