Musketeers are tied for first in the BIG EAST Conference.
GAME NOTES
https://goxavier.com/documents/2023/2/2/2022-23_NOTES_GAME_24__vs_SJU.pdf
CINCINNATI — The No.16 Xavier University Musketeers, 18-5 overall and tied with Marquette for first place in the BIG EAST Conference at 10-2, host the St. John’s University Red Storm on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Cintas Center.
Xavier is coming off an 85-83 overtime win over No. 17 Providence on Wednesday. It marked XU’s first game without its leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, senior Zach Freemantle, who has a left foot injury that is expected to sideline him for four weeks.
Xavier leads the nation in assists per game at 20.8 apg. and is second in the BIG EAST and sixth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.62. XU had a season-low five turnovers on Wednesday.
THE MATCHUP
NO. 16/15 XAVIER UNIVERSITY MUSKETEERS (18-5, 10-2 BIG EAST)
ST. JOHN’S UNIVERSITY RED STORM (14-9, 4-8 BIG EAST)
SATURDAY, FEB. 4, 2023 AT 5:00 P.M. ET
AT CINTAS CENTER IN CINCINNATI, OHIO
TV, RADIO & LIVE STATS
Television: FOX National, including FOX 19 in Cincinnati, with play by-play from Tim Brando and analysis from Nick Bahe.
Xavier Radio: 700 WLW with play-by-play from Xavier Hall of Famer Joe Sunderman (’79) and analysis from XU all-time leading scorer and Hall of Famer Byron Larkin (’88). XU broadcast also available on Sirius XM channel 134 or 201 and 964 on the SXM App.
Live Stats: Media stats at Statbroadcast.com and fan stats at GoXavier.com.
X FACTORS
Xavier, 18-5 overall, is tied with Marquette for first place in the BIG EAST Conference at 10-2. Xavier, which won the title in 2018, is in its 10th BIG EAST season.
• Xavier is coming off an 85-83 overtime win over No. 17 Providence led by Jack Nunge with 23 points and 14 rebounds and two others who scored 20 (Colby Jones and Souley Boum). It marked XU’s first game without its leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, senior Zach
Freemantle, who has a left foot injury that is expected to sideline him for four weeks.
• Xavier is 7-1 over its last eight games decided by five points or less.
• Xavier is 16th in this week’s AP Poll and 15th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. XU is No. 23 in the KenPom rankings and No. 26 in the NCAA’s NET ranking. Xavier has six Quad 1 wins (one of only nine schools with six) and holds a 5-0 mark vs. Quad 2.
• Xavier graduate student Souley Boum, XU’s leading scorer at 16.3 ppg. (fourth in the BIG EAST), leads the team and is fourth in the BIG EAST in assists at 5.1 apg. Boum leads the team and is second in the BIG EAST (20th in the nation) in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.9-to-1.0 for all games. For BIG EAST games only he leads the league at 4.4-to-1.0.
• Xavier junior Colby Jones was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll on Jan. 30 after averaging 16.5 points, 4.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals for games at UConn and at Creighton. XU has had an honoree in all 12 weeks of BIG EAST awards this season. Jones is second on the team in assists at 4.9 apg. (sixth in the BIG EAST) to go with 14.8 ppg. (14th in the BIG EAST).
• Xavier graduate student Jack Nunge is fourth on the team in scoring at 14.5 ppg. (15th in the BIG EAST) and is second in rebounding at 8.1 rpg. (fifth in the BIG EAST). Nunge is third in the BIG EAST in offensive rebounding at 2.9 orpg.
• Xavier leads the nation in assists per game at 20.8 apg. and is second in the BIG EAST and sixth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.62. In addition, XU is second in the BIG EAST and fifth in the nation in overall field goal percentage (.500) and is first in the BIG EAST and seventh in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (.396). XU leads the BIG EAST in scoring at 83.3 ppg., which ranks eighth in the nation.
COURTESY XAVIER ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
