Game Thread: Xavier v. Tennessee (November 12, 2013)

[Muskie]

1294v.http://www.xavierhoops.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1286&d=1383590053

Tennessee Volunteers (0-0) v. Xavier University Musketeers (1-0)(0-0)
Tuesday, November 12, 2013 at 9:00 p.m. ET
Cintas Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Live Chat (http://www.chatzy.com/32573582761803)
Television: Fox Sports 1
Radio: TBD with Joe Sunderman (‘79) and Byron Larkin (‘88).


Tennessee Volunteers Links:
Yahoo (http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/teams/tag)
VolNation (http://www.volnation.com/forum/) (Boards)
Tennessee Athletics (http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oG7l46yX9SKAkAFltXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTExMnAxaWl zBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkA0RGRDVfMQ--/SIG=11cgdl2ka/EXP=1384135098/**http%3a//www.utsports.com/)

GoXavier.com Preview (http://www.goxavier.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/111113aaa.html)

[Muskie]

This is an early season game that will look nice on paper come tournament selection time. Name team, in a big conference.

[American X]

Bring Back Bruce!

http://www.slamonline.com/online/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/pearl.jpg

[Snipe]

Bruce Pearl is Amazing!

[xubrew]

Bruce Pearl lied about having a cookout and got a three year show cause.

Frank Haith lied about giving money to players and got a five game suspension.

You gotta love the consistency.

I think this is a good Tennessee team, and agree that it would be a very nice win.

[nuts4xu]

Bruce Pearl is an Amazing Jew!

Fixed it for you Snipe.

[X-band '01]

Justin Kutcher and Bill Raftery are doing PxP on the Fox Sports 1 telecast tomorrow night. Is this the first appearance of "Onions" in Cintas?

[Muskie]

Bruce Pearl lied about having a cookout and got a three year show cause.

Frank Haith lied about giving money to players and got a five game suspension.

You gotta love the consistency.

I think this is a good Tennessee team, and agree that it would be a very nice win.

Agree. I think Cuonzo Martin has done a great job in Tennessee.

[paulxu]

I will be in Tennessee (Chattanooga - old home town) tomorrow for a funeral.
Therefore, some bar where no doubt the game will be on and I will be surrounded by a few hundred Vols staring at my X hat.
Don't screw this up. Counting on Blobfan to bring this home and to keep the avatars coming.
Respect the streak.

[bobbiemcgee]

Press conference:

http://www.goxavier.com/

[American X]

Lane Kiffin 4ever!

http://www.nashvillescene.com/binary/5e12/lane-kiffin-photo-by-adam-brimer.jpg

[Berger]

Looking at their forum, it doesn't look like they're giving us much of a chance, honestly. It'll be interesting to see what tenn is made of, they're pretty excited.

[coasterville95]

Since when was this game moved to 3AM

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/13/nahe6aru.jpg

[RealDeal]

If M Davis is out, my starting 5 for tonight:

Randolph
Semaj
Philmore
Farr
Stain

Go big or stay home.

[The_Mack_Pack]

Looking at their forum, it doesn't look like they're giving us much of a chance, honestly. It'll be interesting to see what tenn is made of, they're pretty excited.

They have some really good players but some of the posters on their forum seem to think they have 3 better players than Semaj. If they have 3 better players than Semaj then they should seriously challenge Kentucky for the SEC title...

[Milhouse]

If M Davis is out, my starting 5 for tonight:

Randolph
Semaj
Philmore
Farr
Stain

Go big or stay home.

Stenger for sure gets the start over philmore.

mark it down.

[RealDeal]

Stenger for sure gets the start over philmore.

mark it down.

Farr is at the 4. I would start Farr over Stenger.

[Cincypunk.org]

Farr is at the 4. I would start Farr over Stenger.

I hope Farr can keep up in a game like this! That would be huge for X!

[throwbackmuskie]

Utter fans in general are full of themselves. They should be very good, but I think X is better, especially at Cintas

[Milhouse]

Stenger for sure gets the start over philmore.

mark it down.

Meant to say Farr.

Can't see him starting tonight.

Hope he plays minutes and gives us something but UT's bigs might be too much for him.

[STL_XUfan]

Since when was this game moved to 3AM

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/13/nahe6aru.jpg

And the ESPN conspiracy starts.....

[XUFan09]

Cheer them on to a win tonight, guys. I'll be stuck at work away from any media access :(

[xumuskies08]

Muskies warming up in their grays. Dee is in uniform. Not sure either of those facts will mean anything come tip time.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/13/su8azumy.jpg

[Muskie]

Awful lot of orange roaming the halls.

[Nocalmuskie]

update>?

[Masterofreality]

Is there any Live Chat on the site anymore?

[sirthought]

Is there any Live Chat on the site anymore?


Not on this site, but there is a link to a chat room in the original post of this thread

[Masterofreality]

Thank You, SIR!

[xumuskies08]

Not as many Tennessee fans as I had feared, actually. Aside from the fans right behind the bench there's maybe 100 folks in orange, and nearly all of them are in the 200s.

[brownlavender]

Why isn't the game on it says I don't have fix sports 2 and I'm stuck on this blowout

[JAPER]

X solid on defense thus far. Up 7 with 12to go in 1st.

[mistabeecee41]

☟Edmond Sumner ‏@TF_32 4m

F r e e t h r o w s

[JAPER]

Another slugfest so far. Impressed by the vols D. X defense even better. Both teams missing some bunnies though.

[JAPER]

Band aid man'sson playing for UT? Comes around, goes around.

[JAPER]

Brick city.

[JAPER]

Stainbrook really solid on defense. Turnovers the bad story for x over last 10 mins.

[GuyFawkes38]

X is playing incredibly inefficient. So many turnovers and missed free throws. Very frustrating.

[sirthought]

Players are really testing these new rules.

[GoMuskies]

Big Stain is my hero.

[oddblob]

Stainbrook is killing it.

[JAPER]

Stenger proving he is worthy of the scholly. Might heaved saved the game with that dive and TO.

[JAPER]

Both teams will take it to tin in the last 4 mins. Both teams struggling from the line.

[XU3232]

Can Semaj make two free throws in a row? Unreal. Also, we are giving up way too many lay ups.

[JAPER]

Davis and Randolph are the guys we need on the line this year in games like this

[JAPER]

I smell a rematch in Atlantis. Don't know much about Iowa though yet. Wasn't pretty but it's a W! 2-0!

[HuskyMuskie]

Zip 'Em Up!!!

[The_Mack_Pack]

Great team effort! Loved the ball movement and efficiency from the field in the second half.

[paulxu]

Just left the bar near the hotel in Chattanooga. A lot of unhappy rocky toppers. hah!
They tried to tell me they were following Gladden's recommendation on betting.
I tried to explain the G effect. Didn't help.
Nice job Blobfan! Respect the streak.

I'm also of the mind that Semaj spent the last 2 minutes trying to impress the NBA scouts, not help the team to the best course to win the game.
Oh well; we will get better...and hopefully find someone besides Myles who can hit a FT. And maybe somebody (anybody?) who can score from 3.
That one guy from Tennessee almost beat us on his own.
Nice job Muskies!

[SemajParlor]

2-0. Zip Em Up

[Smooth]

Just left the bar near the hotel in Chattanooga. A lot of unhappy rocky toppers. hah!
They tried to tell me they were following Gladden's recommendation on betting.
I tried to explain the G effect. Didn't help.
Nice job Blobfan! Respect the streak.

I'm also of the mind that Semaj spent the last 2 minutes trying to impress the NBA scouts, not help the team to the best course to win the game.
Oh well; we will get better...and hopefully find someone besides Myles who can hit a FT. And maybe somebody (anybody?) who can score from 3.
That one guy from Tennessee almost beat us on his own.
Nice job Muskies!

We witnessed the Birth of the Cool at the FT line the last minute. Dee and Martin should help hit some FT's when they get back. Semaj's stroke is too inconsistent. Mack says they shoot a lot of FT's but it doesn't do any good if the guys are doing something different every shot.

[sirthought]

Glad for the win. This was a rough, sloppy game. Glad to see some of our big men improving. They really battled. Our guards need to improve their IQ. Don't know what to say about the free throw shooting. Somebody needs to help their mental approach.

Davis and Randolph....wouldn't expect this Xavier team to be needing to relying so heavily on Frosh, but they really do.


{Loved the FS1 team that called the game. The in-studio team after the game is terrible.}

[GreatWhiteNorth]

A win is a win. 2-0 baby! With so many fouls being called under the new rules, we are lucky to have some depth this year., but the missed FTs are still killing us. Still, we played tough defence and we deserve the win. Time to celebrate.

[Berger]

Missed a lot of bunnies, turned the ball over a bit much and Tennessee was underwhelming. It wasn't the prettiest win, but at the end of the day, a win is a win and I'm glad to have it. The defense was great tonight and just didn't let the Vols get many good shots off. I feel like we'll need to improve off this one quite a bit if we meet again, but encouraging nonetheless, considering we're down two important players.

ZipEmUp!

[waggy]

{Loved the FS1 team that called the game. The in-studio team after the game is terrible.}


I actually had to turn to ESPN because I couldn't stand Gary Payton's ghetto bullshit.

[GIMMFD]

Quick Thoughts: Free throws is incredible... we need to do something, I don't know why it's so hard to score points at the line.. Stainbrook is the real deal, this guy has good basketball IQ, made a couple of really smart passes, and really contributed to the game, Semaj is well... Semaj, he looked incredible tonight, finished strong at the rim, I wish he had a jumper and freethrows because he would be unstoppable, missed a couple of easy buckets, but I really think this team has a lot of talent, we looked pretty decent tonight in my opinion.

[Kahns Krazy]

Woo hoo! I love a win. Lots of room for improvement, but the objective of the game is to score more points. We achieved our objective tonight! Rocky Top that, bitches!

[SemajParlor]

Love the depth. Should be interesting to see how PT and roles will become defined. Jimmy Farr did a nice job coming off the bench and providing energy.

[OTRMUSKIE]

Very sloppy game but wow this team will be very good by the end. They just beat a very good tenn team. Once this team learns to play with each other and if they can hit FT's this team could be a force. Just soooo deep and with two guys out this was a heck of a win. Crowd sucked tonight but it was a late game.

[xudash]

Just left the bar near the hotel in Chattanooga. A lot of unhappy rocky toppers. hah!
They tried to tell me they were following Gladden's recommendation on betting.
I tried to explain the G effect. Didn't help.
Nice job Blobfan! Respect the streak.

I'm also of the mind that Semaj spent the last 2 minutes trying to impress the NBA scouts, not help the team to the best course to win the game.
Oh well; we will get better...and hopefully find someone besides Myles who can hit a FT. And maybe somebody (anybody?) who can score from 3.
That one guy from Tennessee almost beat us on his own.
Nice job Muskies!

Including a freak, lucky bank 3 that fell in. He even wanted a foul afterwards. Unreal.

Very happy with Stain.

Very happy they willed their way to a win at the end.

Myles at the line at the end was musical.

[Kahns Krazy]

Including a freak, lucky bank 3 that fell in. He even wanted a foul afterwards. Unreal.
.

From the rafters, it looked to me like that foul could have been called. Wouldn't have mattered, we closed out strong from that point

[waggy]

The frontcourt is the strength. And Reynolds doesn't even know what he's doing yet.

The backcourt lack of shooting is a problem. Martin is probably the 2nd best perimeter shooter on the team.

[coasterville95]

And the ESPN conspiracy starts.....

No conspiracy. The ESPN app adjusts start times to your local time.

And on that note, all of you back in Cincinnati did a fine job covering for me as I am in Rome at the moment. On a related note I heart radio does work here in Rome. Only 7 euros for the hotels premium high speed internet. The basic plan doesn't allow the transfer needed.

Go Semaj and Go Muskies!!'

[ammtd34]

From the rafters, it looked to me like that foul could have been called. Wouldn't have mattered, we closed out strong from that point


I thought so too, but the replay showed no contact.


Man, the UT board is awesome right now.

[SemajParlor]

The frontcourt is the strength. And Reynolds doesn't even know what he's doing yet.

The backcourt lack of shooting is a problem. Martin is probably the 2nd best perimeter shooter on the team.

Dee can shoot the rock. But I agree, the frontcourt could be dangerous especially if Jalen figures it out a little game by game.

[bleedXblue]

If this team can continue to pass the ball really well and create good shots all over the floor, the reliance upon 3 pt shooting is diminished a bit. You can clearly see already that the depth of this team is pretty solid right now. If we can get Martin and Dee back....and Reynolds can continue to develop, we'll be light years ahead of last year.

[SkyWalker]

Great win but I have one question. Philmore has blood on his jersey and they make him change it. Why does he get to wear jersey #33. It's supposed to be retired.

[waggy]

I don't think the actual # is retired, but I could be wrong about that.

[RoseyMuskie]

Love Randolph's poise. He looks much more advanced than a freshman guard. Great compliment to Semaj. Oh, and he has an explosive first step...

[X Factor]

Man, the UT board is awesome right now.

Volnation is hilarious tonight. Someone is saying how bad of of loss this was for them and they should have won by 15 points. Xavier is not an NCAA tournament team. Blah, blah, blah....

They don't mention X was without 2 starters.

Gutty win tonight! I love it and can't wait to get everyone healthy and watch the improvements.

[Cheesehead]

Great win but I have one question. Philmore has blood on his jersey and they make him change it. Why does he get to wear jersey #33. It's supposed to be retired.

We all thought the same thing in our section. Why is that Jersey even available to use? It is retired! Otherwise what is the point?

[SemajParlor]

Had to remind myself a few times that Semaj and Stainbrook weren't actually Tu and Kenny. Start of a new era.

[Frambo]

Had to remind myself a few times that Semaj and Stainbrook weren't actually Tu and Kenny. Start of a new era.

I liked Kenny...but he wishes he could pass like Matt

[nuts4xu]

I don't think the actual # is retired, but I could be wrong about that.

It is hanging in the rafters with #30, #23, and #42. If that doesn't mean it's retired, then why are those other numbers hanging there?

[sirthought]

Compared to Kenny, Stainbrook actually looks comfortable out there. Like he can compete.

[waggy]

The jersey is retired. I guess meaning if you have the same last name you can't have the number?

[gladdenguy]

Love Randolph's poise. He looks much more advanced than a freshman guard. Great compliment to Semaj. Oh, and he has an explosive first step...

Brandon played 39 minutes tonight. He is reliable....doesn't really turn the ball over....plays good defense....and can hit some runners and create for others. I am extremely happy with him. What a steal.

[Nigel Tufnel]

Brandon played 39 minutes tonight. He is reliable....doesn't really turn the ball over....plays good defense....and can hit some runners and create for others. I am extremely happy with him. What a steal.

Agree. He hasn't played like a typical true freshman. Impressive poise.

[bleedXblue]

Brandon played 39 minutes tonight. He is reliable....doesn't really turn the ball over....plays good defense....and can hit some runners and create for others. I am extremely happy with him. What a steal.

How much will Dee play when he gets healthy is the question? It's a good problem to have........but from what I've seen so far, it's going to be hard to not play Randolph.

[X Factor]

How much will Dee play when he gets healthy is the question? It's a good problem to have........but from what I've seen so far, it's going to be hard to not play Randolph.

I think when Dee is healthy, he'll play 25-30 minutes a game. Brandon can always slide over and play the 2 as well so he will get his minutes too. Semaj and Brandon won't have to play 35 minutes a night. Whoever has the hot hand will probably get more minutes on any given night between Dee and Brandon. Semaj will always get 30+ minutes.

[Charlesbt4]

How much will Dee play when he gets healthy is the question? It's a good problem to have........but from what I've seen so far, it's going to be hard to not play Randolph.

I think Dee Davis will get plenty of time for a number of reasons: (1) He is still the most seasoned player in a rather inexperienced backcourt; (2) He is the best defensive player amongst backcourt players; (3) He's likely the second or third best three point shooter on the team; (4) It's a long, long season, regardless of your age; (5) Mack has shown a willingness to play three guard lineups already this season; and (6) The new rules for officiating make it more likely that teams will get into foul trouble.

[XUPhilly04]

I liked Kenny...but he wishes he could pass like Matt

Stain and Kenny are similar but I think we are going to see a better and more consistent FG% from Stain. That was an issue with Kenny but then he had a +50FG%, XU was tough to beat.

[Charlesbt4]

Stain and Kenny are similar but I think we are going to see a better and more consistent FG% from Stain. That was an issue with Kenny but then he had a +50FG%, XU was tough to beat.

Frease and Stainbrook are not even remotely similar in either their skill sets or mental approach to practicing and playing. Frease was and always will be a player that simply didn't have "it;" it, in this case, is heart. Stainbrook, as far as I can tell, actually cares about basketball.

[Cincypunk.org]

All the hate for Kenny on this thread makes me really dislike X fans.

[Charlesbt4]

All the hate for Kenny on this thread makes me really dislike X fans.

There's a big difference between hate and an honest assessment. I don't hate anyone. I do, however, think Frease was a really crummy, uncommitted member of the Xavier basketball team. If you have tremendous appreciation for individuals that fail to deliver on legitimate expectations either personally or professionally, when those expectations reflect their obvious talents, then that says more about you than does my evaluation of Frease say about me. I simply refuse to blindly heap praise on someone because we happen to be affiliated with the same university.

[UCGRAD4X]

I agree that Stainbrook looks more fluid, comfortable or 'on the same page' more than Frease ever did. Not sure if that translates to heart, caring, or working hard. Stainbrooks practice efforts seem receive positive comments from the coach(es). Don't remember that being said mush about Kenny. Not sure you can measure or see into someone's heart to see how much they care. I liked Kenny but was often frustrated by the disparity between expectations and performance - like most X fans that cared to comment. The phrase 'light bulb going off' seems to apply more to Stainbrook more than Frease. I think that might be the easiest was to describe it. That can certainly come with effort, focus and determination. Perhaps Kenny was discouraged as well and frustration can breed a lack of concentration and discouragement. I like to think he tried hard enough but didn't know all of what it takes to get his play to the next level (whatever that means). 'Basketball acumen' might also fit here too.

[Jumpy]

Who's the old white guy who can hit like 800 free throws in a row? Mack needs to bring him in to have a few sessions with the team.

[Lloyd Braun]

Who's the old white guy who can hit like 800 free throws in a row? Mack needs to bring him in to have a few sessions with the team.

I'm not trying to say I am smarter than Coach Mack but it's very obvious to me why they miss so many FTs, especially Semaj. They have a good routine and it looks like each player does the same thing every time, which is most important if you talk to any great FT shooter (Mark Price told me this). However they do not consistently bend their knees to shoot the ball, creating more arm action. I almost got poked in the eye by a Semaj elbow sitting in my living room.

[Caveat]

All the hate for Kenny on this thread makes me really dislike X fans.

I love Kenny as much as the next guy, but Stainbrook's game is at the next level.

Matt has a much better feel for himself moving around the court and seems much more comfortable handling the ball. He had 2 or 3 quality dishes that created wide-open shots for teammates last night. He's also a threat to score any time he catches the ball in the post. He was causing so much trouble on the low block that Tennessee was dropping the double team down on him for most of the second half.

The other thing about Stainbrook that I love is that you can see him directing traffic and talking to his teammates individually between plays. The kid's a leader on the court, and that's fantastic to see for a guy in just his 2nd game in an X uniform.

No disrespect to Kenny to say that Matt has been a great addition to the program.

[gladdenguy]

Stainbrook is aggressive. Great passer. Solid Free Throw Shooter. Has heart and determination. Doesn't look like he gets down on himself and lets it carry over. Great addition. Rick Carter is also a huge asset on the coaching staff. I can already tell.

[paulxu]

I hope Kenny Frease is sitting in his living room, drinking a German beer, checking his bank account....and laughing his ass off at all you people who think he was crummy, or whatever.

And why is Andy Roddick on my TV. Why not Mrs. Andy Roddick.

[ballyhoohoo]

Who's the old white guy who can hit like 800 free throws in a row? Mack needs to bring him in to have a few sessions with the team.

Art garfunkel?

[Fireball]

Couple thoughts...I honestly don't remember the last game that I attended where both teams shot so horribly from the line. At one point in the second half, I think both teams were below 40%.

And how about Myles from the line drilling his last five to seal the game? That reminded me of freshman Tu drilling free throw after free throw in the early season tournament that year to seal those games. Very big of a freshman to come up and seal the game like then when the rest of the team was struggling so badly from the line.

And Stenger had one hell of a night. Hustled for rebounds and loose balls, and made some plays while kept the team from losing the lead. He also seems to playing a bit stronger this year. Last year it seemed like he was stuffed every time he went to the hoop. So far this year, he's taking it up and finishing a lot more often.

[Milhouse]

Great team win to help boost morale. Being down 2 guys as well.

I like this team a lot and can see them come together. A 4 point win is not very reflective of the whole game. It was a solid 7 point lead the whole night. Against a good athletic SEC team I'll take it.

[ammtd34]

Holy crap. The UT board is still on fire. They really don't like Cuonzo Martin.

[Ledgewood]

Holy crap. The UT board is still on fire. They really don't like Cuonzo Martin.

That is truly the craziest stuff I've seen from a team's board. Some guys saying we are a bad team that has no chance at the tournament and that they should have beaten us by 15, most of them calling for their coach's head, people crying for Pearl to come back, just utter panic... It's lots of fun.

[paulxu]

There's a BOGO special on shine here in the Volunteer state today.
Bound to set a board on fire.

[Milhouse]

I knew their football fans were nuts (in the worst way possible) but not too surprised it crossed over to Basketball as well.

[bleedXblue]

I love Kenny as much as the next guy, but Stainbrook's game is at the next level.

Matt has a much better feel for himself moving around the court and seems much more comfortable handling the ball. He had 2 or 3 quality dishes that created wide-open shots for teammates last night. He's also a threat to score any time he catches the ball in the post. He was causing so much trouble on the low block that Tennessee was dropping the double team down on him for most of the second half.

The other thing about Stainbrook that I love is that you can see him directing traffic and talking to his teammates individually between plays. The kid's a leader on the court, and that's fantastic to see for a guy in just his 2nd game in an X uniform.

No disrespect to Kenny to say that Matt has been a great addition to the program.

It's also worth noting that its pretty easy to compare the two guys for obvious reasons..........IMHO, Kenny was without a doubt one of the most frustrating players to follow at X over the last 10 years or so.

I love Stainbrooks attitude on the court and he has pretty high Basketball IQ. Those two things alone seperate him from Frease.

[Masterofreality]

"Big Orange" fans are arrogant f@&$#cks. I saw that when I lived in Nashville and it is still the case. Their old play by play guy John Ward was a contributor to the arrogance. I hated that guy?

Hell, Philip Fulmer won them a National Championship and they ran his ass out on a rail.

Not too many things give me more pleasure than to see a team that I like, Xavier and Vandy especially, take those pricks to the woodshed.

[GuyFawkes38]

Frease could be frusterating. But he was still a consistent, efficient contributor. For some reason, post players seem to often receive more criticism than guards. Kevin Frey was also blasted.

[Muskie]

The sad thing is. I think Martin is actually a good Coach. He's done good work cleaning up the Bruce Pearl mess. Don't worry Vols fans, SEC baseball is right around the corner.

[XUPhilly04]

"Rocky top you will always be second worst in the SEC, Rocky top, whoo"

[Tardy Turtle]

http://i.imgflip.com/4rrv1.jpg

[Juice]

There's a big difference between hate and an honest assessment. I don't hate anyone. I do, however, think Frease was a really crummy, uncommitted member of the Xavier basketball team. If you have tremendous appreciation for individuals that fail to deliver on legitimate expectations either personally or professionally, when those expectations reflect their obvious talents, then that says more about you than does my evaluation of Frease say about me. I simply refuse to blindly heap praise on someone because we happen to be affiliated with the same university.

Who created the expectations? You because you saw his recruiting rankings on some websites? Or did Frease create them?

And how do you know he was uncommitted? Did you watch practice everyday or sit in on his off season workouts?

[bobbiemcgee]

Our ft defense was excellent and theirs was pretty good. Stain played like a veteran of these wars. Love the belly bump. He uses everything he has. Love the depth. Come to X and work hard. See Stenger and Farr. You WILL play. Hate the easy missed layups. Work so hard for a shot and then miss the bunny. K Richards will learn. Statement slams only when up by 20, pls. Overall, nice start. Mack will have plenty of time to clean up the issues. Maybe 300 ft's a day. lol. Love this team.

[Muskie]

They ran two too many alley oop plays to Stainbrook last night (notably when we needed the points).

[danaandvictory]

They ran two too many alley oop plays to Stainbrook last night (notably when we needed the points).

On one of them Davis admitted he thought Reynolds was in the game. Although I'm still skeptical that Jalen can jump 30 feet in the air.

[XUPhilly04]

They ran two too many alley oop plays to Stainbrook last night (notably when we needed the points).

Agree, both passes from BR I believe. Sure Mack will say something to him about it.

[Caveat]

Frease could be frusterating. But he was still a consistent, efficient contributor. For some reason, post players seem to often receive more criticism than guards. Kevin Frey was also blasted.

I think it's tough for most fans to relate to low-post players because, frankly, most fans aren't 6'8" or 6'10" tall -- they place unrealistic expectations on big men when it comes to things like ballhandling or creating a shot while another monstrous human being is draped all over you.

[RealDeal]

Agree, both passes from BR I believe. Sure Mack will say something to him about it.

Let's not do the initials thing.

[Smails]

There's a big difference between hate and an honest assessment. I don't hate anyone. I do, however, think Frease was a really crummy, uncommitted member of the Xavier basketball team. If you have tremendous appreciation for individuals that fail to deliver on legitimate expectations either personally or professionally, when those expectations reflect their obvious talents, then that says more about you than does my evaluation of Frease say about me. I simply refuse to blindly heap praise on someone because we happen to be affiliated with the same university.
What a joke of a post. Please spare us the pyschobabble nonsense about how supporting a player is somehow a negative reflection on someone's character/intelligence or whatever thinly veiled connection you are trying to imply. Kenny had some big gaps in his game and attitude at times, but to imply he was a crummy player is asinine. How is calling someone crummy an honest asessment? Sounds more like a jilted lover lashing out. Top 15 rebounder, top 5 shot blocker, 3 sweet 16's, 3 league titles and so on. You must have a pretty low opinion of XU players in general if Kenny was crummy. You do know that Kenny is making a very nice living playing basketball...right?

[XUFan09]

Let's not do the initials thing.

Seriously, we're not Dayton fans.

[BandAid]

Seriously, we're not Dayton fans.

I am ashamed to admit when I saw "br" my brain automatically translated it to Brian Roberts...ugh

[SemajParlor]

There's a big difference between hate and an honest assessment. I don't hate anyone. I do, however, think Frease was a really crummy, uncommitted member of the Xavier basketball team. If you have tremendous appreciation for individuals that fail to deliver on legitimate expectations either personally or professionally, when those expectations reflect their obvious talents, then that says more about you than does my evaluation of Frease say about me. I simply refuse to blindly heap praise on someone because we happen to be affiliated with the same university.

Booo

[chico]

Agree, both passes from BR I believe. Sure Mack will say something to him about it.

Didn't even realize Brad Redford played last night.

[SemajParlor]

Mack drew up a beautiful play for Myles to end the half. That was a big 3 to deflate a run by Tenn.

[LA Muskie]

I'm not sure why we even need to be discussing Frease in this thread. The only similarities between Frease and Stainbrook are that they are both big and they are both white. That's literally about it. Their games and styles are completely different.

I loved the game yesterday. We all know what we have in the backcourt, but to see our frontcourt dominate -- DOMINATE -- was an extremely pleasant surprise. If we can keep them healthy, Stainbrook and Philmore are going to give teams fits all year. They both play with a high IQ and high motors (even Stainbrook). They battle, but both also have a soft touch on both their shots and their passes.

The only blemish on Stainbrook's stat-line are the 4 TO's. Two were passes that most centers wouldn't even try (and if not defended, would have been assists). Two were what I call "big man travels" caused by getting them the ball too far off the block. Either way, we're going to see more TO's out of him than your typical center simply because he's going to handle the ball as a playmaker far more frequently than we've ever seen (save, perhaps, David West).

The FT's? I don't know what to say. But we've got to do better. We're never going to be a good FT shooting team. That's just not this team's forte. But we need to be passable. And last night we were not. Luckily it didn't affect the outcome. But at some point this season, it will.

[mistabeecee41]

I think what is forgotten is that we won without Dee and J-Mart. Though both of them receive their fair share of hate around here, having 2 key juniors OUT of the rotation in our first big test of the year and coming out with a win shows what this team can do.

[The_Mack_Pack]

Dee and Martin are two of our better shooters too, from both three point range and the free throw line. The main problem from the free throw line, at this point, is Semaj and I'm sure he'll figure it out soon.

[LA Muskie]

Dee and Martin are two of our better shooters too, from both three point range and the free throw line. The main problem from the free throw line, at this point, is Semaj and I'm sure he'll figure it out soon.
I hope so. But Semaj has bad habits at the line that practice doesn't appear to be resolving come gametime. Stenger is atrocious at the line, and I don't see him improving either. He won't be at the line as often as Semaj, but he's going to see serious minutes this year and will definitely have his share of trips to the line.

[ArizonaXUGrad]

Dee and Martin are two of our better shooters too, from both three point range and the free throw line. The main problem from the free throw line, at this point, is Semaj and I'm sure he'll figure it out soon.

Did Semaj start off last year slow at the line as well? I thought he started to shoot better as the season progressed.

I hate that we gave up that many 3s off of screens. I was annoyed the team couldn't defend that better even at the end of the game when they knew it was coming. I know Martin isn't great defensively but does his length at least deter that in future games?

[XUFan09]

Did Semaj start off last year slow at the line as well? I thought he started to shoot better as the season progressed.

I hate that we gave up that many 3s off of screens. I was annoyed the team couldn't defend that better even at the end of the game when they knew it was coming. I know Martin isn't great defensively but does his length at least deter that in future games?

Mack said in the post-game presser that they were packing in the defense and giving more leeway from the perimeter, with late contests on shots, because Tennessee wasn't a good shooting team. It was rather improbable what they managed to make near the end of the game, and if Xavier had pressed the line more late in the game, they would have opened up the interior too much for the opponent's talented bigs. It's a weighing of risks against each other.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

[kyxu]

Tennessee shot 70% from three in the second half. Couple that with our atrocious FT shooting (and the fact that we only made 2 three-pointers on the night), and it's real accomplishment that we got the W.

Nary a Xavier fan should be displeased with last night's win.

[PM Thor]

And to have 2 starters not play, even if they are Davis and Martin, that's a good part to the W.

When some random reader sees that X beat Tennessee while having two starters out, that gives some more traction to the win, even if it's not that big a deal to the Xavier fans.

[Masterofreality]

Tennessee shot 70% from three in the second half. Couple that with our atrocious FT shooting (and the fact that we only made 2 three-pointers on the night), and it's real accomplishment that we got the W.

Nary a Xavier fan should be displeased with last night's win.

Nary......I repeat.....Nary!

[paulxu]

Driving home to Spartanburg from Chattanooga. Gotta go right through Knoxville and listen to about an hour of their local sports guys.
It was a hoot.
First they crapped all over X, mispronounced, can't play, not a top 40 team, won't make the NCAA's, yada, yada, yada.
Somewhere in the middle, one of them realized the more they downplayed X, the more crappy their team looked in the loss.
You probably heard the beeps from them backing up in Cincinnati.

[Xman95]

Tennessee shot 70% from three in the second half. Couple that with our atrocious FT shooting (and the fact that we only made 2 three-pointers on the night), and it's real accomplishment that we got the W.

Nary a Xavier fan should be displeased with last night's win.

Not upset at all, but I am a little concerned. One thing I always focus on is FT shooting because, many times, it can mean the difference between winning and losing. Now, if a team is just better (like the year Memphis went to the championship game, but ultimately lost in part because of FT shooting), they can still win the game. But what had blowout potential turns into a close win. Thankfully Tenn sucked from the stripe too or X might have lost last night.

On a similar note, the 3-pt shooting wasn't there. Granted, getting Martin and D.Davis healthy should help. So I'm not overly concerned with that yet. Could just be one bad game from deep.

I do think this is a team that has so many new faces that they're still a very, very raw unit. I think the team we'll see in a month or so will be much different...and much better. But the FT shooting MUST improve.

(PS - yes, I realize this has probably been covered a billion times since last night. Unfortunately I was on the road for work and couldn't access XH. This is the first chance I had to jump on here. And, as pointed out, I focus a lot on FT shooting and yesterday wasn't good for that.)

[Xman95]

I'm also of the mind that Semaj spent the last 2 minutes trying to impress the NBA scouts, not help the team to the best course to win the game.

Then he better start knocking down the FT's that can ice the game. Nobody wants to put the ball in the hands of someone that will essentially allow the opponent to stay in the game down the stretch.

[Charlesbt4]

What a joke of a post. Please spare us the pyschobabble nonsense about how supporting a player is somehow a negative reflection on someone's character/intelligence or whatever thinly veiled connection you are trying to imply. Kenny had some big gaps in his game and attitude at times, but to imply he was a crummy player is asinine. How is calling someone crummy an honest asessment? Sounds more like a jilted lover lashing out. Top 15 rebounder, top 5 shot blocker, 3 sweet 16's, 3 league titles and so on. You must have a pretty low opinion of XU players in general if Kenny was crummy. You do know that Kenny is making a very nice living playing basketball...right?

How isn't calling someone a crummy player an honest assessment? I take it you're a homer.

And in actuality, I have a fairly positive view of the vast majority of Xavier players. However, Frease just doesn't happen to be one of them.

Finally, Frease is making a living playing basketball because he is seven feet tall, and for no other reason. I wouldn't exactly call the 6.9 points he's averaging with the Artland Dragons to be setting the world on fire.

[Charlesbt4]

Who created the expectations? You because you saw his recruiting rankings on some websites? Or did Frease create them?

And how do you know he was uncommitted? Did you watch practice everyday or sit in on his off season workouts?

I believe it was fairly obvious, even to a passive observer, that Frease had nearly unlimited potential. I believe it was also fairly obvious that Frease rarely, rarely performed in accordance with that potential.

Also, regarding much of that post, I don't believe I'm grasping for straws about Frease's lack of motivation, given the fact that he was benched or suspended on numerous occasions.