The Xavier Musketeers are back in the Cintas Center Friday night as they host the Eastern Michigan Eagles. This is another buy game where the Musketeers should look to dominate their opponent.

Get to Know the Eagles

Eastern Michigan is led by first year head coach Billy Donlon, who was the associate head coach at Clemson for the past four years. So far this year, the Eagles are 1-0 with a narrow win over Coastal Carolina.

In their opener, they were led by forward Mohammed Habhab, who came off the bench and put up a whopping 34 points and 13 rebounds. Behind Habhab in the back-court is Kaden Johnson, who put up a solid 8 points and 5 boards against Coastal. Their backcourt is headlined by guard Jaiden Martin, who had 17 points against Coastal Carolina.

In KenPom, the Eagles are currently rated at 174th in the nation, which is good enough for seventh in the MAC. On Torvik, they are placed at 164th. That sets them at fifth in the MAC. For reference, the Musketeers are at 43rd on KenPom and 48th on Torvik.

Keys to the Game

Start Fast: The Musketeers came out of the gate rolling against Mount St. Mary’s, taking a near instant 13-0 lead. That’s the best way to handle a buy game, take the lead and don’t look back. The Musketeers aim to do this Friday night.

Involve Everyone: Buy games are a time for players on the team to build confidence and hit their stride. If guys are able to put the ball in the basket and get into the flow of the game, it should carry over for the rest of the season.

Rebound the Ball: The Musketeers out rebounded Mount St. Mary’s 56-33 Monday night. Rebounding has been sorely missed. Dominating the boards against Eastern Michigan would have the same effect.

Last Game’s Starters

Xavier

G Tru Washington

10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in season opener

G Ruben Dominguez

8 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist in season opener

F Filip Borovicanin

8 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in season opener

F Jovan Milicevic

14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks in season opener

F Mike Nwoko

10 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in season opener

Eastern Michigan

G Braelon Green

5 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists in season opener

G Jaiden Martin

17 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals in season opener

G Aviv Aronov

2 points, 0 rebounds and 0 assists in season opener

F Kaden Johnson

8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in season opener

F Killian Brockhoff

0 points, 1 rebounds and 0 assists in season opener

Note: Mohammad Habhab came off the bench with 34 points and 13 rebounds, we wouldn’t be surprised if he starts for the Eagles.

Wrap-Up and Prediction

The Musketeers are the far more talented and athletic team, meaning they should dominate at home.

Xavier wins 94-62

Note: There will be NO live blog tomorrow night