2020–21 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team


The 2020–21 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team represented Xavier University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as a member of the Big East Conference. Led by third-year head coach Travis Steele, they played their home games at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. They finished the season 13-8, 6-7 in Big East Play to finish in 7th place. They lost in the first round of the Big East tournament to Butler.

2020–21 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball
ConferenceBig East Conference
Record13–8 (6–7 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Jonas Hayes (3rd season)
  • Ben Johnson (3rd season)
  • Dante Jackson (3rd season)
Home arenaCintas Center
Seasons
2020–21 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 18 Villanova 11 4   .733 18 7   .720
No. 19 Creighton 14 6   .700 22 9   .710
UConn 11 6   .647 15 8   .652
St. John's 10 9   .526 16 11   .593
Seton Hall 10 9   .526 14 13   .519
Providence 9 10   .474 13 13   .500
Xavier 6 7   .462 13 8   .619
Georgetown 7 9   .438 13 13   .500
Marquette 8 11   .421 13 14   .481
Butler 8 12   .400 10 15   .400
DePaul 2 13   .133 5 14   .263
2021 Big East tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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The Musketeers finished the 2019–20 season 19–13, 8–10 in Big East play to finish tied for sixth place.[1] As the No. 7 seed in the Big East tournament, Xavier was defeated by DePaul in the first round.[2] The next day, the remainder of the Big East tournament and all other postseason tournaments were canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.[3][4]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Dahmir Bishop 2 G 6'5" 178 Freshman Philadelphia, PA Transferred to Saint Joseph's (mid-season)[5]
Quentin Goodin 3 G 6'4" 194 Senior Campbellsville, KY Graduated
Tyrique Jones 4 F 6'9" 239 Senior Bloomfield, CT Graduated
Leighton Schrand 10 G 6'2" 166 Senior Villa Hills, KY Graduated
Bryce Moore 11 G 6'3" 194 Graduate Student Indianapolis, IN Completed college eligibility[a]
Dontarius James 12 F 6'7" 228 Sophomore Kershaw, SC Transferred to Jacksonville State[6]
Naji Marshall 13 F 6'7" 220 Junior Atlantic City, NJ Declared for NBA draft[7]
Myles Hanson 34 G 6'7" 215 RS Sophomore Chaska, MN Walk-on; transferred to Stonehill College[8]
  1. ^ Moore was a graduate transfer in the 2019–20 season, having graduated from Western Michigan in 2019.

Incoming transfers

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Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Nate Johnson G 6'3" 180 Graduate Student Miami, FL Transferred from Gardner-Webb after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[9]
Bryan Griffin F 6'8" 230 Graduate Student Pomona, NY Transferred from Mercy College after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[10]
Adam Kunkel G 6'3" 165 Junior Hebron, KY Transferred from Belmont. Kunkel was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[11][12]
Ben Stanley F 6'6" 225 RS Junior Baltimore, MD Transferred from Hampton. Stanley was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility on December 16. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[13][14]

Recruiting classes

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2020 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Dwon Odom
PG
Alpharetta, GA St. Francis HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jul 29, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: 
C. J. Wilcher
SG
Roselle, NJ Roselle Catholic HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jun 7, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: 
Colby Jones
SG
Birmingham, AL Mountain Brook HS 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Aug 14, 2019 
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:

  • "Xavier 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  • "2020 Xavier Musketeers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  • "Xavier 2020 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved July 23, 2020.

2021 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Cesare Edwards
PF
Hartsville, SC Hartsville HS 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jun 26, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: 
Elijah Tucker
PF
Canton, GA Cherokee HS 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Aug 14, 2020 
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:

Roster

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2020–21 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 C. J. Wilcher 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Roselle Catholic HS Roselle, NJ
G 1 Paul Scruggs 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 196 lb (89 kg) Sr Prolific Prep Indianapolis, IN
F 2 Daniel Ramsey 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 233 lb (106 kg) So Norcross HS Cordele, GA
G 3 Colby Jones 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Mountain Brook HS Birmingham, AL
G 5 Adam Kunkel 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 176 lb (80 kg) Jr Belmont Hebron, KY
G 10 Nate Johnson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) GS Gardner-Webb Miami, FL
G 11 Dwon Odom 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr St. Francis HS Alpharetta, GA
F 13 Bryan Griffin 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) GS Mercy College Pomona, NY
F 14 Ben Stanley 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Jr Hampton Baltimore, MD
G 15 Spencer Cody (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr DePaul Prep Chicago, IL
G 20 Ramon Singh (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 187 lb (85 kg) Jr La Lumiere School Sydney, Australia
G 21 Zak Swetye (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Darien HS Darien, CT
F 22 Dieonte Miles 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Fr Walton-Verona HS Walton, KY
G 24 KyKy Tandy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So University Heights Academy Hopkinsville, KY
F 25 Jason Carter 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 227 lb (103 kg) RS Sr Ohio Johnstown, OH
F 32 Zach Freemantle 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Bergen Catholic HS Teaneck, NJ
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 25, 2020*
12:00 p.m., FS1
Oakland
Xavier Invitational
W 101–49  1–0
 21  Freemantle   12  Freemantle   8  Scruggs  Cintas Center (300)
Cincinnati, OH
November 26, 2020*
12:00 p.m., FS1
Bradley
Xavier Invitational
W 51–50  2–0
 19  Freemantle   11  Carter   7  Scruggs  Cintas Center (300)
Cincinnati, OH
November 27, 2020*
12:00 p.m., GoXavier.com
Toledo
Xavier Invitational
W 76–73  3–0
 24  Tandy   13  Carter   7  Scruggs  Cintas Center (300)
Cincinnati, OH
November 30, 2020*
7:00 p.m., FS1
Eastern Kentucky W 99–96 OT 4–0
 24  Freemantle   13  Freemantle   6  Odom  Cintas Center (300)
Cincinnati, OH
December 2, 2020*
7:00 p.m., FS1
Tennessee Tech W 79–48  5–0
 14  Johnson   12  Carter   9  Scruggs  Cintas Center (300)
Cincinnati, OH
December 6, 2020*
3:00 p.m., ESPN
at Cincinnati
Crosstown Shootout
W 77–69  6–0
 20  Scruggs   9  Freemantle   5  Scruggs  Fifth Third Arena (300)
Cincinnati, OH
December 9, 2020*
8:00 p.m., FS1
Oklahoma
Big East/Big 12 Battle
W 99–77  7–0
 28  Freemantle   6  Johnson   8  Scruggs  Cintas Center 
Cincinnati, OH
Big East regular season
December 12, 2020
6:30 p.m., FS2
at Providence Postponed due to COVID-19 Alumni Hall (–)
Providence, RI
December 18, 2020
2:00 p.m., FS1
at DePaul Postponed due to COVID-19 Wintrust Arena (–)
Chicago, IL
December 20, 2020
2:00 p.m., FS1
Marquette W 91–88  8–0
(1–0)
 29  Scruggs   7  Freemantle   6  Scruggs  Cintas Center (300)
Cincinnati, OH
December 23, 2020
3:00 p.m., FS1
No. 22 at No. 13 Creighton L 61–66  8–1
(1–1)
 12  Johnson   6  Jones   4  Scruggs  CHI Health Center Omaha (1,673)
Omaha, NE
December 30, 2020
7:00 p.m., FS1
Seton Hall L 68–85  8–2
(1–2)
 20  Freemantle   9  Freemantle   8  Scruggs  Cintas Center (300)
Cincinnati, OH
January 2, 2021
2:00 p.m., FS1
No. 4 Villanova Postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic Cintas Center (–)
Cincinnati, OH
January 6, 2021
8:00 p.m., CBSSN
St. John's W 69–60  9–2
(2–2)
 16  Jones   16  Carter   3  Tied  Cintas Center (300)
Cincinnati, OH
January 10, 2021
11:00 a.m., FOX
Providence W 74–73  10–2
(3–2)
 17  Freemantle   8  Freemantle   5  Kunkel  Cintas Center (300)
Cincinnati, OH
January 13, 2021
6:30 p.m., FS1
Villanova Postponed due to COVID-19 Cintas Center (–)
Cincinnati, OH
January 16, 2021
3:30 p.m., CBSSN
at Seton Hall Postponed due to COVID-19 Prudential Center (–)
Newark, NJ
January 20, 2021
8:30 p.m., CBSSN
at No. 23 Connecticut Postponed due to COVID-19 Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (–)
Storrs, CT
January 26, 2021
6:30 p.m., FS1
Georgetown Postponed due to COVID-19 Cintas Center (–)
Cincinnati, OH
January 29, 2021
6:30 p.m., FS1
at Butler W 68–55  11–2
(4–2)
 24  Scruggs   10  Freemantle   3  Scruggs  Hinkle Fieldhouse (2,084)
Indianapolis, IN
February 3, 2021
5:00 p.m., FS1
at DePaul Postponed due to COVID-19 Wintrust Arena (–)
Chicago, IL
February 7, 2021
2:30 p.m., FOX
at No. 3 Villanova Postponed due to COVID-19 Finneran Pavilion (–)
Villanova, PA
February 11, 2021
3:30 p.m., FS1
DePaul Postponed due to COVID-19 Cintas Center (–)
Cincinnati, OH
February 13, 2021
12:00 p.m., FOX
Connecticut L 72–80  11–3
(4–3)
 30  Freemantle   15  Freemantle   12  Scruggs  Cintas Center (922)
Cincinnati, OH
February 16, 2021
8:30 p.m., FS1
at St. John's L 84–93  11–4
(4–4)
 22  Freemantle   10  Freemantle   6  Tied  Carnesecca Arena (0)
Queens, NY
February 21, 2021
7:00 p.m., FS1
Butler W 63–51  12–4
(5–4)
 17  Freemantle   11  Jones   6  Scruggs  Cintas Center (922)
Cincinnati, OH
February 24, 2021
9:00 p.m., FS1
at Providence L 68–83  12–5
(5–5)
 24  Freemantle   12  Freemantle   3  Tied  Alumni Hall (0)
Providence, RI
February 27, 2021
5:00 p.m., FOX
No. 13 Creighton W 77–69  13–5
(6–5)
 23  Scruggs   11  Freemantle   5  Scruggs  Cintas Center (922)
Cincinnati, OH
March 2, 2021
7:00 p.m., FS1
at Georgetown L 66–72  13–6
(6–6)
 14  Tandy   12  Freemantle   4  Jones  Capital One Arena (0)
Washington, D.C.
March 7, 2021
9:00 p.m., FS1
at Marquette L 59–66  13–7
(6–7)
 18  Scruggs   6  Tied   3  3 Tied  Fiserv Forum (1,800)
Milwaukee, WI
Big East tournament
March 10, 2021
6:00 p.m, FS1
(7) vs. (10) Butler
First round
L 69–70  13–8
 14  Tied   9  Jones   4  Tied  Madison Square Garden (–)
New York, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
APRVRV22RVRVRVRVRVRVRV
Coaches—^RVRV2220TRVRVRVRV

^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

References

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  1. ^ "2019-20 Xavier Musketeers Roster and Stats". Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  2. ^ "DePaul vs. Xavier - Game Recap - March 11, 2020 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  3. ^ West, Jenna. "Big East Cancels Tournament Over Coronavirus". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  4. ^ "2020 NCAA Tournament canceled due to growing threat of coronavirus pandemic". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  5. ^ Jensen, Mike (January 10, 2020). "Former Imhotep star Dahmir Bishop transfers to St. Joseph's from Xavier". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  6. ^ Clark, Dave (April 17, 2020). "Xavier Musketeers transfer Dontarius James commits to Jacksonville University Dolphins". cincinnati.com. The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  7. ^ Baum, Adam (March 26, 2020). "Report: Xavier's Naji Marshall has declared for the 2020 NBA Draft". cincinnati.com. The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  8. ^ Rapay, Eugene (August 17, 2020). "Big East offer tracker (Aug. 17): UConn, Xavier add commits, new offers, decisions, and more!". bigeastcoastbias.com. Retrieved August 25, 2020. A destination has been added for former Xavier guard Myles Hanson. He will be transferring to Stonehill. Sit one, play one.
  9. ^ Baum, Adam (March 28, 2020). "FaceTime campus tour helps Xavier basketball land grad transfer Nate Johnson". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  10. ^ Baum, Adam (March 29, 2020). "'No place I'd rather be': Xavier basketball adds size in Mercy College transfer Bryan Griffin". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  11. ^ Baum, Adam (July 25, 2020). "'Ready to be a Musketeer': Xavier lands Belmont transfer, Cooper grad Adam Kunkel". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  12. ^ Baum, Adam (December 5, 2020). "Xavier's 3 quarantined players are back and Adam Kunkel's waiver has been approved". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  13. ^ Clark, Dave (July 29, 2020). "Ben Stanley, Hampton transfer, commits to Xavier Musketeers". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  14. ^ Bieler, Des (December 17, 2020). "NCAA grants blanket waiver to transfer athletes, most of whom can play right away". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 22, 2020.