Big East Basketball: Way-too-early conference power rankings for 2020-21
By Brian Foley
6. Xavier Musketeers
2019-20: 19-13 (8-10), t-6th in Big East
Key Departures: F Naji Marshall, F Tyrique Jones, G Quentin Goodin, G Bryce Moore, G Dahmir Bishop, F Dontarius James
Incoming Freshmen: G Dwon Odom, G CJ Wilcher, F Colby Jones, F Dieonte Miles (RS)
Incoming Transfers: G Nate Johnson (Gardner-Webb), F Bryan Griffin (Mercy – Div. II)
Headline: Can Paul Scruggs carry a young roster to the NCAA tournament?
Star Watch: Paul Scruggs
Who makes The Leap: Kyky Tandy
X-Factor: Nate Johnson
Gone are Xavier’s two all-conference players in Naji Marshall and Tyrique Jones, but there is still plenty of optimism surrounding the Musketeers’ 2020-21 roster.
Scruggs becomes the focal point after playing second fiddle to Marshall for the past two years, and is one of my picks to break out with added responsibility. I have long been a Scruggs fan. He can score in spurts when he really wants to, and has the length and skill to shoot over defenders or finish at the rim.
The next step is to more consistently unlock that talent. Scruggs attempted fewer than 9 shots per game over his last 10 contests; Xavier cannot afford him to remain timid during his senior season. How Scruggs handles the pressure of running his own team is one of the underrated sub-plots of the Big East season (other underrated subplots: how quickly did DePaul regret handing an extension to Leitao? How many of the current head coaches will still be on the sidelines in 2022-23? And does the Big East collectively have the best uniforms of any conference?)
Xavier has not been an effective shooting team during Travis Steele’s first two seasons (32 percent from three), but this group might be the one to flip that script. Scruggs is an above-average shooter from deep, Johnson was a sniper at Gardner-Webb, Tandy nailed 37 percent of his treys in Big East play, and Zach Freemantle, Jason Carter, and D-II transfer Bryan Griffin all provide a modicum of shooting touch from the frontcourt. One of Muskies’ four-star recruits – CJ Wilcher – also heads to Cincinnati with a reputation as a shooter.
The Musketeers will need every bit of that shooting because the defense will be a bit of a question mark without Jones and Marshall. Scruggs can hold his own on that end of the floor, but there is not a ton of proven rim protection outside of Freemantle. Xavier’s 6-foot-11 redshirt freshman Dieonte Miles might get some extended run as a shot-blocking center. Otherwise, mixing in a group of transfers and underclassmen is typically a recipe for disaster, even more so in a pandemic-affected summer.