There were first-game jitters, a free-throw shooting clinic and a leak in Xavier's roof after the Musketeers' 17th consecutive 2-0 start to the season.

Though Xavier tallied back-to-back wins to open the season, the Musketeers were still looking for a more well-rounded 40-minute effort Tuesday night when their homestand continued.

The Musketeers found exactly that when Jackson State visited Cintas Center in cruising to a 94-57 win.

"Probably overall our best performance. A number of highlights." Xavier head coach Sean Miller said.

Takeaways from Xavier Musketeers' win over Jackson State:

Sean Miller's Musketeers off to 3-0 start

By season's end, Xavier's first three games will likely be chalked up as quadrant 4 wins that won't bolster any NCAA Tournament resume. But you can only play the teams on your schedule and it's just as important not to have the sort of non-conference hiccup that Xavier suffered twice last season in home losses to Oakland and Delaware.

Starting your season with a trio of victories can help boost the confidence of your team and Xavier finding ways to win while struggling in some area of the game will serve as a building block for tougher opponents on the horizon. The 3-0 history under Miller is a good sign, too.

Miller's Muskies have now started 3-0 five times during his tenure. Xavier reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the previous four occasions with two Sweet 16 trips (2009, 2023).

Xavier big men dominate

While Xavier's wire-to-wire victory started with a pair of set plays that led to wide-open Ryan Conwell triples, the Musketeers set the tone with their frontcourt. Zach Freemantle was efficient inside the arc and beyond it, which spelled out a long night for Jackson State 6-foot-11 center Shannon Grant.

Freemantle was 3-of-4 on treys and had a game-high 15 points in the first half to give Xavier a 40-25 edge at the intermission. Off the bench, Oklahoma transfer John Hugley had his best night, scoring seven points in 10 first-half minutes. Hugley also delivered the first-half hammer with a thunderous block of a Jackson State transition lay up at the buzzer.

Freemantle led the Musketeers with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Hugley added 11 and 7 rebounds.

"We've started to see signs with John (Hugley) every day, getting a little bit better," Miller said, pointing out that Hugley is down over 50 pounds since arriving to Xavier via the transfer portal.

More: 'I've been due.' Xavier's John Hugley eyes 2022 form in big role with Musketeers

Xavier lights it up from downtown

Through 36 games, Dayvion McKnight has become the ideal point guard to run Xavier's up-tempo scheme. One of the lone negatives for Xavier Tuesday night was McKnight getting into some early foul trouble. McKnight took a seat with 13:26 left in the first half after picking up his second foul, then was tagged with his third at the 4:45 mark.

Off the bench, Xavier's production was a mixed bag. Members of Xavier's bench rotation combined for seven of Xavier's nine turnovers. Outside of Hugley's best performance as a Musketeer, sophomore guard Trey Green showcased his elite shooting ability by knocking down a trio of 3-pointers and was in double figures (13).

Xavier finished 16-of-31 from beyond the arc (most in a game since a Feb. 2023 win over St. John's) with five different players hitting a triple. Conwell, 4-of-6 from deep, finished with 15 and Toledo transfer Dante Maddox connected four times from distance in the second half and finished with 16.

"It was great to see John Hugley, Dante Maddox and Trey Green really impact the win," Miller said. "You know Dante and Trey can really shoot it."

Helping run Xavier's transition game was sophomore Dailyn Swain. The Columbus native was active on the defensive end and turned those boards into opportunities on the other end as Xavier racked up 31 fast-break points to pull away.

Swain finished with a loaded stat-line that included a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double, two assists and two blocks. Marcus Foster made just one field goal but led Xavier with eight assists.

Xavier had six players in double figures for the first time since beating Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Fixing Xavier's 'leak in the roof'

Miller called Xavier's 3-point defense through two games a "concern" and a "leak in the roof" after the Musketeers allowed Texas Southern and IU Indy to combine for 24 triples. Facing a Jackson State offense that combined to go 11-of-43 from deep through its first two games, the Musketeers were much better in controlling the perimeter.

Jackson State went 2-of-8 from deep in a first half as Xavier's defense held the Tigers to just 32.4% from the field.

Jackson State finished just 5-of-20 from distance and shot 28.8%.

The road gets tougher this weekend

Xavier gets by far its biggest test of the young season on Saturday when Wake Forest visits Cintas Center for the Skip Prosser Classic. Xavier is 6-3 in the event honoring its former coach but just 4-3 against the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest also sits at 3-0 after beating Michigan on Sunday and were No. 28 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll. Xavier was No. 29.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Big East basketball: Xavier is 3-0 after beating Jackson State