# 2016–17 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team

The 2016–17 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team represented Xavier University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by eighth-year head coach Chris Mack, they played their games at the Cintas Center in Norwood, Ohio and were fourth-year members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 24–14, 9–9 in Big East play to finish in seventh place. In the Big East tournament, they defeated DePaul and Butler before losing to Creighton in the semifinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 11 seed in the West region where they defeated Maryland, Florida State, and Arizona before losing in the Elite Eight to Gonzaga.

## Previous season

The Musketeers finished the 2015–16 season 28–6, 14–4 in Big East play to finish in second place. They defeated Marquette in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Seton Hall. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they received a No. 2 seed. They defeated Weber State in the First Round to advance to the Second Round where they lost to Wisconsin.

## Preseason

Prior to the season, Xavier was picked to finish second in a poll of Big East coaches. Trevon Bluiett and Edmond Sumner were selected to the preseason All-Big East first team.

## Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Larry Austin Jr. | 0 | G | 6'2" | 174 | Sophomore | Springfield, IL | Transferred to Vanderbilt |
| Jalen Reynolds | 1 | F | 6'10" | 232 | Junior | Livonia, MI | Declare for 2016 NBA draft |
| James Farr | 2 | F | 6'10" | 247 | Senior | Evanston, IL | Graduated |
| Remy Abell | 10 | G | 6'4" | 195 | RS Senior | Louisville, KY | Graduated |
| Makinde London | 13 | F | 6'10" | 210 | RS Freshman | Nashville, TN | Transferred to Chattanooga |
| Kevin Coker | 32 | F | 6'6" | 200 | Senior | Plainfield, IL | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Malcolm Bernard | 11 | F | 6'6" | 190 | RS Senior | Middleburg, FL | Transferred from Florida A&M. Will eligible to play since Bernard graduated from Florida A&M. |
| RaShid Gaston | 35 | F | 6'9 | 239 | RS Senior | Warren, OH | Transferred from Norfolk State. |

## Season summary
### Preseason

Junior Trevon Bluiett entered his name in the NBA Pre-Draft, but withdrew his name prior to the deadline and will return to Xavier.

## Incoming recruits

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Quentin Goodin #17 PG | Campbellsville, KY | Taylor County High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Nov 20, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Tyrique Jones #24 PF | Bloomfield, CT | Vermont Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Nov 20, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Future recruits
### 2017–18 team recruits

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jared Ridder SF | Springfield, MO | Kickapoo High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jun 8, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Elias Harden SG | Tyrone, GA | Sandy Creek High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jul 27, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Naji Marshall SF | Greenbelt, MD | Hargrave Military Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jul 29, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Kentrevious Jones C | Macon, GA | Westside High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 285 lb (129 kg) | Sep 25, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Paul Scruggs PG | Indianapolis, IN | Prolific Prep | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Oct 14, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Nov 4, 2016* 4:00 pm | No. 7 | Ferris State | W 80–56 | | 23 – Sumner | 10 – Tied | 6 – Sumner | Cintas Center (10,250) Cincinnati, OH |
| Regular season |||||||||
| Nov 11, 2016* 7:00 pm, FCS | No. 7 | Lehigh | W 84–81 | 1–0 | 25 – Bluiett | 11 – Bluiett | 6 – Sumner | Cintas Center (10,250) Cincinnati, OH |
| Nov 14, 2016* 7:00 pm, CBSSN | No. 11 | Buffalo | W 86–53 | 2–0 | 18 – Macura | 11 – Jones | 4 – Goodin | Cintas Center (10,116) Cincinnati, OH |
| Nov 17, 2016* 1:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 11 | vs. Missouri Tire Pros Invitational quarterfinals | W 83–82 $^{OT}$ | 3–0 | 19 – Macura | 10 – Gaston | 5 – Macura | HP Field House Orlando, FL |
| Nov 18, 2016* 1:30 pm, ESPNU | No. 11 | vs. Clemson Tire Pros Invitational semifinals | W 83–77 | 4–0 | 28 – Macura | 7 – Bernard | 6 – Sumner | HP Field House Orlando, FL |
| Nov 20, 2016* 6:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 11 | vs. Northern Iowa Tire Pros Invitational championship | W 67–59 | 5–0 | 21 – Bluiett | 8 – Bluiett | 3 – Sumner | HP Field House Orlando, FL |
| Nov 26, 2016* 12:00 pm, FSN | No. 9 | Northern Iowa Tire Pros Invitational non-bracketed game | W 64–42 | 6–0 | 18 – Macura | 8 – Bluiett | 7 – Sumner | Cintas Center (10,028) Cincinnati, OH |
| Nov 30, 2016* 6:30 pm, FS1 | No. 7 | North Dakota State | W 85–55 | 7–0 | 23 – Bluiett | 8 – Bernard | 7 – Tied | Cintas Center (10,250) Cincinnati, OH |
| Dec 3, 2016* 3:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 7 | at No. 9 Baylor | L 61–76 | 7–1 | 23 – Bluiett | 8 – Gaston | 3 – Macura | Ferrell Center (9,684) Waco, TX |
| Dec 7, 2016* 9:00 pm, P12N | No. 13 | at Colorado | L 66–68 | 7–2 | 27 – Bluiett | 11 – Gaston | 5 – Sumner | Coors Events Center (7,743) Boulder, CO |
| Dec 10, 2016* 5:30 pm, FOX | No. 13 | Utah | W 77–69 | 8–2 | 18 – Tied | 14 – Gaston | 4 – Sumner | Cintas Center (10,350) Cincinnati, OH |
| Dec 17, 2016* 8:30 pm, FS1 | No. 17 | Wake Forest Skip Prosser Classic | W 69–65 | 9–2 | 20 – Bluiett | 7 – Bluiett | 3 – Bernard | Cintas Center (10,407) Cincinnati, OH |
| Dec 20, 2016* 6:30 pm, FS1 | No. 17 | Eastern Washington | W 85–56 | 10–2 | 16 – Bluiett | 6 – Macura | 9 – Sumner | Cintas Center (10,250) Cincinnati, OH |
| Dec 28, 2016 7:00 pm, FSN | No. 17 | Providence | W 82–56 | 11–2 (1–0) | 22 – Bluiett | 9 – Bluiett | 7 – Sumner | Cintas Center (10,426) Cincinnati, OH |
| Dec 31, 2016 11:00 am, FS1 | No. 17 | at Georgetown | W 81–76 | 12–2 (2–0) | 28 – Sumner | 9 – Gaston | 6 – Sumner | Verizon Center (11,275) Washington, D.C. |
| Jan 7, 2017 2:30 pm, FS1 | No. 16 | St. John's | W 97–82 | 13–2 (3–0) | 20 – Sumner | 6 – Bluiett | 7 – Sumner | Cintas Center (10,474) Cincinnati, OH |
| Jan 10, 2017 7:00 pm, FS1 | No. 15 | at No. 3 Villanova | L 54–79 | 13–3 (3–1) | 11 – Sumner | 6 – Tied | 3 – Bluiett | The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, PA |
| Jan 14, 2017 2:00 pm, FS1 | No. 15 | at No. 12 Butler | L 78–83 | 13–4 (3–2) | 22 – Sumner | 8 – Bernard | 3 – Sumner | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,166) Indianapolis, IN |
| Jan 16, 2017 2:00 pm, FS1 | No. 22 | No. 7 Creighton | L 67–72 | 13–5 (3–3) | 17 – Blueitt | 17 – Gaston | 5 – Sumner | Cintas Center (10,348) Cincinnati, OH |
| Jan 22, 2017 2:00 pm, CBS | No. 22 | Georgetown | W 86–75 | 14–5 (4–3) | 24 – Bluiett | 7 – Sumner | 7 – Sumner | Cintas Center (10,343) Cincinnati, OH |
| Jan 26, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 24 | at No. 19 Cincinnati Crosstown Shootout | L 78–86 | 14–6 | 40 – Bluiett | 7 – Macura | 7 – Sumner | Fifth Third Arena (13,477) Cincinnati, OH |
| Jan 29, 2017 6:00 pm, FS1 | No. 24 | at St. John's | W 82–77 | 15–6 (5–3) | 21 – Bluiett | 10 – Bluiett | 7 – Sumner | Madison Square Garden (8,723) New York, NY |
| Feb 1, 2017 9:00 pm, FS1 | | Seton Hall | W 72–70 | 16–6 (6–3) | 24 – Bluiett | 8 – Gates | 7 – Goodin | Cintas Center (10,087) Cincinnati, OH |
| Feb 4, 2017 3:00 pm, FOX | | at No. 22 Creighton | W 82–80 | 17–6 (7–3) | 16 – Tied | 9 – Gates | 5 – Goodin | CenturyLink Center (17,886) Omaha, NE |
| Feb 8, 2017 6:30 pm, FS1 | No. 24 | DePaul | W 72–61 | 18–6 (8–3) | 20 – Bluiett | 10 – Gates | 8 – Goodin | Cintas Center (10,250) Cincinnati, OH |
| Feb 11, 2017 2:30 pm, FOX | No. 24 | No. 2 Villanova | L 57–73 | 18–7 (8–4) | 23 – Gaston | 10 – Gaston | 7 – Macura | Cintas Center (10,558) Cincinnati, OH |
| Feb 15, 2017 6:30 pm, FS1 | | at Providence | L 63–75 | 18–8 (8–5) | 19 – Gaston | 14 – Gaston | 4 – Macura | Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,102) Providence, RI |
| Feb 18, 2017 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Marquette | L 61–83 | 18–9 (8–6) | 14 – O'Mara | 10 – Gaston | 8 – Goodin | BMO Harris Bradley Center (19,033) Milwaukee, WI |
| Feb 22, 2017 7:00 pm, FS1 | | at Seton Hall | L 64–71 | 18–10 (8–7) | 22 – Macura | 7 – Gates | 8 – Goodin | Prudential Center (7,139) Newark, NJ |
| Feb 26, 2017 3:30 pm, FS1 | | No. 22 Butler | L 79–88 | 18–11 (8–8) | 21 – Bluiett | 5 – Goodin | 7 – Goodin | Cintas Center (10,312) Cincinnati, OH |
| Mar 1, 2017 9:00 pm, FS1 | | Marquette | L 84–95 | 18–12 (8–9) | 20 – Macura | 7 – Gaston | 5 – Tied | Cintas Center (10,071) Cincinnati, OH |
| Mar 4, 2017 2:00 pm, FSN | | at DePaul | W 76–65 | 19–12 (9–9) | 24 – Bluiett | 10 – Bluiett | 3 – Tied | Allstate Arena (6,774) Rosemont, IL |
| Big East tournament |||||||||
| Mar 8, 2017 9:30 pm, FS1 | (7) | vs. (10) DePaul First Round | W 75–64 | 20–12 | 17 – Bluiett | 9 – Bluiett | 6 – Macura | Madison Square Garden (14,830) New York, NY |
| Mar 9, 2017 9:30 pm, FS1 | (7) | vs. (2) No. 18 Butler Quarterfinals | W 62–57 | 21–12 | 23 – Bluiett | 10 – Bernard | 4 – Tied | Madison Square Garden (16,003) New York, NY |
| Mar 10, 2017 9:30 pm, FS1 | (7) | vs. (6) Creighton Semifinals | L 72–75 | 21–13 | 22 – Macura | 6 – Gaston | 4 – Tied | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar 16, 2017* 6:50 pm, TNT | (11 W) | vs. (6 W) Maryland First Round | W 76–65 | 22–13 | 21 – Bluiett | 6 – Bernard | 9 – Goodin | Amway Center (15,869) Orlando, FL |
| Mar 18, 2017* 6:10 pm, TNT | (11 W) | vs. (3 W) No. 16 Florida State Second Round | W 91–66 | 23–13 | 29 – Bluiett | 6 – Bluiett | 5 – Tied | Amway Center (17,308) Orlando, FL |
| Mar 23, 2017* 10:09 pm, TBS | (11 W) | vs. (2 W) No. 4 Arizona Sweet Sixteen | W 73–71 | 24–13 | 25 – Bluiett | 7 – Macura | 5 – Macura | SAP Center (16,884) San Jose, CA |
| Mar 25, 2017* 6:09 pm, TBS | (11 W) | vs. (1 W) No. 2 Gonzaga Elite Eight | L 59–83 | 24–14 | 18 – Macura | 7 – Tied | 2 – Tied | SAP Center (17,011) San Jose, CA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West Region. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | 7 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 22 | 24 | RV | 24 | RV | RV | — | — | — | Not released |
| Coaches | 8 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 25 | — | RV | RV | — | — | 18 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings