Xavier entered the season knowing one thing: in most matchups on most days, they would have the best player on the floor. Zach Freemantle was Xavier’s All Big East, team leading scorer, team leading rebounder, human cheat code. When all went south, throw the ball to Zach and let him work. Then, Xavier discovered that for at least six games, that security blanket would be gone. The offensive focal point of a team that struggled on offense would be missing and no obvious replacement was available.
For at least three games that wouldn’t be a problem.