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At Big East media day yesterday Xavier was picked to finish seventh in the new conference. That wasn't the major Musketeer news of the day though. Far more notable was that Semaj Christon landed one of the Big East first team spots alongside stars Markel Starks, Devante Gardner, Bryce Cotton, and, of course, Doug McDermott. The coaches tabbed the Big East to finish as follows, with only 20 points separating fourth and seventh.
1. Marquette (5) 74
2. Georgetown (2) 70
3. Creighton (1) 61
4. Villanova 58
5. St. John's (2) 56
6. Providence 41
7. Xavier 38
8. Seton Hall 20
9. Butler 19
10. DePaul 13
Fellow SBNer Mike Rutherford is taking the opportunity to open the college basketball season by ranking the top 100 players in the nation. While any list of that scope is bound to have some issues (Kaleb Tarczewski?), it's a least an entertaining way to familiarize yourself with some of the bigger names in the game. Notable to Xavier fans will be #27, Semaj Christon. According to Rutherford:
27. Semaj Christon, SO, G, Xavier
The speedy floor general was one of the best freshmen in the country last season, sporting team-best averages of 15.2 ppg and 4.6 apg. The Cincinnati product scored in double figures in each of Xavier's final 18 games, but needs to showcase some improvement from beyond the arc now that the word is out on his ability to get to the bucket.
It may not be a preseason All-America, or even the Big East first team honor that he grabbed yesterday, but it is clear that Christon is beginning to make an impact on the national level. Continued consistent exposure on ESPN and Fox Sports One will only serve to increase the notoriety the sophomore gains as the season progresses.