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Xavier Basketball: Trevon Bluiett returning for senior season

By Lukas Harkins

Mar 18, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA;Xavier Musketeers forward Kaiser Gates (22) and guard Trevon Bluiett (5) celebrates as they beat the Florida State Seminoles during the second half in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA;Xavier Musketeers forward Kaiser Gates (22) and guard Trevon Bluiett (5) celebrates as they beat the Florida State Seminoles during the second half in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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One of the staples of Xavier basketball over the past few years, Trevon Bluiett will return to play in the Cintas Center after testing the draft waters.

Trevon Bluiett is coming off of his best season as a Musketeers, putting up great numbers. He played in 36 games at 35.1 minutes per game as he dropped in 18.4 points per game and snagged 5.7 rebounds per game. With Edmond Sumner in the NBA Draft, Bluiett will take on an even bigger role for the team that he took to the Elite Eight in 2016-17.

With Bluiett returning for a possible All-America campaign, Xavier should be in good shape to find a spot in a preseason top-25 in addition to being one of the favorites to win the Big East along with Villanova.

Bluiett will certainly be the focal point of the Musketeers next season, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t have help around him. Losing Sumner is a tough one, but Sean O’Mara, Kaiser Gates, JP Macura, and Quentin Goodin will be there to take some of the weight off of Bluiett’s shoulders.

In addition to the returners, two highly regarded recruits step in to join the fray in Naji Marshall (ranked 55, four-star by 247) and Paul Scruggs (ranked 31, four-star by 247).

Next: Looking back on the 2016-2017 Big East season

When all is said and done, this upcoming season will be about Bluiett taking that next step towards becoming an All-American and leading the Musketeers possibly further than their Elite Eight run of this past season.