Xavier Opens Season vs Robert Morris at Cintas Center
Tonight, Xavier opens their season. The Musketeers look to build momentum from last season's Sweet 16 run while also bringing in ten new players.
This is a unique challenge that Sean Miller and staff seem to be very excited about. While there are a lot of new players, there is also a lot of talent amongst the roster, but the big question will be just how does all the talent fit together?
Tonight they will get their first chance to show how well they play together against Robert Morris of the Horizon League. Last season the Colonials finished sixth in their conference with a 16-17 record overall and a 10-10 record in Horizon League play.
According to KenPom, the Colonials will be Xavier's lowest rated opponent of the season at 307th overall.
Robert Morris Players to watch:
Josh Corbin, 6'3 Guard:
Last season Corbin averaged 10.3 PPG, he will be the returning leading scorer as Enoch Cheeks and Kahliel Spear have moved on. Corbin looks to be one of their primary ball handlers and their go to scorer.
Justice Williams, 6'3 Guard:
The LSU transfer didn't receive a lot of playing time his two seasons in Baton Rogue, and is looking to take his chance at his new school to show his abilities. Williams is a career 32% shooter from the field, and 18% career 3 point shooter but with limited volume.
Xavier Players to watch:
Desmond Claude 6'6 Guard:
Claude is expected to take a big jump this season for the Musketeers. With the graduations of Souley Boum and Adam Kunkel, and Colby Jones now in the NBA, Claude is looked to be a leader as the top returning player from last season. Claude has shown abilities to be a two-way player and Miller and staff have raved about how great his off-season was.
Abou Ousmane 6'10 Forward:
The North Texas transfer has some big shoes to fill as Xavier lost Jack Nunge to graduation. Ousmane averaged 11.1 PPG last season and also had five double/doubles including a 37 point, eleven rebound performance vs UTSA.
Trey Green 6'0 Guard:
The highly touted recruit will be one of the Musketeers first options off of the bench this season. The four-star recruit was in 247 sports top 100 last season and averaged 16.5 PPG his senior year of high school at Prolific Prep. Green was also named a top 25 impact freshmen by Jon Rothstein.
"Trey stood out to us as a tough competitor and an elite shot maker," Head Coach Sean Miller said. "Trey led Mokan Elite to a Peach Jam EYBL Championship. Trey has the ability to pressure the ball defensively, make great decisions in the open court, and make shots in the half court."
How to watch: Tip-Off will be at 8 PM EST on FS1 as part of the Big East Tip-Off. You can also watch the game without interruptions on the Fox Sports App. Radio broadcast will be on 55KRC with play-by-play from Joe Underman and analysis from Byron Larkin.