Twas a tale of two halves, to begin the first chapter, of the Xavier Musketeers, 2024 / 2025, campaign. With some nail-biting action happening throughout the course of the game, the Musketeers, and their talented roster, ultimately proved as to why they were voted as the third best program in the Big East Pre-Season Coaches Poll. Please Read, the full recap of events, down below, all from the observation, of our very own Midwest Regional analyst, Adam Simmons.
1st Half
Xavier started the game with stout defense but sloppy offense, only scoring two points in the
first four minutes. Dayvion McKight scored their first 5 points with a mid-range jumper and
corner three. Xavier played physical man defense and applied solid ball pressure throughout the start of the game. Xavier's second unit eased up on the defensive end, allowing two open threes for Texas Southern. Once the starting unit got back in around midway through the first half, Dayvion McKnight continued to be their most aggressive offensive player, making plays getting to the rim and finding open teammates when the defense collapsed. Rebounding was an issue for the Musketeers throughout the first half, getting out rebounded 22-17 while giving up 6 offensive rebounds. Their offense was stagnant, and they couldn’t convert from deep, shooting 3/15 from behind the arc. In the later part of the first half, Xavier's 6th year senior Zach Freemantle got going down low, going 4/5 from the field with all his buckets coming within 10 feet. Junior transfer Ryan Conwell provided a boost on the offensive end as well, scoring 10 points on 3/7 shooting.
Texas Southern created open three point looks by spreading the floor, putting Xavier's’ big men in high ball screens, and either passing to the pick and pop big man or spraying it to other shooters. This game plan was the difference early on, as Texas Southern led 38-34 at the half, while going 6/13 from three. Texas Southern's bench also outscored Xavier's 22-1 in the first half. Xavier shot 11/29 from the field.
2nd Half
Xaviers offense looked much more in-sync to start the 2nd half. They got Freemantle involved
right out of the gate, with a nice assist from Dailyn Swain off a pick and roll action. An and-1
from Swain and two made threes by Ryan Conwell forced a Texas Southern timeout at the
17:19 mark, as Xavier led by 4. There was sloppy play by both teams after Texas Southern's timeout, with a slew of turnovers and out of control attempts in the paint. Texas Southern cut the deficit and took the lead at the 12:35 mark after a made three pointer by Kolby Granger and two made threes from Kavion McClain. After Texas Southern's barrage from deep, Xavier did a good job forcing tough shots and turning defense into offense, with transition layups from Dailyn Swain and Dayvion McKnight coming off missed shots by Texas Southern. Xavier got the lead up to 5 with 10:15 left in the contest (60-55). Texas Southern continued to cool off from three as we entered the latter part of the second half, and Xavier capitalized by leaning on big man Zach Freemantle and Ryan Conwell on the offensive end. Conwell hit a deep three and Fremantle bullied Texas Southern down low, converting layups and getting to the free throw line. Xavier led 71-59 at the 5:50 mark. Xavier's lead never dropped below 8 in the last 4 minutes of the game, as they continued to play solid defense and get to the free throw line. The final score was 78-69.
Final Thoughts
Texas Southern's offensive approach and three point shooting had Xavier on the ropes for most of the game. At the end of the day, Xaviers second half defensive intensity and ability to get to the free throw line was too much for Texas Southern to overcome. It will be key for Xavier to improve its offensive approach as the season progresses, as they shot 37.3% from the field and only had 4 players score more than two points. It will also be important to track their big man depth as the season progresses, as they have a fairly small rotation to start the year.
Ryan Conwell was the player of the game in his debut with the Musketeers, pouring in an
efficient 21 points on 6/11 from the field and 5/10 from deep. Zach Freemantle had a
double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Dayvion McKnight had 19 points and
Dailyn Swain contributed 14 points. Texas Southern only had two players in double digits, as
Kavion McClain had 21 points and guard Kolby Granger finished with 17 points.
Will be interesting to track this Musketeers unit, and their talented roster, as they push through, to make some noise, in one of the most dominant, if not the most competitive, conferences, in NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball, this season.
Written by: Adam Simmons
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