Cincinnati Basketball: 3 reasons why the Bearcats will be better than Xavier in 2018-19

3. Xavier has too much to replace

No disrespect to Travis Steele but replacing Chris Mack is a tough ask. Trevon Bluiett, JP Marcura, and Kerem Kanter all graduated. And Kaiser Gates and Sean O’Mara are also gone. Those 5 players accounted for almost 68% of the Musketeers scoring last season.

That means lots of pressure will be placed on Quentin Gooden (8.7ppg), Naji Marshall (7.7ppg), and Paul Scruggs (4.9ppg). All three made solid contributions as underclassman last year. The question is can any of them step as legitimate scoring threats? None of three shot better than 35% from three-point range, which doesn’t bode well for Xavier’s ability to stretch opposing defenses in 2018-19.

Grad-transfer Ryan Welage should be a contributor immediately in the frontcourt. He averaged 16.9 points for San Jose St. last season and displayed a nice outside jumper for a 6’9 forward.

The biggest concern for Xavier isn’t a lack of talent. They may not have the bonafide star that Bluiett was, but this group can play basketball. The looming question is how will Xavier play under Coach Steele. Will this group be more defensive oriented than last year’s offensive minded juggernaut? That kind of style might be a better fit with personnel but is that the direction Steele wants to go?

Coaching alongside Mack should help Steele make the transition pretty fast. My guess is that there will be some bumps in the road, though. Enough to make me question Xavier more than Cincinnati as we draw closer the season.