Xavier concludes its nonconference schedule by seeking a fifth straight win when it hosts Missouri State on Friday in Cincinnati.

The Musketeers (7-3) have had a week to savor last Friday's 79-74 win over crosstown rival Cincinnati. The expectations were very modest for a Xavier team that was picked to finish eighth in the preseason by Big East coaches. But so far, Xavier has wins over Big 12 opponents West Virginia and Cincinnati, and a one-point loss to Georgia.

The star of the week was Tre Carroll, the transfer from Florida Atlantic scored a career-best 30 points to go with seven rebounds and raised his scoring average to a team-leading 17.3 points per game, good for fourth in the Big East. His shooting percentage of 48.6% is fourth-best in the conference.

"I just wanted to give the

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