Men's Basketball Plays Its First Game Of 2021 On Wednesday Vs. St. John's In BIG EAST Action

Wednesday, January 6

Cincinnati, Ohio

8 p.m.

Xavier University

St. John's

Men's Basketball Plays Its First Game Of 2021 On Wednesday Vs. St. John's In BIG EAST Action

01.04.21 | Men's Basketball

Xavier vs. St. John's Notes Package

Musketeers are shooting to continue long winning streak vs. the Red Storm.

By: Tom Eiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI --- The Xavier Musketeers, 8-2 overall and 1-2 in the BIG EAST Conference, host St. John's, 6-4 overall and 1-3 in the BIG EAST, on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at Cintas Center. XU, which is looking to snap a two-game losing streak, is looking for its 12th straight win over St. John's.

The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and 700 WLW.

THE MATCHUP

XAVIER UNIVERSITY MUSKETEERS (8-2, 1-2 BIG EAST)
ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY RED STORM (6-4, 1-3 BIG EAST)
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 6, 2021 AT 8:00 P.M. ET
CINTAS CENTER IN CINCINNATI, OHIO

TV, RADIO & LIVE STATS

Television: CBS Sports Network with play-by-play from Tom McCarthy and analysis from Steve Lappas.
Radio: 700 WLW-AM with play-by-play from Mike Schmaltz and analysis from XU Hall of Famer and all-time leading scorer Byron Larkin ('88). XU radio broadcast also available on Sirius XM channel 388 and Internet 978.
Live Stats: Media stats at Statbroadcast.com and fan stats at GoXavier.com.

X FACTORS

• Xavier leads the BIG EAST in assists (seventh in the nation at 19.8 apg.), field goal percentage (43rd in the nation at .486) and field goal percentage defense (.395). XU is second in the BIG EAST and eighth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.72.
• Xavier's KenPom adjusted offensive ranking is 26th and defensive ranking is 87th.
• Xavier senior Paul Scruggs leads the BIG EAST and is 13th in the nation in assists at 6.8 apg. He is second on the team (12th in BIG EAST) in scoring (14.8 ppg.) and is fourth in the BIG EAST in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.83.
• Xavier sophomore Zach Freemantle leads the team in scoring at 16.7 ppg. (seventh in the BIG EAST), rebounding at 7.7 rpg. (fourth in the BIG EAST) and field goal percentage (seventh in the BIG EAST at .565). He is tied for 12th in the BIG EAST in 3-point percentage (.412) and tied for 11th blocks (0.9 bpg.).
• Xavier senior Nate Johnson, who is first in the BIG EAST and 11th in the nation in 3-point percentage (.509), is tied for third in the BIG EAST in 3-point field goals at 2.8 per game. Johnson hit 7 3-pointers vs. Oklahoma on Dec. 9 and scored an XU career-high 25 points.
• Xavier junior Ben Stanley has come off the bench to contribute 21 points on 9-15 (.600) shooting in 25 minutes of action over the last two games.
• Xavier junior Adam Kunkel scored 22 points in 17 minutes in the win over Marquette on Dec. 20. Kunkel hit 7-9 from the field, including the game-winning 3-pointer that earned him the top play on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10.

STEELE PRESSER