According to a report by Jon Rothstein, Indiana will travel to Cincinnati to face Xavier in connection with the 2022 Gavitt Games.
Game dates and times were not included in the report. The Gavitt Games are typically played during the second week of the college basketball season.
In its seventh annual running, the Gavitt Games will will be televised on Fox Sports 1 or the Big Ten Network. The Gavitt Games is an early-season series between the Big Ten and the Big East, and named in honor of Hall of Famer Dave Gavitt, founder of the Big East.
Xavier is led by first year head coach Sean Miller, brother of former IU coach Archie. IU assistant Kenya Hunter worked under Sean at Xavier from 2004 to 2007, and his fellow assistant Brian Walsh played at Xavier under Sean from 2008 to 2010.
IU is 8-1 all-time against the Musketeers, but lost their last meeting 80-65 in 2007. This will be Indiana’s first trip to Cincinnati to face Xavier since 1939.
Xavier finished the 2021-22 season with a 23-13 record and ranked No. 53 according to KenPom.com. They missed the NCAA Tournament but advanced to and won the NIT championship game in March. Xavier released head coach Travis Steele after the season.
Key players returning for Xavier include Indiana native Jack Nunge (13.4 PPG), along with Colby Jones (11.6 PPG), Zach Freemantle (10.4 PPG), Adam Kunkel (8.8 PPG), and former Hoosier Jerome Hunter (4.1 PPG).
The Musketeers bring in a pair of top-100 freshmen in Kam Craft (No. 58), and Desmond Claude (No. 93), and transfer guard Souley Boum should provide a major boost (19.8 PPG at UTEP).
They’ll have to replace the scoring of Paul Scruggs (11.7 PPG), Nate Johnson (10.3 PPG), and Dwon Odom (6.3 PPG).
Here is the full slate for the Gavitt Games according to Rothstein’s report:
Villanova at Michigan State
Indiana at Xavier
Iowa at Seton Hall
Marquette at Purdue
Butler at Penn State
Northwestern at Georgetown
Nebraska at St. John’s
DePaul at Minnesota
With this news, 28 of Indiana’s 31 opponents are now known for the 2022-23 season. The non-conference slate includes four intriguing matchups against high-majors. Xavier should be the first major test, followed by North Carolina, Arizona and Kansas.
For more information on the 2022-23 schedule, GO HERE.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
- Find us on Facebook: thedailyhoosier
- You can follow us on Twitter: @daily_hoosier
- Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you.
