Xavier concludes its nonconference schedule by seeking a fifth straight win when it hosts Missouri State on Friday in Cincinnati.
The Musketeers (7-3) have had a week to savor last Friday’s 79-74 win over crosstown rival Cincinnati. The expectations were very modest for a Xavier team that was picked to finish eighth in the preseason by Big East coaches. But so far, Xavier has wins over Big 12 opponents West Virginia and Cincinnati, and a one-point loss to Georgia.
The star of the week was Tre Carroll, the transfer from Florida Atlantic scored a career-best 30 points to go with seven rebounds and raised his scoring average to a team-leading 17.3 points per game, good for fourth in the Big East. His shooting percentage of 48.6% is fourth-best in the conference.
“I just wanted to give the city what it deserves,” Carroll said. “Xavier lost last year, and we’re taking the city back. That’s all it is at the end of the day. It’s one of the biggest college rivalries, and there are bragging rights.”
Carroll was named Big East Player of the Week after averaging 25.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in wins over Cincinnati and Saint Francis.
“Tre Carroll was amazing,” first-year Xavier coach Richard Pitino said. “I’m really proud of him. He works really hard. He’s a gamer. He loves it here. It’s really special for him.”
Xavier fell short of matching the school record of six consecutive games with at least 10 made 3-pointers. The Musketeers made just 6 of 28 attempts from beyond the arc.
In the second season of his second stint as head coach at Missouri State (4-4), Cuonzo Martin brings his Bears into Cincinnati looking for the upset win after a 98-74 loss at Tulsa last Saturday.
Missouri State is led by forward Keith Palek III, the only player in Conference USA to rank in the top 12 in the league in scoring (16.8), rebounding (6.8) and assists (3.5). Michael Osei-Bonsu is averaging 13.7 points and leads the team in rebounding at 7.1 boards per game.
Kobi Williams, averaging 13.0 points, has posted back-to-back 20-point efforts for the first time in his career, covering 66 games and dating back to his stint at Division II Truman State. His 20 points at Tulsa last Saturday followed a 24-point effort at home against Northeastern State on Nov. 30.
“When you shoot the ball, you want to see it go in,” Missouri State coach Cuonzo Martin said recently. “… When you’re seeing the ball go in, it feels good. There’s an energy behind that. I understand that.”
