Xavier Musketeers head back to Madison Square Garden for NIT semifinal vs. St. Bonaventure
NEW YORK – Xavier's men's basketball team wanted another chance to play in Madison Square Garden after what happened a few weeks ago against Butler in the first round of the Big East Conference Tournament.
The Musketeers get that chance on Tuesday night (7 p.m., ESPN) against St. Bonaventure in the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament.
"Getting back to New York was a goal of ours at the outset of this whole deal," Jonas Hayes, Xavier's interim head coach, said Sunday in his pre-game press conference. "And we have that opportunity right in front of us.
"This is an opportunity for us to get a sour, sour, sour taste out of our mouths."
The Bonnies (23-9) present an interesting challenge and some interesting connections. St. Bonaventure's coached by Mark Schmidt, a former Xavier assistant coach under Skip Prosser.
"I don't know him well, I know of him," Hayes said when asked about Schmidt. "People around here love him. I know he's a great ball coach."
Tuesday's matchup is the same semifinal meeting that took place in 1958 when Xavier beat the Bonnies in the semis, then Dayton to win the NIT championship.
The Bonnies use primarily a six-man rotation that features a smaller lineup with four guards and one big man.
The four guards in St. Bonaventure's starting lineup all average more than 37 minutes per game, and during this NIT run, there have been multiple games where Jaren Holmes, Jalen Adaway, Kyle Lofton and Dominick Welch never leave the game, playing all 40 minutes.
Xavier needs its guards to play well to have a chance in this game. The Musketeers also need to utilize their depth and size around the basket to impact this game.
The winner of Tuesday's game will advance to the NIT championship on Thursday against the winner of Texas A&M and Washington State.
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Xavier vs. Florida game info
Tipoff: 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden
TV/Radio: ESPN with play-by-play from John Schriffen, analysis from Fran Fraschilla and reporter Myron Medcalf. Byron Larkin and Joe Sunderman will have the radio call on WLW-AM (700)
Series info: Xavier leads the series 25-16
Scouting report
Xavier Musketeers (21-13)
Coach: Jonas Hayes, interim head coach (2-0 overall)
Offense: 73.9 ppg
Defense: 68.9 ppg
Projected lineup
Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)
Dwon Odom (G, 6'2", 6.0 ppg)
Jack Nunge (F, 7'0", 13.3 ppg)
Colby Jones (G, 6'6", 11.2 ppg)
Adam Kunkel (G, 6'3", 8.6 ppg)
Nate Johnson (G, 6'4", 10.4 ppg)
St. Bonaventure Bonnies (23-9)
Coach: Mark Schmidt, 15th season (268-194 overall)
Offense: 69.8 ppg
Defense: 65.9 ppg
Projected lineup
Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)
Dominick Welch (G, 6'5", 11.9 ppg)
Jaren Holmes (G, 6'4", 13.4 ppg)
Osun Osunniyi (F, 6'10", 11.3 ppg)
Kyle Lofton (G, 6'3", 12.7 ppg)
Jalen Adaway (G, 6'5", 15.7 ppg)
Players to watch
Jalen Adaway
Adaway leads St. Bonaventure in scoring. He also shoots 48% from the field, 39% from beyond the arc and 82% from the foul line. The truth, though, is St. Bonaventure's a hard team to key in on one guy. The Bonnies have multiple guys that can score and impact the game in a variety of ways.
Jack Nunge
Much of the focus in this game will center around St. Bonaventure's guard play and Xavier's ability to match up against four guys who rarely leave the floor and all average in double figures scoring.
But if Nunge can win his matchup around the basket it will give Xavier's offense some reliability to play through.
Keys to the game
Guard play, defending the ball
Xavier's backcourt of Odom, Kunkel, Johnson and Jones have to be up for the challenge on Tuesday. St. Bonaventure's backcourt is incredibly efficient and all four guards can score.
"They play downhill on the bounce," said Hayes. "So we got to do an unbelievable job of guarding the ball, keeping the ball out of the paint and obviously, we gotta be disciplined at the end of those drives."
Rankings
KenPom.com: Xavier (56); St. Bonaventure (73).
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: NIT 2022: Xavier, St. Bonaventure meet Tuesday in the NIT semifinals
