Schedule change in Florida; XU Rush to play Bobcats first

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's men's basketball team will play St. Thomas (Fla.) at 7 p.m. EST Wednesday and Florida Memorial at 5 p.m. EST Thursday in the Miami Gardens Classic.

St. Thomas, host of the event, revised the pairings this past week. Xavier originally was scheduled to play Florida Memorial on the first day of this fourth annual event. Both Xavier games will be played in the Fernandez Center at St. Thomas.

This is Xavier's third consecutive appearance in the event. The Gold Rush defeated Florida Memorial 56-46 and lost 79-61 to St. Thomas in 2009, then beat Webber International 69-42 and lost 61-58 to Dakota Wesleyan in 2010. Xavier defeated St. Thomas 69-59 at The Barn on Nov. 11.

Xavier is 7-3 and ranked 21st in NAIA Division I. Junior guard Nick Haywood averages a team-leading 10.4 points, and senior forward Cordell Hadnot averages 10 points and a team-best 7.6 rebounds.

St. Thomas is 7-6 with a six-game winning streak, and Florida Memorial is 4-7 with a five-game losing streak. FMU will play host to Palm Beach Atlantic on Wednesday before facing the Gold Rush.

Fourth Annual Miami Gardens Classic
Miami Gardens, Fla.
NAIA Men's Basketball
Hosts: St. Thomas, Florida Memorial
Participating Schools: Florida Memorial, Palm Beach Atlantic, St. Thomas, Xavier (La)

Tournament Schedule:
Wednesday, December 28

5 p.m. - Palm Beach Atlantic vs. Florida Memorial
7 p.m. - Xavier (La) vs. St. Thomas

Thursday, December 29

5 p.m. - Xavier (La) vs. Florida Memorial
7 p.m. – Palm Beach Atlantic vs. St. Thomas

BOLD GAMES TO BE HELD AT FERNANDEZ FAMILY CENTER ON STU CAMPUS

By Ed Cassiere, SID

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

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