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With the Villanova Wildcats' loss on Monday night, the Xavier Musketeers stand as the BIG EAST's lone undefeated team. At 8-0, X has proven to be one of the best and most well-rounded teams in the country, deploying seven or eight guys that can do damage on a nightly basis.
With an epic crosstown matchup looming against Cincinnati this Saturday, Xavier must first focus their attention on the Wright State Raiders on Tuesday. The Raiders, billed from Dayton, Ohio, go into Cintas Center at 3-5 with victories over South Dakota, Albion and Mount St. Joseph.
They have been overmatched against clubs like Northern Illinois, Kentucky, George Mason and Georgia State this season and in all likelihood, with an offense ranked 294th in the country in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency, that stretch will continue against X on Tuesday.
How to watch, listen or stream
Game Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
Radio: WRZX BIG 106.5 FM (Wright State) || 700 WLW AM (Xavier)
Online Streaming: Streaming is available for this telecast via FOX Sports GO where available.
Gamblin' Info
Odds: Xavier opened as a 22-point favorite over the Raiders via OddsShark. They are 21-point favorites elsewhere.
Records ATS: Wright State (2-5) || Xavier (5-3)
O/U: The o/u for this matchup opened at 139.
3 things to watch
1. A formidable foe on the rebounding end?: Turns out Xavier will face some competition in the rebounding department on Tuesday when Wright State comes to town. The Raiders are the 5th best team in the country in Defensive Rebounding%. The Musketeers? They're No. 4 in the category and 21st in the nation in Offensive Rebounding%. While Wright State's OR% is the worst in the nation, things will be interesting to say the least on the other end as X has been superior in the rebounding battle in every game they've played.
2. Torrid Trevon: Sophomore Trevon Bluiett has been on a blistering pace to start the season. As one of X's biggest contributors and most efficient players, Bluiett has gotten 15 or more points in three of his last four games including a 21-point outing against Western Kentucky on Saturday. Those 21 points matched a career high he set against DePaul on January 24, 2015. Wright State hasn't been dismal on defense this year in most categories, but given how much the Musketeers will throw in the Raiders' face, Bluiett has another opportunity to keep up his red-hot play on Tuesday.
3. Sumner vs. Thomasson: Edmond Sumner has stepped in comfortably as Xavier's new point guard through its first eight games. He gets himself an intriguing test on Tuesday night in the form of Wright State senior guard Joe Thomasson. Thomasson, a Dayton, Ohio native, has proved his worth so far this year as the Raiders' point guard. What stands out the most is his lofty assist rate, checking in at 34.1 percent. That's the 57th best mark in the country and higher than the likes of Traci Carter, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Melo Trimble, Stefan Moody, Yogi Ferrell and Tyrone Wallace among others. Sumner will likely have his hands full against the Raiders point guard, but he'll always have Xavier's stingy defense behind him if he needs it.