NCAA tournament games can also be stingy in scoring, heavy on bad luck and full of momentum swings, which means Marquette could take a lot of teaching moments from its battle with Xavier, both from its adjustments it made to get itself out of a very deep hole and the leadership required to mount a furious comeback.

Marquette is 2-2 in games decided by 3 points or fewer. Xavier makes 40.0% of its shots from the field this season, whi