2021–22 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team

2021–22 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball
NIT Champions
ConferenceBig East Conference
Record23–13 (8–11 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Dante Jackson (4th season)
  • Danny Peters (1st season)
Home arenaCintas Center
Seasons
2021–22 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 13 Providence 14 – 3   .824 27 – 6   .818
No. 6 Villanova † 16 – 4   .800 30 – 8   .789
No. 21 UConn 13 – 6   .684 23 – 10   .697
Creighton 12 – 7   .632 23 – 12   .657
Seton Hall 11 – 8   .579 21 – 11   .656
Marquette 11 – 8   .579 19 – 13   .594
Xavier 8 – 11   .421 23 – 13   .639
St. John's 8 – 11   .421 17 – 15   .531
Butler 6 – 14   .300 14 – 19   .424
DePaul 6 – 14   .300 15 – 16   .484
Georgetown 0 – 19   .000 6 – 25   .194
† 2022 Big East tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2021–22 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team represented Xavier University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as a member of the Big East Conference. Led by fourth-year head coach Travis Steele for the first 32 games and interim head coach Jonas Hayes for the final four games, they played their home games at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Musketeers finished the season 23–13, 8–11 in Big East play to finish in a tie for seventh place. They lost in the first round of the Big East tournament to Butler. The team received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Cleveland State, Florida, Vanderbilt, and St. Bonaventure to advance to the championship game. There they defeated Texas A&M to win the NIT championship.

Head coach Travis Steele was fired on March 16, 2022, the day after the first win in the NIT.[1] Assistant coach Jonas Hayes was named the interim head coach and coached the team for the four remaining games in the NIT.

On March 19, the school named former Xavier and Arizona head coach Sean Miller the team's new head coach.[2] Miller previously coached the Musketeers from 2004 to 2009.

Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Musketeers finished the 2020–21 season 13–8, 6–7 in Big East play to finish tied for seventh place. They lost in the first round of the Big East tournament to Butler.[3][4]

Offseason

On April 28, 2021, the NCAA officially adopted a measure that would allow athletes in all sports to transfer once without sitting out a season beginning with the 2021–22 season.[5]

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
C. J. Wilcher 0 G 6'5" 195 Freshman Roselle, NJ Transferred to Nebraska[6]
Daniel Rasmey 2 F 6'9" 233 Sophomore Cordele, GA Transferred to Tennessee Tech
Bryan Griffin 13 F 6'8" 230 GS Senior Pomona, NY Graduated
Jason Carter 25 F 6'8" 227 RS Senior Johnstown, OH Graduated transferred to Ohio

Incoming transfers

Name Num Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Jerome Hunter 21 F 6'8" 210 RS Junior Columbus, OH Indiana
Jack Nunge 24 F 7'0" 245 RS Junior Newburgh, IN Iowa

Recruiting classes

2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Cesare Edwards
#18 C 		Hartsville, SC Hartsville HS 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jun 26, 2020 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars
Elijah Tucker
#39 PF 		Canton, GA Cherokee HS 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Aug 14, 2020 
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:

  • "Xavier 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  • "2021 Xavier Musketeers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  • "Xavier 2021 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved October 15, 2021.

2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2022)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Tyrell Ward
#14 SF 		Hyattsville, MD DeMatha Catholic High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jul 12, 2021 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars
Kam Craft
#12 SG 		Buffalo Grove, IL The Skill Factory Prep School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jul 12, 2021 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 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:

Roster

2021–22 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Elijah Tucker 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 214 lb (97 kg) Fr Cherokee HS Canton, GA
G 1 Paul Scruggs 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 198 lb (90 kg) GS Prolific Prep Indianapolis, IN
G 3 Colby Jones 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 207 lb (94 kg) So Mountain Brook HS Birmingham, AL
F 4 Cesare Edwards 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Hartsville HS Hartsville, SC
G 5 Adam Kunkel 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Belmont Hebron, KY
G 10 Nate Johnson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 192 lb (87 kg) GS Gardner-Webb Miami, FL
G 11 Dwon Odom 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 182 lb (83 kg) So St. Francis HS Alpharetta, GA
G 12 Zak Swetye (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 187 lb (85 kg) Sr Darien HS Darien, CT
F 14 Ben Stanley 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Sr Hampton Baltimore, MD
G 15 KyKy Tandy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 199 lb (90 kg) Jr University Heights Academy Hopkinsville, KY
G 20 Ramon Singh (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 187 lb (85 kg) Sr La Lumiere School Sydney, Australia
F 21 Jerome Hunter 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Jr Indiana Columbus, OH
F 22 Dieonte Miles 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 231 lb (105 kg) RS So Walton-Verona HS Walton, KY
F 24 Jack Nunge 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS Jr Iowa Newburgh, IN
G 25 Spencer Cody (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr DePaul Prep Chicago, IL
F 32 Zach Freemantle 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Bergen Catholic HS Teaneck, NJ
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 5, 2021*
7:00 p.m. 		Ferris State W 100–59 
 21 –  Kunkel   11 –  Jones   4 –  Scruggs  Cintas Center (9,544)
Cincinnati, OH
Non-conference regular season
November 9, 2021*
7:30 p.m., FS1 		Niagara W 63–60  1–0
  17 – Scruggs   9 – Hunter   6 – Scruggs  Cintas Center (10,003)
Cincinnati, OH
November 12, 2021*
6:30 p.m., FS1 		Kent State W 73–59  2–0
  23 – Scruggs   9 – Hunter   4 – Kunkel  Cintas Center (10,224)
Cincinnati, OH
November 18, 2021*
6:30 p.m., FS1 		No. 19 Ohio State
Gavitt Tipoff Games 		W 71–65  3–0
  14 – 2 tied   14 – Nunge   4 – 2 tied  Cintas Center (10,379)
Cincinnati, OH
November 21, 2021*
12:00 p.m., FS1 		Norfolk State W 88–48  4–0
  26 – Kunkel   13 – Jones   6 – 2 tied  Cintas Center (9,361)
Cincinnati, OH
November 24, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		No. 25 vs. Iowa State
NIT Season Tip-Off Semifinals 		L 70–82  4–1
  24 – Nunge   12 – Jones   3 – 2 tied  Barclays Center (2,804)
Brooklyn, NY
November 26, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 25 vs. Virginia Tech
NIT Season Tip-Off 3rd Place Game 		W 59–58  5–1
  30 – Johnson   14 – Nunge   7 – Scruggs  Barclays Center (N/A)
Brooklyn, NY
December 1, 2021*
6:30 p.m., FS1 		Central Michigan W 78–45  6–1
  24 – Johnson   7 – Nunge   7 – Jones  Cintas Center (9,449)
Cincinnati, OH
December 5, 2021*
5:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Oklahoma State
Big East–Big 12 Battle 		W 77–71  7–1
  19 – Scruggs   12 – Jones   4 – Jones  Gallagher-Iba Arena (7,326)
Stillwater, OK
December 8, 2021*
6:30 p.m., FS1 		Ball State W 96–50  8–1
  24 – Freemantle   9 – Scruggs   6 – Odom  Cintas Center (9,865)
Cincinnati, OH
December 11, 2021*
8:30 p.m., FS1 		Cincinnati
Rivalry/Crosstown Shootout 		W 83–63  9–1
  31 – Nunge   15 – Nunge   5 – Scruggs  Cintas Center (10,707)
Cincinnati, OH
December 15, 2021*
8:30 p.m., FS1 		No. 22 Morehead State W 86–63  10–1
  15 – Hunter   7 – Nunge   6 – 2 tied  Cintas Center (9,252)
Cincinnati, OH
Big East regular season
December 18, 2021
4:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 22 Marquette W 80–71  11–1
(1–0) 		 19 – Odom   12 – Nunge   5 – Scruggs  Cintas Center (10,224)
Cincinnati, OH
December 21, 2021
7:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 18 at No. 23 Villanova L 58–71  11–2
(1–1) 		 13 – Odom   8 – Jones   4 – Scruggs  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
January 4, 2022
7:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 22 at Georgetown Canceled Capital One Arena 
Washington, D.C.
January 7, 2022
8:30 p.m., FS1 		No. 22 at Butler W 87–72  12–2
(2–1) 		 25 – Kunkel   7 – Tied   6 – Scruggs  Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,557)
Indianapolis, IN
January 12, 2022
6:30 p.m., FS1 		No. 17 No. 14 Villanova L 60–64  12–3
(2–2) 		 15 – Tied   10 – Jones   4 – Kunkel  Cintas Center (10,224)
Cincinnati, OH
January 15, 2022
12:00 p.m., FOX 		No. 17 Creighton W 80–73  13–3
(3–2) 		 16 – Jones   11 – Freemantle   5 – Scruggs  Cintas Center (10,224)
Cincinnati, OH
January 19, 2022
9:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 20 at DePaul W 68–67  14–3
(4–2) 		 23 – Nunge   9 – Freemantle   7 – Scruggs  Wintrust Arena (2,947)
Chicago, IL
January 23, 2022
2:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 20 at Marquette L 64–75  14–4
(4–3) 		 13 – Scruggs   8 – Nunge   4 – Jones  Fiserv Forum (14,658)
Milwaukee, WI
January 26, 2022
6:30 p.m., CBSSN 		No. 21 No. 17 Providence L 62–65  14–5
(4–4) 		 16 – Scruggs   12 – Jones   4 – Kunkel  Cintas Center (10,224)
Cincinnati, OH
January 29, 2022
2:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 21 at Creighton W 74–64  15–5
(5–4) 		 18 – Scruggs   9 – Jones   8 – Scruggs  CHI Health Center Omaha (17,850)
Omaha, NE
February 2, 2022
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		No. 21 Butler W 68–66  16–5
(6–4) 		 23 – Freemantle   7 – Nunge   5 – Scruggs  Cintas Center (9,969)
Cincinnati, OH
February 5, 2022
7:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 21 DePaul L 65–69  16–6
(6–5) 		 21 – Scruggs   7 – Nunge   5 – Odom  Cintas Center (10,353)
Cincinnati, OH
February 9, 2022
7:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 25 at Seton Hall L 71–73  16–7
(6–6) 		 22 – Nunge   7 – Scruggs   7 – Scruggs  Prudential Center (8,730)
Newark, NJ
February 11, 2022
7:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 25 No. 24 UConn
Rescheduled from December 28 		W 74–68  17–7
(7–6) 		 22 – Nunge   9 – Tied   6 – Jones  Cintas Center (10,388)
Cincinnati, OH
February 16, 2022
6:30 p.m., CBSSN 		St. John's L 73–86  17–8
(7–7) 		 22 – Nunge   9 – Jones   5 – Tied  Cintas Center (10,160)
Cincinnati, OH
February 19, 2022
12:00 p.m., FOX 		at No. 24 UConn L 61–72  17–9
(7–8) 		 15 – Kunkel   10 – Freemantle   2 – Tied  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167)
Storrs, CT
February 23, 2022
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at No. 11 Providence L 92–99 3OT 17–10
(7–9) 		 20 – Kunkel   11 – Jones   3 – Jones  Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,400)
Providence, RI
February 26, 2022
3:30 p.m., FOX 		Seton Hall L 66–82  17–11
(7–10) 		 20 – Jones   10 – Jones   5 – Odom  Cintas Center (10,404)
Cincinnati, OH
March 2, 2022
6:30 p.m., FS1 		at St. John's L 66–81  17–12
(7–11) 		 13 – Jones   11 – Nunge   3 – Odom  Carnesecca Arena (4,352)
Queens, NY
March 5, 2022
7:15 p.m., FS1 		Georgetown W 97–75  18–12
(8–11) 		 25 – Johnson   9 – Nunge   8 – Kunkel  Cintas Center (10,224)
Cincinnati, OH
Big East tournament
March 9, 2022
4:30 p.m., FS1 		(8) vs. (9) Butler
First round 		L 82–89 OT 18–13
  24 – Nunge   13 – Freemantle   6 – Scruggs  Madison Square Garden (17,163)
New York, NY
NIT tournament
March 15, 2022*
9:00 pm, ESPNU 		(2) Cleveland State
First Round – Dayton Bracket 		W 72–68  19–13
  14 – Kunkel   11 – Freemantle   6 – Jones  Cintas Center (1,482)
Cincinnati, OH
March 20, 2022*
1:00 pm, ESPN 		(2) (3) Florida
Second Round – Dayton Bracket 		W 72–56  20–13
  16 – Johnson   8 – Nunge   5 – Jones  Cintas Center (3,437)
Cincinnati, OH
March 22, 2022*
9:00 pm, ESPN 		(2) (4) Vanderbilt
Quarterfinals – Dayton Bracket 		W 75–73  21–13
  16 – Freemantle   8 – Jones   4 – Tied  Cintas Center (3,240)
Cincinnati, OH
March 29, 2022*
7:00 pm, ESPN 		(2) vs. St. Bonaventure
Semifinals 		W 84–77  22–13
  18 – Nunge   8 – Nunge   5 – Johnson  Madison Square Garden 
New York, NY
March 31, 2022*
7:00pm, ESPN 		(2) vs. (1) Texas A&M
Championship 		W 73–72  23–13
  21 – Jones   11 – Nunge   4 – Nunge  Madison Square Garden 
New York, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[7][8]

Rankings

See also: 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
APRVRV25RVRV221823221720212125RV—————Not released
CoachesRVRV^RVRVRV2520242421202323RVRV—————

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings.
^Coaches do not release a Week 1 poll.

Awards and honors

Big East Conference honors

All-Big East Honorable Mention

Sources[9]

References

  1. ^ "Steele out as coach as Xavier plays on in NIT". ESPN.com. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  2. ^ "Sean Miller back for second stint as Xavier coach". ESPN.com. March 19, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  3. ^ "Butler vs. Xavier - Game Recap - March 10, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  4. ^ Woods, David. "Stunning comeback gives Butler OT win over Xavier in Big East tournament". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  5. ^ "NCAA Board of Directors ratifies one-time transfer legislation allowing athletes immediate eligibility". CBSSports.com. April 28, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  6. ^ "Nebraska announces signing of Xavier transfer C.J. Wilcher". Husker247. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  7. ^ "2021-22 Xavier Musketeers Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  8. ^ "2021-22 Xavier Musketeers Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  9. ^ "Champagnie, Gillespie Repeat on All-Big East First Team". Big East Conference. March 6, 2022. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.