There’s hope inside Cintas Center again as Xavier opens season against Texas Southern

There’s nothing like the start of a new season for hope to spring eternal.

The last time Xavier took the Cintas Center floor, the Musketeers suffered an 86-80 loss to No. 8 Marquette, a fitting regular-season finale in a year where Xavier constantly knocked on the door of a breakthrough win but could never finish the job.

But that was nearly eight months ago. In the world of the NIL and transfer portal, roster overhauls can be swift and a team that was under .500 and lost early in the NIT can reload in a hurry and have aspirations of a deep NCAA Tournament run over just one offseason.

That’s where Xavier’s at as it opens the season Monday night at home against Texas Southern.

This one counts

Despite the offseason loss of big man Lassina Traore, Xavier is still a confident bunch with the weapons it has. The Musketeers were impressive in handling the Dayton Flyers on the road, 98-74, in a charity exhibition contest Oct. 20. 

Xavier was picked to finish third in the Big East. But the time for offseason, on-paper fodder for fans and basketball pundits is over and a fast start is imperative. Last season, Xavier went just 6-5 in non-conference play with two brutal home losses (Oakland, Delaware) that set the tone for the program’s first losing season in nearly 30 years.

More: Xavier men’s basketball preview: Musketeers seek March Madness return with reloaded roster

Xavier vs. Texas Southern

Tip: Monday, 7:30 p.m., Cintas Center (10,224)

TV/Radio: FS1/55 KRC

Ratings: Xavier is No. 34 in KenPom to start the year. Texas Southern is No. 284.

History: Two days before the Nashville Nightmare (when No. 1 overall ranked Xavier was upset by Florida State) in the Round of 32 of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, top-seeded Xavier opened March Madness with a 102-83 victory over Texas Southern at Bridgestone Arena. It’s the only previous matchup between the two programs.

Note: Xavier has won 34 consecutive regular-season openers.

More: Ranking: Who has the best college basketball program in Ohio? Xavier is No. 1 over UC, OSU

Texas Southern Tigers scouting report

Record: 16-17 (12-5 SWAC) in 2023-24

Head coach: Johnny Jones (106-90 at Texas Southern, seventh season)

Offense: 70.2 ppg (last season)

Defense: 71.1 ppg (last season)

Overview: Texas Southern had a three-season streak of NCAA Tournament appearances snapped last season after going 16-17. Head coach Johnny Jones still inked a three-year extension in April.

The Tigers lost both of their double-digit scorers from last season, but return fifth-year forward Grayson Carter (7.1 points per game last year), who began his career at Georgetown.

Texas Southern was picked to finish second in the SWAC while two players, Carter and Kenny Hunter, were preseason second-team all-league selections.

Projected lineup 

(Pos., Height, Stats last season)

Kavion McClain (G, 5’10”, 6.2 ppg at Abilene Christian)

Jaylin Jackson-Posey (G, 6’3”, 7 ppg at New Mexico State)

Alex Anderson (G, 6’6”, 11 ppg at Incarnate Word)

Kenny Hunter (F, 6’8”, 5.6 ppg)

Grayson Carter (F, 6’10”, 7.1 ppg)

Xavier Musketeers scouting report

Record: 16-18 (9-11 Big East) in 2023-24

Head coach: Sean Miller (163-75  at Xavier, eighth season)

Offense: 75.9 ppg (last season)

Defense: 74.6 ppg (last season)

Projected lineup 

(Pos., Height, Stats last season)

Dayvion McKnight (G, 6’0”, 12.4 ppg)

Ryan Conwell (G, 6’4”, 16.6 ppg at Indiana State)

Marcus Foster (G, 6’5”, 17 ppg at Furman)

Dailyn Swain (G/F, 6’8”, 4.6 ppg)

Zach Freemantle (F, 6’9”, DNP)

More: ‘It gets pretty dark.’ Zach Freemantle savoring return to Xavier Musketeers basketball

Players to watch

Jerome Hunter

The wait is over for Hunter and Freemantle. After missing all of last season, the duo should get a warm welcome at Cintas Center Monday night. Hunter will likely be coming off the bench, which is not a foreign role for the sixth-year forward. Hunter made just 15 starts in 2023 but turned into one of the key cogs to Xavier’s Sweet 16 run as he developed into one of Miller’s top players at a critical point to the season.

Hunter’s defensive presence and rebounding ability are focal points to Xavier’s bench production. Hunter and the rest of Xavier’s frontcourt is tasked with fixing the rebounding woes that were present all of last season.

Dayvion McKnight

McKnight was part of a backcourt trio last season that kept Xavier afloat for the majority of the season. McKnight effectively ran a top-heavy Xavier roster last season, but now has weapons all over at his disposal with Freemantle, Hunter and John Hugley IV down low and several scoring options at guard.

Keys to a Xavier victory over Texas Southern

Take care of the ball

Texas Southern’s offense has not ranked better than 221st in the nation in efficiency, according to KenPom, since 2019. Last year, the Tigers were a defensive-minded squad that ranked No. 64 in opponents’ effective field goal percentage.

It’s no secret that Xavier is going to push the pace on a nightly basis. The key to effectively doing that is to take care of the basketball. Luckily for the Musketeers, McKnight was one of the best in the country (19th in assist-to-turnover ratio) at doing just that last year. If Xavier can avoid costly turnovers in the backcourt, they can find their scorers for quality looks on the other end.

Dominate the boards

With Xavier’s season-long struggles on the board last season, this year’s club will be under a microscope early on with how it performs on the glass.

The opportunities should be there for Xavier to force several one-and-done possessions. Texas Southern was No. 10 in the SWAC last season in field goal percentage and one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country. Xavier’s ability to limit the Tigers to one shot per possession will decide if they can pull away in this matchup.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Preview: How Xavier can get a season-opening win over Texas Southern