Game notes: Xavier vs. Wake Forest

The series between Xavier and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons will be renewed Wednesday night when the Musketeers travel to Winston-Salem, N.C.

Better known as the Skip Prosser Classic, named in honor of the former coach of both schools who tragically passed away in 2007, this year’s matchup will be the third meeting in the scheduled 10-year series.

Xavier (7-5) hopes to snap a three-game losing streak when it takes on the Demon Deacons (6-5) in its final non-conference tune up prior to the start of Atlantic 10 play.

Below is a set of game notes prepared by the sports information departments at Xavier and Wake Forest Sports for the head-to-head showdown at Lawrence Joel Veterans.

Location: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (14,665) in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Last Meeting : Xavier 83, Wake Forest 75 (Dec. 18, 2010 at Cintas Center)
Television: Broadcast on ESPN3 with Mike Gleason and analysis from Paul Biancardi
Radio: Broadcat on 700 WLW-AM with play-by-play from XU Hall of Famer and former Musketeer standout Joe Sunderman. Analysis will be provided by Xavier Hall of Famer and XU all-time leading scorer Byron Larkin (‘88).
Game Notes (provided by sports information staffs at Xavier and Wake Forest)

Series history
Xavier leads the all-time series with Wake Forest 2-1. The teams have split the previous two Skip Prosser Classic meetings with each winning at home. The series dates back to a 1999 Postseason NIT meeting in Cincinnati.

The Musketeers won the most recent meeting 85-73 on Dec. 18, 2010, at the Cintas Center. That evened the Classic after the Deacons posted a 96-92 double-overtime win over Xavier on Jan. 3, 2010.

Xavier game notes

• Xavier and Wake Forest are playing the third game of the Skip Prosser Classic series. Prosser was at Xavier for 15 years from 1985-2001, including as the Xavier head coach from 1994-2001, and at Wake Forest as head coach from 2001 until his death in 2007. Prosser was inducted into XU’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010.
• Xavier, 7-5, dropped its third straight game, 51-47, at Tennessee on Saturday. Senior Travis Taylor led Xavier in scoring with 12 points to go with seven rebounds. While Taylor was the only XU double-figure scorer, sophomore Justin Martin grabbed a game-high and career-high 12 rebounds to go with his six points.
• Xavier’s game at Wake Forest is Xavier’s final non-conference test before opening Atlantic 10 Conference play against Temple on Jan. 10 at Cintas Center. XU’s final regular season non-conference game will be against Memphis on Feb. 26.
• Xavier freshman Semaj Christon leads XU in scoring (13.4 ppg.), assists (2nd in A-10 at 5.1 apg.) and steals (1.5 spg.). He is a two-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week.
• Xavier sophomore Justin Martin, who has scored in double figures in eight games this season, is fourth on the team in scoring at 9.9 ppg. and is third in rebounding at 5.5 rpg., including his career-high 12-rebound effort at Tennessee.
• Xavier junior Isaiah Philmore, a Towson transfer who became eligible in the fourth game of the season, is second on the team in rebounding at 5.8 rpg.
• Xavier sophomore Dee Davis is third on the team in scoring at 10.5 ppg. and is second in assists at 3.9 apg. after contributing seven points, six assists, three steals and just one turnover at Tennessee.
• Xavier senior Travis Taylor is XU’s rebound leader at 7.2 rpg. (7th in Atlantic 10), while standing second in scoring at 11.3 ppg. Taylor has averaged 14.7 ppg. and 9.3 rpg. over the last three games, including double-doubles vs. Wofford and Cincinnati.
• Xavier fourth-year head coach Chris Mack, who turned 43 on Sunday, is 80-35 (.696) overall as Xavier’s head coach. Mack led Xavier to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first three seasons, including the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2010 and 2012.
• Xavier is one of only four teams that have made the NCAA Sweet 16 four times in the last five years (2008-12): Kansas, Michigan State, North Carolina and Xavier. No team has made all of the last five Sweet 16s. Xavier is one of only eight schools that have made at least the last seven straight NCAA Tournaments.
• Xavier is ranked 11th in the nation in the latest NCAA Graduation Success Rate at 97 percent. Xavier men’s basketball was among 14 XU programs at 100 percent.
• Xavier has graduated each of the last 88 men’s basketball players that have played as seniors, a streak which dates back to 1986.