Dumpster Fire...

[Masterofreality]

The last 8 days has been a Dumpster Fire for this team...2 losses....each with it's own problems.

The key now is to not let the "contained" dumpster fire turn into a full alarm building blaze.

The Providence game was more understandable...on the road vs a motivated team that played maybe their best game of the year. The Friars then had their next game letdown and got smoked at Marquette before having the good fortune to play DePaul. Yesterday was more concerning for X.

it was concerning not from a mere talent standpoint, or even necessarily a coaching standpoint, although some of the personnel decisions were a bit head scratching. It was concerning in that, apparently although the lesson is seemingly taught each year, that you cannot take any game for granted or look past one game to the next. I have absolutely no doubt that yesterday was a product of a bunch of looking ahead to Villanova without attention to detail Saturday. Maybe some of that bled into the playing time decisions as well, although I think that most of it had to do with foul issues.

In any event, Xavier came out yesterday lazy, then the sleep cycle was completed by Seton Hall's game plan of A) Slowdown offense and B) Full Zone defense. They packed the paint so tight that X turned it over in there constantly and refused to take or make outside shots. Missing free throws spelled the doom. Xavier players took tha game for granted and the fact that they played lazy in the 1st half and still had a 1 point lead, just reinforced the thought that Seton Hall would just die in the second half and X would squeak by with a 4 or 6 point win. the effort yesterday by not only the players, but also the crowd was horrible. Even when X made a couple of runs to take the lead almost everybody in the lower bowl, other than PM Thor and I, sat on their fat cat asses. Disgusting. I guess everyone had the same thought..that it would be another game like Evansville or Bowling Green where somehow X would just pull it out with half effort. Nope. Yesterday was the first time I thought since the Bahamas that the effort was poor...and it cost. I hope that the lesson has been learned forever..that there are no nights off anymore in this league.

So, how do we extinguish the fire before it consumes the season? Well, starting tomorrow night there can no no more "cool" or "lazy". I expect that the effort will be great tomorrow night. I think that there is a good chance that X loses, but if you do, play hard to get back on track. Then, there will be no more margin for error. The next 4 games vs Providence at home, Butler on the road, Marquette on the road and DePuke at home are crucial to win them all. We need to get to 21 wins somehow to make me feel comfortable before the BE Tourney. Win those 4 then I like our chances of beating Seton Hall over there and winning one of the Creighton or Villanova games. St. Johns and Georgetown are playing better and I see those as being tough to win, but if we lose to Marquette, then one of those is essential.

We need the bench to step it back up. Myles and Jimmy Farr have to make shots and play with energy. Brandon Randolph needs to now be a non-freshman, Jalen Reynolds now needs to get his business in order, Eric Stenger needs to make a free throw. As to the starters, Dee and Matt have to be consistent, Semaj needs to establish his dominance early in the game, JMart needs to be 100% present and not disappear and I Phillmore needs to play with a senior's urgency.

All the cliches apply now..."back to wall", "no tomorrow" , "one game at a time", "no gimmes". A win tomorrow night puts us back on track, but a loss keeps the fires burning...with no alarm yet, but close to going off.

[XU 87]

I can live with losing (sort of). But I can't live with lack of effort. And yesterday I watched an unfocused, lethargic X team. That's inexcusable.

[Masterofreality]

I can live with losing (sort of). But I can't live with lack of effort. And yesterday I watched an unfocused, lethargic X team. That's inexcusable.

And the crowd didn't help. The biggest reaction was when Brad Redford made a meaningless half court shot, then after that everybody went back to another nap.

Worst crowd I've ever experienced at Cintas. Amazing for a Big East league game.

[vee4xu]

Some telling stats:

SH 8 3's
X 2 3's
Difference -18 points

SH 14 points off TO's
X 5 points off TO's
Difference -9 points

Not a huge difference in total FT's made, but X missed about 10 more FT's than SH missed.

Also, X's combined TO's and steals against totaled about 30, whereas SH's combined TO's and steals against was about 16 meaning SH got 14 additional possessions.

In the end, dumpster fire pretty much accurately describes that effort yesterday.

With it being such an early home game, I wonder what the players think, how they feel and what they do afterwards? Probably party time, I imagine.

[casualfan]

The Providence loss didn't bother me at all really. Tough road game. Those things are going to happen.

Yesterday was a different story though.

What bothers me most is that it seems like we tend to lose games in bunches. Lose a game to a good team (Iowa, Providence) and then it snowballs into a loss or two against teams we should beat (Tennessee, USC, Seton Hall).

To me that points to a lack of leadership.

[Juice]

And the crowd didn't help. The biggest reaction was when Brad Redford made a meaningless half court shot, then after that everybody went back to another nap.

Worst crowd I've ever experienced at Cintas. Amazing for a Big East league game.

I agree that it wasn't a good crowd but the guys weren't exactly inspiring. There were points when the crowd tried to get up but obviously didn't last.

[DC Muskie]

Which game was it that Mack said he can't coach effort? It seems we are in their weird place where effort is not a priority with these guys. I wonder how practice went in between the Providence and Seton Hall.

[Lamont Sanford]

Let's be honest...yesterday was a complete shit show. Some of the guys forgot to get a wakeup call and sleepwalked the entire game. This team is simply not good enough to look past anyone. I have to imagine that every one of our upcoming opponents will play a 40 minute zone against us. Why wouldn't they??? This team clearly lacks outside shooters, but I think it also lacks heart. Monday at 'Nova is gonna be fugly!

[vee4xu]

I will grant that yesterday was not good, but won't go as far as suggesting the team lacks heart. Yesterday, I think they lacked interest, but don't think a team that has come back from so many large deficits to win games can be accused of lacking heart.

[wkrq59]

Kind souls. As MOR pointed out--It's cliche time. Let's forget about all the cliches, the "lack of leadership," and the can't coach effort and not ready to play. And please let's also forget about the crowd, the fans, the silent Cintas, the Brad Redford shot etc.
Let's look at some very simple and important facts:
1)Xavier's first year in the A10 and its first year in the Big East. Unrealistic to expect first year in league teams to be world beaters except Creighton which has really exceptional personnel and even they aren't perfect. 2)Xavier's league losses have all been the first time the Muskies have played an opponent. I suspect it will be different the second time around both good and bad.
Xavier is a team in flux. By that of course I mean there will be good and bad times. Did any one of us expect the Muskies to blow through the competition to win 'em all the first year? Say yes and we stop talking to you right now.
Let's look at the makeup of the Xavier team starting with coach Mack. We know all the cliches there, too. He's doing a good job, damn good in my opinion. For some there will always be questions about him, for others he's doing a good job, for others wait and see? Seriously? And for others, he never should have existed let alone succeeded Sean Miller as head coach.
Now the players:
Over all, there is not one NBA ready player on the team.
THE SENIORS: Philmore, brilliant at times, blowing in the wind at others.
Tim Whelan, walk on. Landon Amos, injured walkon scholarshipped. Erik Stenger, injured walkon to scholarship to gives you what he has, ditto Amos.
THE JUNIORS:RemeyAbell, sitting transfer.Dee Davis, injured at times but having his best year. Can not make three pointers by willing them into the basket no matter how open the looks. Translated, he's human. Justin Martin also having his best season, similar to Dee. Matt Stainbrook. Talented but adjusting. Some nights a super star double double, other nights they're not falling.
SOPHOMORES: Semaj Christon, still tries to drive into the trees instead of jump stop to get the and one. Still has no outside shot consistently. Tries to lead and is passing better. James Farr slowly but surely improving but more in the Dee and Justin mode than himself. Kevin Coker, walkon.
FRESHMEN: Myles Davis. Good outside potential but still struggling to find role and not foul. Brandon Randolph, flashes of brilliance followed by "Car 3 where are you?" Jalen Reynolds. A puzzlement. Paid own way as a freshman. Not allowed to practice with team as was not Myles. Must get straightened out. Needed as Stenger has maxed. Kamall Richards, torn ACL, out for season.
Entire team: Leaders, in order, Dee, Semaj, Matt, Justin, Isiah. Shooters, especially free throws: Dee and Myles, Justin, Semaj, Matt, Isiah, everybody else. Rebounders, Matt, Justin, Semaj, James Farr, Jalen, Isaiah, Stenger, and the rest.
Things to also consider: Who do you pick to shoot "T" free throws??? Who's going to take the last shot??? Besides Semaj and he's not always certain, who do you go to with the last shot to win? To bring you from behind? Yes, there are a lot of questions with this team and none of them really are such that if the answers aren't yes, Xavier can not win. What we need still is patience and yes, MOR, maybe a fire extinguisher.

[DC Muskie]

I didn't read all of q's words, but we have a projected first round pick on the team.

We can look at losses and see the issues reasonably which I think is what we are doing. We've come a long way since 1995, so let's not act like this is some huge step up coming to the Big East. We have much better talent then that 1995-1996 team. And the league we are entering is not the Western conference of the NBA.

We should beat Seton Hall at home. With great effort, this is a game we should have won. We didn't and we lost. It's really that simple. There's no need to dissect and gloss over everything.

I'm happy of where we are. But come Tuesday morning waking up with a loss, and this team with all it's "ebbs and flows" will be sitting on the opposite side of the bubble.

I have all the patience in the world, but yesterday's loss simply sucked. It really didn't have anything to do with Kamall Richard's torn ACL.

[bleedXblue]

I didn't read all of q's words, but we have a projected first round pick on the team.

We can look at losses and see the issues reasonably which I think is what we are doing. We've come a long way since 1995, so let's not act like this is some huge step up coming to the Big East. We have much better talent then that 1995-1996 team. And the league we are entering is not the Western conference of the NBA.

We should beat Seton Hall at home. With great effort, this is a game we should have won. We didn't and we lost. It's really that simple. There's no need to dissect and gloss over everything.

I'm happy of where we are. But come Tuesday morning waking up with a loss, and this team with all it's "ebbs and flows" will be sitting on the opposite side of the bubble.

I have all the patience in the world, but yesterday's loss simply sucked. It really didn't have anything to do with Kamall Richard's torn ACL.

Yes, yes and yes

[kyxu]

Looking forward to how Xavier responds tomorrow night. Or maybe I'm not.

[paulxu]

I'm assuming that while we all sit here with our drinks getting ready for the Super Bowl, our team is either on the plane or already at a shoot around in Philly.

[GoMuskies]

I don't think it's unrealistic to expect to be good in the first year in this league. Outside of Nova and Creighton, the teams in the league just aren't that damned good. There isn't really much of a parallel to 1996 IMO. That team lost its top 5 players (Rose, Sears, Sykes, Massey and Hawkins) and was playing a ton of freshmen (talented freshmen, but freshmen, and James Posey was competing against me in intramurals instead of trying to guard Donta Bright). If anything, that 1996 team exceeded expectations. This team? I would have said they were exceeding expectations 10 days ago. Now I'm worried that they're going to slide to the other end of the scale.

[The_Mack_Pack]

Before the season started I had this team tabbed as an NIT squad so, as of right now, those expectations are being exceeded quite well. I'm still upset about losses like those to Seton Hall but when I take a step back and view the season as a whole, it has been a pretty good one so far. I now fully believe that this is an NCAA tournament team that has just hit a rough patch like most teams do. We'll get it together and go on another 3-4 game winning streak and all will be good.

[Emp]

I don't think it's unrealistic to expect to be good in the first year in this league. Outside of Nova and Creighton, the teams in the league just aren't that damned good. There isn't really much of a parallel to 1996 IMO. That team lost its top 5 players (Rose, Sears, Sykes, Massey and Hawkins) and was playing a ton of freshmen (talented freshmen, but freshmen, and James Posey was competing against me in intramurals instead of trying to guard Donta Bright). If anything, that 1996 team exceeded expectations. This team? I would have said they were exceeding expectations 10 days ago. Now I'm worried that they're going to slide to the other end of the scale.

You're comparing the 1996 A-10 to this season's BE?

Vee, the team was partying after the game? Cheap shot, bro.

Whenever we lose, the Lack of Effort Legion hits the board. In 5-4-3-2........the Challenge Your Manhood Crew will be starting a 90-post thread . If anything, generally we were rushing the offense, careening around. Of the 10 turnovers between our starting guards, I can't recall one attributable to lack of effort. Martin can be counted on for two Trying too Hard TOs a game. Same with our floor shooting.



This is a tough league, with good, talented, tough players. Dee can play hard D and still be trying to cover 6-7 shooters at the arc. We're getting beat consistently for open 3PFG attempts because we're mismatched, not for lack of effort. Plenty of good coaches in this league see that. If they can make those open shots, we're in big trouble if we can't match -- and we're shooting 3PFG bricks right now. That's not lack of effort, that's mid season lead legs. Until we get bigger better horses, we're scrappers who have to be on the top of our game to win in this league. Talking about how we mastered the A10 is lame.

[GoMuskies]

You're comparing the 1996 A-10 to this season's BE?


Q was the one who brought up the comparison...but since it's out there, the '96 A-10 wasn't much different than this year's Big East. Probably a little better at the top with the second best team in the country (UMass) and another great team in Temple. I believe four) total NCAA bids were earned by the league (VaTech and GW as well...could have been 5 as I cannot remember if that was one of the good URI teams). A bit worse at the bottom with Fordham, Duquesne and LaSalle. But in all honesty the '96 A-10 was a HUGE step up from the '95 MCC (with a much worse Xavier team from '95 to '96) while the '14 Big East is a much more modest step up from the '13 A-10 (with at least a moderately better Xavier team this year).

[Xavier]

This is a tough league, with good, talented, tough players. Dee can play hard D and still be trying to cover 6-7 shooters at the arc. We're getting beat consistently for open 3PFG attempts because we're mismatched, not for lack of effort. Plenty of good coaches in this league see that. If they can make those open shots, we're in big trouble if we can't match -- and we're shooting 3PFG bricks right now. That's not lack of effort, that's mid season lead legs. Until we get bigger better horses, we're scrappers who have to be on the top of our game to win in this league. Talking about how we mastered the A10 is lame.

I don't know, I think you're overrating the Big East, a 4 bid league. Two of whom (unless X turns things around, which i think they do) are double digit seeds. Who knows, it might only be a 3 bid league. I guess what I'm saying is, if we need to scrap and be on top of our game to win in this league (this year) were in trouble. I think we're one of the more talented teams in the league, especially offensively.

Bottom line, we just didn't play well against a bad SH team.

[XUFan09]

The Providence loss didn't bother me at all really. Tough road game. Those things are going to happen.

Yesterday was a different story though.

What bothers me most is that it seems like we tend to lose games in bunches. Lose a game to a good team (Iowa, Providence) and then it snowballs into a loss or two against teams we should beat (Tennessee, USC, Seton Hall).

To me that points to a lack of leadership.

You are using only two instances (the Bahamas and this two-game streak) to establish a trend. That's rather dubious.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

[DC Muskie]

Someone remind Emp that Mack called this team out before because a lack of effort. Samej commented in the paper that the team has lacked focus.

Mid season lead legs? WTF is that? This team had a week off before this game. We are in trouble if we are rolling into February tired. We must be the only team with lead legs.

The effort wasn't there. How hard is that to point out? Our coach and our best player have mentioned it recently. You can see it on the court. With our talent, how do we lose at home to Seton Hall? With a week to prepare?

Tonight we will actually have the bigger horses. I'm hoping to see some better effort.

[vee4xu]

Emp, I didn't say the team partied afterwards. I merely innocently wondered what high-level, D1 athletes between ages 18-21+ did after an embarrassing home noon Saturday game. The party comment was followed by a question mark. The other options are watch tape of the game, shoot around to sharpen skills, etc. They are kids after all.

[casualfan]

You are using only two instances (the Bahamas and this two-game streak) to establish a trend. That's rather dubious.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk


Ok, how about last year:

Lose to Vandy and follow that up by losing four of the next five.

The year before we lost 3 in a row and 5 of 6 at one point.

[ammtd34]

Emp, I didn't say the team partied afterwards. I merely innocently wondered what high-level, D1 athletes between ages 18-21+ did after an embarrassing home noon Saturday game. The party comment was followed by a question mark. The other options are watch tape of the game, shoot around to sharpen skills, etc. They are kids after all.

I can guarantee that the last thing I would want to do is watch film.

[Xman95]

One of the biggest issues that X has had this year (and in some recent years) is inconsistent shooting. The 3-pt shot is so important and X has not been as consistent as they need to be. We are not deep with really good shooters. M.Davis might be the best pure shooter on the team, but he's a freshman still finding his role. J-Mart is on/off. It's a shame because when he's focused he's a phenomenal player and outstanding shooter. Dee is competent, but far from a marksman. James Farr has great ability from long range for a post player and can create some great mismatch opportunities from the outside. Semaj...has shown glimpses of improvement, but he doesn't really scare anyone from deep. Randolph? Maybe in time.

This team also struggles from the foul line. It shouldn't be this difficult and the coaching staff needs to help the players figure it out. Sure, a lot of it is on the players to improve this on their own. But maybe bringing in a shot teacher (like a Mark Price type) wouldn't hurt. Of course maybe they've already done that. And maybe this is as good as it gets being that we don't have a bunch of natural shooters.

Perhaps I'm too concerned with the 3's and FT's. But those are always two of the stats I look at after games and, when X comes up short, the box score will usually tell you that they were bad from deep and at the charity stripe. Sure, we still win games despite being bad in those areas, but we could win a lot more with consistent shooters.

[Mrs. Garrett]

I wonder how much of it was look past Seton Hall because they had Nova coming up? Also, I would expect to see more pressing from our opponents. Once they saw X couldn't handle DePaul's press in the second half they knew we should be pretty easy to press because as far as full court presses go DePaul's is one of the worst.

[NY44]

Kind souls. As MOR pointed out--It's cliche time. Let's forget about all the cliches, the "lack of leadership," and the can't coach effort and not ready to play. And please let's also forget about the crowd, the fans, the silent Cintas, the Brad Redford shot etc.
Let's look at some very simple and important facts:
1)Xavier's first year in the A10 and its first year in the Big East. Unrealistic to expect first year in league teams to be world beaters except Creighton which has really exceptional personnel and even they aren't perfect. 2)Xavier's league losses have all been the first time the Muskies have played an opponent. I suspect it will be different the second time around both good and bad.
Xavier is a team in flux. By that of course I mean there will be good and bad times. Did any one of us expect the Muskies to blow through the competition to win 'em all the first year? Say yes and we stop talking to you right now.

Yes. After the Cincinnati game, yes. After the Marquette game, more yes. After the Georgetown game, hell yes. Maybe the day they announced the transfer to the Big East I didn't expect that, but we have proven that we can compete with the best teams in this league, and Seton Hall is not the best.

You are 100% wrong about there not being an NBA ready player on the team. You can try and make the argument over what "ready" really means, but at the end of the day, if Semaj enters the draft, he's getting picked in the first round and probably the first half of the first round. When's the last time Xavier had a player who is a definite first round draft pick after his second season? This team warrants expectations.

Depending on how the rest of the season pans out we might only have Semaj for 11 more games. Let that sink in and realize that patience isn't really an option.

[kyxu]

I wonder how much of it was look past Seton Hall because they had Nova coming up?

I wonder how that works. Is that on the players, or on the coaches? Did the players not follow the Seton Hall gameplan, or did the players not realize once they fell behind 4-0 within the first 10 seconds, "oh shit, maybe we should start playing, or else we might lose."

I still can't believe we lost on Saturday. Everytime I think about it, I get a little depressed. We might not be Creighton or Villanova who just blows the doors off everyone, but at least we weren't one of those Big East teams who loses to mediocre teams at home. Now we just did it.

[Fireball]

I'll reiterate that the Providence loss doesn't bother me a ton. That's probably a coin-flip game before hand, and the Friars played a really good game.

The Seton Hall loss sucked. I concur with what others that the team was looking forward a bit to Villanova. They haven't yet figure out that the worst team in this league can still beat you on an off game. Fordham isn't going to beat you at Cintas if you play a crappy game. Seton Hall and DePaul can.

That being said, almost every team loses a game or two it should win. It's all how they respond. Play a good game at Nova (even if you lose) and take care of business the rest of the year, then it's just a blip on the radar. And that's exactly what it will be. They'll still finish 10-8 or 11-7 in the league and get a bid to the tournament. No doubt in my mind of that.

[casualfan]

I'll reiterate that the Providence loss doesn't bother me a ton. That's probably a coin-flip game before hand, and the Friars played a really good game.

The Seton Hall loss sucked. I concur with what others that the team was looking forward a bit to Villanova. They haven't yet figure out that the worst team in this league can still beat you on an off game. Fordham isn't going to beat you at Cintas if you play a crappy game. Seton Hall and DePaul can.

That being said, almost every team loses a game or two it should win. It's all how they respond. Play a good game at Nova (even if you lose) and take care of business the rest of the year, then it's just a blip on the radar. And that's exactly what it will be. They'll still finish 10-8 or 11-7 in the league and get a bid to the tournament. No doubt in my mind of that.

10-8 may not be good enough depending on who they have beat and who they lose to.

10-8 would put us at 20-11 heading into the Big East tournament and there would be big time pressure to win a few games in the Big East tourney.


As it stands currently we have as many wins over teams projected to be in the bracket (UC, Tennessee) as we do losses to teams projected to miss the tourney (USC, Seton Hall).


We have 4 regular season games left against teams projected to make the tourney (@ Nova, Providence, Creighton, Villanova). We need to win at least one of those games, preferably one of the Nova games or Creighton since Providence could easily slip out of the field.

The issue with a loss like the one to Seton Hall on Saturday is that now everything is magnified. I think/hope they can get things together and make the tourney, but they definitely put themselves behind the eight ball a bit.

[throwbackmuskie]

WAs not expecting a loss to Seton Hall. The team did look lazy at times. Still plenty of time ro right the ship. I expect the team we saw vs Butler and the 2nd half of the Gtown game tonight.

[wkrq59]

You are 100% wrong about there not being an NBA ready player on the team. You can try and make the argument over what "ready" really means, but at the end of the day, if Semaj enters the draft, he's getting picked in the first round and probably the first half of the first round. When's the last time Xavier had a player who is a definite first round draft pick after his second season? This team warrants expectations.
Depending on how the rest of the season pans out we might only have Semaj for 11 more games. Let that sink in and realize that patience isn't really an option.NY44

NY, Semaj Christon is a wonderful player. He has the talent to SOMEDAY play in the NBA. He has the quickness, the intensity, the determination, but right now, today, he is not ready. NBA players his size and physical build just don't drive headlong toward the basket (right or left) and consistently get stripped of the ball. He expects fouls to be called and even when that expectation is justified, it doesn't often occur. But he keeps going back to it. That says he has not yet mastered the Jump Stop pop that he'll need in the NBA and the knack to know when to do it and when not. Semaj has no discernable ability at this point to hit shots consistently from 18-feet in. This is a sine qua non NBA scouts have told be about for more than 30 years. I have talked to no scout about Semaj but untril he can hit 50-60 % of his shots from 18 feet in, he is not ready. If he were 6-9 or 6-10 or up and could even hit 30 % from that distance, he's be worth a look and guaranteed money on a three-year gamble.
But today, he'd be rejected so many times he's take up soccer.
I think, no I truly believe Semaj can develop more next year and maybe even the following at Xavier than he can in the D League because that's where he'll be dumped if he's very lucky and comes out.
What I say is no slam at Semaj and it was the same with Tu Holloway. I think Semaj will develop those shooting capabilitie eventually, but first he has to master even a simpler task, hitting free throws. Free throws are just that, a free from opposition chance to make baskets from a set distance.
Semaj is not shooting free throws at anywhere near the percentage he must to make it in the pros. Yeah, there are pros who are lousy free throw shooters, but most of them are big men. Hack-a-Shaq was that for a reason. But he was 7-feet plus.
Free throws are simply a routine established by practice that eventually setttles into muscle memory from repetition and habit. Also, Semaj fouls too much by not moving his feet and not staying low enough. All this said, Semaj may turn out to be one of the greatest players in Xavier history.
Byron Larkin the first really great in Xavier history who holds the title today and may never be topped (note I said MAY) was a player similar to Semaj, but couldn't crack the League. And he played four years and graduated.
I personally like Semaj and wish he could go pro next season and be a lottery pick. That said, I do not believe he is ready yet.......... I would hate to see him jeopardize a profitable career by listening to some so-called NBA genius observer or "draft guru" who says he's ready now. Remember, too, most of the draft experts and predictors and list publishers are people who are writing something to make money and nothing more. Their opinions are the same as yours or mine and don't mean much more either way.

[LadyMuskie]

Someone remind Emp that Mack called this team out before because a lack of effort. Samej commented in the paper that the team has lacked focus.

Mid season lead legs? WTF is that? This team had a week off before this game. We are in trouble if we are rolling into February tired. We must be the only team with lead legs.

The effort wasn't there. How hard is that to point out? Our coach and our best player have mentioned it recently. You can see it on the court. With our talent, how do we lose at home to Seton Hall? With a week to prepare?

Tonight we will actually have the bigger horses. I'm hoping to see some better effort.

This sums it up perfectly.

[ammtd34]

Q, I gotta disagree. In league play, Semaj is 55/90 (61%) from 2 and 44/58 (76%) from the line. He's 5/12 from 3 for 40% on a small sample size.

With that said, I don't think Semaj is going to make the wrong decision here. The information is out there if you listen to the right people, and I trust that he is. If he's going to be an early first round pick, he's gone. If he's not, he comes back.

[NY44]

Q,

I get what you're saying and most of it is dead on. I think some of your points are a bit overstated, especially when you compare his shooting between conference and non-conference play. However, regardless if him going to the NBA is the right choice for him, it is a choice and some players will take a risk of going to the D league and getting paid over playing for free in college.

Although the possibility of him being on this team next year would be an unbelievable dream come true and equate to the most talented Xavier team I have ever seen, I don't think we have to wait. This team is damn good with Semaj and Stainbrook playing to the level they're capable of, and that's why it's frustrating for me to see them not show up at home against a sorry team like Seton Hall.

[Thor in 204]

Which game was it that Mack said he can't coach effort? It seems we are in their weird place where effort is not a priority with these guys. I wonder how practice went in between the Providence and Seton Hall.

I've not been a critic of Chris Mack, but when he said he can't coach effort, it puzzled me. Any good coach coaches effort. If the coach doesn't have ways to lead the team toward realizing how to find new levels of focus, sustained effort, and confidence in execution, where does it come from? Sometimes from dominant players like Tu or David West or senior year Lionel Chalmers and Romain Sato, but no one has risen to that kind of stature on this team. What is the coach's role in the development of toughness and focus and confident execution of his team?

[Classof1985]

I've not been a critic of Chris Mack, but when he said he can't coach effort, it puzzled me. Any good coach coaches effort. If the coach doesn't have ways to lead the team toward realizing how to find new levels of focus, sustained effort, and confidence in execution, where does it come from? Sometimes from dominant players like Tu or David West or senior year Lionel Chalmers and Romain Sato, but no one has risen to that kind of stature on this team. What is the coach's role in the development of toughness and focus and confident execution of his team?

I get what Coach Mack is saying. Effort is a function of urgency, desire, and will. Kids have to develop it on their own. There doesn't seem to be anyone on this team supplying those qualities in quantities great enough to move the whole team. There is not a lot of senior leadership on Xavier's team right now. And you have to be special to motivate the team if you are not a senior. Semaj Christon, while he is clearly the best player on the floor for X, doesn't seem to be a step up and lead guy. And I don't think he plays hard all the time. Dee Davis and Matt Stainbrook are close, but they are juniors, and they are not the best player on the team. It's hard to lead as an underclassman if you are not the best player on the floor.

[OH.X.MI]

And you have to be special to motivate the team if you are not a senior. Semaj Christon, while he is clearly the best player on the floor for X, doesn't seem to be a step up and lead guy. And I don't think he plays hard all the time. Dee Davis and Matt Stainbrook are close, but they are juniors, and they are not the best player on the team. It's hard to lead as an underclassman if you are not the best player on the floor.

Not really sure who you are looking to be a leader here. Does it have to be a senior? The only senior on this team that gets significant playing time is Philmore... who has just as much experience playing with this team, 2 years, as Semaj and Farr who are "underclassmen." Dee Davis and Jmart may technically be juniors, but both of them have an entire year more of experience with Xavier's program then Philmore. College basketball, with transfers, redshirts, and absurd NCAA regulations, is different then say high school sports where there's an established system of seniority. A leader leads, and not because of any abstract classification of grade level.

I have no idea who the "leader" on this squad is. But I have no doubt that someone is going to rise to the occasion. Call me crazy, but I think this is a special group of guys and they are going to prove it in a few hours.

[Michigan Muskie]

Looking forward to how Xavier responds tomorrow night. Or maybe I'm not.

I agree 50%.

[wny08]

At the risk of piling on, can I just say what a horrible shit show I just wasted my time watching.

Defense is about more than individual matchups, strategy, and athleticism. Yes, those things obviously matter and individual matchups were a problem against Nova. This was not C. Mack's best coaching job ever. That being said, good defense requires intensity, discipline, positioning, hustle. Perhaps most of all it's about pride and having an attitude that your team won't give up easy buckets and that you won't lose a loose ball without a fight.

It pains me to point out that these are attributes that this Xavier team hasn't been exhibiting these last few weeks. This team is playing like they could give a crap, and I really mean that. It's not just the frustration talking from having just lost a few minutes ago. To be clear, losing is not the issue for me, nor has it ever been the issue for me. The issue is the f______ embarrassing manner in which this team is losing, the kind of garbage that makes me want to turn the TV off.

Somehow I want this to come across lovingly (though it sounds anything but) because I am a huge XU basketball fan, and as always I will be at the next home game cheering loudly. I want to be proven wrong because, like many of you, I'm emotionally invested in seeing this team succeed. I liked this team a lot up until two weeks ago, and they can easily earn back my respect once again.

Two last thoughts: (1) I don't think it's primarily a coaching issue, and (2) something has to give soon or this season quickly turns into a mess.

[NY44]

At the risk of piling on, can I just say what a horrible shit show I just wasted my time watching.

Defense is about more than individual matchups, strategy, and athleticism. Yes, those things obviously matter and individual matchups were a problem against Nova. This was not C. Mack's best coaching job ever. That being said, good defense requires intensity, discipline, positioning, hustle. Perhaps most of all it's about pride and having an attitude that your team won't give up easy buckets and that you won't lose a loose ball without a fight.

It pains me to point out that these are attributes that this Xavier team hasn't been exhibiting these last few weeks. This team is playing like they could give a crap, and I really mean that. It's not just the frustration talking from having just lost a few minutes ago. To be clear, losing is not the issue for me, nor has it ever been the issue for me. The issue is the f______ embarrassing manner in which this team is losing, the kind of garbage that makes me want to turn the TV off.

Somehow I want this to come across lovingly (though it sounds anything but) because I am a huge XU basketball fan, and as always I will be at the next home game cheering loudly. I want to be proven wrong because, like many of you, I'm emotionally invested in seeing this team succeed. I liked this team a lot up until two weeks ago, and they can easily earn back my respect once again.

Two last thoughts: (1) I don't think it's primarily a coaching issue, and (2) something has to give soon or this season quickly turns into a mess.

Villanova is not the #6 team in the country by some mistake. They're a very good team who played very well against us. Their roster presented many tough defensive matchups for us, especially on the arc, and they capitalized.

In my book, Seton Hall is still the only bad conference loss we have.

I liked what I saw today, actually. Justin Martin would've had a monstrous game if it were not for foul trouble. I would normally complain about his fouling, but the one that landed him on the bench was not his fault. Stainbrook had yet another stellar game. We had a rough start with turnovers and Nova is too good of a team to do that against and expect to have a shot at winning.

[Masterofreality]

I'm not going to overreact to this loss. This is what happens to every team in a really good league. You will have a quick turnaround game on the road where you get boatraced vs good teams. I'm still pissed at Saturday for a team not being ready to aggressively protect its house. Now, here we are.

So, ok. We will soon find out whether this team is worth it's salt..starting on Saturday. Saturday is a must win game and I'm not afraid to say it. We need to win 4 in a row. Period.

[mohr5150]

The dumpster fire has now moved into the kitchen, with a huge gas line in its path. Mack needs to come in with a magic extinguisher really soon.

[bleedXblue]

Well, I guess we'll find out what kind of coach we have the next 7-8 games.

I'm not expecting miracles.

I do expect the team to play hard and to play with purpose and a sense of urgency.

[mistabeecee41]

Semaj is a stud. Stain is solid for the most part. J-Mart is a serviceable 3 but shouldn't be the 3rd best player on a team.

Here's where we get into trouble. Dee's size is starting to catch up with him. Philmore was a fantastic player on an awful Towson team, struggled in the A-10 and hasn't been any better in the Big East. Problem is that we don't have any better options. Our best 2 shooters over the last years haven't been taller than 6'0.

Luckily, Mack has addressed all of these issues with this 2014 class. Yes, I'm spiraling into "next year" mode already.

M

[kyxu]

I'm not going to overreact to this loss. This is what happens to every team in a really good league. You will have a quick turnaround game on the road where you get boatraced vs good teams. I'm still pissed at Saturday for a team not being ready to aggressively protect its house. Now, here we are.

So, ok. We will soon find out whether this team is worth it's salt..starting on Saturday. Saturday is a must win game and I'm not afraid to say it. We need to win 4 in a row. Period.

Well, I think this loss would be more potable had we not just sleep-walked through a home loss to a mediocre team after a week off, which was after a meh loss on the road to Providence. Villanova is indeed a very good, top 10 team, but we should consider Xavier at a level where a 23-point loss is not acceptable. And Villanova played on Saturday, too, so they had to contend with the quick turnaround as well.

But yeah, we will know more on Saturday. Saturday is the must-iest must win of the season, which will be followed by an even must-ier must win at Hinkle, which we can all agree is quite musty.

[XU 87]

Philmore was a fantastic player on an awful Towson team, struggled in the A-10 and hasn't been any better in the Big East. Problem is that we don't have any better options.
M

I'm not disputing what you write about Philmore. but he was a top 100 recruit out of high school and I think he chose X over some good programs ( I think one was Missouri but could be wrong). He's just not real athletic and doesn't shoot the ball all that well.

[wny08]

Villanova is not the #6 team in the country by some mistake. They're a very good team who played very well against us. Their roster presented many tough defensive matchups for us, especially on the arc, and they capitalized.

In my book, Seton Hall is still the only bad conference loss we have.

I liked what I saw today, actually. Justin Martin would've had a monstrous game if it were not for foul trouble. I would normally complain about his fouling, but the one that landed him on the bench was not his fault. Stainbrook had yet another stellar game. We had a rough start with turnovers and Nova is too good of a team to do that against and expect to have a shot at winning.

Yeah, I don't disagree. Nova is not a bad loss. Which is why I pointed out in my original comment that it's not the losses I'm frustrated with, but rather it's the lethargic and uninspiring play, particularly on defense.

[XU2011]

I'm not disputing what you write about Philmore. but he was a top 100 recruit out of high school and I think he chose X over some good programs ( I think one was Missouri but could be wrong). He's just not real athletic and doesn't shoot the ball all that well.

You sound like a Dayton fan. Who cares what recruit he was out of high school (5 years ago)? How is he as a major conference D1 basketball player?

By all accounts, pretty poor. Incredibly unathletic, slow, plays with his back to the basket and has very very limited moves down low, weak on the boards because he can't jump.... Nice guy I'm sure but just not getting it done in BE play.

[sgarcia]

I attended last nights game and cannot say I was pleased with the 2nd half performance. I'm not going to bash one individual or our coach because it was a team meltdown. I don't know what Villanova shot in the 2nd half (had to be over 60%), but they must have scored on 85% of their possessions. It seemed like anytime they missed they got the rebound and scored. The defense looked very slow and hasn't been up to par in several games. Hopefully it can turn around but maybe the other teams are just quicker/better than we are. A lot of soul searching needs to be done before Saturday. I'm not one to look ahead like some people on this board. I don't care who's left on the schedule. All I know is we need to play a great game on Saturday to beat a very good Providence team.

[danaandvictory]

You sound like a Dayton fan. Who cares what recruit he was out of high school (5 years ago)? How is he as a major conference D1 basketball player?

By all accounts, pretty poor. Incredibly unathletic, slow, plays with his back to the basket and has very very limited moves down low, weak on the boards because he can't jump.... Nice guy I'm sure but just not getting it done in BE play.

The kid (and coaches) deserve slack on this one - he suffered a catastrophic knee injury that has robbed him of his lift and lateral quickness. This occurred after he transferred. I don't think this is the guy we brought in from Towson.

[casualfan]

I'm not disputing what you write about Philmore. but he was a top 100 recruit out of high school and I think he chose X over some good programs ( I think one was Missouri but could be wrong). He's just not real athletic and doesn't shoot the ball all that well.

I don't know what ranking system you use, but he was not top 100 by either scout or rivals...

[RealDeal]

Philmore's playing better than I could on one leg.

Where's the Jordan Latham bashing?

[nuts4xu]

The losses to Seton Hall and Providence so far have been the killers to me. Those are teams we should beat at home, on the road, in a barn with a peach basket in the snowy fields of Indiana. Now those losses look even worse when they are piled together with tough losses like the one we had in Philly last night. We can't afford to lose to teams in the middle (or lower) of the Big East standings, or we will find ourselves permanently on the outside of the bubble.

[NY44]

The losses to Seton Hall and Providence so far have been the killers to me. Those are teams we should beat at home, on the road, in a barn with a peach basket in the snowy fields of Indiana. Now those losses look even worse when they are piled together with tough losses like the one we had in Philly last night. We can't afford to lose to teams in the middle (or lower) of the Big East standings, or we will find ourselves permanently on the outside of the bubble.

Providence is not middle or lower. They're #3 and they beat Creighton which now seems like an impossible feat. Their one bad loss was to Seton Hall too and they played them a lot closer than we did.

[bleedXblue]

The losses to Seton Hall and Providence so far have been the killers to me. Those are teams we should beat at home, on the road, in a barn with a peach basket in the snowy fields of Indiana. Now those losses look even worse when they are piled together with tough losses like the one we had in Philly last night. We can't afford to lose to teams in the middle (or lower) of the Big East standings, or we will find ourselves permanently on the outside of the bubble.

Xaviers talent level is on par with the middle tier of the Big East IMHO.

We knew this conference was going to be tougher night in and night out.

Why is everyone so surprised when we dont play well, that we're likley going to lose?

[XU 87]

You sound like a Dayton fan. Who cares what recruit he was out of high school (5 years ago)? How is he as a major conference D1 basketball player?

By all accounts, pretty poor. Incredibly unathletic, slow, plays with his back to the basket and has very very limited moves down low, weak on the boards because he can't jump.... Nice guy I'm sure but just not getting it done in BE play.

My point, which was lost on you, is it's not like we stole Philmore from IUPUI or EKU. The guy had some credentials before he came here and was recruited by Missouri when he transferred. That, in and of itself, does not make him a top player and I never said he it made him a top player. On paper, it looked like he was going to be a better player than he turned out to be.

P.S. I will add that when I wrote my post last night I thought he was a top 100 recruit. Per the post above, it appears that he was not.

[BandAid]

After going through the conference once I'd say (on a neutral court) Creighton and Villanova are better than us. Providence is about equal footing. We are better (in varying degrees) than everyone else. Add in home court advantages in the second half of this conference slate could be a bumpy ride.

This team in general seems rather streaky this year. We had the luxury of playing some bad teams to fix our first losing streak in Atlantis, and we had to sweat some of those out. Let's see if the team can pick itself up off the mat this time against much better competition.

In regards to the caliber of our players: I do think Philmore and Dee are in over their heads a bit in this conference. JMart is fine. In fact, has had some of his best performances in our losses (Creighton, Providence, Villanova). Stain occasionally has match-up problems against the stretch forwards, but is still a force down low. Semaj is cool. And our bench is young and inexperienced (Farr, Reynolds, Myles, and Randolph).

In regards to the coaching: The old guard has the luxury of playing the majority of teams they have already scouted. Yes, they still have to scout us, but we have to scout everyone except Butler. Every game has some element of the unknown. Creighton is the only new team that hasn't struggled at some point yet, and they have the luxury of a senior-laden team that has fine-tuned their offensive system for years.

In short, this season is far from over. There have been ups (suck it uc), and there have been downs (screw southern cal). But all in all this has been an incredibly exciting season for Xavier basketball, and it is FAR from over.

[XU2011]

In short, this season is far from over. There have been ups (suck it uc), and there have been downs (screw southern cal). But all in all this has been an incredibly exciting season for Xavier basketball, and it is FAR from over.

You and I have different definitions for an "exciting" season. This will likely be the first time since the 1999-00 season that Xavier has missed 2 NCAA tournaments in a row. And the time before that was the 1984-85 season.

You call that an exciting season? We have a sophomore first round NBA draft pick and for the third time since 1984-85, likely missing the NCAA for a second consecutive year. I don't call that exciting. I call that.... sad is the only word I can think of.

[ammtd34]

You and I have different definitions for an "exciting" season. This will likely be the first time since the 1999-00 season that Xavier has missed 2 NCAA tournaments in a row. And the time before that was the 1984-85 season.

You call that an exciting season? We have a sophomore first round NBA draft pick and for the third time since 1984-85, likely missing the NCAA for a second consecutive year. I don't call that exciting. I call that.... sad is the only word I can think of.

Likely missing the tournament? You haven't been excited at all this year?

[XU 87]

If the season ended today, we're in. So I think it's a little premature to start decaring us out of the tournament. Maybe we should wait and see who wins the upcoming games first.

[XU2011]

If it ended today, I agree, we are in.

Unfortunately, we have 9 games left. 5 of those are on the road. It took incredible efforts to beat St Johns, Marquette, Georgetown and Butler at home. St Johns is playing a whole lot better, Georgetown just beat Michigan St, Marquette has the talent and was picked #1 presason, Butler is always tough at Hinkle. Oh, and we play a team in Seton Hall in their place, who just beat us at Cintas.

And the 4 games we have at Cintas... 3 out of the 4 are the Top 3 teams in the conference, all of whom already beat us.

It's going to take some magic at MSG. Sorry if I am not optimistic.

I think this will be the second time in my lifetime Xavier misses the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year... and it was done both season's with a sophomore NBA first rounder.

[X-band '01]

If it ended today, I agree, we are in.

Unfortunately, we have 9 games left. 5 of those are on the road. It took incredible efforts to beat St Johns, Marquette, Georgetown and Butler at home. St Johns is playing a whole lot better, Georgetown just beat Michigan St, Marquette has the talent and was picked #1 presason, Butler is always tough at Hinkle. Oh, and we play a team in Seton Hall in their place, who just beat us at Cintas.

And the 4 games we have at Cintas... 3 out of the 4 are the Top 3 teams in the conference, all of whom already beat us.

It's going to take some magic at MSG. Sorry if I am not optimistic.

I think this will be the second time in my lifetime Xavier misses the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year... and it was done both season's with a sophomore NBA first rounder.

Seton Hall has been bizarro-world this year; Xavier probably has a better shot at winning there (especially if they get another lackluster crowd at home). Butler, snakebit as they've been at home this year, will be a tough win on the road but that's about as probable a win as Xavier is going to get at this point. If they can win one either at Marquette, Georgetown or St. Johns, they could get up to 3 road wins. That would be enough if Xavier only loses 1 or 2 more games at home at this point.

There was no sense of urgency against Seton Hall; it will change when Providence comes to town this weekend.

[Classof1985]

Not really sure who you are looking to be a leader here. Does it have to be a senior? The only senior on this team that gets significant playing time is Philmore... who has just as much experience playing with this team, 2 years, as Semaj and Farr who are "underclassmen." Dee Davis and Jmart may technically be juniors, but both of them have an entire year more of experience with Xavier's program then Philmore. College basketball, with transfers, redshirts, and absurd NCAA regulations, is different then say high school sports where there's an established system of seniority. A leader leads, and not because of any abstract classification of grade level.

I have no idea who the "leader" on this squad is. But I have no doubt that someone is going to rise to the occasion. Call me crazy, but I think this is a special group of guys and they are going to prove it in a few hours.

I don't know who should be stepping up to be a leader. But one of the problems Xavier has right now is that there doesn't seem to be a leader who motivates his teammates to play hard on every play. What's worse, I don't think there is anyone on this team who knows either.

Right now, Xavier is getting out-hustled and out-toughed. This quote from today's Enquirer should be disturbing to any Xavier basketball fan:

“They just played harder than us,” junior Justin Martin said. “They were just tougher than us. They got more loose balls than us. Can’t win like that.”

He's right - can't win like that. After X pounded UC earlier this year, the players had closed-door meeting. Everyone spoke their piece, but their seniors essentially said the whole team needed to step up and play harder every possession. You can see the result - they are a much better basketball team. They go hard on every possession. And it's paying off in wins and rankings.

Someone needs to step up for X and do that, or this season will get ugly in a big hurry.

[XUFan09]

Ok, how about last year:

Lose to Vandy and follow that up by losing four of the next five.

The year before we lost 3 in a row and 5 of 6 at one point.

Last year's team lost almost half their games. It's almost guaranteed there will be losing streaks when a team loses 14 times.

The year before, the losing streak was after the brawl, which was a unique circumstance.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

[casualfan]

Last year's team lost almost half their games. It's almost guaranteed there will be losing streaks when a team loses 14 times.

The year before, the losing streak was after the brawl, which was a unique circumstance.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

So what's your point?

It's not like they get a pass for being a crappy team or having their best players suspended.

[DoubleD86]

I remember when people declared the season over and no tournament chance for this team after Evansville. That was fun.

[vee4xu]

Really, it begins this Saturday with Providence. A team that started this skid is coming to town and X owes them one. If X wants to start any trek to the NCAA tournament starts with returning the favor to Providence. Just like it doesn't take too much to start a downward skid, it doesn't take much to reverse that trend. I do think the team will be ready to go on Saturday and will win. After that, be ready for the next opponent. A Kahns said, it isn't rocket science. It's practice hard and efficiently and take that effort onto the game court.

[XUFan09]

So what's your point?

It's not like they get a pass for being a crappy team or having their best players suspended.

It's not about getting a pass. It's about what the primary factors are in a losing streak. You are equivocating explanations with excuses apparently. The original explanation you brought up was a lack of leadership. When I pointed out how questionable it is to draw conclusions off only two instances, you brought up poor examples from previous years. Leadership wasn't a primary factor in those other losing streaks. One team just wasn't good, period, and the other had a depleted roster and chemistry/motivation issues, so you're back to only two examples that might be relevant.

[casualfan]

It's not about getting a pass. It's about what the primary factors are in a losing streak. You are equivocating explanations with excuses apparently. The original explanation you brought up was a lack of leadership. When I pointed out how questionable it is to draw conclusions off only two instances, you brought up poor examples from previous years. Leadership wasn't a primary factor in those other losing streaks. One team just wasn't good, period, and the other had a depleted roster and chemistry/motivation issues, so you're back to only two examples that might be relevant.

Things that leadership doesn't help with apparently...

[XUFan09]

1) Chemistry/motivation are connected to leadership but not the same thing. If it was a season-long chemistry issue, then leadership could have been more of a factor. That post-brawl period though was a shitty time for all of the players and tensions were running high because of that. Even if Stanley Burrell was on that team, he wouldn't have flipped that situation like a light switch.

2) Leadership wasn't going to make Jeff Robinson a talented basketball player. It wasn't going to make Brad Redford better than a 7th/8th man. It wasn't going to make Philmore not entering the season just recovered from a knee injury. It wasn't going to make Semaj a more experienced star.

[NY44]

Enough of this leadership crap. Put the ball in the basket and play some God damn defense.

What we really need is someone willing to dribble drive besides Semaj. If Stainbrook is overmatched in the paint our only option is a play that goes through Semaj. There is 0 offensive production that doesn't go through these 2 players. Dee really only seems to know how to attack if we're in transition. Everyone else is just catch and shoot, besides the rare Justin Martin drive.

[bleedXblue]

Enough of this leadership crap. Put the ball in the basket and play some God damn defense.

What we really need is someone willing to dribble drive besides Semaj. If Stainbrook is overmatched in the paint our only option is a play that goes through Semaj. There is 0 offensive production that doesn't go through these 2 players. Dee really only seems to know how to attack if we're in transition. Everyone else is just catch and shoot, besides the rare Justin Martin drive.

Yep and the rest for the league has figured this out.

I do think having strong leaders on the floor can help a team tremendously. Particularly during difficult stretches. I don't see a strong leader on this team like Jackson or Burrell.

[Masterofreality]

Enough of this leadership crap. Put the ball in the basket and play some God damn defense.

What we really need is someone willing to dribble drive besides Semaj. If Stainbrook is overmatched in the paint our only option is a play that goes through Semaj. There is 0 offensive production that doesn't go through these 2 players. Dee really only seems to know how to attack if we're in transition. Everyone else is just catch and shoot, besides the rare Justin Martin drive.


Yep and the rest for the league has figured this out.

I do think having strong leaders on the floor can help a team tremendously. Particularly during difficult stretches. I don't see a strong leader on this team like Jackson or Burrell.

My statement in the original post was that Brandon Randolph has to play beyond a freshman at this point. He has shown flashes of being able to get to the paint and convert. He has also at times shown an ability to knock down a shot from outside. Lately, however, he is declining open shots- I counted 3 last night- and deferring. Byron has said it on the radio feed. Brandon needs to play with more confidence.

I believe he has the ability. He just needs to believe it.

[DC Muskie]

I went to the game last night and I gotta say this...and I hate complaining about the refs, but we were two or three calls away from losing that game by 9 or 10 points. Instead we got some bad calls, and ended up losing by 22.

That really pisses me off.

[Masterofreality]

Providence lost at home to a suddenly impressive St. Johns last night.

The importance of Saturday cannot be understated.

MOR, The Canton Barrister and The Indiana Hanging Judge plus our Trophy Wives will all be there, ready to rock the house. I hope the damn crowd is awake this Weekend.

[vee4xu]

Providence lost at home to a suddenly impressive St. Johns last night.

The importance of Saturday cannot be understated.

MOR, The Canton Barrister and The Indiana Hanging Judge plus our Trophy Wives will all be there, ready to rock the house. I hope the damn crowd is awake this Weekend.

Tell the Barrister to get up, turn to the crowd and start whooping it up. His sister was a cheerleader. I assume she learned everything she knows about that from the Barrister himself. :biggrin: