NCAA Basketball: Way-too-early top-25 power rankings for 2024-25 season

16. Xavier Musketeers

2023-24 season record: 16-18 (9-11 Big East)

After making the NCAA Tournament in his first year back with the Musketeers, Coach Sean Miller and the team took a step back this past season, finishing under .500 overall. A big part of that was the absence of the projected starting frontcourt of Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter, both of whom missed all of last season.

As of now, both are set to return. Fremantle averaged 15.2 ppg and 8.1 rpg in the year prior as one of the best big men in the Big East. He gives needed offense to a team that had none inside a year ago, with Abou Ousmane being the best option. He’s gone, along with star guard and leading scorer, Quincy Olivari.

Who is back is Desmond Claude (16.6 ppg), as well as starting guard, Dayvion McKnight. Trey Green and Dailyn Swain also return, including Jonathan Powell, an incoming freshman commit. The team also recently landed Marcus Foster, a 6’4 shooting guard from Furman who produced 17.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg this past season.

The health status of Freemantle remains a question and Xavier still needs frontcourt depth going forward. But this roster has the pieces to get back into Big East contention. Now, they just need to add more depth.