Xavier power rankings, week four

It's that time of week again: the time where I arbitrarily rate the players on the Musketeers' roster based on some arcane, not entirely objective set of criteria not clear even to me. There was only one game last week, which means the players only had one chance to make an impression on me. I'm sure that was their primary motivation as the game played out.

13. Makinde London
Sorry, Makinde.

12. Larry Austin, Jr.
Austin came on late against Alabama, scoring and avoiding turning the ball over. I still think he's a future Dee Davis-type player, but his learning curve - like Dee's - is not off to an explosive start.

11. Edmond Sumner
Sumner was not great against Alabama, nor did he get as much court time as Austin. Despite Sumner's sitting out the first few games, his numbers are basically identical to Austin's, and he seems more closely poised on the edge of a breakout game.

10. Sean O'Mara
Guess who draws the most fouls per 40 minutes of playing time of any Musketeer? Of course it's Sean O'Mara, or else it wouldn't make sense to be mentioning it here. He gave the team 10 good minutes while the big men were in foul trouble and continues to be a force on the offensive glass. His opportunities will be limited by the talent in front of him (and how much he loves fouling), but he's doing everything he should be this season.

9. JP Macura
My word can this guy ever get buckets. Not just that, but he flat out knows how to play offense, on and off the ball, getting shots for himself or others. His defensive strategy right now appears to be to sell out in the passing lanes and hope for the best, which is destined to meet mixed results. Still, he's lightning off the bench when he gets hot.

8. Brandon Randolph
In Xavier's last three games, Brandon Randolph has played 23 minutes. It's hard to make an impact when you're not on the floor. Randolph hasn't been exceptionally horrible, so it's not clear what he has done to merit the diminished role, but the role is diminished all the same. He and Tim Stainbrook were the only Muskies to play and not score during the Pop-A-Shot game against Alabama.

7. James Farr
Farr continues to be really bad at scoring the basketball, but he's developed nicely into a dominant rebounder and shot blocker. His 4-16 from deep isn't as vexing as his 13-30 (43.3%) from inside the arc. How does a man that big have so much trouble scoring close to the rim? If he figures that out, he'll shoot up the charts.

6. Myles Davis
Most teams would count themselves lucky to have one guy like JP Macura or Myles Davis coming off the bench to throw gas on the offensive fire; Xavier has a pair. Davis led the team with a career-high 18 against Alabama. More importantly, he showed a full array of offensive skills, drilling threes off the dribble or the catch and scoring inside the arc. He'd start for a lot of good teams.

5. Jalen Reynolds
James Farr, except with ridiculous dunks. Other than the time they both napped through the UTEP game, Farr and Reynolds form the kind of frontcourt combination that opposing forwards can't relish seeing. Even if you get one in foul trouble, good luck in scoring and rebounding against the other one and Matt Stainbrook.

4. Dee Davis
I know he has a proclivity for questionable decision-making with the ball sometimes and his shooting hasn't been as good as it usually is, but the man assists a third of the baskets his teammates score when he's out there.

3. Trevon Bluiett
It's nothing that Trevon did that dropped him here; it's a combination of things he didn't do. The one was stay on the court against Alabama. The officials were mostly to blame for that, though Bluiett probably had a hand in it. The other is play defense. I don't think he's lazy or selfish or stupid, it's just that adjusting to defending at the D1 level takes time, and Trevon is going through that right now.

2. Remy Abell
There's value in being able to do something no one else does. This team has a dozen guys who can score the basketball and only one who seems to be inclined to defend on the perimeter. Add to that the fact that he never turns the ball over, doesn't demand a lot of possessions, scores efficiently, and has made 9-10 from the line after starting the year 0-5, and Remy Abell is our #2 Muskie this week.

1. Matt Stainbrook
Still the most efficient shooter on the team, still an above average passer, still doing work on the glass on both ends. Throw in some blocked shots and the team lead in fouls drawn and it's no wonder that Matt Stainbrook is a fixture in the top spot in these rankings.