NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 11: Myles Davis #15 of the Xavier Musketeers walks off the court after the loss to the Seton Hall Pirates during the semifinals of the Big East Basketball Tournament on March 11, 2016 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.The Seton Hall Pirates defeated the Xavier Musketeers 87-83. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Xavier reinstates key player before matchup with Villanova

Prior to No. 16/15 Xavier’s (13-2, 3-0 Big East) critical affair versus No. 1-ranked Villanova on Tuesday evening, the program welcomes back a familiar face. Head coach Chris Mack announced guard Myles Davis, who served a 15-game suspension due to two misdemeanor criminal damaging charges, will return to the rotation.

A campaign ago, the then-junior ranked second on the unit in scoring with 10.8 points, along with a team-high 4.1 assists, per contest. Those efforts aided the team’s 28-6 mark, which ended in a heartbreaking three-point loss to Wisconsin in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Badgers’ guard Bronson Koenig sealed the upset with a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Currently, the Musketeers sit No. 214 in the nation in three-point percentage (33.8). Considering the 6-foot-2, 187-pounder shot a healthy 38.1 percent clip from behind the arc last season, including four threes in a 90-83 win over the Wildcats, he’ll provide a much-needed boost in that category.

“He’s met the terms of his suspension that were outlined to him at the beginning of the school year,” Mack said postgame following Xavier’s 97-82 win against the Red Storm. “I think he’s learned some valuable lessons from his mistakes, his 15-game-long suspension, and his reinstatement. I think he needs to continue to make good choices to keep his standing within our program.”

Shortly after, Davis turned to Twitter to acknowledge Mack’s comments.

https://twitter.com/_mdavis15/status/817868081502584832

While the conference features four quality teams (Villanova, Creighton, Xavier, and Butler) in the AP Top 25 and coaches’ poll, the addition of Davis should still give the Musketeers a shot at winning the Big East crown. A victory over the Wildcats would certainly help, too.

About Eli Hershkovich

Eli Hershkovich is a graduate of DePaul University. Along with writing, he also works at 670 The Score, a sports radio station in Chicago.

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