By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

David West needs help - and not just from Romain Sato and Lionel Chalmers.

If Xavier is to improve and justify its No.11 ranking, it must have more scoring threats.

West leads the Musketeers (1-1) in scoring average with 20.0 points per game, followed by Sato (19.0) and Chalmers (14.5). No other XU player averages more than 4.5 points.

That discrepancy showed up glaringly in Wednesday's Preseason NIT loss to Stanford. West, Sato and Chalmers took 80 percent of the Musketeers' shots and scored 54 of their 62 points.

"It's going to take a collective surge by the team, not just us three or a couple guys outside us three," West said.

That means centers Anthony Myles, Will Caudle and Anthony Coleman, backcourt reserves Keith Jackson and Dedrick Finn, and senior swingman Dave Young probably will play a larger role in today's home game against Florida A&M.

"Until we start contributing on a daily basis, our level of play will suffer," Jackson said.

Jackson scored two points against Stanford, going 1-for-1 from the field.

Myles played just three minutes because of three quick fouls in the first half.

"I feel like I let my team down not being out there, but we just have to move on," Myles said.

XU coach Thad Matta said his team needs improvement its offensive execution.

"We need players making hard post-ups and penetrating and getting the pass to open guys," Matta said.

"I thought we stood too much offensively (against Stanford)."

That was against Stanford's zone, a source of much discussion since the Cardinal limited Xavier to eight first-half field goals. The Cardinal's defense seemed to center on slowing down - and frustrating - West.

"I think they got the best of me because they started playing zone and threw me off," West said. "... It helps take away your best one-on-one player."

West won't see the same defense from Florida A&M.

"We don't play zone," said second-year Rattlers coach Mike Gillespie. "We wouldn't even know where to start teaching it. There's a difference between Stanford playing a zone and us playing a zone."

Matta said Xavier's defensive effort, which tended to resemble the offensive counterpart, has to pick up as well against a high-speed Florida A&M (2-0) offense.

"We have to get all five guys playing defense at one time," Matta said. "And we just didn't finish well with a rebound (against Stanford)."

SLOW START FOR DY: Young, a senior starter at small forward, has yet to catch any kind of an offensive rhythm. He has made just three field goals in 15 attempts, and two were 3-pointers in the second half against St. Peter's when Xavier was putting the game out of reach.

"Basically I just have to be patient and let the game come to me," Young said. "I have to put myself in the right situations scoring wise and take my time and pick my spots. I can't get down on myself. I have to stay confident. I have to keep playing defense, rebound, do different things and contribute any way I can."

ROSTER DOWNSIZING: Xavier won't be getting the best of Florida A&M today. Second-year coach Mike Gillespie has suspended two players, one a starting guard (Terrence Woods). The other is Woods' backup - and a starter last year - Dominique Jackson, for violating team rules. And without 6-foot-7 O.J. Sumter who is still recovering from knee surgery, the Rattlers will have a hard time keeping up with Xavier with just 10 available players.

Matta on the air

Tonight is the first "Thad Matta Show" on WLW 700 from 8-9 p.m.

E-mail: ddow@enquirer.com

Florida A&M at Xavier

Tipoff: 2 p.m. today, Cintas Center (10,250).

Records: XU (1-1), Florida A&M (2-0).

Radio: WLW-AM (700).

TV: Fox Sports Net Ohio

Series: Xavier leads 1-0.

XAVIER

Player	Yr.	Ht.	PPG
Lionel Chalmers	Sr.	6-0	14.5
Romain Sato	Jr.	6-5	19.0
Dave Young	Sr.	6-5	4.5
David West	Sr.	6-9	20.0
Anthony Myles	Jr.	6-9	4.0

Coach: Thad Matta (27-7, second year; 51-15 overall)

FLORIDA A&M

Player	Yr.	Ht.	PPG
Demarcus Wilkins	Jr.	6-0	11.0
Jeremy Henderson	So.	6-3	3.0
Jonathon Kelly	Fr.	6-6	4.5
Jermiane Hill	Sr.	6-10	10.5
Michael Griffith	Sr.	6-2	9.5

Coach: Mike Gillespie (11-19, second year; 11-19 overall)