Xavier men’s basketball is off to a scorching 3-0 start, racking up three blowout wins with an average margin of victory of 37.7 points. The Musketeers have spent the first eight days of the season building serious momentum, overwhelming Mount St. Mary’s, leaning on their defense to pull away from Eastern Michigan, and delivering another dominant performance Tuesday, November 10, by defeating Detroit Mercy, 100-55. Three games, three wins, three absolute routs. You really couldn’t ask for a much better start.
These Blowouts Were No Joke
Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Mercy Titans was just another masterclass at the Cintas Center. Xavier was a 35.5-point favorite against a Detroit Mercy squad that lost by only 6 to Marquette, but the Musketeers played like a team possessed. They took a commanding 10-0 lead after just 89 seconds, forcing Detroit to call a timeout. And even with a little offensive lull in the first half, Xavier’s lead was never threatened. Detroit Mercy shot a dismal 18.8% over the opening 20 minutes, starting 2-for-21. Ouch. Xavier’s center Mike Nwoko led the charge with 17 points on an insane 8 of 9 shooting. Guards Kalek House (16 points), Tru Washington (14 points), and Chance Westry (13 points) all hit double figures. Eleven different Musketeers even made a field goal as the team shot over 50% from the field, despite an off night from long distance, hitting 8-for-35. Defensively, they held a third straight opponent under 55 points and absolutely crushed on the glass, grabbing 52 rebounds to Detroit’s 37. That’s 50-plus rebounds for the second time in three games. Seriously impressive.
The Gauntlet Is Coming
Look, the early results are super encouraging, but we all know the level of competition is about to take a massive leap. It’s time for the real test. Four of Xavier’s next five contests are against high-major opponents, and it all kicks off Friday, November 13, with a neutral site tilt against Mississippi State (who are also 3-0) in the Greenbrier Tip-Off in West Virginia. After that, they’re back home to host Cleveland State on November 17, then the Iowa Hawkeyes come to Cintas Center on Friday, November 20. The Musketeers then jet off to Nassau, Bahamas, for the Battle 4 Atlantis, where they’ll face Texas A&M on November 25 and then No. 6 Virginia on November 27. This is where we find out what this Xavier team is truly made of. Can they keep that momentum rolling when the big guns come calling? We’re about to find out.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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