Xavier University Athletics

No. 18 Xavier Visits No. 23 Villanova On Tuesday Night
12.20.21 | Men's Basketball
Musketeers are shooting for their eighth straight win.
CINCINNATI --- The No. 18 Xavier University Musketeers, 11-1 overall and 1-0 in the BIG EAST Conference, visit the No. 23 Villanova University Wildcats, 7-4 overall and 0-1 in the BIG EAST, on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
Xavier, coming off an 80-71 win over Marquette on Saturday, is shooting for its eighth straight win. Sophomore Dwon Odom, BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week, led XU with a career-high 19 points vs. Marquette, the seventh different player to lead XU in scoring this season.
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THE MATCHUP |
NO. 18 XAVIER UNIVERSITY MUSKETEERS (11-1, 1-0 BIG EAST)
AT NO. 23 VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY WILDCATS (7-4, 0-1 BIG EAST)
TUESDAY, DEC. 21, 2021 AT 7:00 P.M. ET
FINNERAN PAVILION (6,501) IN VILLANOVA, PA.
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TV, RADIO & LIVE STATS |
Television: FS1 with play by-play from Brandon Gaudin and analysis from Jim Jackson.
Radio: 55KRC-AM with play-by-play from Xavier Hall of Famer Joe Sunderman ('79) and analysis from XU all-time leading scorer and Hall of Famer Byron Larkin ('88). XU broadcast is also available on Sirius XM (387) and the SXM App. (977).
Live Stats: Media stats at Statbroadcast.com and fan stats at GoXavier.com.
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X FACTORS |
• Xavier, 11-1 overall and 1-0 in the BIG EAST Conference, is ranked No. 18 in this week's Associated Press Poll. XU is 11th in the NCAA NET and 23rd in KenPom.
• Xavier is coming off its seventh straight win, an 80-71 victory over Marquette on Saturday in the BIG EAST opener.
• Xavier sophomore Dwon Odom, BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week, led XU with a career-high 19 points vs. Marquette, the seventh different player to lead XU in scoring this season. XU has a streak of six different scoring leaders for the last six games. XU has also had a player honored by the BIG EAST six weeks in a row.
• Xavier is second in the BIG EAST (21st in the nation) in field goal percentage defense (.379) and leads the BIG EAST (16th in the nation) in rebound margin (+9.5 rpg.).
• Xavier junior Jack Nunge, second on the team in scoring at 13.0 ppg. and
rebounding at 7.8 rpg. (seventh in the BIG EAST), posted his third double-double of the season (second in three games) with 13 points and 12 rebounds vs. Marquette.
• Xavier's balanced lineup has four players averaging in double figures in scoring ranging from 13.3 ppg. to 10.8 ppg. Senior Nate Johnson, who leads the team, leads the BIG EAST and is 19th in the nation in 3-point percentage (.473).
• Xavier senior Paul Scruggs is in the top 25 on Xavier's all-time scoring list with 1,375 points and the top 10 on Xavier's all-time assist leaders chart with 426.
• Xavier sophomore Colby Jones is fourth in the BIG EAST in rebounding (8.2 rpg.). He is second in the BIG EAST (33rd in the nation) in offensive rebounding (3.2 rpg.).
• Xavier junior Zach Freemantle, preseason First Team All-BIG EAST selection who led XU in scoring and rebounding last season, started and played a season-high 27 minutes vs. Marquette, grabbing nine rebounds. He missed the first six games.
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STEELE PRESSER |
Players Mentioned
PRESS CONFERENCE | Richard Pitino (9-22-2025)
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Thursday, August 21
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Tuesday, August 19
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Thursday, August 14