FORT MYERS, Fla − Xavier head coach Sean Miller said one of the reasons the Musketeers picked to play in the Fort Myers Tip-Off was because of how well-traveled their fans are.
Those fans showed up in droves to create a home-court advantage in No. 22 Xavier’s 75-66 win over South Carolina Monday as the intimate Suncoast Credit Union Arena turned into “Cintas Center South.”
“Our crowd was amazing. They really love college basketball,” Miller said. “We recognized it, and we fed off their energy down here.”
Xavier delivered a win for its passionate backers Monday, and they’ll look for another good turnout in Wednesday’s Fort Myers Tip-Off Championship game against Michigan.
More: Where is Xavier Musketeers basketball ranked in latest AP Top 25 poll?
Xavier vs. Michigan/Virginia Tech
Tip: Wednesday, 8:30 p.m., Suncoast Credit Union Arena (3,500)
TV/Radio: FS1/55KRC
Ratings: Xavier is No. 41 in KenPom. Michigan is No. 29.
History: Michigan leads the all-time series, 3-1, though Xavier won the last meeting. In 2015, the Musketeers upset the No. 24 Wolverines, 86-70, at Crisler Center. Michigan’s last win over Xavier came in the first round of the 1989 NCAA Tournament, when Pete Gillen’s group led at halftime but eventually fell 92-87 to the No. 3 Wolverines, who would go on to win the national championship.
Michigan Wolverines/Virginia Tech Hokies scouting report
Record: 4-1
Head coach: Dusty May
Offense: 81.3 ppg
Defense: 61.3 ppg
Overview: A new era in Michigan is off to a good start as first-year head coach Dusty May has the Wolverines at 4-1. May overhauled the roster with the No. 10 transfer portal class in the nation, according to 247Sports. It’s a group headlined by Ohio State transfer Roddy Gayle Jr. and 7-footers Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin.
Wolf was an All-Ivy League selection at Yale and Goldin averaged 15.7 points per game with May last season at Florida Atlantic.
Michigan’s only bump in the road thus far was a 72-70 loss to Wake Forest in a semi-neutral site contest in Greensboro, North Carolina Nov. 10. The Wolverines have won four straight since, all by at least 12 points.
Like Xavier, Michigan had a defensive-minded victory in Monday’s portion of the Fort Myers Tip-Off. The Wolverines held Virginia Tech to just 34.5% shooting (4-of-17 from 3-point range) and forced 19 turnovers in a 75-63 victory.
Michigan shot just 10-of-34 from the distance and were led by Gayle’s 20 and 10 off the bench from Will Tschetter.
Projected lineup
(Pos., Height, Stats)
Tre Donaldson (G, 6’3″, 13 ppg)
Nimari Burnett (G, 6’5″, 10.8 ppg)
Roddy Gayle Jr. (G, 6’5″, 13 ppg)
Danny Wolf (C, 7’0″, 10.3 ppg)
Vladislav Goldin (C, 7’1″, 7.6 ppg)
Xavier Musketeers scouting report
Record: 6-0
Head coach: Sean Miller (169-75 at Xavier, eighth season)
Offense: 82.6 ppg
Defense: 64.5 ppg
Projected lineup
(Pos., Height, Stats)
Dayvion McKnight (G, 6’0″, 12.3 ppg)
Ryan Conwell (G, 6’4″, 17.3 ppg)
Marcus Foster (G, 6’5″, 7 ppg)
Dailyn Swain (G/F, 6’8″, 9.2 ppg)
Zach Freemantle (F, 6’9″, 15.6 ppg)
Players to watch
John Hugley
Outside of Jerome Hunter (10 points, 4 rebounds), Xavier’s three bench players − Hugley, Trey Green and Dante Maddox Jr. − combined for just two points on 1-of-9 shooting against South Carolina.
“Dante (Maddox), Trey (Green) and John (Hugley) all had good moments,” Miller said. “I know they can give us more and we’ll need more when we play Michigan.”
Hugley gets the spotlight out of those three when it comes to Wednesday’s matchup. Led by its two 7-footers down low, Michigan is No. 9 in the nation in average height and is No. 7 in 2-point field goal percentage (62.5%), according to KenPom.
With the loss of Lassina Traore, Xavier’s tallest starter is Zach Freemantle at 6-foot-9. Hugley, the tallest Musketeer at 6-foot-11, played a season-low six minutes Monday due to early foul trouble. He finished scoreless with one rebound.
Keys to a Xavier victory over Michigan
Keep Michigan off the glass
With Michigan’s aforementioned size, it’s imperative that Xavier racks up one-and-done possessions.
Michigan is No. 16 in KenPom in effective field goal percentage, which makes the Wolverines’ No. 12 ranking in offensive rebounding percentage even more impressive. Michigan’s not missing a lot of shots. When they do, they make the most of it.
Xavier was shaky in spots in Monday’s win, but not on the glass. The Musketeers won the rebounding battle over the Gamecocks 41-31 and permitted just four offensive boards. That’s a good sign heading into Wednesday’s test.
Turn defense into offense
If there’s one area that benefits the Musketeers Wednesday, it’s turnovers. Xavier is one of the best teams in the country at taking care of the ball and Michigan is one of the worst.
Michigan survived 15 turnovers Monday, mostly because Virginia Tech coughed up 19 times on the other end. The Wolverines are No. 343 in KenPom in turnover percentage and that plays right into the hands of Xavier, which wants to steal the ball and go. The Musketeers rank seventh in the country in fast-break points per game (21.6).
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Keys to victory for No. 22 Xavier Musketeers vs. Michigan in Florida
