The Xavier Musketeers blitzed the Mississippi State Bulldogs Friday night at the Greenbriar Hotel, picking up a dominant 81-63 win. This game was a statement win for the Musketeers, shooting up their metrics and putting the College Basketball world on notice.

The Positives

Tru Washington had his best game of the season, putting up 21 points on 8/14 shooting, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. While doing this, he didn’t commit a single turnover. When Tru steps up and takes charge in games, it makes the Musketeers so much more dangerous.

Nikos Chitikoudis was great for Xavier, tallying 11 points and 6 rebounds. Nikos’ role on the team does not get talked about enough. He bridges the gap down low for the Musketeers, doing the dirty work that players don’t always get credit for. Plus, he’s a reliable backup when Mike Nwoko inevitably gets into foul trouble.

Despite not playing his best game, Jovan Milicevic looked great shooting the deep ball. He managed 12 points, nailing two long 3-pointers that electrified the crowd.

The Musketeers rolled out a new-look starting five of: Tru Washington, Chance Westry, Jovan Milicevic, Filip Borovicanin and Mike Nwoko. This was the first change-up of the regular season for Xavier, providing a fresh new look for the Musketeers.

Despite coming off the bench, Ruben Dominguez had a solid shooting night. He put up 9 points, going 2/3 from beyond the arc. Ruben is a guy who the Musketeers need to gain confidence as they move into bigger games..

Xavier won the turnover battle, only turning it over 14 times tonight. Mississippi State finished with 18 turnovers, with the Musketeers garnering 15 points off of them.

Josh Hubbard is a star for the Bulldogs, he’s expected to put up big numbers every single game. Xavier did a superb job limiting him, holding Hubbard to a season-low 12 points on 4/12 shooting. At one point in the game, he went 19 minutes without scoring a single point.

The Musketeer’s deduction of Hubbard represents their defense as a whole; stifling, swarming and tough. Tonight, they held Mississippi State to a 33.3% shooting percentage from the field. They were 4/29 from three.

The Negatives

The Musketeers made some sloppy plays late. While this is something they need to clean up, it came after Xavier had taken their foot off the gas and had the game comfortably in hand.

Mike Nwoko committed four fouls in just 15 minutes of play, continuing to struggle with staying in the game. Despite that, the rest of the Xavier front court was able to pick up the slack.

What’s Next

The Musketeers are set to host the Cleveland State Vikings Tuesday night, which should be a win. Friday night, they will host the Iowa Hawkeyes in another big test. The game will be a whiteout.

Sansom Sports Media will have live coverage for both matchups.