2018–19 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team

2018–19 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball
NIT, Second Round
ConferenceBig East Conference
Record19–16 (9–9 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Jonas Hayes (1st season)
  • Ben Johnson (1st season)
  • Dante Jackson (1st season)
Home arenaCintas Center
Seasons
2018–19 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 23 Villanova † 13 – 5   .722 26 – 10   .722
Marquette 12 – 6   .667 24 – 10   .706
Seton Hall 9 – 9   .500 20 – 14   .588
Xavier 9 – 9   .500 19 – 16   .543
Creighton 9 – 9   .500 20 – 15   .571
Georgetown 9 – 9   .500 19 – 14   .576
St. John's 8 – 10   .444 21 – 13   .618
Providence 7 – 11   .389 18 – 16   .529
Butler 7 – 11   .389 16 – 17   .485
DePaul 7 – 11   .389 19 – 17   .528
† 2019 Big East tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2018–19 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team represented Xavier University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as a member of the Big East Conference. Led by first-year head coach Travis Steele, they played their home games at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Xavier finished the season 19–16, 9–9 in Big East play to finish in third place.[1] In the Big East tournament, Xavier beat Creighton in the quarterfinals before losing to Villanova in the semifinals. The Musketeers failed to receive a bid to the NCAA tournament, but received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament.[2] There they defeated Toledo in the first round[3] before losing in overtime to Texas in the second round.[4]

Previous season

The Musketeers finished the 2017–18 season 29–6, 15–3 in Big East play to win the Big East championship. In the Big East tournament, they defeated St. John's[5] before losing to Providence in the semifinals.[6] They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed in the West region. In the First Round, they defeated Texas Southern[7] before being upset by Florida State in the Second Round.[8]

On March 27, 2018, Chris Mack was hired as the new head coach of Louisville, leaving Xavier after nine seasons.[9] Four days later, longtime assistant coach Travis Steele was named the new head coach of the Musketeers.[10]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason left
Trevon Bluiett 5 Guard 6'6" 198 Senior Indianapolis, IN Graduated
Kerem Kanter 11 Forward 6'10" 240 Graduate student Istanbul, Turkey Completed athletic eligibility; graduated from Green Bay in 2017
Matt Singleton 20 Forward 6'7" 215 Senior Garrett, IN Graduated
Kaiser Gates 22 Forward 6'7" 205 Junior Alpharetta, GA Declared for the 2018 NBA draft
Sean O'Mara 54 Forward-center 6'10" 244 Senior Glen Ellyn, IL Graduated
J. P. Macura 55 Guard 6'5" 203 Senior Lakeville, MN Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Kyle Castlin[11] 2 Guard 6'4" 190 Graduate Student Marietta, Georgia Transferred from Columbia after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[12]
Zach Hankins 35 Center 6'10" 245 Graduate Student Charlevoix, Michigan Transferred from Ferris State after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[13]
Ryan Welage[14] 32 Forward 6'9" 205 Graduate Student Greensburg, Indiana Transferred from San Jose State after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[15]
Myles Hanson 34 Guard 6'7" 215 Sophomore Chaska, Minnesota Transferred from Columbia. Under NCAA transfer rules, Hanson will have to sit out for the 2018–19 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. Will join team as a walk-on.[16]

Recruiting classes

2018 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Keonte Kennedy
SG 		Austin, TX Westlake High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Oct 3, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Dontarius James
SF 		Kershaw, SC Andrew Jackson High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Nov 12, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2018 Xavier Commits". Rivals.com.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Honors and awards

Street & Smith's Preseason Awards[17]

  • All-Newcomer - Ryan Welage
  • All-Sharpshooter - Ryan Welage

Roster

2018–19 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Tyrique Jones 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Vermont Academy Bloomfield, Connecticut
G 1 Paul Scruggs 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Prolific Prep Indianapolis, Indiana
G 2 Kyle Castlin 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 193 lb (88 kg) GS Columbia Marietta, Georgia
G 3 Quentin Goodin 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 194 lb (88 kg) Jr Taylor County HS Campbellsville, Kentucky
G 4 Elias Harden 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 187 lb (85 kg) So Pebblebrook HS East Point, Georgia
G 10 Leighton Schrand 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Jr Holy Cross HS Villa Hills, Kentucky
G 11 Keonte Kennedy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 187 lb (85 kg) Fr Westlake HS Aurora, Colorado
F 12 Dontarius James 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Huntington Prep Kershaw, South Carolina
F 13 Naji Marshall 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 222 lb (101 kg) So Hargrave Military Academy Atlantic City, New Jersey
G 20 Ramon Singh 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr La Lumiere School Sydney, Australia
F 32 Ryan Welage 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) GS San Jose State Greensburg, Indiana
G/F 34 Myles Hanson (W) Current redshirt 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Columbia Chaska, Minnesota
F 35 Zach Hankins 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) GS Ferris State Charlevoix, Michigan
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2018*
7:00 pm 		Kentucky Wesleyan W 98–69  –
  22 – Tied   7 – Tied   5 – Welage  Cintas Center (10,073)
Cincinnati, OH
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2018*
8:30 pm, FS2 		IUPUI W 82–69  1–0
  24 – Welage   8 – Castlin   7 – Marshall  Cintas Center (10,224)
Cincinnati, OH
November 10, 2018*
4:00 pm, FSN 		Evansville
Maui on the Mainland 		W 91–85  2–0
  24 – Scruggs   20 – Jones   5 – Scruggs  Cintas Center (10,533)
Cincinnati, OH
November 13, 2018*
6:30 pm, FS1 		Wisconsin
Gavitt Tipoff Games 		L 68–77  2–1
  24 – Marshall   13 – Marshall   5 – Goodin  Cintas Center (10,312)
Cincinnati, OH
November 19, 2018*
2:30 pm, ESPN2 		vs. No. 8 Auburn
Maui Invitational tournament quarterfinals 		L 79–88 OT 2–2
  17 – Welage   9 – Jones   6 – Goodin  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Lahaina, HI
November 20, 2018*
2:30 pm, ESPN2 		vs. San Diego State
Maui Invitational Tournament consolation 2nd round 		L 74–79  2–3
  20 – Goodin   6 – Scruggs   5 – Marshall  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Lahaina, HI
November 21, 2018*
9:00 pm, ESPNU 		vs. Illinois
Maui Invitational Tournament 7th place game 		W 83–74  3–3
  15 – Goodin   9 – Jones   5 – Marshall  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Lahaina, HI
November 28, 2018*
6:30 pm, FS1 		Miami (OH) W 82–55  4–3
  17 – Marshall   13 – Jones   8 – Goodin  Cintas Center (10,394)
Cincinnati, OH
December 1, 2018*
12:00 pm, FS1 		Oakland W 73–63  5–3
  14 – Marshall   11 – Jones   4 – Scruggs  Cintas Center (10,331)
Cincinnati, OH
December 5, 2018*
6:30 pm, FS1 		Ohio W 82–61  6–3
  21 – Scruggs   7 – Marshall   8 – Scruggs  Cintas Center (10,405)
Cincinnati, OH
December 8, 2018*
2:00 pm, ESPN2 		at Cincinnati
Crosstown Shootout 		L 47–62  6–4
  12 – Goodin   7 – Tied   5 – Goodin  Fifth Third Arena (12,513)
Cincinnati, OH
December 15, 2018*
8:00 pm, FS1 		Eastern Kentucky W 95–77  7–4
  16 – Goodin   10 – Marshall   10 – Goodin  Cintas Center (10,112)
Cincinnati, OH
December 18, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		at Missouri L 56–71  7–5
  21 – Goodin   11 – Marshall   6 – Goodin  Mizzou Arena (9,785)
Columbia, MO
December 21, 2018*
7:00 pm, FS2 		Detroit Mercy W 69–55  8–5
  22 – Goodin   11 – Hankins   9 – Goodin  Cintas Center (10,224)
Cincinnati, OH
Big East regular season
December 29, 2018
2:00 pm, FS1 		at DePaul W 74–65  9–5
(1–0) 		 19 – Marshall   14 – Marshall   8 – Goodin  Wintrust Arena (5,632)
Chicago, IL
January 2, 2019
6:30 pm, FS1 		Seton Hall L 70–80  9–6
(1–1) 		 22 – Scruggs   7 – Marshall   6 – Goodin  Cintas Center (10,224)
Cincinnati, OH
January 6, 2019
12:00 pm, FOX 		at No. 16 Marquette L 52–70  9–7
(1–2) 		 21 – Marshall   10 – Scruggs   2 – Goodin  Fiserv Forum (17,309)
Milwaukee, WI
January 9, 2019
6:30 pm, FS1 		Georgetown W 81–75  10–7
(2–2) 		 23 – Hankins   10 – Tied   4 – Scruggs  Cintas Center (10,224)
Cincinnati, OH
January 13, 2019
12:00 pm, CBSSN 		Butler W 70–69  11–7
(3–2) 		 23 – Scruggs   8 – Scruggs   6 – Scruggs  Cintas Center (10,144)
Cincinnati, OH
January 18, 2019
8:30 pm, FS1 		at No. 22 Villanova L 75–85  11–8
(3–3) 		 21 – Jones   12 – Jones   7 – Marshall  Wells Fargo Center (12,103)
Philadelphia, PA
January 23, 2019
6:30 pm, FS1 		Providence L 62–64  11–9
(3–4) 		 14 – Scruggs   10 – Castlin   4 – Tied  Cintas Center (10,142)
Cincinnati, OH
January 26, 2019
2:00 pm, FS1 		No. 12 Marquette L 82–87  11–10
(3–5) 		 21 – Tied   11 – Jones   5 – Scruggs  Cintas Center (10,547)
Cincinnati, OH
January 31, 2019
8:00 pm, CBSSN 		at Georgetown L 73–80  11–11
(3–6) 		 16 – Marshall   7 – Scruggs   4 – Goodin  Capital One Arena (7,636)
Washington, DC
February 3, 2019
1:00 pm, FSN 		at Creighton L 54–76  11–12
(3–7) 		 13 – Goodin   5 – Scruggs   7 – Goodin  CHI Health Center Omaha (16,678)
Omaha, NE
February 9, 2019
8:00 pm, FS1 		DePaul L 62–74  11–13
(3–8) 		 22 – Marshall   9 – Jones   4 – Marshall  Cintas Center (10,242)
Cincinnati, OH
February 13, 2019
8:30 pm, CBSSN 		Creighton W 64–61 OT 12–13
(4–8) 		 23 – Marshall   8 – Scruggs   5 – Marshall  Cintas Center (9,949)
Cincinnati, OH
February 16, 2019
2:00 pm, FOX 		at Providence W 75–61  13–13
(5–8) 		 19 – Jones   12 – Jones   7 – Goodin  Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,410)
Providence, RI
February 20, 2019
7:00 pm, CBSSN 		at Seton Hall W 70–69  14–13
(6–8) 		 28 – Marshall   15 – Jones   5 – Marshall  Prudential Center (7,916)
Newark, NJ
February 24, 2019
1:30 pm, CBS 		No. 17 Villanova W 66–54  15–13
(7–8) 		 17 – Marshall   8 – Jones   4 – Tied  Cintas Center (10,444)
Cincinnati, OH
February 28, 2019
6:30 pm, FS1 		at St. John's W 84–73  16–13
(8–8) 		 31 – Marshall   10 – Jones   4 – Jones  Carnesecca Arena (5,602)
Queens, NY
March 5, 2019
6:00 pm, FS1 		at Butler L 66–71  16–14
(8–9) 		 13 – Tied   9 – Hankins   4 – Goodin  Hinkle Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
March 9, 2019
5:00 pm, FOX 		St. John's W 81–68  17–14
(9–9) 		 22 – Scruggs   7 – Tied   7 – Goodin  Cintas Center (10,391)
Cincinnati, OH
Big East tournament
March 14, 2019
2:30 pm, FS1 		(4) vs. (5) Creighton
Quarterfinals 		W 63–61  18–14
  22 – Hankins   9 – Hankins   4 – Goodin  Madison Square Garden (19,534)
New York, NY
March 15, 2019
6:30 pm, FS1 		(4) vs. (1) No. 25 Villanova
Semifinals 		L 67–71 OT 18–15
  28 – Scruggs   11 – Scruggs   8 – Goodin  Madison Square Garden 
New York, NY
NIT
March 20, 2019*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		(3) (6) Toledo
First Round – Alabama Bracket 		W 78–64  19–15
  20 – Marshall   21 – Marshall   6 – Marshall  Cintas Center (5,769)
Cincinnati, OH
March 24, 2019*
4:00 pm, ESPN 		(3) at (2) Texas
Second Round – Alabama Bracket 		L 76–78 OT 19–16
  22 – Jones   11 – Jones   5 – Goodin  Frank Erwin Center (3,204)
Austin, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: — = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
APRVNot released
Coaches—

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

References

  1. ^ "2018-19 Xavier Musketeers Roster and Stats". Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  2. ^ Baum, Adam. "March Madness 2019: Xavier Musketeers basketball miss NCAA Tournament, Big East gets 4 in". Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  3. ^ "Toledo vs. Xavier - Game Recap - March 20, 2019 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  4. ^ "Xavier vs. Texas - Game Recap - March 24, 2019 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  5. ^ "St. John's vs. Xavier - Game Recap - March 8, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  6. ^ "Providence vs. Xavier - Game Recap - March 9, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  7. ^ "Texas Southern vs. Xavier - Game Recap - March 16, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  8. ^ "Florida State vs. Xavier - Game Recap - March 18, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  9. ^ Greer, Jeff (March 27, 2018). "Louisville hires Chris Mack as new men's basketball coach". Courier Journal. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  10. ^ Borzello, Jeff (March 31, 2018). "Musketeers promote longtime assistant Travis Steele to head coach". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  11. ^ "Kyle Castlin commits to Xavier: Ohio State basketball misses out on transfer target". Land of 10. April 8, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  12. ^ "Xavier brings in grad transfer Kyle Castlin". Banners On The Parkway. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  13. ^ Paul, Tony (April 7, 2018). "Ferris State's Hankins chooses Xavier over MSU, others". The Detroit News. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  14. ^ "Kyle Castlin commits to Xavier: Ohio State basketball misses out on transfer target". Land of 10. April 8, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  15. ^ "Xavier acquires record-setting SJSU Spartan grad transfer Ryan Welage". Mountain West Connection. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  16. ^ "Myles Hanson joins Xavier". Banners On The Parkway. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  17. ^ Street & Smith's Basketball. Vol. 2018–19. p. 29. {{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)