Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas
The Xavier Musketeers will travel to Villanova to take on the Wildcats. Xavier is looking to win its ninth consecutive contest. Xavier recently handed UConn their first loss of the season. The Musketeers lost the rebound battle 31-38 and assisted on 20 of 28 made baskets. Five players scored double figures, Colby Jones led Xavier with 16. Villanova recently beat Georgetown on the road. Villanova lost the rebound battle 34-36 and had nine steals. Four Wildcats finished with double figure scoring and Caleb Daniels led the Wildcats with 20 points.
Let's dive in.
The Xavier Musketeers handed the UConn Huskies their first loss of the season. Xavier, at home, won 83-73 and shot 53.8% from the floor and went 4-13 (30.8%). Xavier took 28 free throw attempts on the night and made 23 (82%) of them. Zach Freemantle had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Jerome Hunter came off the bench and scored 15 points, going 9-9 from the charity stripe. As a team the Musketeers had 11 steals.
On the season Xavier is 6th in the nation in scoring with 83.8 points per game and 4th in shooting percentage, knocking down field goals at a 50.8% clip. The Musketeers take just over 18 3-pointers per contest, bottom 60 in the country, but they are connecting on 40% of those tries which is 4th in America. Needless to say, the scoring for the Musketeers has been incredibly efficient. Xavier looks to get most of the scoring near the rim, where 43.7% of their scoring production comes from. The Mu sketeers have been average taking care of the ball this season. On the season they are turning it over 14 times per game, which is bottom 100 in America. They have been pretty good on the offensive glass, grabbing 28.8% of their missed shots. Xavier is also pretty good at turning those rebounds into quick scoring chances. The Musketeers ranks 46th in second chance conversion percentage. Villanova has done well to limit quick second chance scoring opportunities this season.
Four players are averaging double figures for the Musketeers on the season. Souley Boum leads the team with 16.9 points per contest. Down low, Jack Nunge and Zach Freemantle are both giving you 14-15 points per game and close to eight rebounds apiece. Colby Jones has been the primary facilitator for the offense as he is averaging 5.6 assists per game. Jones is also chipping in for 14 points and just over five rebounds per game as well. Boum has been a true marksman from distance this year. O n the season he has 64 3-point attempts and he's knocked down 46.9% of those shots. It's hard to imagine Boum will finish the year shooting that well from deep, but he's been terrific for the Musketeers offense. As a team the Musketeers are assisting on 68.8% of their made baskets, which is 3rd in the country.
On the defensive side of things Xavier is allowing 73.9 points per game and opponents are shooting 43.9% from the floor. From distance opponents have been taking 20.5 attempts per game and knocking down 37.1% of those shots. Xavier is holding opponents to 56% shooting near the rim and that is where opponents have looked to get most of their scoring production. The Musketeers have allowed opponents to generate 39.5% of their scoring production in the near proximity. It hasn't been easing going scoring down low against Xavier. Nunge and Freemantle are combining to give you 2.5 blocks per contest. While the perimeter defen se has been allowing shots to hit at a high rate, opponents are getting only a third of their points from beyond the arc. Xavier is averaging 7.5 steals per game on the season and last game they worked UConn into 16 total turnovers on the night. Xavier should hold their own down low, but the weaknesses on the perimeter will need to be tightened up considering Villanova is a 3-point heavy offense.