Observations as Xavier Musketeers tune-up for Crosstown Shootout with win vs. Morgan State

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Coming off a frustrating road loss to TCU and returning home before one of the most brutal three-game stretches in recent history, Xavier improved to 7-0 at Cintas Center with ease Tuesday night with a 119-58 victory over Morgan State.

In its final buy game of the season, Xavier turned in the well-rounded performance it desperately needed after dropping two of its last three.

The Musketeers were dominant on both sides of the ball against a Morgan State squad that is now 1-8 against Division I opponents this season.

Xavier turned in a historic offensive performance with 119 points, the most ever in the Sean Miller era and a Cintas Center single-game record. It was the highest margin of victory in school history.

Observations from Xavier Musketeers’ win over Morgan State

Xavier forward Zach Freemantle (32) recorded his third double-double of the season against Morgan State with 27 points and 10 rebounds.

Xavier fixes numerous issues against Morgan State

All of the problems that plagued Xavier over its shaky 2-2 stretch that began in Fort Myers before Thanksgiving were resolved at least for a game against one of the nation’s worst teams.

Snake bitten by turnovers of late, Xavier coughed it up just six times against the Bears and won the rebounding battle, 54-25.

Xavier entered the matchup still No. 4 in the nation in fast-break points (19.65 per game), but turnovers had disrupted consistency in that department. With good ball security came success with the Musketeers’ up-tempo approach as Xavier racked up 32 fast-break points.

Xavier’s offense breaks out of slump with historic night

While Xavier did start out hot from the perimeter, the majority of the Musketeers’ success came down low with unselfishness. Xavier exceled at making the extra pass to turn a good look into a great look from close range.

Morgan State has one of the nation’s smallest lineups and had twice allowed 50-plus points in the paint coming into Cintas Center and Xavier took advantage.

Xavier built an 11-point lead in…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/observations-xavier-musketeers-tune-crosstown-021108724.html

Author : Cincinnati.com | The Enquirer

Publish date : 2024-12-11 02:11:00

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