It's Winning Time!

[XUOWNSUC]

Xavier is now 15-10 and 8-4 in conference play. The next five games are going to determine our post-season fate. The great and wise Jason Love once said (in regards to Xavier in late February and March) "It's winning time!" The Flagship is about to embark.

It's winning time bitches!

[GoMuskies]

4 of 5 at home. Can you even imagine Xavier going to Hinkle on the last weekend of the season to play for the #1 seed in Brooklyn? That would be amazing.

[PMI]

One can dream. It would sure beat playing like we played much of tonight and seeing no more wins, but I'll remain hopeful until that window is closed.

[GoMuskies]

Yeah, I think going there 15-14 is more likely than going there 19-10 (and somewhere in between is most likely), but the opportunity to play 4 straight big games at home is huge give our track record at Cintas. At least we get to be excited going into Saturday. Didn't really see that coming at the start of the season.

[Masterofreality]

I'm stoked.

This team has navigated through choppy waters all year. Chris Mack has somehow pieced together 15 wins with an admittedly flawed team that is short on many aspects- but man, do they scrap, claw and play defense. Now we finally have a sustained homestead with meaningful games where the crowd will show up and be loud.

If you told me in October that we'd be 15-10, 8-4 with the Jimmy Carter streak intact at this point in the schedule, I would have said, YEAH!

And.....here we are.

[PMI]

We've already clinched .500 for the year, as the worst we could finish in the regular season is 15-15 (8-8 in the A10.) I never thought I'd live to see the day where that got me mildly excited, but this is a year of firsts. Now that winning time is here, and the next four are at home, we will truly see if there's any glimmer of hope for some magic starting Saturday. I'm still convinced that a "surprise" team will win this crazy conference, so if we can secure a top 4 spot, we have an outside chance at being that team. 4 in 4 with these guys? That would take a 2011 Butler type miracle.

[ArizonaXUGrad]

I just feel that this team has 1-2 wins left up their sleeve in the regular season. Realistically, I don't see them going 5 straight especially with how SLU is playing right now. I think UMass at home is winnable and I think VCU is also an outside winnable game with how they depend on their shooting and creating TOs.

Memphis is really a wild card. Pastnor is a terrible coach and relies a lot on the athleticism of his players. That could be one of those games they can win by executing a better plan.

Butler is Butler, our guys could roll into Hinkle with nothing to lose and play like they did in November or just lay a massive turd. I feel like Butler is a deeper version of us. Nobody on that team can create their own shot without help. It's just that they do very well at helping each other get shots.

[Masterofreality]

Memphis is really a wild card. Pastnor is a terrible coach and relies a lot on the athleticism of his players. That could be one of those games they can win by executing a better plan.


See UMess and Derek Kellogg. We are basically playing two games in a row of the same team, although Memphis plays in a much more horriffic conference which allows them to walk over crap competition. Memphis screwed themselves by blowing every big opportunity they had against quality teams in November and December. There were numerous meltdowns on the Memphis boards...some even calling for Pastner's firing. When you win a bunch of games in a row, no matter who those games are against, it tamps down all the wailing, however.

Neither Pastner or Kellogg could draw up a play even if you gave them a board that they could trace over. They both just roll the basketball out there and tell their guys to go play. CMack can coach rings around both these guys. If we don't beat ourselves, we can win both those games.

[paulxu]

4 straight home games.
2 of them are against teams we trail by only a game.
If Mack has gotten this group to play together the best they can...these 4 games are going to be some kinda fun.

I'm jealous of you guys who live in Cincinnati and get to got to these games...or are close enough to make them.

Time to Man UP.

http://northsydney-personaltrainer.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Man-Up-Nancy.png

[waggy]

The Cintas crowd needs to be on it's game saturday.

[Snipe]

I can't wait for VCU. The Cintas is going to be humming.

I say we beat them. F Them. I never liked them much anyway, and wouldn't admit it if I did.

What a huge game.

I love big games. I love this team.

It's winning time bitches!

[blueblob06]

It blows that these next 3 huge games are all during the students' Spring Break. The games aren't sold out and there's tickets available in a few different areas, including cheap tickets down in the student section. So tell everyone you know who might want to go to a game! I don't know if it's still running but I got an e-mail about $20 tickets that you get to sit in the student section and you get a Xavier shirt with the ticket. That's a deal.

How about this though, with Temple's win over LaSalle last night, the Muskies are in 4th in the A10, meaning they would have a bye in the A10 tourney should it start today. Obviously, it doesn't, and we have a very tough road remaining. Our last 4 games are against the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 9th place teams. I'm just so impressed though that we are in this position given how things looked a few months ago.

We gotta give the Muskies a nice home court advantage Saturday! Can't wait! GO X!

[paulxu]

It blows that these next 3 huge games are all during the students' Spring Break. !

Well that sucks big time. In the distant past, the majority of student support came from those who dormed from out of town.
I don't know if that's the case today. Surely there are enough local students to fill up the student section?
I sure hope they show up.

[GoMuskies]

Spring break in February?!? WTF?

[Masterofreality]

Yeah, this has been a screwy year for basketball games and the student schedule. When the students are in, the team is on the road a lot and when the team comes home, the break starts.

Yeah, wtf with Spring Break the last week of February?

[BMoreX]

Spring break in February?!? WTF?

You gotta wonder...apparently it's because Easter is early this year. Yet, we're one of only 5 schools IN THE COUNTRY to have spring break this week. Many other Catholic schools still have theirs next week, which is when we usually have it.

[paulxu]

Less crowded in Panama City. But also less fun.

[blueblob06]

Surely there are enough local students to fill up the student section?
I sure hope they show up.

I'm sure there are but thinking as a college kid, it's so much easier (and more fun) to throw down a bunch of drinks at your dorm with all your friends and walk over to Cintas and be loud and crazy than it is to drive in to campus from wherever you may be (Western Hills, NKY, etc) sober and possibly by yourself. I think that is another reason why a lot of students won't be there.

[JTG]

I just feel that this team has 1-2 wins left up their sleeve in the regular season. Realistically, I don't see them going 5 straight especially with how SLU is playing right now. I think UMass at home is winnable and I think VCU is also an outside winnable game with how they depend on their shooting and creating TOs.

Memphis is really a wild card. Pastnor is a terrible coach and relies a lot on the athleticism of his players. That could be one of those games they can win by executing a better plan.

Butler is Butler, our guys could roll into Hinkle with nothing to lose and play like they did in November or just lay a massive turd. I feel like Butler is a deeper version of us. Nobody on that team can create their own shot without help. It's just that they do very well at helping each other get shots.

Whoa, whoa, whoa....Butler is a deeper version of us ?....they are #15 in the Country, and they have 2 guys that can and do shoot the lights out from NBA range. We have one 3 pt shooter, and he is hot and cold, mostly cold. Plus it's always 5 on 8 when you play at Hinkle and that goes back to the MCC days.

[GuyFawkes38]

So does anyone have a line on the VCU game? X +5 or +6 is my guess.

[blueblob06]

So does anyone have a line on the VCU game? X +5 or +6 is my guess.
The 2 times we've been underdogs at home this year have worked out really well for us (Butler & Temple). Let's hope we end up 3 for 3 on that!

[XUFan09]

If it's Winning Time, it starts tomorrow afternoon!

http://fromstaaktomack.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/virginia-commonwealth-comes-to-the-cintas-center/

[XUOWNSUC]

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Jason Love:

"In my years here, we always seem to get better toward the end," said Love, who tied a school record by playing in his 103rd victory Sunday. "It's just that time. It's winning time."

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/tag/_/name/jason-love

It's winning time bitches!