Big East Basketball Power Rankings: DePaul, Butler exceeding expectations

Xavier has not been particularly impressive by efficiency standards to begin this season but the squad is still 4-0 with a couple of top-150 wins over Missouri and Missouri State. Those are impossible to ignore even if the Musketeers have dropped a few spots in KenPom since opening day. Head coach Travis Steele’s team appears to be carrying its defensive success from the end of last season into the beginning of this one and that is huge news. If the Musketeers are able to consistently shut down their opposition, they will be just fine.

This is due to the fact that Xavier’s biggest concerns at this point are on the offensive end. The Musketeers are an absolutely dreadful 3-point shooting team and that could really come back to bite them in the future. Hopefully, the return of KyKy Tandy from injury will help alleviate this issue but it is hard to put that much pressure on a freshman, even if they were ranked in the top-100. Xavier might just be a 3-point sniper or two away from living up to, or even exceeding, expectations this season.

With that said, though, the Musketeers’ core three of Naji Marshall, Paul Scruggs, and Tyrique Jones has been excellent to begin this season. They are the clear-cut top offensive stars for the team while freshman big man Zach Freemantle has played solid minutes as well.

Aside from their perimeter shooting woes, though, the struggles of Quentin Goodin will be well-documented until he returns to form. Xavier’s senior point guard is averaging just 6.3 points on 30.0% shooting from the floor while exhibiting a poor 1:1 assist-to-turnover ration.

Xavier hasn’t played particularly well yet but remains undefeated. The Musketeers need a bit more time to sort everything out but they should be just fine.