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.

If that's the case, then certainly on some level the stress a fan feels during an important game is also a privilege. Xavier could have spared us all any sort of heartburn from now until the Big East tournament if they had closed against Nova the way they've closed too many other close games this year.

It’ll be a classic Big East matchup on Saturday when the 22nd-ranked Xavier Musketeers meet the seventh-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles in a crucial battle for both teams. Marquette will have the juices flowing,