By G. Wesley Garrison
1 14 2025
GAME NOTES VS. VILLANOVA
https://goxavier.com/documents/2025/1/13/2024-25_NOTES_GAME_18_VILLANOVA.pdf
Musketeers are 8-2 at Cintas Center this season.
CINCINNATI — The Xavier University Musketeers, 10-7 overall and 2-4 in the BIG EAST Conference, host the Villanova University Wildcats, 11-6 overall and 4-2 in the BIG EAST, on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. at Cintas Center. Xavier is coming off a win at DePaul on Saturday, while Villanova lost at St. John’s on Saturday.
Xavier graduate student Zach Freemantle has averaged a team-high 19.3 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds since returning from injury. Freemantle missed XU’s first three BIG EAST games (at UConn on Dec. 18 and vs. Marquette on Dec. 21 and Seton Hall on Dec. 31).
TV/Stream: FS1 with play-by-play from Connor Onion and analysis from LaPhonso Ellis.
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.
• Xavier is second in the BIG EAST and 13th in the nation in free throw percentage at .790. XU has three players ranked in the top 10 in the BIG EAST in free throw percentage:
Dayvion McKnight (seventh at .836), Dailyn Swain (eighth at .825) and Ryan Conwell (10th at .806). Villanova leads the BIG EAST in free throw percentage at .796.
• Xavier leads the BIG EAST in fastbreak points (sixth in the nation in at 17.7 ppg.) and is second in 3-point percentage (17th in the nation at .392) and free throw percentage (13th in the nation at .790). Xavier is third in the BIG EAST in assist-to-turnover ratio (43rd in the nation at 1.47), while ranking fourth in assists per game (36th in the nation at 17.0 apg.).
• Xavier graduate student Zach Freemantle, preseason Second Team All-BIG EAST, is coming off a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds at DePaul. Freemantle, who missed Xavier’s first three BIG EAST games due to a lower body injury, leads the team in scoring (fourth in the BIG EAST at 17.4 ppg.) and rebounding (fourth in the BIG EAST at 7.5 rpg.).
• Xavier junior Ryan Conwell, who is coming off a 19-point game at DePaul on Saturday, is second on the team and eighth in the BIG EAST in scoring at 16.1 ppg. He has hit at least one 3-pointers in all 17 games and at least two in 15 games. He ranks third in the BIG EAST and 41st in the nation at 3.0 3-point field goals made per game. His 51 total 3-pointers made rank second in the BIG EAST and 25th in the nation.
• Xavier graduate student Dayvion McKnight leads XU in assists at 4.9 apg. (sixth in the BIG EAST) and is second in the BIG EAST and 18th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.32. He is seventh in the BIG EAST in free throw percentage at .836.
• Xavier sophomore Dailyn Swain
has contributed four double-figure scoring games in the last five games, while averaging 11.8 ppg. and 6.0 rpg. over that stretch. Swain, who is fifth in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage at .565, is eighth in the BIG EAST in free throw percentage at .825. He is tied for ninth in the BIG EAST in steals at 1.6 spg.
• Xavier graduate student Jerome Hunter, who had 10 points and six rebounds at DePaul, on Saturday, has started all six of XU’s BIG EAST games (first six starts of the season).
COURTESY XAVIER ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
