# 2017–18 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team represented Xavier University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as a member of the Big East Conference. Led by ninth-year head coach Chris Mack, they played their home games at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. They finished the season 29–6, 15–3 in Big East play to win the Big East championship. In the Big East tournament, they defeated St. John's before losing to Providence in the semifinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed in the West region. In the First Round, they defeated Texas Southern before being upset by Florida State in the Second Round.
On March 27, 2018, Chris Mack was hired as the new head coach of Louisville, leaving Xavier after nine seasons. Four days later, longtime assistant coach Travis Steele was named the new head coach of the Musketeers.

## Previous season

The Musketeers finished the 2016–17 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.

## Offseason
### Returning players

On March 31, 2017, Trevon Bluiett announced he would declare for the NBA draft, but would not hire an agent. On May 23, he withdrew his name from the draft and announced he would return to Xavier for his senior season.

### Incoming recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Elias Harden SG | Tyrone, GA | Sandy Creek High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jul 27, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Naji Marshall SF | Greenbelt, MD | Hargrave Military Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jul 29, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 85 ||||||
| Paul Scruggs PG | Indianapolis, IN | Prolific Prep | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Oct 14, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ||||||
| 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. ||||||

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School | Years Remaining | Date Eligible |
| Kerem Kanter | Forward | 6'10" | 240 | Senior | Istanbul, Turkey | Green Bay | 1 | Oct. 1, 2017 |

### Future recruits
#### 2018 recruits

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jake Walter C | Alexandria, KY | Covington Catholic High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | Aug 18, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Keonte Kennedy SG | Austin, TX | Westlake High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Oct 3, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Dontarius James SF | Kershaw, SC | Andrew Jackson High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Nov 12, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| 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: "2018 Xavier Commits". Rivals.com. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Preseason

In its annual preseason preview, Blue Ribbon Yearbook ranked the Musketeers No. 21 in the country. Trevon Bluiett was named a third team All-American.
In a poll of Big East coaches at the conference's media day, the Musketeers were picked to finish in third place in the Big East. Senior guard Trevon Bluiett was named to the preseason All-Big East First team while senior guard J.P. Macura was named a preseason All-Big East Honorable Mention.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Nov 4, 2017* 4:00 pm | No. 17 | Thomas More College | W 78–38 | | 16 – Marshall | 10 – Kanter | 6 – Scruggs | Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov 10, 2017* 7:00 pm, FSN | No. 17 | Morehead State | W 101–49 | 1–0 | 25 – Bluiett | 9 – Jones | 7 – Goodin | Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH |
| Nov 13, 2017* 8:30 pm, FS1 | No. 15 | Rider Las Vegas Invitational campus-site game | W 101–75 | 2–0 | 26 – Bluiett | 9 – Bluiett | 6 – Tied | Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH |
| Nov 16, 2017* 8:30 pm, FS1 | No. 15 | at Wisconsin Gavitt Tipoff Games | W 80–70 | 3–0 | 25 – Bluiett | 9 – Bluiett | 6 – Goodin | Kohl Center (17,287) Madison, WI |
| Nov 20, 2017* 8:30 pm, FS1 | No. 15 | Hampton Las Vegas Invitational campus-site game | W 96–60 | 4–0 | 21 – Bluiett | 9 – Gates | 5 – Goodin | Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH |
| Nov 23, 2017* 5:00 pm, FS1 | No. 15 | vs. George Washington Las Vegas Invitational semifinals | W 83–64 | 5–0 | 20 – Bluiett | 11 – Jones | 4 – Goodin | Orleans Arena Paradise, NV |
| Nov 24, 2017* 5:30 pm, FOX | No. 15 | vs. Arizona State Las Vegas Invitational championship | L 86–102 | 5–1 | 23 – Macura | 5 – Tied | 6 – Tied | Orleans Arena Paradise, NV |
| Nov 28, 2017* 6:30 pm, FS1 | No. 21 | No. 16 Baylor | W 76–63 | 6–1 | 19 – Tied | 7 – Jones | 6 – Tied | Cintas Center (10,503) Cincinnati, OH |
| Dec 2, 2017* 12:00 pm, FS1 | No. 21 | No. 11 Cincinnati Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout | W 89–76 | 7–1 | 28 – Bluiett | 10 – Gates | 8 – Goodin | Cintas Center (10,817) Cincinnati, OH |
| Dec 6, 2017* 7:00 pm, FS1 | No. 13 | Kent State | W 96–70 | 8–1 | 26 – Bluiett | 8 – Kanter | 6 – Goodin | Cintas Center (10,292) Cincinnati, OH |
| Dec 9, 2017* 5:00 pm, FS1 | No. 13 | Colorado | W 96–69 | 9–1 | 25 – Bluiett | 7 – Tied | 8 – Goodin | Cintas Center (10,228) Cincinnati, OH |
| Dec 16, 2017* 2:00 pm, FSN | No. 10 | East Tennessee State | W 68–66 | 10–1 | 18 – Bluiett | 7 – Tied | 6 – Goodin | Cintas Center (10,432) Cincinnati, OH |
| Dec 19, 2017* 6:30 pm, FS1 | No. 9 | Marshall | W 81–77 | 11–1 | 16 – Kanter | 13 – Kanter | 4 – Marshall | Cintas Center (10,431) Cincinnati, OH |
| Dec 22, 2017* 9:00 pm, CBSSN | No. 9 | at Northern Iowa | W 77–67 | 12–1 | 15 – Macura | 9 – Gates | 5 – Goodin | McLeod Center (6,355) Cedar Falls, IA |
| Big East regular season |||||||||
| Dec 27, 2017 8:30 pm, FS1 | No. 6 | at Marquette | W 91–87 | 13–1 (1–0) | 23 – Bluiett | 6 – Bluiett | 8 – Bluiett | BMO Harris Bradley Center (15,095) Milwaukee, WI |
| Dec 30, 2017 2:00 pm, FS1 | No. 6 | DePaul | W 77–72 | 14–1 (2–0) | 19 – Macura | 7 – Tied | 5 – Macura | Cintas Center (10,436) Cincinnati, OH |
| Jan 2, 2018 7:00 pm, FS1 | No. 5 | Butler | W 86–79 | 15–1 (3–0) | 21 – Bluiett | 9 – Jones | 4 – Macura | Cintas Center (10,609) Cincinnati, OH |
| Jan 6, 2018 12:00 pm, FOX | No. 5 | at Providence | L 72–81 | 15–2 (3–1) | 24 – Kanter | 12 – Kanter | 4 – Tied | Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,630) Providence, RI |
| Jan 10, 2018 8:00 pm, FS1 | No. 10 | at No. 1 Villanova | L 65–89 | 15–3 (3–2) | 16 – Kanter | 5 – Kanter | 3 – Tied | Wells Fargo Center (12,765) Philadelphia, PA |
| Jan 13, 2018 2:00 pm, FOX | No. 10 | No. 25 Creighton | W 92–70 | 16–3 (4–2) | 22 – Bluiett | 8 – Tied | 6 – Goodin | Cintas Center (10,655) Cincinnati, OH |
| Jan 17, 2018 8:30 pm, CBSSN | No. 11 | St. John's | W 88–82 | 17–3 (5–2) | 23 – Bluiett | 13 – Kanter | 7 – Goodin | Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH |
| Jan 20, 2018 2:30 pm, FOX | No. 11 | at No. 19 Seton Hall | W 73–64 | 18–3 (6–2) | 27 – Macura | 5 – Tied | 5 – Scruggs | Prudential Center (10,481) Newark, NJ |
| Jan 24, 2018 6:30 pm, FS1 | No. 8 | Marquette | W 89–70 | 19–3 (7–2) | 15 – Goodin | 10 – Bluiett | 5 – Tied | Cintas Center (10,493) Cincinnati, OH |
| Jan 30, 2018 8:30 pm, CBSSN | No. 6 | at St. John's | W 73–68 | 20–3 (8–2) | 14 – Bluiett | 6 – Gates | 5 – Goodin | Carnesecca Arena (5,344) Queens, NY |
| Feb 3, 2018 6:10 pm, CBSSN | No. 6 | Georgetown | W 96–91 $^{OT}$ | 21–3 (9–2) | 31 – Bluiett | 10 – Gates | 4 – Gates | Cintas Center (10,758) Cincinnati, OH |
| Feb 6, 2018 6:30 pm, FS1 | No. 5 | at Butler | W 98–93 $^{OT}$ | 22–3 (10–2) | 26 – Bluiett | 6 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) Indianapolis, IN |
| Feb 10, 2018 2:30 pm, FOX | No. 5 | at Creighton | W 72–71 | 23–3 (11–2) | 17 – Goodin | 9 – Macura | 4 – Bluiett | CenturyLink Center (18,257) Omaha, NE |
| Feb 14, 2018 9:00 pm, FS1 | No. 4 | Seton Hall | W 102–90 | 24–3 (12–2) | 37 – Bluiett | 7 – Bluiett | 5 – Macura | Cintas Center (10,512) Cincinnati, OH |
| Feb 17, 2018 4:30 pm, FOX | No. 4 | No. 3 Villanova | L 79–95 | 24–4 (12–3) | 26 – Bluiett | 8 – Marshall | 12 – Goodin | Cintas Center (10,777) Cincinnati, OH |
| Feb 21, 2018 6:30 pm, FS1 | No. 4 | at Georgetown | W 89–77 | 25–4 (13–3) | 21 – Marshall | 7 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Capital One Arena (8,012) Washington, DC |
| Feb 28, 2018 6:30 pm, FS1 | No. 3 | Providence | W 84–74 | 26–4 (14–3) | 23 – Bluiett | 6 – Bluiett | 4 – Goodin | Cintas Center (10,715) Cincinnati, OH |
| Mar 3, 2018 12:00 pm, FS1 | No. 3 | at DePaul | W 65–62 | 27–4 (15–3) | 22 – Bluiett | 11 – Marshall | 4 – Macura | Wintrust Arena (7,972) Chicago, IL |
| Big East tournament |||||||||
| Mar 8, 2018 12:00 pm, FS1 | (1) No. 3 | vs. (9) St. John's Quarterfinals | W 88–60 | 28–4 | 27 – Bluiett | 7 – Bluiett/Marshall | 5 – Macura | Madison Square Garden (17,647) New York, NY |
| Mar 9, 2018 6:30 pm, FS1 | (1) No. 3 | vs. (5) Providence Semifinals | L 72–75 | 28–5 | 18 – Kanter | 12 – Marshall | 3 – Tied | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar 16, 2018* 7:20 pm, TBS | (1 W) No. 3 | vs. (16 W) Texas Southern First Round | W 102–83 | 29–5 | 29 – Macura | 6 – Tied | 7 – Goodin | Bridgestone Arena (17,549) Nashville, TN |
| Mar 18, 2018 8:40 pm, TNT | (1 W) No. 3 | vs. (9 W) Florida State Second Round | L 70–75 | 29–6 | 17 – Macura | 6 – Kanter | 2 – 3 tied | Bridgestone Arena (17,552) Nashville, TN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place 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 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 21 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 (5) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Not released |
| Coaches | 17 | 17 | 14 | 20 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 (1) | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
* AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings