2017–18 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team represented Xavier University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as a member of the Big East Conference. Led by ninth-year head coach Chris Mack, they played their home games at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. They finished the 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.

2017–18 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball
Big East regular season champions
NCAA tournament, Second Round
Conference	Big East Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 8
AP	No. 3
Record	29–6 (15–3 Big East)
Head coach	Chris Mack (9th season)
Assistant coaches	Travis Steele Luke Murray Mike Pegues
Home arena	Cintas Center
Seasons ← 2016–17 2018–19 →

2017–18 Big East men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 3 Xavier	15	–	3		.833			29	–	6		.829
No. 2 Villanova †	14	–	4		.778			36	–	4		.900
Seton Hall	10	–	8		.556			22	–	12		.647
Creighton	10	–	8		.556			21	–	12		.636
Providence	10	–	8		.556			21	–	14		.600
Butler	9	–	9		.500			21	–	14		.600
Marquette	9	–	9		.500			21	–	14		.600
Georgetown	5	–	13		.278			15	–	15		.500
St. John's	4	–	14		.222			16	–	17		.485
DePaul	4	–	14		.222			11	–	20		.355
† 2018 Big East tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

On March 27, 2018, Chris Mack was hired as the new head coach of Louisville, leaving Xavier after nine seasons.^[1] Four days later, longtime assistant coach Travis Steele was named the new head coach of the Musketeers.^[2]

Previous season

The Musketeers finished the 2016–17 season 24–14, 9–9 in Big East play to finish in seventh place.^[3][4] In the Big East tournament, they defeated DePaul and Butler before losing to Creighton in the semifinals.^[5] They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 11 seed in the West region where they defeated Maryland,^[6] Florida State,^[7] and Arizona^[8] before losing in the Elite Eight to Gonzaga.^[9]

Offseason

Returning players

On March 31, 2017, Trevon Bluiett announced he would declare for the NBA draft, but would not hire an agent.^[10] On May 23, he withdrew his name from the draft and announced he would return to Xavier for his senior season.^[11]

Incoming recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Elias Harden SG	Tyrone, GA	Sandy Creek High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jul 27, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 80
Naji Marshall SF	Greenbelt, MD	Hargrave Military Academy	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jul 29, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 85
Paul Scruggs PG	Indianapolis, IN	Prolific Prep	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Oct 14, 2016
	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: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Incoming transfers

Name	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School	Years Remaining	Date Eligible
Kerem Kanter	Forward	6'10"	240	Senior	Istanbul, Turkey	Green Bay	1	Oct. 1, 2017[12]

Future recruits

2018 recruits

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jake Walter C	Alexandria, KY	Covington Catholic High School	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	Aug 18, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
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.

Preseason

In its annual preseason preview, Blue Ribbon Yearbook ranked the Musketeers No. 21 in the country.^[13] Trevon Bluiett was named a third team All-American.^[13]

In a poll of Big East coaches at the conference's media day, the Musketeers were picked to finish in third place in the Big East.^[14] Senior guard Trevon Bluiett was named to the preseason All-Big East First team while senior guard J.P. Macura was named a preseason All-Big East Honorable Mention.^[15]

Roster

2017–18 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown F 0 Tyrique Jones 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 237 lb (108 kg) So Vermont Academy Bloomfield, Connecticut G 1 Paul Scruggs 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 212 lb (96 kg) Fr Prolific Prep (CA) Indianapolis, Indiana G 3 Quentin Goodin 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 194 lb (88 kg) So Taylor County HS Campbellsville, Kentucky G 4 Elias Harden 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 183 lb (83 kg) Fr Pebblebrook HS East Point, Georgia G 5 Trevon Bluiett 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 198 lb (90 kg) Sr Park Tudor School Indianapolis, Indiana G 10 Leighton Schrand (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 155 lb (70 kg) So Holy Cross High School Villa Hills, Kentucky F 11 Kerem Kanter 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Sr Green Bay Istanbul, Turkey G 12 Nick Vanderpohl (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Harrison Harrison, Ohio F 13 Naji Marshall 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 214 lb (97 kg) Fr Hargrave Military Academy Atlantic City, New Jersey F 20 Matt Singleton (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Garrett HS Garrett, Indiana F 22 Kaiser Gates 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 228 lb (103 kg) Jr St. Francis HS Alpharetta, Georgia F/C 54 Sean O'Mara 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 244 lb (111 kg) Sr Benet Academy Glen Ellyn, Illinois G 55 J. P. Macura 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 203 lb (92 kg) Sr Lakeville North HS Lakeville, Minnesota	Head coach Chris Mack (Xavier) Assistant coach(es) Travis Steele (Butler) Luke Murray (Fairfield) Mike Pegues (Delaware) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
Nov 4, 2017* 4:00 pm	No. 17	Thomas More College	W 78–38		16 – Marshall	10 – Kanter	6 – Scruggs	Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH
Non-conference regular season
Nov 10, 2017* 7:00 pm, FSN	No. 17	Morehead State	W 101–49	1–0	25 – Bluiett	9 – Jones	7 – Goodin	Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH
Nov 13, 2017* 8:30 pm, FS1	No. 15	Rider Las Vegas Invitational campus-site game	W 101–75	2–0	26 – Bluiett	9 – Bluiett	6 – Tied	Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH
Nov 16, 2017* 8:30 pm, FS1	No. 15	at Wisconsin Gavitt Tipoff Games	W 80–70	3–0	25 – Bluiett	9 – Bluiett	6 – Goodin	Kohl Center (17,287) Madison, WI
Nov 20, 2017* 8:30 pm, FS1	No. 15	Hampton Las Vegas Invitational campus-site game	W 96–60	4–0	21 – Bluiett	9 – Gates	5 – Goodin	Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH
Nov 23, 2017* 5:00 pm, FS1	No. 15	vs. George Washington Las Vegas Invitational semifinals	W 83–64	5–0	20 – Bluiett	11 – Jones	4 – Goodin	Orleans Arena  Paradise, NV
Nov 24, 2017* 5:30 pm, FOX	No. 15	vs. Arizona State Las Vegas Invitational championship	L 86–102	5–1	23 – Macura	5 – Tied	6 – Tied	Orleans Arena  Paradise, NV
Nov 28, 2017* 6:30 pm, FS1	No. 21	No. 16 Baylor	W 76–63	6–1	19 – Tied	7 – Jones	6 – Tied	Cintas Center (10,503) Cincinnati, OH
Dec 2, 2017* 12:00 pm, FS1	No. 21	No. 11 Cincinnati Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout	W 89–76	7–1	28 – Bluiett	10 – Gates	8 – Goodin	Cintas Center (10,817) Cincinnati, OH
Dec 6, 2017* 7:00 pm, FS1	No. 13	Kent State	W 96–70	8–1	26 – Bluiett	8 – Kanter	6 – Goodin	Cintas Center (10,292) Cincinnati, OH
Dec 9, 2017* 5:00 pm, FS1	No. 13	Colorado	W 96–69	9–1	25 – Bluiett	7 – Tied	8 – Goodin	Cintas Center (10,228) Cincinnati, OH
Dec 16, 2017* 2:00 pm, FSN	No. 10	East Tennessee State	W 68–66	10–1	18 – Bluiett	7 – Tied	6 – Goodin	Cintas Center (10,432) Cincinnati, OH
Dec 19, 2017* 6:30 pm, FS1	No. 9	Marshall	W 81–77	11–1	16 – Kanter	13 – Kanter	4 – Marshall	Cintas Center (10,431) Cincinnati, OH
Dec 22, 2017* 9:00 pm, CBSSN	No. 9	at Northern Iowa	W 77–67	12–1	15 – Macura	9 – Gates	5 – Goodin	McLeod Center (6,355) Cedar Falls, IA
Big East regular season
Dec 27, 2017 8:30 pm, FS1	No. 6	at Marquette	W 91–87	13–1 (1–0)	23 – Bluiett	6 – Bluiett	8 – Bluiett	BMO Harris Bradley Center (15,095) Milwaukee, WI
Dec 30, 2017 2:00 pm, FS1	No. 6	DePaul	W 77–72	14–1 (2–0)	19 – Macura	7 – Tied	5 – Macura	Cintas Center (10,436) Cincinnati, OH
Jan 2, 2018 7:00 pm, FS1	No. 5	Butler	W 86–79	15–1 (3–0)	21 – Bluiett	9 – Jones	4 – Macura	Cintas Center (10,609) Cincinnati, OH
Jan 6, 2018 12:00 pm, FOX	No. 5	at Providence	L 72–81	15–2 (3–1)	24 – Kanter	12 – Kanter	4 – Tied	Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,630) Providence, RI
Jan 10, 2018 8:00 pm, FS1	No. 10	at No. 1 Villanova	L 65–89	15–3 (3–2)	16 – Kanter	5 – Kanter	3 – Tied	Wells Fargo Center (12,765) Philadelphia, PA
Jan 13, 2018 2:00 pm, FOX	No. 10	No. 25 Creighton	W 92–70	16–3 (4–2)	22 – Bluiett	8 – Tied	6 – Goodin	Cintas Center (10,655) Cincinnati, OH
Jan 17, 2018 8:30 pm, CBSSN	No. 11	St. John's	W 88–82	17–3 (5–2)	23 – Bluiett	13 – Kanter	7 – Goodin	Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH
Jan 20, 2018 2:30 pm, FOX	No. 11	at No. 19 Seton Hall	W 73–64	18–3 (6–2)	27 – Macura	5 – Tied	5 – Scruggs	Prudential Center (10,481) Newark, NJ
Jan 24, 2018 6:30 pm, FS1	No. 8	Marquette	W 89–70	19–3 (7–2)	15 – Goodin	10 – Bluiett	5 – Tied	Cintas Center (10,493) Cincinnati, OH
Jan 30, 2018 8:30 pm, CBSSN	No. 6	at St. John's	W 73–68	20–3 (8–2)	14 – Bluiett	6 – Gates	5 – Goodin	Carnesecca Arena (5,344) Queens, NY
Feb 3, 2018 6:10 pm, CBSSN	No. 6	Georgetown	W 96–91 OT	21–3 (9–2)	31 – Bluiett	10 – Gates	4 – Gates	Cintas Center (10,758) Cincinnati, OH
Feb 6, 2018 6:30 pm, FS1	No. 5	at Butler	W 98–93 OT	22–3 (10–2)	26 – Bluiett	6 – Tied	3 – Tied	Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) Indianapolis, IN
Feb 10, 2018 2:30 pm, FOX	No. 5	at Creighton	W 72–71	23–3 (11–2)	17 – Goodin	9 – Macura	4 – Bluiett	CenturyLink Center (18,257) Omaha, NE
Feb 14, 2018 9:00 pm, FS1	No. 4	Seton Hall	W 102–90	24–3 (12–2)	37 – Bluiett	7 – Bluiett	5 – Macura	Cintas Center (10,512) Cincinnati, OH
Feb 17, 2018 4:30 pm, FOX	No. 4	No. 3 Villanova	L 79–95	24–4 (12–3)	26 – Bluiett	8 – Marshall	12 – Goodin	Cintas Center (10,777) Cincinnati, OH
Feb 21, 2018 6:30 pm, FS1	No. 4	at Georgetown	W 89–77	25–4 (13–3)	21 – Marshall	7 – Tied	4 – Tied	Capital One Arena (8,012) Washington, DC
Feb 28, 2018 6:30 pm, FS1	No. 3	Providence	W 84–74	26–4 (14–3)	23 – Bluiett	6 – Bluiett	4 – Goodin	Cintas Center (10,715) Cincinnati, OH
Mar 3, 2018 12:00 pm, FS1	No. 3	at DePaul	W 65–62	27–4 (15–3)	22 – Bluiett	11 – Marshall	4 – Macura	Wintrust Arena (7,972) Chicago, IL
Big East tournament
Mar 8, 2018 12:00 pm, FS1	(1) No. 3	vs. (9) St. John's Quarterfinals	W 88–60	28–4	27 – Bluiett	7 – Bluiett/Marshall	5 – Macura	Madison Square Garden (17,647) New York, NY
Mar 9, 2018 6:30 pm, FS1	(1) No. 3	vs. (5) Providence Semifinals	L 72–75	28–5	18 – Kanter	12 – Marshall	3 – Tied	Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY
NCAA tournament
Mar 16, 2018* 7:20 pm, TBS	(1 W) No. 3	vs. (16 W) Texas Southern First Round	W 102–83	29–5	29 – Macura	6 – Tied	7 – Goodin	Bridgestone Arena (17,549) Nashville, TN
Mar 18, 2018 8:40 pm, TNT	(1 W) No. 3	vs. (9 W) Florida State Second Round	L 70–75	29–6	17 – Macura	6 – Kanter	2 – 3 tied	Bridgestone Arena (17,552) Nashville, TN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

Main article: 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = 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	17	15	15	21	13	10	9	6	5	10	11	8	6	5	4 (5)	4	3	3	3	Not released
Coaches	17	17	14	20	14	9	8	5	4	10	12	8	6	5	4 (1)	4	4	2	4	8

• AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

References

1. Greer, Jeff (March 27, 2018). "Louisville hires Chris Mack as new men's basketball coach". Courier Journal. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
2. Borzello, Jeff (March 31, 2018). "Musketeers promote longtime assistant Travis Steele to head coach". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
3. "Xavier Musketeers Basketball 2016–17 Schedule – Musketeers Home and Away – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
4. "2016–17 Xavier Musketeers Schedule and Results | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
5. "Xavier out of Big East tournament with 75–72 Creighton loss". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
6. Staples, Andy. "Trevon Bluiett leads No. 11 Xavier's upset of No. 6 Maryland". SI.com. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
7. "Xavier dismantles Florida State, headed to Sweet 16". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
8. "Xavier stuns Arizona with late surge, advances to Elite Eight | FOX Sports". FOX Sports. March 24, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
9. "No. 1 Gonzaga dispatches No. 11 Xavier to reach first-ever Final Four". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
10. "Bluiett to test NBA Draft waters again, won't hire agent". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
11. "Trevon Bluiett will stay at Xavier after considering NBA". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
12. Brennan, Patrick (May 22, 2017). "Kanter pulling out of NBA Draft, will play at Xavier". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
13. "Arizona Tops Blue Ribbon's 37th Annual Preseason Rankings". Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
14. "Big East Conference – Villanova Sits Atop Coaches' Preseason Poll Again". www.bigeast.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
15. "Big East Conference – Villanova's Jalen Brunson Selected Preseason Player of the Year". www.bigeast.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.