Paul Scruggs Earns Preseason BIG EAST Conference Honor

10.28.20 | Men's Basketball

BIG EAST Release On Preseason Poll BIG EAST Release On Preseason Honors

Musketeers picked to finish seventh in BIG EAST by league coaches.

By: Tom Eiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI --- The Xavier University Musketeers were picked to finish seventh in the 2020-21 BIG EAST Conference men's basketball race in a vote among the league coaches. Senior captain Paul Scruggs was voted to the preseason BIG EAST Conference Second Team. The preseason poll and honor squads were announced today as part of the annual BIG EAST Men's Basketball Media Day, which is being held virtually via Zoom this year for the first time ever.

Villanova was chosen as the preseason favorite. The Wildcats, who tied Creighton and Seton Hall for last year's regular-season title, received nine first-place votes and a total of 99 points in the poll. Coaches do not place their own teams on their ballots.

Xavier, 19-13 overall in the 2019-20 season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, won 19 games for the second straight season. XU finished tied for sixth in the BIG EAST at 8-10.

Third-year head coach Travis Steele returns two starters from last season, seniors Paul Scruggs and Jason Carter, and a third who could easily be labeled a returning starter in sophomore Zach Freemantle, who made his first 14 collegiate starts in the final 14 games last season.

Scruggs, who has started 63 games over the last two seasons, is just 47 points shy of 1,000. Scruggs, XU's top returning scorer and only returning double-figure scorer at 12.7 ppg., missed the last three games last season, all close XU losses. Carter, who scored his first 836 points at Ohio, now has 1,057 entering his final season. Carter is Xavier's top returning rebounder from last season at 4.9 rpg.

Sophomores Zach Freemantle and KyKy Tandy were both named to the 2019-20 BIG EAST Conference All-Freshman Team. Tandy averaged 11.6 ppg. for XU's eight BIG EAST wins in his freshman season.

Xavier welcomes a three-member freshman recruiting class (Colby Jones, Dwon Odom and C.J. Wilcher) ranked in the top 20 in the nation. XU welcomes back a pair of young big men who were on campus last season, including 6-10 redshirt freshman Dieonte Miles and 6-9 sophomore Daniel Ramsey, who was limited to one game of action due to injuries last season.

Xavier added a pair of graduate transfers in the off season, 6-4 guard Nate Johnson from Gardner-Webb and 6-8 forward Bryan Griffin from Mercy College. A third transfer, 6-6 junior Ben Stanley, finished tied for eighth in the nation in scoring at Hampton last season at 22.0 ppg. Stanley is still awaiting word on an eligibility waiver request.