PROVIDENCE – Last year, forward Jalen Reynolds played his best basketball in Xavier’s final 16 games, so it seemed inevitable that the 6-foot-10 player would bring the heat again this season.
Big East coaches thought so, too, naming Reynolds to the five-player preseason All-Big East first team with Butler's Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones, Georgetown's D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Villanova's Ryan Arcidiacono.
But Reynolds struggled to regain his stride in several of Xavier's first 20 outings. He was forced to navigate more double-teams with the departure of center Matt Stainbrook. Then fouls carved into his court time.