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Butler (7-7)
#41 in KenPom
345th in minutes continuity (9.9%)
#41 in KenPom
345th in minutes continuity (9.9%)
79th in Offensive efficiency
- 8th in A/FGM (63.9%)
- 44th in offensive tempo
- 74th in offensive rebounding rate
- 307th in 3PA/FGA (31.5%); 182nd w/ a 33.3 3P%
- No other offensive metrics rank higher than average nationally
22nd in Defensive efficiency
- 12nd in opp. EFG% (44.6%) thanks to top-35 rankings in opp. 2P% (44.7%) and 3P% (29.5%)
- 55th in opp. 3PA/FGA prevention (33.1%)
- 102nd in FT rate prevention
- 214th in turnover rate
- 237th in defensive rebounding rate
- 322nd in A/FGM prevention (57.8%)
Results from first Big East games
- L 66-81 at St. John’s
- W 74-54 vs Seton Hall
- L 65-66 at Villanova
- Non-conference wins against Saint Mary’s, Cincinnati, Bryant and more
- Non-conference losses to Purdue, Washington, Oakland, Houston, Delaware; 63rd hardest non-con schedule
KEY INJURIES
- Freemantle (foot; could miss season) - 15.2p, 8.1r last season
- Hunter (heart; out for season) - 7.8p, 4.4r last season
- Craft (knee; out for season) - #62 recruit of ‘22
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP:
Dayvion McKnight 6’0 188 fifth-year transfer from WKU
Quincy Olivari 6’3 200 fifth-year transfer from Rice
Desmond Claude 6’6 203 sophomore from New Haven, CT
Gytis Nemeiksa 6’7 220 senior from Lithuania; first year in NCAA basketball
OR
Lazar Djokovic 6’10 220 freshman from Yugoslavia
Abou Ousmane 6’10 240 senior transfer from North Texas
FREQUENTLY USED BENCH PIECES - 30.9% minutes (197th in nation)
Dailyn Swain 6’7 200 freshman
Sasa Ciani 6’9 240 freshman from Slovenia
Following their deepest tournament run since 2015, injuries to Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter leaves New Haven’s Desmond Claude as Xavier’s only healthy returnee from last year’s rotation.
With Souley Boum, Colby Jones and Adam Kunkel all graduating, Sean Miller quickly patched up Xavier’s backcourt with veteran transfers Dayvion McKnight and Quincy Olivari.
Playing the last four seasons at Rice, which is dubbed as “Green Light U”, it has come to no surprise that Olivari’s offensive efficiency has vastly improved next to more talented guards under Miller’s tutelage at Xavier. Simply put, Olivari is an aggressive and potent scorer from all three levels and is especially lethal from the three-point line. He’s Xavier’s weakest defender, but best bucket-attacker.
Claude has made massive strides in his sophomore year as a 6’6 207 mismatch nightmare at the 3. Continuing his defensive excellence and versatility from last year, Claude has made his biggest jump on the offensive end. On offense, his only weakness is from the three-point line, but he is a creative, versatile and unselfish veteran who can put the ball on the floor, create his own offense and dish to open shooters. Currently, he’s got the highest usage rate on the team.
A do-everything offensive weapon at WKU, McKnight has become less of a scorer and bucket-attacker at Xavier, yielding to more of a pass-first style. Despite a career 32% clip from three, nearly 85% of his career shot attempts are from inside the arc and despite his sharp decrease of free throw rate, McKnight’s got alpha bucket-getting ability in his blood, so he’s a guy who can create his own shot, in a bind. Average defender.
Backing up McKnight is undersized freshman point guard Trey Green. A scrappy defender, Green is prone to giving up the ball on offense and does most of his scoring from the perimeter. When Green subs in, McKnight either sits or moves over to more of a scoring off-ball role, which opens up the chance for smaller lineups with Claude at the 4 and Olivari at the 3.
Xavier’s backcourt has been relatively easy to scout since the start of the season, but following the graduations of Jack Nunge and the injuries to Freemantle and Hunter, Xavier’s frontcourt is starting from square one, with literally no returnees from last year.
North Texas transfer Abou Ousmane is the only frontcourt big with NCAA experience. Playing three seasons under Grant McCasland’s elite defensive system, Ousmane is a tough, physical big who is an excellent defender both in his ability to hold his ground down low, protect the rim and generate a decent amount of steals for his size and position. A strong rebounder on both sides of the floor, he is elite on the offensive end, which is key since Xavier is not a strong shooting team.
Outside of Ousmane, all of Xavier’s frontcourt pieces are playing way more minutes than expected prior to the injuries to Freemantle (who was projected to start at the 4) and Hunter (who was going to backup Freemantle at the 4 and also has played backup minutes for Xavier at the 5).
Splitting the starting 4 spot is 6’10 220 freshman Lazar Djokovic and 6’7 220 senior Gytis Nemeiksa. Djokovic averaged 14.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists for Serbia in the FIBA U19 World Cup and is more of a floor spacer than interior presence, despite his height. So far, his offensive efficiency has tanked at the D1 level, but his defensive metrics are solid.
Nemeiksa is best categorized as a combo forward who plays a more sophisticated two-way game after playing a high level of club basketball in Lithuania where he averaged 11.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He’s the second strongest offensive rebounder on the team and is second in three-point percentage, although most of his work is from inside the arc.
Sharing the 4 spot with Nemeiksa/Lazar Djokovic is freshman combo forward Dailyn Swain, who has immediately stepped in as an impact defender who can easily defend 1-through-4 and even smaller 5s. Swain is Xavier’s second best rim protector and steal generator and his athletic ability makes him a valuable slasher on the offensive end. Doubtful he would have gotten close to starter minutes if it weren’t for all the injuries, but he’s stepped up in short order.
6’9 240 Sasa Ciani backs up Ousmane and even started four games towards the end of Xavier’s non-conference schedule. Like Ousmane, the 20-year old freshman is more of a classic big. He keeps it simple on the offensive end and provides strength on defense. Pressed into a definite rotation role from Day 1, Ciani has filled in admirably, despite a lack of any standout skills.
Between Ousmane and Ciani, there isn't a ton of athleticism at the 5 and neither are offensive focal points, so it'll be interesting to see how UConn's smaller/quicker 5s can penetrate and scat within open space inside the arc.
Overall, Xavier’s got capable distributors from 1 through 4, allowing the Musketeers to play with pace and share the ball efficiently. However, they are prone to turnovers and their interior-centric offensive strategy makes it easier for opposing defenders to crowd into double teams and/or prevent slashing opportunities.
Xavier’s strength is their defense. Their aggressive mix of scheme, athletes and overall toughness makes it really difficult for opponents to shoot from the perimeter. They aren’t looking to generate turnovers and they put way more emphasis on aggressive on-ball defense rather than focus more on help situations, which opens up the opportunities for ball movement. In short, Xavier makes it really hard to take good shots, but the shots are there when teams move the ball fluidly, which favors UConn’s offensive style.
