Thursday Night Football? More like Thursday night hoops! The Xavier Musketeers travel to Knoxville for an exhibition game with the Tennessee Volunteers Thursday at 7 p.m. This game will be telling for the Musketeer squad in year two under head coach Richard Pitino. Below, find everything you need to know before Thursday night.
What to Expect from Xavier
Redshirt sophomore Gabe Pozzato to slowly shake off his rust, improving his game each time he steps on the court.
Some guys will play a larger role than they are set to play in the regular season, as Xavier could be short multiple guys.
LSU transfer Mike Nwoko will continue to be dominant down low. Nwoko shares a trainer with returning junior Jovan Milicevic. Despite last week’s limited action, look for a connection between the two.
Freshman big man Asher Elson will be out again with a slight fracture in his foot.
Senior guard Tru Washington (Miami FL) to emerge as a glue guy for Xavier, doing a little bit of everything.
Fifth year UAB transfer Chance Westry will look to command the offense yet again and should lead the team in assists.
Questions We Have
How will Nwoko and Westry adjust their defense to avoid fouls?
Will Tennessee bring heavy pressure like Dayton did? How will Xavier handle it this time?
Will junior forward Rolyns Aligbe play after missing the Dayton exhibition?
Will freshman Kalek House play after getting banged up early last Wednesday?
Jovan Milicevic went 0/2 from 3 against Dayton, will his shooting game heat up when the game is indoors?
Will Ruben Dominguez continue his hot shooting?
Who will step up and rebound for X? Other than Nwoko, no Musketeer had more than three boards against Dayton.
How will Xavier shoot the ball in a real basketball setting?
The big question: How will the Musketeers fare against top SEC competition?
Projected Starting Five
Point Guard: Chance Westry
15.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 5.5 APG at UAB last season
Guard: Ruben Dominguez
10.2 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.4 APG at Texas A&M last season.:
Guard: Tru Washington
11.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.8 APG at Miami last season
Power Forward: Jovan Milicevic
12.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.4 APG at Xavier last season
Center: Mike Nwoko
13.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 0.8 APG at LSU last season
Look at the Volunteers
Head coach Rick Barnes has loaded up this offseason, producing one of the best transfer classes in the nation. Key additions include Juke Harris (Wake Forest), Jalen Haralson (Notre Dame), Terrence Hill Jr. (VCU), Dai Dai Ames (California), Tyler Lundblade (Belmont), Miles Rubin (Loyola Chicago), Braedan Lue (Kennesaw State) and Jalen Washington (Vanderbilt). Harris averaged 21.4 points at Wake Forest last season, look for him to produce a ton for the Volunteers. Behind Harris in the back-court is Ames, Haralson and Hill. All three players averaged 15+ PPG last season. Tennessee arguably has the best back court in the country.
Miles Rubin, Braeden Lue, Jalen Washington, and DeWayne Brown II lead the Tennessee front court. While these guys are still talented, the pure firepower of the Volunteers’ guards is the headline.
The Volunteers projected starting five is:
G Terrence Hill Jr
G Juke Harris
G Dai Dai Ames
G Jalen Haralson
F DeWayne Brown II
This will be a massive test for Xavier against one of the higher-ranked teams in the nation preseason. The Musketeers will learn a lot Thursday.
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