How Xavier can get a season-opening win against Texas Southern

Xavier vs. Texas Southern

Tip: Monday, 7:30 p.m., Cintas Center (10.224)

TV/Radio: FS1/55 KRC

Reviews: Xavier is ranked No. 34 in KenPom at the start of the year. Texas Southern is No. 284.

Story: Two days before the Nashville Nightmare (when No. 1 overall seed Xavier was upset by Florida State) in the Round of 32 of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, top-seeded Xavier opened March Madness with a 102-83 win over Texas Southern at Bridgestone Arena . It is the only previous matchup between the two programs.

Note: Xavier has won 34 straight regular season openers.

More: Ranking: Who has the best college basketball program in Ohio? Xavier is No. 1, ahead of UC and OSU

Texas Southern Tigers Scouting Report

Record: 16-17 (12-5 SWAC) in 2023-24

Head Coach: Johnny Jones (106-90 at Texas Southern, seventh season)

attack: 70.2 ppg (last season)

defense: 71.1 ppg (last season)

Overview: Texas Southern snapped a three-year streak of NCAA Tournament appearances last season after going 16-17. Head coach Johnny Jones signed a three-year extension in April.

The Tigers lost both of their double-digit scorers from last season but return fifth-year forward Grayson Carter (7.1 points per game last year), who began his career at Georgetown.

Texas Southern was selected second in the SWAC, while two players, Carter and Kenny Hunter, were selected to the all-league second team in the preseason.

Planned lineup

(Pos., height, statistics last season)

Kavion McClain (G, 5'10″, 6.2 ppg at Abilene Christian)

Jaylin Jackson-Posey (G, 6’3”, 7 ppg at New Mexico State)

Alex Anderson (G, 6'6”, 11 pages at Incarnate Word)

Kenny Hunter (F, 6'8″, 5.6 ppm)

Grayson Carter (F, 6'10″, 7.1 ppm)

Xavier Musketeers Scouting Report

Record: 16-18 (9-11 Big East) in the 2023-24 season

Head Coach: Sean Miller (163-75 at Xavier, eighth season)

attack: 75.9 ppg (last season)

defense: 74.6 ppg (last season)

Planned lineup

(Pos., height, statistics last season)

Dayvion McKnight (G, 6'0”, 12.4 ppm)

Ryan Conwell (G, 6’4”, 16.6 ppg at Indiana State)

Marcus Foster (G, 6’5”, 17 ppg at Furman)

Dailyn Swain (G/F, 6'8″, 4.6 ppg)

Zach Freemantle (F, 6'9″, DNP)

More: “It's getting pretty dark.” Zach Freemantle is enjoying his return to basketball for the Xavier Musketeers

Players to watch

Jerome Hunter

The wait is over for Hunter and Freemantle. After missing all of last season, the duo should get a warm welcome at the Cintas Center on Monday night. Hunter will likely come off the bench, something the sixth-year forward is no stranger to. Hunter made just 15 starts in 2023, but became one of the key cogs to Xavier's Sweet 16 run as he emerged as one of Miller's top players at a critical point in the season.

Hunter's defensive presence and rebounding skills are the focus of Xavier's backup performance. Hunter and the rest of Xavier's frontcourt will be tasked with fixing the rebounding issues that were present throughout last season.

Dayvion McKnight

Last season, McKnight was part of a backcourt trio that kept Xavier afloat for most of the season. McKnight effectively fielded a top-heavy Xavier squad last season, but now has all the weapons with Freemantle, Hunter and John Hugley IV on defense and multiple scoring options at guard.

Key to a Xavier win over Texas Southern

Watch the ball

According to KenPom, Texas Southern's offense hasn't ranked better than 221st nationally in efficiency since 2019. Last year, the Tigers were a defensive-minded squad that ranked 64th in opponents' effective field goal percentage.

It's no secret that Xavier will step up the pace every night. The key is to take care of the basketball. Luckily for the Musketeers, McKnight was one of the best in the country last year (19th in assist-to-turnover ratio), doing just that. If Xavier can avoid costly turnovers in the backcourt, they can find their scorers on the other side for quality performances.

Control the boards

With Xavier struggling on the board for years last season, this year's club will be under early scrutiny for how they perform on the glass.

Xavier should have the opportunity to force multiple one-time possessions. Texas Southern was No. 10 in the SWAC in field goal percentage last season and one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country. Xavier's ability to limit the Tigers to one shot per possession will determine whether they can pull away in this matchup.

WATCH: A look at Xavier's seven new additions via the NCAA transfer portal

According to 247Sports, Xavier has the No. 37 transfer portal class in the country.