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Xavier is under .500 in the Big East for the first time ever following road losses to Butler and Villanova. They will host the best defensive team in the conference in Marquette in an attempt to rectify that.
BOILERPLATE SECTION: everyone jump in with their depth charts in the comments; this is clearly becoming a thing. Be prepared to be respectful in questioning what other people put and in defending what you wrote. For what it's worth, here's some info that might inform your decisions:
- Brandon Randolph has not appeared in Xavier's last two games. He seems to be healthy and has not been suspended, he has just been phased out. UPDATE: Coach Mack discusses Randolph's diminished role.
- Remy Abell and James Farr started on the bench for the first time all season last game and got only 9 and 12 minutes, respectively. This was the first time Abell has not played at least 17 minutes in a contest.
- Trevon Bluiett has sp'it his time pretty equally between the 3 and 4 in conference play, meaning Xavier has gone with a one big lineup frequently during this span.
| Depth Chart over the last 5 games | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |||||
| 11 Dee Davis | 87% | 15 Myles Davis | 44% | 5 Trevon Bluiett | 39% | 40 Matt Stainbrook | 51% | 1 Jalen Reynolds | 55% |
| 6-0 170 Sr | 6-2 195 So | 6-6 215 Fr | 6-10 270 Sr | 6-10 232 So | |||||
| 15 Myles Davis | 7% | 10 Remy Abell | 41% | 55 J.P. Macura | 32% | 5 Trevon Bluiett | 38% | 2 James Farr | 28% |
| 6-2 195 So | 6-4 195 Jr | 6-5 190 Fr | 6-6 215 Fr | 6-10 247 Jr | |||||
| 3 Brandon Randolph | 6% | 0 Larry Austin | 11% | 10 Remy Abell | 27% | 2 James Farr | 9% | 40 Matt Stainbrook | 17% |
| 6-2 189 So | 6-2 174 Fr | 6-4 195 Jr | 6-10 247 Jr | 6-10 270 Sr | |||||
| 54 Sean O'Mara | 5% | ||||||||
| 6-10 247 Fr |
This one might not be an absolute must win for Xavier, but it feels pretty close given the situation and the opposition. Will you go with an infusion of youthful exuberance to try and break down Marquette's defense, or hope steadier hands can guide the Muskies back into the win column?