2018–19 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team represented Xavier University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as a member of the Big East Conference. Led by first-year head coach Travis Steele, they played their home games at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Xavier finished the season with a 19–16 record, 9–9 for conference play, finishing 3rd in the Big East.[1] In the Big East conference tournament, Xavier beat Creighton in the quarterfinals before losing to Villanova in the semifinals. The Musketeers missed out on a bid to the NCAA tournament and entered the NIT tournament.[2]

2018–19 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball
NIT, Second round
ConferenceBig East Conference
2018–19 record19–16 (9–9 Big East)
Head coachTravis Steele (1st season)
Assistant coaches
  • Jonas Hayes (1st season)
  • Ben Johnson (1st season)
  • Dante Jackson (1st season)
Home arenaCintas Center
2018–19 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 23 Villanova †13–5 .722  26–10  .722
Marquette12–6 .667  24–10  .706
Seton Hall9–9 .500  20–14  .588
Xavier9–9 .500  19–16  .543
Creighton9–9 .500  20–15  .571
Georgetown9–9 .500  19–14  .576
St. John's8–10 .444  21–13  .618
Providence7–11 .389  18–16  .529
Butler7–11 .389  16–17  .485
DePaul7–11 .389  19–17  .528
† 2019 Big East Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

The Musketeers finished the 2017–18 season 29–6, 15–3 in Big East play to win the Big East championship. In the Big East Tournament, they defeated St. John's before losing to Providence in the semifinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed in the West region. In the First Round, they defeated Texas Southern before being upset by Florida State in the Second Round.

On March 27, 2018, Chris Mack was hired as the new head coach of Louisville, leaving Xavier after nine seasons.[3] Four days later, longtime assistant coach Travis Steele was named the new head coach of the Musketeers.[4]

Offseason

Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason left
Trevon Bluiett5Guard6'6"198SeniorIndianapolis, INGraduated
Kerem Kanter11Forward6'10"240Graduate studentIstanbul, TurkeyCompleted athletic eligibility; graduated from Green Bay in 2017
Matt Singleton20Forward6'7"215SeniorGarrett, INGraduated
Kaiser Gates22Forward6'7"205JuniorAlpharetta, GADeclared for the 2018 NBA draft
Sean O'Mara54Forward-center6'10"244SeniorGlen Ellyn, ILGraduated
J. P. Macura55Guard6'5"203SeniorLakeville, MNGraduated

Incoming transfers
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Kyle Castlin[5] 2 Guard 6'4" 190 Graduate Student Marietta, Georgia Transferred from Columbia after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[6]
Zach Hankins 35 Center 6'10" 245 Graduate Student Charlevoix, Michigan Transferred from Ferris State after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[7]
Ryan Welage[8] 32 Forward 6'9" 205 Graduate Student Greensburg, Indiana Transferred from San Jose State after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[9]

Recruiting classes

2018 recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Keonte Kennedy
SG		 Austin, TX Westlake High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Oct 3, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Dontarius James
SF		 Kershaw, SC Andrew Jackson High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Nov 12, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
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:

  • "2018 Xavier Commits". Rivals.com.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

    Honors and awards

    Street & Smith's Preseason Awards[10]

    • All-Newcomer - Ryan Welage
    • All-Sharpshooter - Ryan Welage

    Roster
    2018–19 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    F 0 Tyrique Jones 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)235 lb (107 kg) JrVermont Academy Bloomfield, Connecticut
    G 1 Paul Scruggs 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)200 lb (91 kg) SoProlific Prep Indianapolis, Indiana
    G 2 Kyle Castlin 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)193 lb (88 kg) GSColumbia Marietta, Georgia
    G 3 Quentin Goodin 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)194 lb (88 kg) JrTaylor County HS Campbellsville, Kentucky
    G 4 Elias Harden 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)187 lb (85 kg) SoPebblebrook HS East Point, Georgia
    G 10 Leighton Schrand 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)155 lb (70 kg) JrHoly Cross HS Villa Hills, Kentucky
    G 11 Keonte Kennedy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)187 lb (85 kg) FrWestlake HS Aurora, Colorado
    F 12 Dontarius James 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrHuntington Prep Kershaw, South Carolina
    F 13 Naji Marshall 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)222 lb (101 kg) SoHargrave Military Academy Atlantic City, New Jersey
    G 20 Ramon Singh 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)170 lb (77 kg) FrLa Lumiere School Sydney, Australia
    F 32 Ryan Welage 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)205 lb (93 kg) GSSan Jose State Greensburg, Indiana
    G/F 34 Myles Hanson (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)215 lb (98 kg) RS SoColumbia Chaska, Minnesota
    F 35 Zach Hankins 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)245 lb (111 kg) GSFerris State Charlevoix, Michigan
    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 1, 2018*
    7:00 pm    		 Kentucky Wesleyan W 98–69  –
    		  22 – Tied  7 – Tied  5 – Welage  Cintas Center (10,073)
    Cincinnati, OH
    Non-conference regular season
    November 6, 2018*
    8:30 pm, FS2    		 IUPUI W 82–69  1–0
    		  24 – Welage  8 – Castlin  7 – Marshall  Cintas Center (10,224)
    Cincinnati, OH
    November 10, 2018*
    4:00 pm, FSN    		 Evansville
    Maui on the Mainland    		 W 91–85  2–0
    		  24 – Scruggs  20 – Jones  5 – Scruggs  Cintas Center (10,533)
    Cincinnati, OH
    November 13, 2018*
    6:30 pm, FS1    		 Wisconsin
    Gavitt Tipoff Games    		 L 68–77  2–1
    		  24 – Marshall  13 – Marshall  5 – Goodin  Cintas Center (10,312)
    Cincinnati, OH
    November 19, 2018*
    2:30 pm, ESPN2    		 vs. No. 8 Auburn
    Maui Invitational Tournament quarterfinals    		 L 79–88 OT 2–2
    		  17 – Welage  9 – Jones  6 – Goodin  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
    Lahaina, HI
    November 20, 2018*
    2:30 pm, ESPN2    		 vs. San Diego State
    Maui Invitational Tournament consolation 2nd round    		 L 74–79  2–3
    		  20 – Goodin  6 – Scruggs  5 – Marshall  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
    Lahaina, HI
    November 21, 2018*
    9:00 pm, ESPNU    		 vs. Illinois
    Maui Invitational Tournament 7th place game    		 W 83–74  3–3
    		  15 – Goodin  9 – Jones  5 – Marshall  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
    Lahaina, HI
    November 28, 2018*
    6:30 pm, FS1    		 Miami (OH) W 82–55  4–3
    		  17 – Marshall  13 – Jones  8 – Goodin  Cintas Center (10,394)
    Cincinnati, OH
    December 1, 2018*
    12:00 pm, FS1    		 Oakland W 73–63  5–3
    		  14 – Marshall  11 – Jones  4 – Scruggs  Cintas Center (10,331)
    Cincinnati, OH
    December 5, 2018*
    6:30 pm, FS1    		 Ohio W 82–61  6–3
    		  21 – Scruggs  7 – Marshall  8 – Scruggs  Cintas Center (10,405)
    Cincinnati, OH
    December 8, 2018*
    2:00 pm, ESPN2    		 at Cincinnati
    Crosstown Shootout    		 L 47–62  6–4
    		  12 – Goodin  7 – Tied  5 – Goodin  Fifth Third Arena (12,513)
    Cincinnati, OH
    December 15, 2018*
    8:00 pm, FS1    		 Eastern Kentucky W 95–77  7–4
    		  16 – Goodin  10 – Marshall  10 – Goodin  Cintas Center (10,112)
    Cincinnati, OH
    December 18, 2018*
    7:00 pm, ESPNU    		 at Missouri L 56–71  7–5
    		  21 – Goodin  11 – Marshall  6 – Goodin  Mizzou Arena (9,785)
    Columbia, MO
    December 21, 2018*
    7:00 pm, FS2    		 Detroit Mercy W 69–55  8–5
    		  22 – Goodin  11 – Hankins  9 – Goodin  Cintas Center (10,224)
    Cincinnati, OH
    Big East regular season
    December 29, 2018
    2:00 pm, FS1    		 at DePaul W 74–65  9–5
    (1–0)    		  19 – Marshall  14 – Marshall  8 – Goodin  Wintrust Arena (5,632)
    Chicago, IL
    January 2, 2019
    6:30 pm, FS1    		 Seton Hall L 70–80  9–6
    (1–1)    		  22 – Scruggs  7 – Marshall  6 – Goodin  Cintas Center (10,224)
    Cincinnati, OH
    January 6, 2019
    12:00 pm, FOX    		 at No. 16 Marquette L 52–70  9–7
    (1–2)    		  21 – Marshall  10 – Scruggs  2 – Goodin  Fiserv Forum (17,309)
    Milwaukee, WI
    January 9, 2019
    6:30 pm, FS1    		 Georgetown W 81–75  10–7
    (2–2)    		  23 – Hankins  10 – Tied  4 – Scruggs  Cintas Center (10,224)
    Cincinnati, OH
    January 13, 2019
    12:00 pm, CBSSN    		 Butler W 70–69  11–7
    (3–2)    		  23 – Scruggs  8 – Scruggs  6 – Scruggs  Cintas Center (10,144)
    Cincinnati, OH
    January 18, 2019
    8:30 pm, FS1    		 at No. 22 Villanova L 75–85  11–8
    (3–3)    		  21 – Jones  12 – Jones  7 – Marshall  Wells Fargo Center (12,103)
    Philadelphia, PA
    January 23, 2019
    6:30 pm, FS1    		 Providence L 62–64  11–9
    (3–4)    		  14 – Scruggs  10 – Castlin  4 – Tied  Cintas Center (10,142)
    Cincinnati, OH
    January 26, 2019
    2:00 pm, FS1    		 No. 12 Marquette L 82–87  11–10
    (3–5)    		  21 – Tied  11 – Jones  5 – Scruggs  Cintas Center (10,547)
    Cincinnati, OH
    January 31, 2019
    8:00 pm, CBSSN    		 at Georgetown L 73–80  11–11
    (3–6)    		  16 – Marshall  7 – Scruggs  4 – Goodin  Capital One Arena (7,636)
    Washington, DC
    February 3, 2019
    1:00 pm, FSN    		 at Creighton L 54–76  11–12
    (3–7)    		  13 – Goodin  5 – Scruggs  7 – Goodin  CHI Health Center Omaha (16,678)
    Omaha, NE
    February 9, 2019
    8:00 pm, FS1    		 DePaul L 62–74  11–13
    (3–8)    		  22 – Marshall  9 – Jones  4 – Marshall  Cintas Center (10,242)
    Cincinnati, OH
    February 13, 2019
    8:30 pm, CBSSN    		 Creighton W 64–61 OT 12–13
    (4–8)    		  23 – Marshall  8 – Scruggs  5 – Marshall  Cintas Center (9,949)
    Cincinnati, OH
    February 16, 2019
    2:00 pm, FOX    		 at Providence W 75–61  13–13
    (5–8)    		  19 – Jones  12 – Jones  7 – Goodin  Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,410)
    Providence, RI
    February 20, 2019
    7:00 pm, CBSSN    		 at Seton Hall W 70–69  14–13
    (6–8)    		  28 – Marshall  15 – Jones  5 – Marshall  Prudential Center (7,916)
    Newark, NJ
    February 24, 2019
    1:30 pm, CBS    		 No. 17 Villanova W 66–54  15–13
    (7–8)    		  17 – Marshall  8 – Jones  4 – Tied  Cintas Center (10,444)
    Cincinnati, OH
    February 28, 2019
    6:30 pm, FS1    		 at St. John's W 84–73  16–13
    (8–8)    		  31 – Marshall  10 – Jones  4 – Jones  Carnesecca Arena (5,602)
    Queens, NY
    March 5, 2019
    6:00 pm, FS1    		 at Butler L 66–71  16–14
    (8–9)    		  13 – Tied  9 – Hankins  4 – Goodin  Hinkle Fieldhouse 
    Indianapolis, IN
    March 9, 2019
    5:00 pm, FOX    		 St. John's W 81–68  17–14
    (9–9)    		  22 – Scruggs  7 – Tied  7 – Goodin  Cintas Center (10,391)
    Cincinnati, OH
    Big East Tournament
    March 14, 2019
    2:30 pm, FS1    		 (4) vs. (5) Creighton
    Quarterfinals    		 W 63–61  18–14
    		  22 – Hankins  9 – Hankins  4 – Goodin  Madison Square Garden (19,534)
    New York, NY
    March 15, 2019
    6:30 pm, FS1    		 (4) vs. (1) No. 25 Villanova
    Semifinals    		 W 71–67 OT 18–15
    		  28 – Scruggs  11 – Scruggs  8 – Goodin  Madison Square Garden 
    New York, NY
    NIT
    March 20, 2019*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 (3) (6) Toledo
    First round – Alabama bracket    		 W 78–64  19–15
    		  20 – Marshall  21 – Marshall  6 – Marshall  Cintas Center (5,769)
    Cincinnati, OH
    March 24, 2019*
    4:00 pm, ESPN    		 (3) at (2) Texas
    Second round – Alabama bracket    		 L 76–78 OT 19–16
    		  22 – Jones  11 – Jones  5 – Goodin  Frank Erwin Center (3,204)
    Austin, TX
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Eastern Time.

    Rankings
    Ranking movements
    Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
    NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
    Week
    Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Final 
    AP RV Not released 
    Coaches NR

    *AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

    References
    1. "2018-19 Xavier Musketeers Roster and Stats". Retrieved 23 March 2019.
    2. Baum, Adam. "March Madness 2019: Xavier Musketeers basketball miss NCAA Tournament, Big East gets 4 in". Retrieved 23 March 2019.
    3. Greer, Jeff (March 27, 2018). "Louisville hires Chris Mack as new men's basketball coach". Courier Journal. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
    4. Borzello, Jeff (March 31, 2018). "Musketeers promote longtime assistant Travis Steele to head coach". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
    5. "Kyle Castlin commits to Xavier: Ohio State basketball misses out on transfer target". Land of 10. 2018-04-08. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
    6. "Xavier brings in grad transfer Kyle Castlin". Banners On The Parkway. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
    7. Paul, Tony (April 7, 2018). "Ferris State's Hankins chooses Xavier over MSU, others". The Detroit News. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
    8. "Kyle Castlin commits to Xavier: Ohio State basketball misses out on transfer target". Land of 10. 2018-04-08. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
    9. "Xavier acquires record-setting SJSU Spartan grad transfer Ryan Welage". Mountain West Connection. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
    10. Street & Smith's Basketball. 2018-19: 29. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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