To return to the NCAA tournament, a team needs contributions from both returning players and incoming recruits. Here's a look at Xavier and its chances of dancing again in 2016.
Quick references:
Possible 2015-16 starting five
G: Myles Davis
G: Remy Abell
F: James Farr
Who is lost: Xavier loses both its starting center, Matt Stainbrook, and its starting point guard, Dee Davis. Stainbrook wasn’t just one of Xavier’s top offensive weapons, he was also a low-post scoring presence who could anchor the half-court attack. Davis’ individual offense wasn’t quite as noteworthy, but he was among the team leaders in minutes played and was extremely dependable running the show. He was more directly responsible for the team’s collectively high offensive ratings than he typically got credit for.
Who is added: On the heels of the previous year’s six-man recruiting class, the 2015 class was always going to be more about finding a strategic piece or two than about depth. Xavier appears to have done that with Kaiser Gates, a long and athletic, 6-foot-8, hybrid forward who runs the floor very well, plays above the rim and knocks down mid-range jump shots.
What it means for next season: Bluiett, Abell and Farr all return from this year’s starting lineup. Davis started a good portion of the season. Reynolds also played significant minutes. He should be poised to inherit the majority of Stainbrook’s minutes and have a breakout season in the process. Although that five-man core appears to be Xavier’s best, such a unit would leave the Musketeers without a true point guard, so it will be interesting to see what coach Chris Mack elects to do to both start and finish games. Either way, there’s going to be a battle for minutes in both the backcourt and the frontcourt. Larry Austin Jr., Edmond Sumner and Brandon Randolph will compete for the minutes Davis left behind, while Gates, Sean O'Mara and Makinde London will be competing to earn rotation minutes in the frontcourt.
Trending: Up. That first five will have as much balance and experience as anyone in the Big East, but there is also an abundance of youthful talent that should get more opportunity to come of age next season. Guys such as Sumner, London and Austin Jr. are all uniquely talented and potential impact players. If they can take the next step, Xavier will be deeper, more versatile and more experienced than they were to start this season. The Achilles heel, though, is the point guard position; there really isn’t an experienced floor general on the roster. If the Musketeers get someone to step up the way Davis did this year, following the departure of Semaj Christon, then this is a squad that could very possibly find itself competing atop the Big East a year from now.