Xavier men’s basketball is hoping to move on from an ugly 88-70 loss to Seton Hall as fast as they left the Prudential Center Wednesday night to catch the shuttle to its plane back to Cincinnati.
Xavier left Newark in a hurry after a loss that was a big setback to the Musketeers’ hopes of a return to the NCAA Tournament. A week ago, Xavier was firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble. After back-to-back missed opportunities, they are desperately clinging to a chance at a March Madness invite.
The good news? The Big East is still loaded with tournament shoe-ins and hopefuls, meaning there is a nightly opportunity to boost your March resume. The next one for Xavier is on Wednesday against Providence, which is one of the First Four Out, per Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology update from Friday.
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The top-5 teams in the Big East get a first-round bye in the conference tournament next month at Madison Square Garden. From a look at the standings, the first four spots look filled as No. 1 UConn, No. 7 Marquette, No. 15 Creighton and Seton Hall each have double-digit conference wins. Providence currently holds the No. 5 spot in the Big East with a half-game edge over Xavier and Villanova. The Friars have a one-game lead over Butler and two-game edge over St. John’s.
Here’s everything to know about Wednesday’s matchup.
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Xavier vs. Providence scouting report
Tip: Wednesday, 8 p.m., Cintas Center (10,224)
TV: CBS Sports Network
Ratings: Xavier is down to No. 44 in KenPom, while Providence is No. 56. Xavier is No. 54 in the NCAA NET Rankings and Providence is No. 58. Providence has a 4-6 record in Quadrant 1 contests while Xavier is 2-9.
KenPom’s final score: Xavier 74, Providence 70
History: According to Xavier Athletics, Xavier has a 12-10 all-time series record vs. Providence and has won three of the last four meetings at Cintas Center.
Last meeting
Xavier put together arguably its best performance of the season in an 85-65 win over Providence at Amica Mutual Pavillion Jan. 13. Xavier entered the afternoon as a 2.5-point underdog and left with an impressive road victory behind 23 points off the bench from freshman Trey Green.
Green led a Xavier offense that shot 50.8% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc (12-of-24). Xavier sprinted to a 20-3 run in the first 7-plus minutes of the second half and sent a crowd of 12,348 to the exits early after trailing by double digits in the first half.
Providence Friars scouting report
Record: 17-9 (8-7 Big East)
Head coach: Kim English (17-9 at Providence, first season)
Offense: 73.8 ppg
Defense: 68.0 ppg
Overview: Many pundits counted out Providence after the loss to Xavier. It was the Friars’ fourth consecutive defeat after a 2-0 start to Big East play, and they had already lost star forward Bryce Hopkins for the season (torn ACL). Since the loss to Xavier, though, Providence has won six of its last nine games which includes key victories at Seton Hall and vs. Creighton.
Providence has struggled on the road, though, losing its last three games outside Rhode Island. The tandem of Devin Carter and Josh Oduro have kept the Friars afloat after losing their best player. The duo has combined for 42 points per game since Hopkins went down for the season. Carter (19.2 points per game) holds a slight lead over Quincy Olivari (19.2) for the Big East lead in scoring. He posted a 31-point, 13-rebound double-double in Providence’s 81-70 win over DePaul on Saturday. Four days earlier, Oduro had 28 in a win over St. John’s.
Rounding out the back court, Jayden Pierre and Ticket Gaines each average 8.7 points per game.
Defense is still the bread and butter for Providence. The Friars rank No. 18 in defensive efficiency, per KenPom, and are No. 22 in the country in defending shots from inside the arc. Providence’s defense is third in the Big East in scoring, giving up 68 points per game.
Projected lineup
(Pos., Height, Stats)
Jayden Pierre (G, 6’2″, 8.7 ppg)
Devin Carter (G, 6’3″, 19.2 ppg)
Rich Barron (F, 6’5″, 3.6 ppg)
Ticket Gaines (G, 6’7″, 8.7 ppg)
Josh Oduro (F, 6’9″, 16.8)
Xavier Musketeers scouting report
Record: 13-12 (7-7 Big East)
Head coach: Sean Miller (160-69 at Xavier, seventh season)
Offense: 75.7 ppg
Defense: 73 ppg
Overview: For the most part, Xavier has done a good job playing with its back against the wall. This the third time Xavier has lost back-to-back Big East games.
Each of the previous two times, the Musketeers rallied with wins over Providence (after losing to Villanova and UConn) and beating St. John’s (after losses to Creighton and UConn). Going back to the non-conference schedule, Xavier lost to Purdue and Washington before putting it together against Saint Mary’s in Las Vegas in what remains the Musketeers’ best win of the season.
Count on Desmond Claude to bounce back
Desmond Claude has obviously made the second-year jump the program needed from him to lead this team. Claude is averaging 15.8 points per game and has been held to single digits just twice, in both matchups with Seton Hall. Claude didn’t have it on Wednesday, finishing with 6 points on 3-of-8 shooting and 3 turnovers while dealing with early foul trouble.
Claude took control of the first matchup against Providence after Xavier fell behind early by 11. Claude had 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the first half to give the Musketeers a 41-40 lead at the intermission. Green’s second-half breakout dominated the headlines, but Claude set the tone. He finished with 21 and English said he looked “like a first-round draft pick.”
Projected lineup
(Pos., Height, Stats)
Dayvion McKnight (G, 6’0″, 12 ppg)
Quincy Olivari (G, 6’3″, 19.1 ppg)
Desmond Claude (G, 6’6″, 15.8 ppg)
Gytis Nemeiksa (F, 6’7″, 6 ppg)
Abou Ousmane (F, 6’10”, 7 ppg)
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Big East basketball: Xavier is desperate as Providence comes to town
