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Welcome, Michigan fans, and congrats on those wins over Elon and Northern Michigan. I'm assured both of those are real teams in at least one sense of the word. Xavier also comes into this game with a 2-0 record that is, if we're being honest, not against much better competition both games have come with a massive scoring drought and an eventual triumph over a lesser squad. This is the Musketeers first trip on the road this season, and it figures to be a difficult one. Here's some background information to get you more acquainted with our team.
Xavier Personnel
| No. | Name | Yr. | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | PPG | RPG | APG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STARTERS | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Edmond Sumner | Fr. | G | 6-6 | 183 | 15.5 | 3.5 | 1.5 | .500 | .650 | .650 | Prone to the rush of blood, great scorer |
| 10 | Remy Abell | Sr. | G | 6-4 | 197 | 4.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | .231 | .250 | 1.000 | Best defender |
| 15 | Myles Davis | Jr. | G | 6-2 | 188 | 7.5 | 2.0 | 3.5 | .333 | .143 | .857 | Best shooter on the team, but off to a cold start |
| 5 | Trevon Bluiett | So. | G/F | 6-6 | 208 | 14.0 | 6.5 | 1.5 | .476 | .500 | .750 | Scores whenever, from wherever |
| 1 | Jalen Reynolds | Jr. | F | 6-10 | 238 | 8 | 8.5 | 2.0 | .455 | .000 | .857 | Absolute monster in the middle; prone to mental mistakes |
| RESERVES | ||||||||||||
| Larry Austin Jr. | So. | G | 6-2 | 179 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .500 | .000 | .000 | Will push on offense and work hard on defense | |
| 2 | James Farr | Sr. | F/C | 6-10 | 244 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 1.5 | .444 | .000 | .750 | Went for 15/14/2 against Mizzou |
| 13 | Makindé London | Fr. | F | 6-10 | 220 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | Struggling to get in the rotation |
| 22 | Kaiser Gates | Fr. | F | 6-8 | 217 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | .000 | .000 | .667 | Stretch four; not afraid to shoot |
| 54 | Sean O'Mara | So. | F/C | 6-10 | 247 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | A man in search of post minutes |
| 55 | J.P. Macura | So. | G | 6-5 | 203 | 16.5 | 3.5 | 1.5 | .571 | .500 | 1.000 | Unrepentant gunner who is a blast to watch play. |
Xavier strategy:
- The Musketeers have an adjusted tempo of 72.4, which is pretty quick for a Chris Mack led team. The Musketeers are solid at 33% from behind the arc and excellent at 79.4% from the line. While the shooting isn't excellent (nor terrible), the offensive rebounding that Xavier brings to the game is top notch. 44.3% of Xavier's misses land back in their own hands. That's good for 14th in the nation and while it will inevitably drop during the season, it will remain a strength for the team.
- On defense Xavier will play mostly in a man to man but will throw in a 1-3-1 from time to time. The 1-3-1 features a lot when JP Macura is on the floor. He'll play the top with Jalen Reynolds in the middle and James Farr anchoring the post. The 1-3-1 is very effective and contributes to Xavier turning opponents over on 24.4% of their possessions. In the man to man Xavier will sink into the familiar packline and give up a ton of open looks from behind the arc. It's a bit of an issue.
That's a quick look at the Musketeers. For more coverage of today's game, keep it locked here and follow us on @BannersParkway.