Where Xavier Musketeers' roster stands as NCAA transfer portal closes Wednesday

Nearly 2,000 college basketball players have entered the NCAA's transfer portal since it opened on Monday, March 18.

The portal's 45-day window is up as it will close Wednesday night at 11:59 p.m. ET. The Xavier Musketeers felt all the effects of the transfer portal tug-of-war over the last six-plus weeks. The roster that led to Xavier's first losing season in nearly three decades was gutted as eight Musketeers, along with walk-on Brad Colbert and Logan Duncomb, who left the team in the preseason, jumped in the portal.

Xavier's biggest offseason departure was sophomore Desmond Claude, who was the backbone of a Xavier squad that kept afloat for the majority of the regular season and had an outside shot at an NCAA Tournament berth by the time February rolled around. Claude was named the Big East's Most Improved Player last season but was the final Musketeer to hit the portal on April 19.

Xavier beefed up its roster, too. The Musketeers added proven players with experience at nearly every position. Here's where Xavier's roster stands as the calendar flips to May and the portal closes up shop.

Xavier Musketeers' roster outlook for 2024-25 season

Guards: Dayvion McKnight, Dante Maddox Jr., Ryan Conwell, Trey Green, Marcus Foster, Jonathan Powell

Forwards/Centers: Zach Freemantle, Jerome Hunter, Dailyn Swain, John Hugley IV, Lassina Traore

Breakdown: You can count them yourself. There are eight players on the roster right now who won't be found in any stat sheet from Xavier's 16-18 campaign that ended with a first-round loss to Georgia in the NIT.

Starting with the returning players, Dayvion McKnight has a chance to be one of the best points guards in the Big East next season. It took about a month for McKnight to find his footing in Sean Miller's up-tempo offense. When it finally came together, McKnight was one of the most efficient guards in the country. The Shelbyville, Kentucky native was top-20 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio and averaged 12.4 points per game. He also shot 37% from the 3-point range after a cold spell to start the year.

Of all the roster turnover, Xavier was able to keep Dailyn Swain and Trey Green, both members of the Big East's All-Freshman Team last season. They were asked to carry a lot of weight as Xavier freshmen played the most minutes of any team in the Big East. Now, they'll look to turn that valuable experience into growth.

Xavier got better on both ends of the court through the transfer portal. In the backcourt, they had to replace sharpshooter Quincy Olivari. Miller and company did that by adding a pair of 40% three-point shooters in Dante Maddox Jr. (Toledo) and Ryan Conwell (Indiana State). The Musketeers opened their additions by getting Furman transfer Marcus Foster to commit in March. Foster averaged 17 points per game last season and rebounds nicely (7.5 per game) from the wing.

No position group received a bigger upgrade than Xavier's frontcourt. The roster pieces that made up over 80% of the minutes down low for the Musketeers last season have either found a new home or are still in the portal. Xavier added experienced depth in John Hugley IV (Oklahoma), who shot a career-high 54.8% from the field last season and has two years of eligibility remaining.

Lassina Traore (Long Beach State), the most recent Musketeer commit, averaged a double-double last season and provides much-needed rim protection for a Xavier squad that was beat up in the paint by the nightly physical challenges presented by its Big East rivals.

Of course, the roster rebuild wouldn't be complete without the return of Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter, two key cogs on a team that was top-15 in the nation and went to the Sweet 16 in 2023, although Freemantle missed the tournament run.

Xavier Musketeers starting 5 projection

There's still six months until the ball is tipped on the 2024-25 season. But that doesn't slow down the countless offseason predictions from all of college basketball media. Here's a prediction of the starting five for Xavier for November's season-opener.

Starting 5: Dayvion McKnight, Dante Maddox Jr., Ryan Conwell, Zach Freemantle, Lassina Traore.

Where does Xavier's offseason rank?

National pundits took notice of Xavier's offseason rebuild. According to 247Sports, Xavier's transfer portal haul thus far ranks 18th in the nation. That's third in the Big East behind Georgetown (No. 14) and Providence (No. 17).

CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein lists Xavier as No. 20 in his Top 45 Power Rankings for next season. The Field of 68's Preseason Top 25 has the Musketeers at No. 19 with the UC Bearcats one spot behind them.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Xavier roster outlook, starting 5 projection as transfer portal closes