Xavier @ Towson preview

No. 21 Xavier is 4-0 for the sixth time in its last seven seasons and will try to keep their run going during a busy stretch at the Charleston (S.C) Classic, beginning with a first-round matchup against Towson on Thursday. The Musketeers started fast and held on to defeat Missouri State 59-56 on Friday, and coach Travis Steele is hoping for a more complete effort going forward.

"I felt when we got up early, our guys thought it would be easy," Steele told reporters. "I could tell by their faces and eyes in the huddle." That marked the second straight close win for Xavier, which received 15 points from senior forward Tyrique Jones and 14 from junior guard Paul Scruggs, who had a big layup in the closing seconds. The Tigers, who were picked to finish sixth in the 10-team Colonial Athletic Association, nearly pulled off an upset at Florida last Thursday before falling 66-60. The Xavier-Towson winner meets either Buffalo or Connecticut on Friday in an event that sees eight teams play three games apiece in four days.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ABOUT XAVIER (4-0): Junior forward Naji Marshall leads the Musketeers in scoring at 16.5 points per game, but he was 0-for-4 from 3-point range against Missouri State and is 3-for-21 on the season, part of a team-wide issue. "We're taking the 3s we want and we're taking the 3s we can hit," Scruggs said of a squad that is hitting 20.9 percent from long distance - 350th in the country entering Wednesday's action. "We just need to get in the gym and make more shots." Jones, who has never attempted a 3-pointer in his 107-game career, ranks second to Marshall in scoring (14.5) and first in rebounds (7.8) and blocks (1.3).

ABOUT TOWSON (2-2): Five players are averaging over 10 points per game for the Tigers, although freshman walk-on Nigel Haughton notched his team-leading 17.0 average in his only game, a blowout of Division III Bryn Athyn. Senior guard Brian Fobbs posts 13.5 points and five rebounds per contest, but he has missed all 15 of his 3-point tries. Sophomore guard Allen Betrand had a team-high 14 points in the loss to Florida and is averaging 12.8 on the season.

TIP-INS

1. Tigers junior F Juwan Gray is 6-for-10 from beyond the arc.

2. Musketeers senior G Quentin Goodin had six assists against two turnovers versus Missouri State after recording five total assists and nine turnovers through the first three games.

3. Thursday marks the first meeting between the programs.

PREDICTION: Xavier 67, Towson 59