Xavier men's basketball was able to "break through in a number of different ways" when picking up its first road victory of the season Saturday in Rhode Island.

Xavier got a Quad 1 road win when it needed it most. Can the Musketeers build some momentum at home?

More: 'I'm happy for my parents.' Miller brothers Sean, Archie go 2-0 in Rhode Island Saturday

More: 'We broke through.' What we learned as Xavier Musketeers beat Providence in Big East play

More: Providence coach Kim English: Xavier's Claude 'looked like a 1st-round draft pick.'

Xavier has two home games in the next five days, starting with Butler on Tuesday and Georgetown on Friday. Here's everything to know about the matchup.

Xavier vs. Butler

Tip: Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., Cintas Center (10,224)

TV/Radio: FS1/55KRC

Ratings: Xavier is No. 31 in KenPom and Butler is No. 63. In the NCAA Net Rankings, Xavier is No. 43 and Butler dropped to No. 60.

History: Xavier is 18-12 all-time vs. Butler after each team defended home court last season.

Butler Bulldogs scouting report

Record: 11-6 (2-4 Big East)

Head coach: Thad Matta (49-32 at Butler, third season)

Offense: 80.8 ppg

Defense: 72.6 ppg

Overview: Butler has hit a bump in Big East play, losing four of its last five after a 10-2 start. The Bulldogs did beat No. 11 Marquette on the road on Jan. 10, but followed that up with a 78-72 loss to Seton Hall Saturday, its second-straight conference loss at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Butler has used the same starting lineup in all 17 games this season, but four of the starters are first-year Bulldogs. Senior center Jalen Thomas, who leads the team in rebounds (6.8) and blocks (1.2), is in his second season after transferring from Georgia State. Butler's offense is ranked No. 45 in KenPom and ranks second in the Big East in scoring at 80.8 points per game.

Former Michigan State Spartan Pierre Brooks II is the only Bulldog ranked in the top 10 in the Big East in scoring (16.1 points per game), but all four transfers in Butler's starting lineup average double figures. Senior forward Jahmyl Telfort (Northeastern) and guard Posh Alexander (St. John's) combine for 24.5. UC Irvine transfer D.J. Davis (13 ppg) scored 20-plus in three straight before being held to a combined 8 points on 2-of-12 shooting against Marquette and Seton Hall.

Thad Matta was Xavier's head coach from 2001-2004

Matta was Xavier's head coach from 2001-2004. Matta went 78-23 overall in three seasons, leading the Musketeers to two regular-season conference titles, one conference tournament championship, three NCAA tournament berths and an Elite Eight appearance (2004). The Musketeers were in the Atlantic 10 at the time.

Sean Miller was one of Matta's assistants at Xavier before taking over as head coach when Matta left for Ohio State. Prior to last season, Miller and Matta last met in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Miller's Arizona Wildcats beat Matta's Ohio State Buckeyes 73-58 in the second round. Two years earlier, Matta led Ohio State past the Miller-led Wildcats in the Sweet 16.

Projected lineup

(Pos., Height, Stats)

Posh Alexander (G, 6'0", 10.6 ppg)

DJ Davis (G, 6'1", 13.0 ppg)

Pierre Brooks (F, 6'6", 16.1 ppg)

Jahmyl Telfort (F, 6'7", 13.9 ppg)

Jalen Thomas (C, 6'10", 6.5 ppg)

Xavier Musketeers scouting report

Record: 8-8 (2-3 Big East)

Head coach: Sean Miller (155-65 at Xavier, seventh season)

Offense: 75.3 ppg

Defense: 69.7 ppg

Overview: Xavier received a big bump in the KenPom rankings following its win at Providence. Xavier jumped to No. 31 overall, making the Musketeers the only team without a winning record in the top-50. The next closest is No. 73 USC (8-9). KenPom has Xavier as one of the unluckiest teams in the nation, too. Xavier has a luck rating of No. 359 − fourth lowest in the country − which, "is the deviation in winning percentage between a team’s actual record and their expected record using the correlated gaussian method," according to KenPom's explanation.

In the NCAA Net Rankings, Xavier jumped 18 spots to No. 43.

Xavier's offense found its groove against Providence with 85 points, its second-highest output this season (100 vs. Bryant). The Musketeers shot 50.8% from the field and 50% from the three-point line (12-of-24), and that's with leading scorer Quincy Olivari being held to just 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting. Freshman Trey Green had his breakout game, pouring in a career-high 23 on 9-of-14 shooting and five triples. Desmond Claude had 21 points, 19 in the first half after Xavier trailed by as many as 11.

Xavier's offense has a decent matchup against the Butler defense, which is giving up 77.6 points and 12.5 offensive rebounds per game in Big East play. Butler's defense ranks 103rd in efficiency, according to KenPom.

Projected lineup

(Pos., Height, Stats)

Dayvion McKnight (G, 6'0", 9.5 ppg)

Quincy Olivari (G, 6'3", 17.8 ppg)

Desmond Claude (G, 6'6", 15.2 ppg)

Gytis Nemeiksa (F, 6'8", 7.1 ppg)

Abou Ousmane (F, 6'10", 8.4 ppg)

Gytis Nemeiksa shining as starter

Senior Gytis Nemeiksa was penciled into a starting spot for the first nine games before Miller made a change prior to the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout, inserting Lazar Djokovic into the rotation. Nemeiksa returned to the starting lineup vs. Villanova and has provided quality minutes over the last two games.

In that span, Nemeiksa has 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, is 4-of-5 from the perimeter and has 12 rebounds (7 offensive). In Xavier's 20-3 run to start the second half on Saturday, Nemeiksa had 8 points, including back-to-back triples. He finished with a game-high 7 rebounds and pulled down four on the offensive end. His +26 plus/minus over 27 minutes Saturday was the best of any Musketeer.

"He's experiencing things no different than a freshman," Miller said of Nemeiksa. "He's starting to get used to the Big East Conference. I think he now knows what it feels like after 5-6 games. Him playing well in that role gives us a lot more firepower.

"I think we don't have to worry about him giving us everything he has. His teammates really respect his hard work. He's starting to settle in."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Scouting report: Xavier looks to build momentum in Big East vs. Butler