What we learned from Xavier Musketeers' win over DePaul

What we learned from Xavier Musketeers’ win over DePaul

Posted by author February 15, 2025 Sports

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Xavier is over .500 in Big East play for the first time this season following an 85-68 win over DePaul Saturday afternoon at Cintas Center.

A win over one of the worst teams in the Big East won’t do much for Xavier’s thin NCAA Tournament chances, but the Musketeers did what a bubble team needed to do against an inferior opponent.

With a 1-8 record in Quadrant 1 contests, the biggest strength on Xavier’s resume is its clean sheet against sub-par competition. Xavier is now a combined 9-0 in Quadrant 3/4 games.

DePaul (11-15, 2-13 Big East) has now lost eight times on the road by double figures. Xavier (16-10, 8-7 Big East) improves to 12-2 at home this season.

Observations from Xavier Musketeers’ win over DePaul Blue Demons

Xavier’s offense sizzles in win over DePaul

One hour before tip-off, it was announced that DePaul forward NJ Benson would miss the game against Xavier due to a hand injury suffered on Tuesday in the Blue Demons’ road loss to Marquette.

DePaul already featured the second-smallest lineup in the Big East and Xavier big man Zach Freemantle went to work against a shorthanded frontcourt. Freemantle led Xavier with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting to go with a game-high 7 rebounds in the first half.

Xavier shot 60.7% in the first half and did the majority of its damage from inside the arc. The Muskies were just 3-of-9 from three-point range but 14-of-19 from two.

The second half was a similar story as Xavier struggled from distance (1-of-6) but got whatever it wanted near the rim with 40 points in the paint and 16 on the fast break.

Freemantle finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 19 points and 9 boards. Ryan Conwell (14 points) and Dailyn Swain (17) combined to go 12-of-15 from the floor. Swain had 8 points and 7 assists. Each of Xavier’s starters were in double figures as Dayvion McKnight poured in 14 and Marcus Foster added 11.

Did Xavier’s defense bounce back against DePaul?

Xavier’s defense had taken a giant step back heading into Saturday’s game. The Musketeers were burned for 52 second-half points in Wednesday’s win over Providence, which made a comfortable win turn sour in the final minutes.

Facing a DePaul offense that shoots the third-most 3-pointers (27.5) per game in the Big East, Xavier’s focus was on containing the perimeter. Early on, Xavier’s defense was stout in forcing a slew of tough shots. DePaul’s long-range barrage made things interesting, though, as the Blue Demons’ last four made shots of the first half were from beyond the arc.

After giving up 40-plus second-half points in four consecutive games, Xavier’s defense did enough with stops while the offense put the game in cruise control. DePaul finished just 7-of-29 from three-point range and just 2-of-12 in the second half while the Musketeers forced 15 turnovers.

CJ Gunn led the Blue Demons with 16, his 11th straight game in double figures.

Xavier starts, finishes strong in 1st half

As a double-digit favorite Saturday, it was important for Xavier to squash DePaul’s upset bid early. Less than three minutes into the game, DePaul head coach Chris Holtmann burned a timeout after Xavier opened an 8-0 lead behind four buckets down low.

Xavier led 10-0 before DePaul’s offense got hot from the perimeter. DePaul cut Xavier’s lead to 22-18 before the Musketeers went back to their starting lineup and pushed their advantage to 30-18 at the under-8 media timeout.

Xavier ended the half on a 7-1 run to take a 45-31 lead into the locker room.

Xavier goes 3-1 in accelerated stretch

Xavier got a much-needed off weekend following a loss to Creighton in Omaha Jan. 29. The Musketeers ramped up February play in a hurry with four games in an 11-day stretch, which wrapped up Saturday.

Xavier went 3-1 in that span after dispatching the Blue Demons.

Xavier is back at Cintas Center on Tuesday

Xavier will enjoy back-to-back home games for the first time in 2025. Xavier was last at Cintas Center consecutively back in December with a loss to Marquette and a blowout of Seton Hall.

Xavier hosts Butler on Tuesday night in another Quadrant 3 opportunity.