Big East Rankings: #5-Xavier Musketeers (W/Freemantle)

The Big East Rankings continue, and the Xavier Musketeers are the next team ranked in the Big East rankings. The Musketeers are coming off a strong season in 2022-2023, and do lose many of their top players. Furthermore, they bring in a new group and still have high expectations to succeed. Sean Miller came back to give this team a better chance at competing for a Big East and national crown, so will he deliver it this season? This article explains why it is not likely to happen in 2023-2024. 

Big East Rankings: #5-Xavier Musketeers

Projected Starting 5 

Below is the starting 5 according to their games in the Bahamas and Jon Rothstein’s reports. However, this is subject to change with the recent news that there is still no timetable for  Zach Freemantle’s return 

PG- Dayvion McKnight

SG- Desmond Claude

SF- Quincy Olivari

PF- Jerome Hunter

C- Abou Ousmane 

Where the Musketeers Found Success

Scoring the Ball 

The Musketeers were an excellent offensive team last season. They were 16th in offensive efficiency last season in all of college basketball. Xavier produced 1.09 points per possession on offense, a very productive statistic for a college offense. Within the Big East, the Musketeers had the best field goal percentage and scoring offense in the entire conference. Finally, they were 5th in the country in field goal percentage. 

Why They Are Above St. John’s? 

The Musketeers are above the Red Storm because of their experience. Now, this all depends on the likelihood that Freemantle returns during the season. Now, Ousmane is another excellent big man and can produce at a high level if Freemantle is not able to return. The guards for Xavier played in tough conferences, and Hunter and Freemantle are successful players in this conference. Furthermore, Miller has his system established in Xavier already. It makes it easier to build success going into his second season. Also, their transfers help ignite a good scoring offense again for Xavier. McKnight scores well in the midrange, and Olivari is a terrific three-point shooter. 

Why They Rank 5th?

Backcourt Size 

Xavier does not have the biggest backcourt compared to the teams ahead of them. It may prove difficult to score against the bigger and stronger teams in the conference. More importantly, Xavier has to play fast to enhance their smaller backcourt lineup. McKnight, Claude, and Olivari all stand between 6’0” and 6’2”, a problem for players, who will have 6’7” wings defending them for a long period. 

Defense 

Xavier got some pieces to address this side of the ball, but the defense did not equate to a strength for their basketball team. Their defensive struggles are an issue that needs to be addressed to compete with the top four teams. The Big East has talent, and stopping the offense of the opponent is essential. Xavier does not defend as well as the other teams in the top 4, so they rank below them. 

Last Word on the Xavier Musketeers 

The Xavier Musketeers are not talked about in the Big East, as a contender. However, their explosive scoring guards and Freemantle’s dominance in the paint make this team a contender. As long as they play at a good tempo on offense, and address their issues on defense, they will challenge the top teams this season.