Big East Basketball: 2019-20 preseason power rankings
3. Xavier Musketeers
Xavier might have missed the NCAA Tournament last season but they made a tremendous late push for a potential bid. Over the last month of the season, the Musketeers caught fire and showed a bit of what might be to come during this coming campaign. Head coach Travis Steele started to find more consistency with his rotation and their defense took massive steps forward. With regards to 2019-20, Xavier returns the majority of its roster in hopes of a big-time year.
In order for the Musketeers to skyrocket in the nation’s top-25, they will need to heavily rely on their junior duo of Naji Marshall and Paul Scruggs. These two are both fresh off strong seasons and should take the next leap with regards to their individual games. Marshall could even be a dark-horse pick to potentially win the Player of the Year award for the conference.
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It is important to mention, though, that those two are far from alone. Tyrique Jones and Quentin Goodin will both be reprising their roles in the starting lineup as seasoned veterans. The seniors have been critical pieces for the team in recent years and will provide similar contributions this time around. Jones could easily be an All-Conference performer as a very difficult matchup at 6-foot-9 with his muscular frame.
One of the major concerns for the team entering 2019-20, though, will be replacing Zach Hankins. Even though Hankins only played one year with the team, he was an energizer-bunny on the court and really pushed everyone to succeed. Ohio grad transfer Jason Carter and incoming freshman Zach Freemantle will likely be tasked with filling that role.
Speaking of newcomers, KyKy Tandy (FR) and Bryce Moore (WMU transfer) are two backcourt options that will hopefully improve Xavier’s 3-point shooting. The Musketeers will need spacing to allow their stars to operate and these two could provide just that.