How to watch, listen to Xavier basketball vs. No. 6 Gonzaga
PORTLAND, Ore. ‒ Sunday's Phil Knight Legacy third-place game features Xavier men's basketball against No. 6 Gonzaga.
For the Musketeers, it's a fourth straight game against high-level competition and will be the third time in the last four games Xavier's played a team ranked in the top 12 of the Associated Press poll.
Gonzaga's 4-2, and the Bulldogs are coming off an 84-66 loss on Friday to Purdue in Portland.
Xavier's also 4-2, coming off a 71-64 loss to No. 8 Duke.
Xavier has to be locked in on transition defense because Gonzaga loves to push the pace. The Musketeers have to be ready to rebound, and they'll need big men Jack Nunge and Zach Freemantle to fair much better than they did against Duke.
Xavier will be down a starter against the Bulldogs. Adam Kunkel will not play after falling and hitting his head in Friday's loss to Duke. That means the Musketeers will be leaning heavily on KyKy Tandy and Desmond Claude in the backcourt.
The Game
Tipoff: 7:30 p.m. on Sunday at Veterans Memorial Coliseum
TV/Radio: ESPN with play-by-play from Dan Schulman and analysis from Jay Bilas. Myron Medcalf is the sideline reporter. Byron Larkin and Joe Sunderman will have the radio call on WKRC-AM (550).
Series info: Gonzaga leads the series 4-1. The two last met in an NCAA Tournament regional final in 2017.
Scouting report
Xavier Musketeers (4-2)
Coach: Sean Miller, 18th season (426-158 overall)
Offense: 82.2 ppg
Defense: 72.8 ppg
Projected lineup
Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)
KyKy Tandy (G, 6'2", 4.7 ppg)
Zach Freemantle (F, 6'9", 13.3 ppg)
Colby Jones (G, 6'6", 14.4 ppg)
Souley Boum (G, 6'3", 16.8 ppg)
Jack Nunge (F, 7'0", 14.8 ppg)
Gonzaga Bulldogs (4-2)
Coach: Mark Few, 24th season (662-131 overall)
Offense: 83.0 ppg
Defense: 75.5 ppgProjected lineup
Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)
Drew Timme (F, 6'10", 20.7 ppg)
Rasir Bolton (G, 6'3", 13.0 ppg)
Julian Strawther (G, 6'7", 12.7 ppg)
Nolan Hickman (G, 6'2", 8.7 ppg)
Anton Watson (F, 6'8", 6.8 ppg)
Players to watch
Drew Timme
Gonzaga's 6-10 forward is an All-American with four years of college basketball under his belt. He's been a star on the national stage for the last three years. He's an extremely tough matchup and he's surrounded by really talented players that are just as capable of taking over the game.
Colby Jones
It was brief, but there was a stretch against Duke where the tide started to shift and Jones was the catalyst for that. He's shooting the ball really well at the Phil Knight Legacy event (12-of-21 from the field and 6-of-7 from beyond the arc), but he can't disappear in the second half. Jones only attempted two shots in the second half against the Blue Devils.
Key to the game
Togetherness
Sean Miller said he felt like his team fractured against Duke. That they weren't together. In order to beat a team like Gonzaga, that's likely going to have a home-court advantage based on the geographic nature of Sunday's game, the Musketeers need everyone who touches the floor to be on the same page, bringing energy and toughness.
Rankings
KenPom: Xavier (31), Gonzaga (7)
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How to watch, listen to Xavier basketball vs. No. 6 Gonzaga
