Xavier University Athletics
Men's Basketball Opens BIG EAST Conference Play On Saturday At DePaul
12.27.18 | Men's Basketball
Defending BIG EAST Champions open on the road for the second straight year.
CHICAGO --- The Xavier University Musketeers, defending BIG EAST Conference Regular Season Champions, open league play on Saturday vs. the DePaul University Blue Demons in Chicago at 2 p.m. ET.
DePaul, 8-3, had a three-game winning streak snapped by Boston College, 65-62 on Dec. 22. That's the Blue Demons' only home loss this season. DePaul is 8-1 at Wintrust Arena. Xavier, 8-5, is coming off a 69-55 win over Detroit Mercy on Dec. 21 at Cintas Center despite playing without two injured starters, sophomore Naji Marshall and junior Tyrique Jones. Junior Quentin Goodin led Xavier with career highs of 22 points and nine rebounds to go with nine assists and three steals. Graduate transfer Zach Hankins made his first start as a Musketeer, contributing a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds to go with an XU career-high six blocks.
Xavier leads the series 13-9, including eight straight wins over the Blue Demons and wins in 11 of the last 12 meetings. XU is 10-1 vs. DePaul since the two teams became BIG EAST rivals in the 2013-14 season. Xavier clinched sole possession of the 2018 BIG EAST Conference regular season title with its 65-62 win at DePaul last season in the regular season finale for both teams.
Xavier has compiled a 57-33 (.633) record in its first five years of BIG EAST Conference regular season action, including a 15-3 mark last season that earned the Musketeers their first-ever BIG EAST Regular Season Championship.
The Musketeers are 4-1 in BIG EAST Conference openers, including a 91-87 win last season at Marquette (12-27-17). This marks the second straight season and the third time in four years that Xavier has opened BIG EAST play on the road.
BIG EAST CONFERENCE OPENER
Xavier University Musketeers (8-5, 0-0 BIG EAST)
DePaul University Blue Demons (8-3, 0-0 BIG EAST)
Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT)
Wintrust Arena (10,387) in Chicago
Television: FS1 with play-by-play from Jeff Levering and analysis from DePaul alum Stephen Howard.
Xavier Radio: 700 WLW-AM, including via iHeart Radio and TuneIn and SiriusXM Internet (972), with play-by-play from XU Hall of Famer and former Musketeer standout Joe Sunderman ('79). Analysis will be provided by Xavier Hall of Famer and XU all-time leading scorer Byron Larkin ('88).
Live Stats: Media stats at Statbroadcast.com. Fan stats at GoXavier.com.
• Xavier, 8-5, is opening BIG EAST play on the road for the second straight season and the third time in four years. XU won its league opener at Marquette last season.
• Xavier, which won its first BIG EAST Conference Regular Season Championship last season, was picked to picked sixth this season in a preseason coaches poll.
• Xavier has won eight straight meetings with DePaul and 11 of the last 12.
• Xavier junior Quentin Goodin leads XU in scoring (14.3 ppg.), assists (second in the BIG EAST at 5.5 apg.) and steals (fifth in the BIG EAST at 1.7 spg.).
• Xavier's Quentin Goodin earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the second straight week after averaging 21.5 points, 7.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals in games at Missouri on Dec. 18 and vs. Detroit Mercy on Dec. 21.
• Xavier sophomore Naji Marshall, who sat out the Detroit Mercy game on Dec. 21 due to injury, is second on the team in scoring (12.5 ppg.), rebounding (seventh in the BIG EAST at 7.6 rpg.) and assists (tied for 10th in the BIG EAST at 3.4 apg.).
• Xavier junior Tyrique Jones, who sat out the Detroit Mercy game on Dec. 21 due to injury, is tied for third in the BIG EAST Conference in rebounding (7.8 rpg.) and leads the BIG EAST in offensive rebounding (3.4 rpg.).
• Xavier graduate transfer Zach Hankins is second in the BIG EAST Conference in field goal percentage (.718) and is second in the BIG EAST in blocks (1.5 bpg.).
• Xavier has four players averaging in double figures in scoring through 13 games and a fifth player at 9.7 ppg.
• Xavier played in its fifth straight NCAA Tournament and its 12th in 13 years in 2018. XU earned a No. 1 seed in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
• Xavier has graduated 109 straight men's basketball seniors dating back to the 1985-86 school year.
DePaul, 8-3, had a three-game winning streak snapped by Boston College, 65-62 on Dec. 22. That's the Blue Demons' only home loss this season. DePaul is 8-1 at Wintrust Arena. Xavier, 8-5, is coming off a 69-55 win over Detroit Mercy on Dec. 21 at Cintas Center despite playing without two injured starters, sophomore Naji Marshall and junior Tyrique Jones. Junior Quentin Goodin led Xavier with career highs of 22 points and nine rebounds to go with nine assists and three steals. Graduate transfer Zach Hankins made his first start as a Musketeer, contributing a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds to go with an XU career-high six blocks.
Xavier leads the series 13-9, including eight straight wins over the Blue Demons and wins in 11 of the last 12 meetings. XU is 10-1 vs. DePaul since the two teams became BIG EAST rivals in the 2013-14 season. Xavier clinched sole possession of the 2018 BIG EAST Conference regular season title with its 65-62 win at DePaul last season in the regular season finale for both teams.
Xavier has compiled a 57-33 (.633) record in its first five years of BIG EAST Conference regular season action, including a 15-3 mark last season that earned the Musketeers their first-ever BIG EAST Regular Season Championship.
The Musketeers are 4-1 in BIG EAST Conference openers, including a 91-87 win last season at Marquette (12-27-17). This marks the second straight season and the third time in four years that Xavier has opened BIG EAST play on the road.
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THE MATCHUP |
BIG EAST CONFERENCE OPENER
Xavier University Musketeers (8-5, 0-0 BIG EAST)
DePaul University Blue Demons (8-3, 0-0 BIG EAST)
Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT)
Wintrust Arena (10,387) in Chicago
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TV, RADIO AND LIVE STATS |
Television: FS1 with play-by-play from Jeff Levering and analysis from DePaul alum Stephen Howard.
Xavier Radio: 700 WLW-AM, including via iHeart Radio and TuneIn and SiriusXM Internet (972), with play-by-play from XU Hall of Famer and former Musketeer standout Joe Sunderman ('79). Analysis will be provided by Xavier Hall of Famer and XU all-time leading scorer Byron Larkin ('88).
Live Stats: Media stats at Statbroadcast.com. Fan stats at GoXavier.com.
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X FACTORS |
• Xavier, 8-5, is opening BIG EAST play on the road for the second straight season and the third time in four years. XU won its league opener at Marquette last season.
• Xavier, which won its first BIG EAST Conference Regular Season Championship last season, was picked to picked sixth this season in a preseason coaches poll.
• Xavier has won eight straight meetings with DePaul and 11 of the last 12.
• Xavier junior Quentin Goodin leads XU in scoring (14.3 ppg.), assists (second in the BIG EAST at 5.5 apg.) and steals (fifth in the BIG EAST at 1.7 spg.).
• Xavier's Quentin Goodin earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the second straight week after averaging 21.5 points, 7.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals in games at Missouri on Dec. 18 and vs. Detroit Mercy on Dec. 21.
• Xavier sophomore Naji Marshall, who sat out the Detroit Mercy game on Dec. 21 due to injury, is second on the team in scoring (12.5 ppg.), rebounding (seventh in the BIG EAST at 7.6 rpg.) and assists (tied for 10th in the BIG EAST at 3.4 apg.).
• Xavier junior Tyrique Jones, who sat out the Detroit Mercy game on Dec. 21 due to injury, is tied for third in the BIG EAST Conference in rebounding (7.8 rpg.) and leads the BIG EAST in offensive rebounding (3.4 rpg.).
• Xavier graduate transfer Zach Hankins is second in the BIG EAST Conference in field goal percentage (.718) and is second in the BIG EAST in blocks (1.5 bpg.).
• Xavier has four players averaging in double figures in scoring through 13 games and a fifth player at 9.7 ppg.
• Xavier played in its fifth straight NCAA Tournament and its 12th in 13 years in 2018. XU earned a No. 1 seed in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
• Xavier has graduated 109 straight men's basketball seniors dating back to the 1985-86 school year.
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VIDEO: TRAVIS STEELE |
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