Preview: Xavier wraps up nonconference play Tuesday against Southern
The conclusion of Xavier's nonconference schedule is Tuesday night at Cintas Center against the Southern Jaguars.
The Musketeers are coming off a thrilling win over Cincinnati in the Crosstown Shootout and have their Big East Conference opener on Friday at Georgetown, which means Tuesday's matchup can't be overlooked.
Southern's 4-5 record may not strike much fear into the Musketeers. A lot of the metrics that measure a team's strengths don't necessarily jump off the page, but the one area that will most certainly get Xavier's attention is turnovers.
Southern's the definition of a high-ball pressure team that turns up the heat for all 40 minutes and ranks No. 16 nationally in forced turnovers, averaging nearly 20 a game.
The Jaguars average 76 points per game, 21 of those come off the opposition's turnovers. Southern also averages eight 3-pointers a game and converts at 35% from beyond the arc.
Tuesday's test will be a great opportunity for Xavier to clean up some issues and also sustain the areas that are working well.
The areas that need cleaning up are defense and depth.
Xavier won't reach its potential if it can't defend for 40 minutes, and the Musketeers need some consistent help from their bench or the starters are going to wear down later in the season.
More:Important questions still linger for Xavier after Crosstown Shootout win
'We didn't panic': How Xavier's late-game execution helped secure a Shootout win at UC
The Game
Tipoff: 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Cintas Center
TV/Radio: FS1 with play-by-play from Matt Schumacker and analysis from LaVall Jordan. Byron Larkin and Joe Sunderman will have the radio call on WLW-AM (700).
Series info: Xavier leads the all-time series 1-0.
Scouting report
Xavier Musketeers (7-3)
Coach: Sean Miller, 18th season (429-159 overall)
Offense: 83.6 ppg
Defense: 73.9 ppg
Projected lineup
Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)
Adam Kunkel (G, 6'4", 10.8 ppg)
Zach Freemantle (F, 6'9", 13.1 ppg)
Colby Jones (G, 6'6", 15.4 ppg)
Souley Boum (G, 6'3", 17.0 ppg)
Jack Nunge (F, 7'0", 15.5 ppg)
Southern Jaguars (4-5)
Coach: Sean Woods, 14th season (180-220 overall)
Offense: 76.1 ppg
Defense: 71.9 ppgProjected lineup
Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)
Brion Whitley (G, 6'4", 12.4 ppg)
Bryson Etienne (G, 6'3", 12.0 ppg)
Tyrone Lyons (F, 6'7", 9.7 ppg)
P.J. Byrd (G, 6'7", 8.9 ppg)
Jalen Reynolds (F, 6'7", 7.3 ppg)
Players to watch
Brion Whitley
The Jaguars' leading scorer has made 24 3-pointers and he's shooting 41% from deep. Whitley is also a key part of Southern's high-ball pressure with 13 steals in nine games.
Desmond Claude
Souley Boum's been playing a lot of minutes, mostly because Xavier's needed him. But this will be a big test for Claude and how he handles a team that's elite at forcing turnovers. Xavier needs more from its bench. Claude's one of the best options, but he has to take care of the ball on Tuesday and make the right decisions.
Keys to the game
Limit turnovers
Southern's pressure is reminiscent of a team Xavier's going to face in a couple of weeks (St. John's). The Jaguars bring it for all 40 minutes and really want to disrupt their opponents' offense by wreaking havoc with steals, deflections, and live-ball turnovers that can lead to easy points in transition.
Xavier has to value the ball and force Southern to defend the Musketeers in the half-court.
Rankings
KenPom: Xavier (29), Southern (245)
NET: Xavier (40), Southern (214)
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Preview: Xavier wraps up nonconference play Tuesday against Southern
