Xavier Musketeers NCAA Basketball Betting
After finishing second in the Big East this past season, the Musketeers will have to lean heavily on their new faces, with both Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter out for the entire season to be successful. They’ve rebuilt their backcourt with Dayvion McKnight and Quincy Olivari, and they’ve got some new talent ready to prove themselves with Trey Green, Reid Ducharme, and Dalyn Swain in the mix.
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McKnight and Olivari have an opportunity to keep things going with the departures of Souley Booum and Colby Jones. They’re two hungry guards from Conference USA who can really elevate this team’s trajectory with their playmaking, scoring, and defending.
In the frontcourt, Abou Ousmane and Lazar Djokovic will look to take the pressure off Freemantle and Hunter’s injuries. Ousmane is a sizeable big man at 6-foot-10 with the potential to hold his own in the painted area and really make his mark. Lazar Djokovic is another name to keep an eye on with his international experience. He could really blossom into a role player with this group and compete for minutes.
There aren’t any real Conference Player of the Year candidates with this squad, but they’ve got a solid all-around rotation to work with heading into a new season. Xavier will look to make another NCAA Tournament appearance in Coach Miller’s second season with some potential new pieces that could push them towards a potential run in the NCAA Tournament.
Dayvon McKnight is the first of a few new transfer portal additions who will be looked upon to make an impact for the Musketeers. He joined after earning second-team All-Conference USA honors with 16.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.8 apg, and 1.8 spg as a junior. He’s a do-it-all guard who can potentially fill up the stat sheet at the lead guard spot for Xavier.
Dailyn Swain joins the Musketeers out of the 2023 recruiting class, ready to contribute right away. He was last year’s Ohio Division III Player of the Year for the second consecutive season while posting 18.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 7.5 apg, 3.5 spg, and 3.2 bpg in his final year of high school ball. Look for him to make an impact right away with his length and versatility.
Xavier basketball already enters with some tough news heading into the 2023-24 season. Their two returning leading scorers from a season ago, Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter, are likely to both miss the entire season.
Freemantle missed the last 15 games of the 2022-23 season due to a foot injury, and his injury hasn’t improved since having surgery. With a second surgery potentially on the horizon, he’s not set to return until January at the very earliest and could be in doubt for the season. He averaged 15.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg, and 2.9 apg on 58.5 percent shooting from the field in 2022-23. His loss deals a huge blow to the program as they look to make another run in the NCAA Tournament.
Hunter was a pivotal piece for the Musketeers in 2022-23 as a frontcourt reserve and was due to emerge in a starting role in the lineup this year. He produced 7.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, and 1.3 apg across 37 appearances (15 starts) this past season. He’s out indefinitely with an undisclosed medical issue.
The losses of Freemantle and Hunter deal a huge blow to the Musketeers’ frontcourt and on-court leadership as they look to bounce back from a run to the Sweet 16 to do more damage in Year 2 under head coach Sean Miller. Transfer portal additions Davion McKnight (Western Kentucky), Quincy Olivari (Rice), and Abou Ousmane (North Texas) will be relied upon heavily to make an instant impact, as will freshmen newcomers Trey Green, Dailyn Swain, Lazar Djokovic, and Reid Ducharme.
With their trio of transfer acquisitions, the 2023 recruiting class, and Desmond Claude and Kam Craft returning, the potential remains for the Musketeers to remain competitive in Coach Miller’s second year.
Latest NCAA Tournament Results
| YEAR |
RESULT |
| 2023 |
Lost Sweet Sixteen vs. (2) Texas 71–83 |
| 2018 |
Lost Second Round vs. (9) Florida State, 70–75 |
| 2017 |
Lost Elite Eight vs. (1) Gonzaga, 59–83 |
| 2016 |
Lost Second Round vs. (7) Wisconsin, 63–66 |
| 2015 |
Lost Sweet Sixteen vs. (2) Arizona, 60–68 |
| 2014 |
Lost First Four vs. (12) NC State, 59–74 |
2023-2024 NCAA Basketball Top Teams
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