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BIG EAST Conference preview: Marquette the team to beat

By Erica Ayala

MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 07: Marquette Golden Eagles guard Allazia Blockton (11) looks inside during the Big East Women's Championship Game between the DePaul Blue Demons and the Marquette Golden Eagles on March 7, 2017 at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 07: Marquette Golden Eagles guard Allazia Blockton (11) looks inside during the Big East Women's Championship Game between the DePaul Blue Demons and the Marquette Golden Eagles on March 7, 2017 at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WI – MARCH 04: Xavier Musketeers forward Maddison Blackwell (21) reaches for a pass during a Big East Tournament game between Xavier Musketeers and the Butler Bulldogs on March 04, 2017, at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI – MARCH 04: Xavier Musketeers forward Maddison Blackwell (21) reaches for a pass during a Big East Tournament game between Xavier Musketeers and the Butler Bulldogs on March 04, 2017, at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Xavier

Preseason predicted ranking: 10th, down three spots from 2016-17 finish

2016-17 Record: 4-14

2016-17 Overall Record: 12-18

Biggest Losses:

Xavier lost over half of their scoring (58.6%) t0 graduation and transfer.  Leading scorer Raeshaun Gaffney, who averaged 14.3 points per game, graduated along with Maddison Blackwell and Leah Schaefer.  Ohio-native Marquia Turner transferred to Cleveland State after the 2016-17 season.

Key returners:

Kindell Fletcher is the only returning starter from last season.  She returns to the Musketeers as a redshirt-junior.  Fletcher was Xavier’s top perimeter shooting, draining 52 3-pointers, ranking her 10th in the conference behind the arc.

Newcomers:

Xavier recruited six freshmen to replenish the bench, and hopefully inject more offense. Jordyn Dawson is a West Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year who averaged a double-double in high school. Deja Ross eclipsed 1,000 career points in three seasons at Pomfet High School in Providence, RI.

Head coach:

Brian Neal became the 7th coach in program history in March of 2013.  In four years, he posted a 55-69 (.444) overall record. In his second season, he helped the Musketeers complete a 10-game improvement and finish the season 18-15 overall.

Last season, Xavier dropped under .500 and won three times as many non-conference games compared to the 4-14 BIG EAST record.

Key non-conference games:

Xavier is not slated to play any USA TODAY preseason picks in their early non-conference schedule. The Musketeers will travel out to Minnesota and host Wake Forest before opening at Butler on December 29.

Outlook:

A surprising number of BIG EAST teams finished with less than five wins within the conference. Xavier perhaps has the most rebuilding to do in the conference, meaning new faces will play an important role in the Musketeers’ success.

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