Alabama

[GoMuskies]

Just got finished watching Alabama/Wichita State on the ole DVR, and I'm really liking the scheduling here. I think Alabama is the perfect road test for THIS Xavier team. They've got Releford, who's a really good PG, and they've got a bunch of other guys who are good athletes but who aren't great basketball players. It's definitely not an easy game, but it won't be a hostile environment at all, and if you're a good team and play well, you should win. So it will be a very interesting matchup Saturday night.

[xavier513]

I like Xavier's chances in this one. Alabama goes 9 deep but, they're very thin and pretty weak in the frontcourt. Stainbrook and Farr should give them problems. Releford is pretty good, but they don't really have a true point guard or any major 3pt weapons. If Xavier shows up ready, they should win imo. But who knows with this team.

[GoMuskies]

By the way, a home loss to Xavier might just put Grant on the wrong side of the hot seat. They're unlikely to fire him midseason, but if they lose this one he'll be well on his way to the unemployment line.

[fellahmuskie]

This has been the longest week of my life. I couldn't see the Shootout because of travel and it's still 3 days until Alabama.

This is probably the most excitement I've had for Xavier basketball since the last tournament appearance and a road win on Saturday will just keep the momentum rolling. All I want for the rest of 2013 is for Xavier to enter 2014 at 11-3.

[Titanxman04]

This has been the longest week of my life. I couldn't see the Shootout because of travel and it's still 3 days until Alabama.

This is probably the most excitement I've had for Xavier basketball since the last tournament appearance and a road win on Saturday will just keep the momentum rolling. All I want for the rest of 2013 is for Xavier to enter 2014 at 11-3.

I know what you mean. While I know a week between games is needed to keep the guys fresh and practices being productive, it kills me as a fan to know that in three weeks time, there will only be three X games. The enxt game after Bama is a homer with Wake on the 28th.

[bourbonman]

Fearing this game. To my recollection, we traditionally have not played well coming out of Exam Week.

[Xfan5667]

Does anybody have any concerns on Alabama's size and there press. In atlantis we did a pretty good job but since i have been satisfied

[fellahmuskie]

One irrelevant footnote to this game is that Derrick Brown and Richard Hendrix (former Alabama star) are now teammates in Russia. The Tide beat us back in 2006 in the Paradise Jam with Brown and Hendrix both playing. I wonder if they'll be up at 4 am on Sunday morning in Krasnodar to watch the game? Tonight they play their last Euroleague game of 2013, then they have off until January 2, so they might actually be traveling back to the US for Christmas on Saturday or Sunday.