Xavier power rankings, week six

In doing research for this week's power rankings post, I crunched some numbers (code for doing simple subtraction) and found out that Xavier players not named Jalen Reynolds were 13-37 from inside the arc against Auburn. I don't like second-guessing the coach, so I assumed that Reynolds must have been doing something secretly egregious. Nope, all of Coach Mack's post-game comments regarding him lauded his work defensively and off the ball. In a game we lost by one point, having our best performer play only half the minutes is frustrating.

Anyway, on to the rankings.

13. Makinde London
London is 0-0 from inside the arc this year.

12. Larry Austin, Jr.
Austin managed to appear in the Auburn game while logging zero minutes of playing time, as he got subbed on for a brief moment to play last-minute defense at the end of the first overtime. He played no other part in the game.

11. Edmond Sumner
Sumner is sitting out this year due to knee problems and has applied to the NCAA for a medical redshirt. He also tweeted that he's realizing how much more serious the college game is compared to high school. His potential and his honesty allow him to hold onto the 11 slot despite retiring from further competition this year.

10. Sean O'Mara
Another guy who didn't play in the week's only game, O'Mara is naturally going to have trouble moving up from here. I'll bet he did really well during finals though.

9. James Farr
I think this is a good time to point out that I sincerely cheer for every dude on the squad. If I write that I think a guy isn't going to do well, then he does well, zero percent of me is chagrined. I want all of the guys to do well, and I harbor no ill will towards any of them. All that to say that, if you're the kind of person who spends too much time on Twitter, you might have noticed that James Farr is not delighted with our analysis of his recent play. Until he stops struggling to score from anywhere on the court or gets back into for rebounding, it's going to be hard for him to rise from 9th on this list.

8. JP Macura
Get well soon, JP!

7. Brandon Randolph
Randolph wasn't particularly good or bad against Auburn, and he did nail a big three in the second half. He had three steals and a couple of assists to only one turnover. He's also shooting 5-8 from deep on the year, but he's a sneaky-bad 11-27 from inside the arc. Randolph continues to play like a good backup and continues to get ranked as such.

6. Myles Davis
Davis is more than just a shooter, but he has a disturbing habit of turning the ball over a lot. He had 4 turnovers against Auburn and has a TO% of 19.9% on the season now, which is kind of not very good. He's also only 10-26 from inside the arc. Of course, and 21-43 number from deep makes up for a lot of shortcomings.

5. Jalen Reynolds
I'm thinking about trying to get a #FreeJalen hashtag trending. Whether you like traditional stats (8.6/5.6/0.4, 66.1% from the floor) or tempo-free stuff (13.4%/26.2% OReb%/DReb%, 118.6 ORtg), Jalen is your guy. Somehow he is still not only not starting - which isn't that big of a deal - but also not getting starter's minutes. Maybe Coach Mack is trying to keep him fresh for conference play.

4. Dee Davis
Dee didn't play particularly well against Auburn, but he was really having trouble doing anything but inhaling without getting a foul called on him. Despite just one assist, he's still comfortably in the top 100 in the nation in assist rate while lurking just outside of it in steal%. One off night does not a season make.

3. Trevon Bluiett
Still the team's leading scorer. He was bloodless at the line and had 7 boards and 5 assists against Auburn. His three turnovers were particularly vexing as they came on lazy passes across the top of the key that led to easy buckets. He's learning, and sometimes lessons come the hard way. It will be interesting to see how Big East play treats the young forward.

2. Matt Stainbrook
Part of this is due to the surge of Jalen Reynolds; as he becomes more valuable, Stainbrook's production becomes easier to replace. Stainbrook's 2-9 shooting against Auburn came with 3 turnovers, which isn't encouraging. He has shown struggles when teams defend him with a single player dedicated to forcing him right; adjusting to that will be vital for his continued success.

1. Remy Abell
It seems like Abell dominated the ball last game, but his usage rate was just 16%. He shot 5-11/2-4/6-7, played good defense, and wanted the ball when the game was on the line. His decision with the ball in that possession was questionable at best, but it shouldn't overshadow the good work he did all game and has indeed done all year. Congratulations, Remy; you're the least replaceable Musketeer as of this moment in time.