By Packy Moore
GAME NOTES VS. SOUTH CAROLINA
https://goxavier.com/documents/2024/11/22/2024-25_NOTES_GAME_6_SOUTH_CAROLINA.pdf
FORT MYERS, FLA. — The No. 22 Xavier University Musketeers, 5-0, take on the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, 3-2, on Monday night at 8:30 p.m. in the Fort Myers Tip-Off at Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Michigan and Virginia Tech play in the first game of that night’s doubleheader.
Xavier will play five of its next seven games away from Cintas Center, starting with the South Carolina game. XU plays either Michigan or Virginia Tech on Nov. 27, at TCU on Dec. 5, at Cincinnati on Dec. 14 and its BIG EAST opener at UConn on Dec. 18. XU, which has home games on Dec. 1 vs. South Carolina State and Dec. 10 vs. Morgan State, is ranked No. 22 in today’s Associated Press Poll and the USA Today Sports Coaches Poll, its first Top 25 rankings in either major poll since the 2022-23 season.
BROADCAST AND LIVE STATS INFORMATION
TV/Stream: FS1 with Jeff Levering and Donny Marshall on the call.
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 is also available on the Varsity Network and on Sirius XM.
Live Stats: Media stats at Statbroadcast.com and fan stats at GoXavier.com.
X FACTORS
• Xavier, 5-0, is coming off an 80-55 win over Siena on Nov. 20 at Cintas Center. This is Xavier’s best start since going 8-0 to start the 2020-21 season. This is XU’s second-best start in eight seasons under head coach Sean Miller, trailing only the 9-0 start in the 2008-09 season.
• Xavier graduate student Marcus Foster recorded his first double-figure scoring game as a Musketeer with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists against Siena. Nine Xavier players have at least one double-figure scoring game though five games this season.
• Xavier leads the BIG EAST in free-throw percentage (eighth in the nation at .827), 3-point percentage (10th in the nation at .434), assists per game (second in the nation at 21.8 apg.), assist-to-turnover ratio (fourth in the nation at 2.27) and fastbreak points (ninth in the nation in at 21.6 ppg.). XU is second in the BIG EAST in turnover margin at +4.4.
• Xavier junior newcomer Ryan Conwell, a preseason Third Team All-BIG EAST selection, leads the team in scoring at 18.2 ppg. (fourth in the BIG EAST), while leading the BIG EAST and ranking 10th in the nation at 4.0 3-point field goals made per game.
• Xavier has hit at least 10 3-pointers in four straight games, its longest such single-season streak since a six-game streak in the 1998-99 season. Junior Ryan Conwell has hit at least three 3-pointers in all five games and is one of only six XU players ever to have a streak of five-straight games or more with at least three 3-pointers.
• Xavier graduate student Dayvion McKnight, a preseason Second Team All-BIG EAST selection, has averaged 12.6 ppg. and a team-high 5.2 apg. (sixth in the BIG EAST). McKnight leads the BIG EAST and ranks 18th in the nation with an 6.5 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Xavier graduate student Zach Freemantle, a preseason Second Team All-BIG EAST selection, is second on the team in scoring (12th in the BIG EAST at 15.6 ppg.) and leads the team in rebounding (sixth in BIG EAST at 7.2 rpg.). He is tied for the league lead in defensive rebounding at 6.0 drpg.
• Xavier is 25-11 in its last 36 games against 12 different current SEC members since 2008. South Carolina is one of only four current SEC teams that XU has not played since Jan. of 2008.
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