GAME NOTES: Fresh off a second consecutive defeat, the 14th-ranked Xavier Musketeers will try desperately to get back on track as they take on Hawaii, the host team of the Diamond Head Classic, in the consolation bracket of the event.
Xavier opened the season with eight straight wins, most of which came by double figures, but a brawl in the eighth game against bitter rival Cincinnati led to the suspension of arguably the team's top three players. While one did return to face Long Beach State last night, two remained sidelined, and the Musketeers simply couldn't generate enough offense to avoid a 68-58 defeat.
As for Hawaii, it carried a three-game win streak into this event, but the club was knocked off by Auburn last night in a 65-62 final. The Rainbow Warriors are now 5-5 overall this season, and three of the team's victories have come at home.
Xavier won its only previous meeting with Hawaii, 70-58, back in 2002.
Short-handed Xavier shot just 34.8 percent from the floor in the first half of last night's matchup with Long Beach State and trailed by eight points at intermission. Over the final 20 minutes, the Musketeers made good on 53.6 percent of their shots in an attempt to come back, but they yielded 59.1 percent shooting to LBSU in that final stanza. Xavier finished the game with a 15-9 disadvantage in points from the foul line and committed 15 turnovers. Tu Holloway, the team's star guard who served a one-game suspension, returned to the lineup with a 17-point effort in defeat. Justin Martin posted 12 points for the Musketeers, who received 10 points from Kenny Frease. Holloway is scoring 17.5 ppg this season, but there is no doubt that he missed both Mark Lyons (17.4 ppg) and Dezmine Wells (9.5 ppg), two standouts that remained suspended on Thursday. While Wells will remain sidelined tonight, Lyons is expected to return from suspension, giving Xavier a major lift.
Zane Johnson continues to pace Hawaii offensively, as he is netting 14.5 ppg this season despite his awful 33.6 percent shooting from the field. Shaquille Stokes checks in with 11.8 ppg, but his 33 percent shooting is even worse. Stokes does lead the club with 33 assists, but he clearly needs to be more selective and efficient with his shot. Rounding out a foursome of double-digit scorers is Vander Joaquim with 11.4 ppg for the Rainbow Warriors, who are generating 68.8 ppg while limiting opponents to 68.5 ppg on 39.5 percent shooting. Johnson scored 18 points in the narrow loss to Auburn last night, and Joston Thomas had 12 points off the bench. Joaquim pitched in 10 points for the Rainbow Warriors, who committed 15 turnovers and shot 29.4 percent from three-point range.
Hawaii will play hard in front of the home crowd, but the return of Lyons makes Xavier the obvious favorite. Holloway and Lyons form one of the top backcourt duos in all of college basketball.
Fact Stats
Predicted Outcome
