(Xavier Athletics Photo)
KyKy Tandy continues to see a drop in playing time as Xavier dropped a 93-84 Big East contest at St. John’s Tuesday.
Xavier dropped to 11-4 overall and 4-4 in conference play. The game was just the third in a month for the Musketeers due to COVID-19 protocols.
Tandy scored three points in five minutes. He was 1 of 2 behind the arc and missed both attempts inside the 3-point line. He also had two assists and two steals and finished fifth in team efficiency despite not playing in the second half.
However, it was another disappointing night of playing time for Tandy, who has mysteriously lost his footing with the Muskateer coach.
The University Heights Academy alum earned All-Big East freshman honors last year after scoring 6.7 points and shooting 38-percent from the field in 18 minutes of action while splitting time between point guard and shooting guard.
In the offseason, Xavier brought in 6-4 shooting guard Nate Johnson as a grad transfer from Gardner-Webb. He is third on the team in scoring at 11.7 points a game and plays 30 minutes a contest.
Xavier also brought in northern Kentucky native Adam Kunkel from Belmont. After becoming eligible in early December, the junior shooting guard is averaging 7.3 points and 19 minutes a game.
Tandy got off to a strong start this year, averaging 14.8 points and knocking down 12 of 29 from behind the arc. He also played 28 minutes a game.
Starting with the Cincinnati game on Dec. 6, Kunkel became eligible and 6-5 freshman guard Colby Jones joined the rotation. Jones is scoring six points in 23 minutes per game. Tandy’s minutes have diminished ever since.
The sophomore hasn’t played more than 15 minutes in any game since Dec. 2, averaging just eight minutes a game. He was a semi-healthy DNP in Xavier’s Feb. 13 loss to Connecticut.
Xavier Coach Travis Steele has said he has had conversations with Tandy at different points in the season about his energy. However, Tandy’s role has come into flux. He played shooting guard in Tuesday’s loss to St. John’s after handing out 15 assists in his first five games primarily at the point guard spot.
Freshman Dwon Odom has seen more time at point guard than Tandy since Dec. 2 with mixed results. Over his last seven games, Odom is averaging 18 minutes 4.7 points, 2.7 assists, and is shooting 39-percent from the field.
Tandy’s numbers in the first five games of the season were better than Odom’s. During the same seven games where he has been moved away from the point, Tandy is averaging three points with one assist in nine minutes a game.
Despite the drop in playing time, Tandy is still fourth on the team in scoring [7.9 ppg.] and second in 3-point percentage [38.5%].
