Xavier Musketeers
Atlantic 10 (17-14, 9-7)
Xavier has had an up and down season. They do have some big wins over teams like Butler, Memphis and Saint Louis. But they also lost to Pacific and Wofford. For a team that lost Dezmine Wells, who was supposed to be the star of the 2012-2013 team, Coach Chris Mack really did do a great job pulling his team together and having a relatively successful season.
Big Wins: 11/13 Butler (62-47), 2/26 Memphis (64-62), 3/6 Saint Louis (72-66)
Bad Losses: 11/22 vs Pacific (67-70), 12/6 Vanderbilt (64-66), 12/22 Wofford (55-56)
Coach: Chris Mack (4 seasons at Xavier)
Why They Can Surprise:
Without Wells, the Musketeers focus turned to the frontcourt. Travis Taylor has had an amazing senior season and his extra bulk has made all the difference. A roleplayer for the previous three seasons, Taylor has averaged 11.9 points and 9.0 rebounds this season. He has gotten plenty of help from Justin Martin, Isaiah Philmore and Jeff Robinson. Martin could be a great scorer once he develops his shot a little more, but he is still a decent slasher and a good rebounder from the wing. Philmore and Robinson are a couple more traditional interior players. Philmore was a big time scorer during his Towson days. He has not kept up with his former numbers, but he is a productive player when he gets on the floor. With the depth, and the quality of that depth, the Musketeers are very strong on the glass and can run their offense through the paint.
Why They Can Disappoint:
With the scoring ability of the frontcourt, the backcourt players get plenty of open looks. Dee Davis and Brad Redford generally can take advantage of those opportunities from beyond the arc, but Xavier as a team is not a prolific outside shooting squad. Redford is mostly a catch and shoot player who sparks the offense from the bench and Davis’ shooting mostly keeps the opposition honest while he worries more about driving and dishing. Certainly the Musketeers do not need to hit three-pointers to win games, but it makes the offense move more efficiently. What the interior scoring does do is open up space for Semaj Christon. The 6-3 freshman lived up to his vast expectations and he is getting better by the day. Christon can finish above the rim with ease and leads the team in points, assists and steals. However, the young and inexperienced backcourt has been a problem for Xavier at times this season and those concerns will be magnified during the tournament.
Probable Starters:
Dee Davis, Sophomore, Guard, 8.2 ppg, 3.4 apg
Semaj Christon, Freshman, Guard, 15.2 ppg, 4.6 apg, 2.9 rpg
Justin Martin, Sophomore, Forward, 7.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg
Travis Taylor, Senior, Forward, 11.9 ppg, 9.0 rpg
Jeff Robinson, Senior, Forward, 6.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Isaiah Philmore, Junior, Forward, 7.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg
Brad Redford, Senior, Guard, 7.6 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 65.5 (226th in nation, 14th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 62.6 (70, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.7 (62, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.5 (71, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.5 (314, 14)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: n/a
Free-Throw Percentage: 66.4 (262, 13)
Rebound Margin: 5.0 (38, 2)
Assists Per Game: 11.3 (282, 15)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.1 (157, 8)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
2012 NCAA Second Round win over Notre Dame
2012 NCAA Third Round win over Lehigh
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Baylor
2011 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Marquette
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Minnesota
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Pittsburg
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Kansas State
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Portland State
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Wisconsin
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Pittsburgh
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Georgia
2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over Purdue
2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over West Virginia
2008 NCAA Regional Final loss to UCLA
*all team stats through 3/10
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
