IU basketball: Indiana at Xavier game day essentials

Game Day Essentials:

No. 12 Indiana (2-0) at Xavier (3-0)

• Tip Time: 6:00 p.m. Eastern
• Location: Cintas Center (10,250), Cincinnati, Ohio
• Television/Stream: FS1 (Kevin Kugler, Jimmy Jackson)
• IU Radio Network: IU Radio Network
• Point Spread: Indiana is a 3-point favorite
• KenPom Projected Score: No. 10 Indiana 74 No. 38 Xavier 72
• Series: Indiana leads 8-1. Xavier won last meeting 80-65 on Nov. 24, 2007

See also:

• Musketeers have several Indiana connections
• Indiana has struggled lately on the road
• Mike Woodson previews the game
• Sean Miller previews the game

2022 Gavitt Games

The 2022 Gavitt Tipoff Games, an early-season series that pits programs from the Big Ten Conference against those from the BIG EAST Conference, began on Monday.  The series will conclude with two games this evening.  The Big Ten leads the all-time series 2-1-3. See below for the 2022 Gavitt Tipoff Games schedule and results.

Xavier’s Sean Miller:

Sean Miller is in his second stint as head men’s basketball coach at Xavier.

In his first stint as head coach with the Musketeers, Miller had an overall record of 120-47, including 57-23 in A-10 conference play in five seasons. His team made the NCAA Tournament in each of his final four seasons, including one trip each to the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.

Prior to arriving at Xavier for his second stint there, Miller most recently served as head coach of the Arizona Wildcats for 12 seasons, from 2009-2021, posting an overall record of 302-109. The Wildcats made the NCAA Tournament seven times, including two appearances in the Sweet 16 and three in the Elite Eight.

Sean Miller is the brother of current Rhode Island and former Indiana head coach Archie Miller. Archie was at IU from 2017-2021.

Xavier Notes:

• Xavier has won 12 of its last 15 games against nine different teams from the Big Ten Conference since the 2007-08 season (15 seasons), including 4-1 in the NCAA Tournament and 3-1 in the Gavitt Tipoff Games.
• Xavier, 3-0, won its eighth straight game dating back to last season with a 78-65 win over Fairfield on Tuesday night. Graduate student Jack Nunge led Xavier in scoring with 23 points, while senior Zach Freemantle recorded a triple-double.
• Xavier senior Zach Freemantle, who was named to the weekly BIG EAST Conference Honor Roll after XU’s first two wins, followed that up with a triple-double vs. Fairfield with 15 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists.
• Xavier is looking for its eighth straight win at Cintas Center. XU is playing the final game of a four-game homestand to open the season.
• Xavier head coach Sean Miller is back for his sixth season at the helm. Miller, who was the XU head coach from 2004-09, is the fifth-winningest active Division I head coach (by win percentage) among coaches with at least 10 years as a head coach.
• Xavier junior Colby Jones, who was named Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team, sat out the Fairfield game with a sprained ankle.
• Xavier graduate student Jack Nunge, who was named Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team, leads Xavier in scoring at 18.0 ppg while shooting 64.3 percent from the field. He is second on the team in rebounding at 6.3 rpg.
• Xavier’s balanced scoring attack boasts five players who average in double figures in scoring led by Jack Nunge (18.0 ppg. to go with 6.3 rpg.) and Zach Freemantle (15.7 ppg. to go with a team-high 7.7 rpg.), who are also XU’s top rebounders.

Xavier 2022-23 KenPom Highlights:

Tempo – No. 89

Offensive Efficiency – No. 27

• Xavier’s effective FG percentage of 61.5 percent is No. 12 nationally and consists of the No. 14 percentage from three (45.5) and No. 34 percentage from two (59.2 percent).
• The Musketeers are No. 19 with a 40.0 offensive rebounding percentage.
• Xavier assists on 74.5 percent of its field goals (No. 5).
• The Musketeers are giving up a lot of turnovers via steals (15.9 percent of possessions, No. 350).

Defensive Efficiency – No. 59

• Xavier has allowed teams to get offensive rebounds. They allow them on 31.0 percent of misses, No. 225.
• Opponents have made a relatively high rate of their 3-point attempts — 35 percent, No. 227.
• With a 16.3 percent block rate (No. 25) and 14.6 percent steal rate (No. 22), Xavier is fairly active on the defensive end.

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