Xavier University
Butler
No. 13 Xavier Hits The Road For A Friday BIG EAST Clash At Butler
02.08.23 | Men's Basketball
Musketeers, 5-2 on the road this season, are looking for win No. 20.
CINCINNATI --- The No. 13 Xavier University Musketeers, 19-5 overall and in first place at 11-2 in the BIG EAST Conference, visit the Butler University Bulldogs on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Xavier head coach Sean Miller spent three years on the staff of former Xavier and current Butler head coach Thad Matta from 2001-04. Miller, who Matta hired as XU's first-ever associate head coach, took over as XU head coach in 2004 after Matta left for Ohio State.
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THE MATCHUP |
NO. 13/15 XAVIER UNIVERSITY MUSKETEERS (19-5, 11-2 BIG EAST)
BUTLER UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS (12-13, 4-10 BIG EAST)
FRIDAY, FEB. 10, 2023 AT 7:00 P.M. ET
AT HINKLE FIELDHOUSE IN INDIANAPOLIS, IND.
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TV, RADIO & LIVE STATS |
Television: FS1 with play by-play from Jeff Levering and analysis from Stephen Bardo.
Xavier Radio: 700 WLW 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 also available on Sirius XM channel 134 or 201 and 964 on the SXM App.
Live Stats: Media stats at Statbroadcast.com and fan stats at GoXavier.com.
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X FACTORS |
• Xavier, 19-5 overall and 11-2 in the BIG EAST Conference, won the regular season league title in 2018. XU, which is in its 10th BIG EAST season, is 4-2 in BIG EAST road games.
• Xavier, 19-5, needs one win to reach the 20-win mark. Entering this season, XU had recorded 31 of its 33 all-time 20-win seasons between 1982-83 and 2021-22. XU has already clinched its 27th-straight winning season, which is tied for the nation's fourth-longest active streak.
• Xavier is 13th in this week's AP Poll and 15th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. XU is No. 22 in the KenPom rankings and No. 25 the NCAA's NET ranking.
• Xavier graduate student Souley Boum, XU's leading scorer at 16.3 ppg. (third in the BIG EAST), leads XU and is fourth in the BIG EAST in assists at 5.0 apg. Boum, who leads XU and is second in the BIG EAST (14th in the nation) in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.93-to-1.0, is among the Top 10 candidates for the 2023 Bob Cousy Award for the nation's top point guard.
• Xavier junior Colby Jones, who is among the Top 10 candidates for the 2023 Julius Erving Award for the nation's top small forward, is second on the team in assists at 4.9 apg. (sixth in the BIG EAST) to go with 15.0 ppg. (third on the team and 13th in the BIG EAST).
• Xavier graduate student Jack Nunge was named BIG EAST Player of the Week for the second time after averaging 22.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 blocks in last week's wins over No. 17 Providence and St. John's. XU has had an honoree in all 13 weeks of BIG EAST awards this season, including five Player of the Week Awards and eight Honor Roll citations.
• Xavier's Jack Nunge is fourth on the team in scoring at 14.8 ppg. (15th in the BIG EAST) and is second in rebounding at 7.9 rpg. (fifth in BIG EAST). Nunge is third in the BIG EAST in offensive rebounding at 2.9 orpg. He leads XU and is second in the BIG EAST in 3-pt. percentage at .441.
• Xavier leads the BIG EAST in five major offensive categories: first in the nation in assists per game at 21.0 apg., third in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.65, third in the nation in overall field goal percentage (.502), second in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (.404) and sixth in the nation in scoring offense at 83.8 ppg.
• Xavier is 7-1 over its last eight games decided by five points or less.
