Men's Basketball Returns Home To Host Central Michigan On Wednesday

Wednesday, December 1

Cincinnati, Ohio

6:30 p.m.

Xavier University

Central Michigan

Men's Basketball Returns Home To Host Central Michigan On Wednesday

11.30.21 | Men's Basketball

Xavier-CMU Notes

Musketeers play five of their next six games at home.

By: Tom Eiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI --- The Xavier University Musketeers, 5-1, host the Central Michigan University Chippewas, 1-5, on Wednesday night at Cintas Center. Xavier has won 13 straight and 21 of its last 22 meetings against teams from the Mid-American Conference, including a 73-59 win over Kent State on Nov. 12.

Xavier is coming off a 59-58 win over Virginia Tech in the NIT Season Tip-Off at Barclays Center. Due to illness, XU played without three players who had started each of the first five games: Jerome Hunter, Colby Jones and Dieonte Miles. Central Michigan lost at No. 9 Kentucky on Monday.

THE MATCHUP

RV/RV XAVIER UNIVERSITY MUSKETEERS (5-1, 0-0 BIG EAST)
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY CHIPPEWAS (1-5, 0-0 MAC)
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 1, 2021 AT 6:30 P.M. ET
CINTAS CENTER (10,224) IN CINCINNATI, OHIO

TV, RADIO & LIVE STATS

Television: FS1 with play by-play from Matt Schumacker and analysis from Stephen Bardo.
Radio: 55KRC with play-by-play from Xavier Hall of Famer Joe Sunderman ('79) and analysis from Xavier all-time leading scorer and Hall of Famer Byron Larkin ('88). XU broadcast is also available on Sirius XM channel 384 and 974 on the SXM App.
Live Stats: Media stats at Statbroadcast.com and fan stats at GoXavier.com.

X FACTORS

• Xavier, 5-1, is coming off a 59-58 win over Virginia Tech in the NIT Season Tip-Off at Barclays Center. Due to illness, XU was playing without three players who had started each of the first five games: Jerome Hunter, Colby Jones and Dieonte Miles.
• Xavier's balanced lineup has four players averaging in double figures in scoring led by senior Nate Johnson at 13.0 ppg.
• Xavier senior Nate Johnson, who was named to the Upsie NIT Season Tip-Off All-Tournament Team and this week's BIG EAST Honor Roll, scored a collegiate career-high 30 points on 10-14 shooting, including 7-11 3-pointers, in the win over Virginia Tech on Nov. 26, including the game-winning 3-pointer with 25 seconds left.
• Xavier junior Jack Nunge is third on the team in scoring at 12.6 ppg., including his collegiate career-high 24-point game vs. Iowa State on 9-11 shooting, and is second on the team in rebounding at 7.8 rpg. (eighth in the BIG EAST), including his second collegiate career-high 14-rebound game of the season vs. Virginia Tech.
• Xavier senior Paul Scruggs, 2021-22 preseason All-BIG EAST First Team, is in the top 25 on Xavier's all-time scoring list with 1,317 points. Scruggs leads the team in assist at 4.3 apg. which ranks sixth in the BIG EAST Conference.
• Xavier sophomore Colby Jones, one of four Xavier double-figure scorers, is second on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg.) and leads the BIG EAST in rebounding (10.0 rpg.). Jones has recorded double-doubles in points-rebounds his last two games.
• Xavier junior Zach Freemantle, who led XU in scoring at 16.1 ppg. and rebounding at 8.9 rpg. last season, has not played this season but returned to practice this week.

STEELE PRESSER