February 21, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Xavier Musketeers forward Tre Carroll (12) dribbles the ball against Butler Bulldogs forward Michael Ajayi (5) during the first half at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Image Tre Carroll continues his quest for a conference scoring crown and some school history on Saturday when Xavier hosts Georgetown in a Big East rematch in Cincinnati.
Carroll leads the conference in scoring in all competitions (18.5 points per game) and is second in league play (19.5 points). Xavier has never led the Big East in scoring in his last 12 seasons in the conference.
Xavier defeated Georgetown 80-77 on Dec. 20 in Washington, D.C., giving coach Richard Pitino his first Big East win.
The two schools enter Saturday’s game with identical overall and conference scores at 13-15 and 5-12.
Xavier showed a decline in 3 consecutive games, 5 out of 6 games and 8 out of 10 games, while Georgetown, which was on a streak, showed a decline in 5 games in a row, with 4 consecutive wins following 6 consecutive sluggish games.
The Hoyas will be without starting guard KJ Lewis for the remainder of the season. The team’s leading scorer at 14.9 points per game went down with a left ankle injury during Tuesday’s 76-60 loss to Marquette. Lewis is third on the team with 5.1 rebounds.
“It’s very disappointing because in the heat of February, in a Big East game, the team you want most is winning and now we’re not playing the way we should at home,” Georgetown coach Ed Cooley said. “But you know, we’re going to continue to prepare for Xavier. There’s a lot of frustration around the Hoya Nation. As part of what we’re doing, we’re going to work through that and get ready for the next game.”
Malik Mack is currently the active leading scorer for Georgetown with 13.7 points while Vincent Iwuchukwu is averaging 11.6 points.
Xavier lost 94-84 at Providence on Wednesday. The Four Musketeers reached double figures, led by Roddy Anderson’s 27 points. Carroll scored 15 points, three points below his season average.
“Until we get our defensive identity, it’s going to be really, really difficult,” Pitino said after allowing at least 85 points for the 12th time this season. “We can’t rely on just trying to beat teams and that’s who we are right now.”
–Field level media
