A change is needed

[bleedXblue]

Not sure what it is for sure. But, if I'm Mack, I'm changing the look of this team and what players are getting the bulk of the minutes. Something has to happen to establish a baseline moving forward. What happened today with lack of effort and intensity can never happen again. Lose by 30, I don't care as long as you play hard and leave it out on the floor. If I was a betting man, I would put my money on seeing more of Randolph and Myles Davis. I would also like to see what Reynolds can do, playing an extend period of minutes in a regular rotation.

[The_Mack_Pack]

I'd like to see Reynolds start instead of Stenger, we'd probably win the tip every game..

[BandAid]

I'm guessing that if Mack makes a change it'd be going back to Philmore for the start.

I'd rather see Reynolds start, but Coach really likes Zeke.

Reynolds has played extremely well defensively of late. He picks up a lot of ticky-tack fouls (being a freshman and all), but he has the awareness, foot speed, and athleticism that Philmore, Stenger, and Farr lack in some combination or another. Plus his energy and attitude are a welcomed sight compared to the dead fish look of some of our other players.

But he'll still be stuck behind Philmore on the depth chart for the rest of the year.

[THRILLHOUSE]

I'd like to see Reynolds start instead of Stenger

I think everyone would.

[UCGRAD4X]

Reynolds is the future - big men usually take longer to develop and he's not exactly a rookie - but he should be earning more and more time. I do like the energy he brings which seems otherwise severely lacking. He will get better at harnessing that enthusiasm...I say play him.

[profson]

Not sure what it is for sure. But, if I'm Mack, I'm changing the look of this team and what players are getting the bulk of the minutes. Something has to happen to establish a baseline moving forward. What happened today with lack of effort and intensity can never happen again. Lose by 30, I don't care as long as you play hard and leave it out on the floor. If I was a betting man, I would put my money on seeing more of Randolph and Myles Davis. I would also like to see what Reynolds can do, playing an extend period of minutes in a regular rotation.

What is it that you saw today, or recently, that tells you that they should play more?

- Randolph has done nothing offensively (35% FG) and has regressed defensively
- Myles is not getting open looks, is by far the worst dribbler of the guards (so the press is even more of a problem), is not a distributor and plays atrocious defense. Every time he was in the Georgetown guards immediately blew by him. It was embarrassing to see.

Yes, Dee had a bad game, no question. But those two are not an alternative. Remy Abell, perhaps, if only ...

[bleedXblue]

What is it that you saw today, or recently, that tells you that they should play more?

- Randolph has done nothing offensively (35% FG) and has regressed defensively
- Myles is not getting open looks, is by far the worst dribbler of the guards (so the press is even more of a problem), is not a distributor and plays atrocious defense. Every time he was in the Georgetown guards immediately blew by him. It was embarrassing to see.

Yes, Dee had a bad game, no question. But those two are not an alternative. Remy Abell, perhaps, if only ...

I'm not saying they are saviors. I'm just saying that you have to try something else. I've seen 3 years of the disappearing act Dee pulls......play these guys some more and give them a chance to get into the flow of some games.

[xuinmd]

Got to agree with profusion

[Musketeer_15]

Several things that I have noticed lately. This team is playing way too slow of a pace. As we saw in the St Johns and Butler games back in the beginning of January, this team was most successful when they got the rebound and ran down court. Instead they have just casually brought it up and allowed for the opponent to dictate the pace of the game. The next thing is leadership and communication. There is no upperclassman leadership seen at all. The last thing is the most obvious, defense. This team gets burnt so bad its embarrassing. They switch way too much which allows for the other team to just go straight into attack mode. Guys need to take responsibility for their man and literally be inside their jersey.

[Frambo]

Reynolds has played extremely well defensively of late. He picks up a lot of ticky-tack fouls (being a freshman and all), but he has the awareness, foot speed, and athleticism that Philmore, Stenger, and Farr lack in some combination or another. Plus his energy and attitude are a welcomed sight compared to the dead fish look of some of our other players.

He makes a good play or two and then gets the T. I felt this really killed us when we had started pulling the game bam to us. How many Ts is that this year for him? His awareness and attitude are not that good.

[The Matador]

There is nowhere to run. There is nowhere to hide. Today the Xavier Musketeers stared into the light and found out that staring into the light will bear the souls of basketball players to eternity. While we wrestle with important questions, basketball games remain and there will be only one true victor. It is time, Xavier Musketeers. It is time. There will be destiny and we will found our destiny by playing basketball.

[PM Thor]

Sadly, I point directly at Martin. I have been in his corner for his entire career, hoping he turns the corner. He hasn't. As Frambo stated, he is a "dead fish" out there. His defensive intensity is SORELY lacking, and he makes way too many simplistic mistakes that are unforgivable. He doesn't fight through picks like I would expect, his decision making is beyond bad (today, blindly saving the ball under the X basket defensively, getting blocked and not getting back on defense, bad passes, poor cuts). He's an upperclassman. He has to do better. I am very disappointed in his play.

[Juice]

Sadly, I point directly at Martin. I have been in his corner for his entire career, hoping he turns the corner. He hasn't. As Frambo stated, he is a "dead fish" out there. His defensive intensity is SORELY lacking, and he makes way too many simplistic mistakes that are unforgivable. He doesn't fight through picks like I would expect, his decision making is beyond bad (today, blindly saving the ball under the X basket defensively, getting blocked and not getting back on defense, bad passes, poor cuts). He's an upperclassman. He has to do better. I am very disappointed in his play.

Martin would be very down on my list of guys on this team that need to do more.

[BandAid]

He makes a good play or two and then gets the T. I felt this really killed us when we had started pulling the game bam to us. How many Ts is that this year for him? His awareness and attitude are not that good.

Watch how Reynolds moves on defense compared to Farr. It is a night and day difference. His defensive awareness is far superior to Jimmy's.

He gets physical, he screams, and he's not afraid to jaw with other players. Compare that to Dee who has the same look on his face whether he scores 17 or fouls out with zero positive contribution. I'd rather have Reynold's fire.

I completely agree that the technical was boneheaded and it was the momentum jolt that ultimately decided the game. But I chalk that up to immaturity. His awareness needs to include larger game situations and his attitude needs to be channeled. Nevertheless, I want to see more Reynolds, not less.

[BandAid]

Martin would be very down on my list of guys on this team that need to do more.

I concur. Martin will make 1-2 boneheaded plays a game, but that's just JMart being Jmart. His production has been stellar in Big East play.

[THRILLHOUSE]

Martin would be very down on my list of guys on this team that need to do more.

Agreed.

[Frambo]

He gets physical, he screams, and he's not afraid to jaw with other players. Compare that to Dee who has the same look on his face whether he scores 17 or fouls out with zero positive contribution. I'd rather have Reynold's fire.

I completely agree that the technical was boneheaded and it was the momentum jolt that ultimately decided the game. But I chalk that up to immaturity. His awareness needs to include larger game situations and his attitude needs to be channeled. Nevertheless, I want to see more Reynolds, not less.

I too think he needs to play more, but I can't give him a pass on the T. Immaturity?......when he is old enough to be a junior? Give me a guy like JCage who always played with effort and physicality, but didn't need to jaw at opponents. Time for jalen to get more minutes, but in return give us some smart team play

[TUclutch]

Sadly, I point directly at Martin. I have been in his corner for his entire career, hoping he turns the corner. He hasn't. As Frambo stated, he is a "dead fish" out there. His defensive intensity is SORELY lacking, and he makes way too many simplistic mistakes that are unforgivable. He doesn't fight through picks like I would expect, his decision making is beyond bad (today, blindly saving the ball under the X basket defensively, getting blocked and not getting back on defense, bad passes, poor cuts). He's an upperclassman. He has to do better. I am very disappointed in his play.

Are we watching the same team? Martin is far from being part of the problem. Semaj, JMart and Stain are not the problem.

[xsteve1]

Are we watching the same team? Martin is far from being part of the problem. Semaj, JMart and Stain are not the problem.

Yeah strange post from PMThor. Martin is far from the problem with this team. He's been the biggest surprise and is shooting the 3 really well.

[Backyard Champ]

I think that is more of a case that he was just watching Martin thinking he was a problem, rather than watching the whole game. I see a lot of people do this, tell themselves that so and so is the problem, so they nit pick every little thing during the game.

Personally, I think this team is as good as Dee plays. I won't blame a loss on him, but when he is playing his A game, we are very good. I also think we are a far better team when we try pushing it first, and if that doesn't work, kick it out and then start the offensive possession. Dee and semaj are both extremely quick, we need to use that to our advantage.

[JEHARDI]

Agree that JMart has picked up his game considerably this year but I was at the game today and he gave up down the stretch. It was embarrassing to watch and I am amazed that he was not yanked and lit into. The effort today was severely lacking and there is no excuse for that at this point in the season.

[drudy23]

I can see his point somewhat...there's more to the game than scoring points. The problem with this team is defensive intensity. Martin has far exceeded his contributions this year...on the offensive end. His defense, like most on our team, is putrid and the opposite of aggressive. I agree he's not nearly the problem, but I can at least understand the argument.

That being said, Stenger starting is foolish. He should be getting about 3-4 minutes a game. His defense isn't all that great either, and he give you nothing on O.

It begins and ends on the defensive end with this team...we're not good enough to have it any other way.

[xsteve1]

Agree that JMart has picked up his game considerably this year but I was at the game today and he gave up down the stretch. It was embarrassing to watch and I am amazed that he was not yanked and lit into. The effort today was severely lacking and there is no excuse for that at this point in the season.

This team is a reflection of their coach. They play really relaxed without a lot of urgency and emotion outside of Reynolds. It's strange because Mack was such a fiery player at Evansville.

[Muskie in NY]

I don't understand how it seems so obvious to us that it may not be that wise to start Stenger...but for some reason Coach continues to start him. Does anyone want to attempt to answer that question? However Coach has done well especially in recruiting, so I don't want to sound like I'm not a fan of his. I mean there is no question he has helped our franchise move to the next level, and he deserves credit for that. But honestly moves like this are simply baffling to me.

[Juice]

Agree that JMart has picked up his game considerably this year but I was at the game today and he gave up down the stretch. It was embarrassing to watch and I am amazed that he was not yanked and lit into. The effort today was severely lacking and there is no excuse for that at this point in the season.

Then what was the rest of the team's effort down the stretch? Not good as well.

People on this board love to single Martin out and I'm not really sure why. His production has increased in league play. Besides Semaj and Stain, Martin is the most productive player on the team. Is he perfect? Nope, but as I stated before, he is way down on my list of things wrong with this team.

[Green Mamba]

I too think he needs to play more, but I can't give him a pass on the T. Immaturity?......when he is old enough to be a junior? Give me a guy like JCage who always played with effort and physicality, but didn't need to jaw at opponents. Time for jalen to get more minutes, but in return give us some smart team play

Personally, I want to see more jawing at opponents from everyone.

[wkrq59]

What this team needs is some fun. Loosen up a bit. Play the damn game. Defend. Shoot, block out run, defend, Play the damned GAME. It's a game, not a war. This is a team, not five individuals. There are three scholarship seniors on this team. There is a sophomore who everybody who can use a keyboard has leaving this year for the NBA, there is 4th year junior whom everybody likes to whip, a sophomore who started out improved and appears to have regressed in a number of phases of the game, a 2nd year freshman who has supreme energy, loves the school and needs to play more , there is a junior point guard who fouls too often, could shoot more but doesn't and a whole bunch of other enigmas who puzzle the hell out of most fans. But this team is 18-9 and 8-6 in a tough league and a much better team than last year. But still at times a maddening mystery. Hmmmm

[Frambo]

Personally, I want to see more jawing at opponents from everyone.

Right......the more technicals breaking our back, the better!?!?!

Play like a man?

[xu82]

People on this board love to single Martin out and I'm not really sure why. His production has increased in league play. Besides Semaj and Stain, Martin is the most productive player on the team. Is he perfect? Nope, but as I stated before, he is way down on my list of things wrong with this team.

I agree. He may try to do a bit too much on offense at times (and maybe too little on defense), but who else is consistently producing? I was not a huge supporter early in the year but he has stepped it up and I am now generally pleased. We have a lot of issues that need more urgent attention than Martin.

[Masterofreality]

This team is a reflection of their coach. They play really relaxed without a lot of urgency and emotion outside of Reynolds. It's strange because Mack was such a fiery player at Evansville.

Maybe he changed because of a Reflection Session after 76-53?. In any event no one should have to motivate players in a fiery manner when the NCAA Tournament prize requirements are squarely staring each guy in the face. If they don't come out with strong effort in each of these last 4 games, they don't care about making the Dance anyway.

[Lamont Sanford]

I think it really is fair to question if this group truly cares.

Personally, I don't see any major changes coming. Philmore might replace Stenger in the starting lineup, but Mack is pretty stubborn when it comes to change as evident by the fact they he flat our refuses to play zone for extended stretches nor press more.

Unlike Obama, change ain't coming under Mack...as long as he is at the helm.

[Muskie]

I think it really is fair to question if this group truly cares.

Personally, I don't see any major changes coming. Philmore might replace Stenger in the starting lineup, but Mack is pretty stubborn when it comes to change as evident by the fact they he flat our refuses to play zone for extended stretches nor press more.

Unlike Obama, change ain't coming under Mack...as long as he is at the helm.

So it's like Obama in that way then?

[danaandvictory]

\but Mack is pretty stubborn when it comes to change as evident by the fact they he flat our refuses to play zone for extended stretches nor press more.

Have you seen Xavier play a zone? They are absolutely clueless in a zone. They are hopeless. They threw one against Georgetown and immediately gave up 7 points on three possessions. If I was a conspiracy theorist type, I'd call Xavier playing zone a false flag operation.

[casualfan]

Maybe he changed because of a Reflection Session after 76-53?. In any event no one should have to motivate players in a fiery manner when the NCAA Tournament prize requirements are squarely staring each guy in the face. If they don't come out with strong effort in each of these last 4 games, they don't care about making the Dance anyway.

Keep in mind this team is chalk full of guys that have never experienced the tourney so I'm not sure they know what they are missing.

Stain, Semaj, Randolph, Reynolds, Davis, Richards, Farr and Philmore have never experienced the magic that is the tournament.

In fact the only guys who have are Martin, Dee, and Stenger.

We have a lot of talented basketball players on this team, but I'm not sure how many winners we have.

[Masterofreality]

Have you seen Xavier play a zone? They are absolutely clueless in a zone. They are hopeless. They threw one against Georgetown and immediately gave up 7 points on three possessions. If I was a conspiracy theorist type, I'd call Xavier playing zone a false flag operation.

Then if you don't know how to play zone at the D1 collegiate level, then that is squarely on the Coaching staff. You have plenty of Pre-season and in season practice time....even more now than before...going back as deep as September. Teaching all aspects is important. If there is a deficiency there it is Inexcuseable.

[XU 87]

We have a lot of talented basketball players on this team, but I'm not sure how many winners we have.

I disagree with that. We have a 5'9" point guard who doesn't shoot real well and can't take the ball to the basket. We are starting a guy who transferred from NKU and his replacement is a Townson State transfer. Myles Davis can shoot but his defense is awful- I wonder if his knee is still bothering him.

We had two starters who combined for 0 points yesterday- Stenger and Dee Davis.

We need better players. We need some more guys who can shoot from the outside. We need better athletes at the 4's and 5's. We need a bigger point guard who can shoot, and one who doesn't disappear in games.

[mistabeecee41]

on court - our leadership problems are becoming more and more visible. Yes, as mentioned earlier, preparation is a part of it and that falls on Mack. On the other hand, these top level division 1 basketball players should be able to do it on their own.

We've had quiet guys in the past few years - Drew Lavender, Justin Cage, Derrick Brown, and even Tu for the most part were quiet kind of leaders. Difference? These guys were paired with guys like Stanley Burrell, CJ Anderson, BJ Anderson, and Mark Lyons - the kind of guys to lead vocally on the court. Right now, the most outspoken player on our team is Jalen Reynolds. Stain would probably be second, except he uses his outspoken personality to whine to refs and throw temper tantrums.

Remember when people didn't like Mark because he was "mean" to Kenny? Yeah, he looked like a dick yelling at teammates when something didn't go right. I would kill to have somebody like that on this team. If I'm Semaj Christon or Justin Martin - I don't let Isiah Philmore play like he played yesterday without giving him an earful.

[casualfan]

We also have a lottery pick guard, one of the top 2 or 3 centers in the conference, a very solid 4th year wing player averaging double figures, a 6 '9 face up four shooting 42% from three, and a freak athlete big man who plays very hard.

I don't buy the argument that this team doesn't have talented players. Are most of them flawed? Yes, that's why they are college players. The one closest to without flaw (Semaj) won't be here next year for that reason.

As for needing a bigger PG who can shoot WTF is Semaj? He's 6-3 and is shooting 50% from the field and 46% from deep.

The talent is there, Mack just refuses to use it properly. You said it yourself, Dee Davis and Stenger (two starters) scored 0 points yesterday. Why are they starting? Start Myles or Randolph and Jalen instead of those guys. We're to the point in the season where what he's been doing isn't working yet he refuses to do anything different. It's mind blowing really.

[casualfan]

We need better players. We need some more guys who can shoot from the outside.

We have 4 guys shooting better than 38% from three. 5 better than 36%. We have three of the top 15 shooters from deep in the conference (Dee, Martin, and Myles). The other two (Semaj and Jimmy Farr) would be second and fifth, but they don't qualify which brings me to my next point...

The two guys on the team with the highest 3 pt % have taken the 4th and 5th most attempts. Semaj is shooting 46% and has taken 30. Jimmy Farr is shooting 42% and has shot 45.

Not only do we have plenty of guys who can shoot it from deep, our two best guys from deep need to shoot more. That is coaching.



We need better athletes at the 4's and 5's.

James Farr and Jalen Reynolds are as athletic as any 4 and 5 in the conference. They average 13.6 and 10.8 minutes respectively. It's not that we don't have athletic 4's and 5's, it's that they don't play.



We need a bigger point guard who can shoot, and one who doesn't disappear in games.

Gee, wonder where we could find a guy who is pretty tall, maybe in the 6 '3 range or so who is a big time player and can shoot say 50+% from the field and 46% from deep? It'd be really nice if we could find a PG that's a consensus NBA pick somewhere. Maybe one day...

[xsteve1]

We also have a lottery pick guard, one of the top 2 or 3 centers in the conference, a very solid 4th year wing player averaging double figures, a 6 '9 face up four shooting 42% from three, and a freak athlete big man who plays very hard.

I don't buy the argument that this team doesn't have talented players. Are most of them flawed? Yes, that's why they are college players. The one closest to without flaw (Semaj) won't be here next year for that reason.

As for needing a bigger PG who can shoot WTF is Semaj? He's 6-3 and is shooting 50% from the field and 46% from deep.

The talent is there, Mack just refuses to use it properly. You said it yourself, Dee Davis and Stenger (two starters) scored 0 points yesterday. Why are they starting? Start Myles or Randolph and Jalen instead of those guys. We're to the point in the season where what he's been doing isn't working yet he refuses to do anything different. It's mind blowing really.

Agree that X has enough talent to make the NCAA's. I don't understand why this group can basically play with anybody in the 513 area code but look lifeless and go through the motions outside of it,

[XU 87]

We also have a lottery pick guard, one of the top 2 or 3 centers in the conference, a very solid 4th year wing player averaging double figures, a 6 '9 face up four shooting 42% from three, and a freak athlete big man who plays very hard.

I don't buy the argument that this team doesn't have talented players. Are most of them flawed? Yes, that's why they are college players. The one closest to without flaw (Semaj) won't be here next year for that reason.

As for needing a bigger PG who can shoot WTF is Semaj? He's 6-3 and is shooting 50% from the field and 46% from deep.

The talent is there, Mack just refuses to use it properly. You said it yourself, Dee Davis and Stenger (two starters) scored 0 points yesterday. Why are they starting? Start Myles or Randolph and Jalen instead of those guys. We're to the point in the season where what he's been doing isn't working yet he refuses to do anything different. It's mind blowing really.

Semaj plays two guard, not point guard. Now we could move Semaj to point but then who gets the minutes at the 2? You want to start Myles? Have you seen his defense? And Myles had no points in 17 minutes yesterday. Randolph could be a decent player but he isn't playing well either. The bottom line is that there aren't better guards sitting on the bench right now who are playing better than Dee Davis on both ends of the floor, and that's a problem.

Jalen Reynolds is averaging 3 points and 3 rebounds per game. He is playing better as of late but let's not act as though he has shown that he should be getting 30 minutes per game. He had 2 rebounds, 2 points and 4 fouls in 15 minutes yesterday. James Farr's defense has been terrible of late.


To be clear- there is some talent on this team. But we have some positions that are really lacking- most noticeably point guard and to a lesser extent the 4. And we have some freshman who may develop into very good players, but right now they are role players.

That said, we have enough talent not to be down by 16 yesterday at half.

[casualfan]

Semaj plays two guard, not point guard. Now we could move Semaj to point but then who gets the minutes at the 2? You want to start Myles? Have you seen his defense? And Myles had no points in 17 minutes yesterday. Randolph could be a decent player but he isn't playing well either. The bottom line is that there aren't better guards sitting on the bench right now who are playing better than Dee Davis, and that's a problem.


I would play Semaj at point, Martin at the two, and a front line of Farr, Reynolds, and Stainbrook. Myles and Dee would be my two guard subs and Philmore would mainly sub for the bigs with a little bit of Stenger when necessary.

That puts our best shooting team out there and it would also be the longest which helps on defense. That lineup would also theoretically dominate the glass.

[bleedXblue]

We have 4 guys shooting better than 38% from three. 5 better than 36%. We have three of the top 15 shooters from deep in the conference (Dee, Martin, and Myles). The other two (Semaj and Jimmy Farr) would be second and fifth, but they don't qualify which brings me to my next point...

The two guys on the team with the highest 3 pt % have taken the 4th and 5th most attempts. Semaj is shooting 46% and has taken 30. Jimmy Farr is shooting 42% and has shot 45.

Not only do we have plenty of guys who can shoot it from deep, our two best guys from deep need to shoot more. That is coaching.



James Farr and Jalen Reynolds are as athletic as any 4 and 5 in the conference. They average 13.6 and 10.8 minutes respectively. It's not that we don't have athletic 4's and 5's, it's that they don't play.



Gee, wonder where we could find a guy who is pretty tall, maybe in the 6 '3 range or so who is a big time player and can shoot say 50+% from the field and 46% from deep? It'd be really nice if we could find a PG that's a consensus NBA pick somewhere. Maybe one day...

This is more what I mean by change. Yes, move Semaj to PG. Play the other 3 in a rotation. Play whoever's hot. I don't care. Something's gotta give.

[XU 87]

I would play Semaj at point, Martin at the two, and a front line of Farr, Reynolds, and Stainbrook. Myles and Dee would be my two guard subs and Philmore would mainly sub for the bigs with a little bit of Stenger when necessary.

That puts our best shooting team out there and it would also be the longest which helps on defense. That lineup would also theoretically dominate the glass.

You want Justin Martin to guard the other team's two? Really? And you want Farr to play more minutes? Have you seen his defense? And now you want him to play 3 and have to guard threes?

[casualfan]

This is more what I mean by change. Yes, move Semaj to PG. Play the other 3 in a rotation. Play whoever's hot. I don't care. Something's gotta give.

Yes, I just don't buy the idea that this team doesn't have talent. As I mentioned earlier just because a guy has flaws doesn't mean he isn't talented. IMO James Farr is one of if not the most talented player on this team yet we're two years into his tenure here and he is not contributing at all. Same thing with Reynolds. Yes, he is "young". He's also pretty old. All we've heard for three years is "he's the most talented big Xavier has ever had".

The thing that really kills me is that people are already falling into the same trap for next year they did for this year. The "just wait until we have Farr with a year of experience and Myles and Reynolds" crowd is now trumpeting the next crop of frosh as the one's who will save Xavier basketball. I'm tired of hearing about the next transfer or the next signee and how great they are.

This team has talent right now. Look at some of the teams on the bubble with us and tell me we aren't exponentially more talented.

[casualfan]

You want Justin Martin to guard the other team's two? Really? And you want Farr to play more minutes? Have you seen his defense? And now you want him to play 3 and have to guard threes?

Yep. Play a simple 2-3 zone on D if you need to. Surely Mack is capable of teaching that.

You realize we just gave up 74 to a team that really only has two offensive threats? I'm not disagreeing that the lineup I proposed might have some defensive deficiencies, but how is that any different than what we're running out there now?

At least with the lineup I proposed we'd have 5 guys capable of putting the ball in the hoop instead of the 3-5 we are starting the game with right now.

[xuwin]

I would play Semaj at point, Martin at the two, and a front line of Farr, Reynolds, and Stainbrook. Myles and Dee would be my two guard subs and Philmore would mainly sub for the bigs with a little bit of Stenger when necessary.

That puts our best shooting team out there and it would also be the longest which helps on defense. That lineup would also theoretically dominate the glass.

The last thing you want is Martin dribbling the ball more which is what you get with him at the 2 guard. Also he would struggle big time trying to guard the opposing teams guard.

[The_Mack_Pack]

This team has talent right now. Look at some of the teams on the bubble with us and tell me we aren't exponentially more talented.

There are also a lot of bubble teams far more talented than us. Baylor and OK State come to mind.

Sometimes talent just takes awhile before it transfers to the court. Look at St John's this season, it took them until late January to get all that talent rolling. Look at a player like JMart, it took him a few years before his talent finally transferred to the court. I agree that Xavier has a lot of young talent on the bench, it just hasn't transferred yet.

[XU 87]

Yep. Play a simple 2-3 zone on D if you need to. Surely Mack is capable of teaching that.

You realize we just gave up 74 to a team that really only has two offensive threats? I'm not disagreeing that the lineup I proposed might have some defensive deficiencies, but how is that any different than what we're running out there now?

This team plays poor zone. And with that lineup, you have no ball handlers out there other than Semaj. I guess we just pray the other team doesn't press or play man defense. You can't just move forwards to guard and centers to a wing position and then say, "No problem. We'll play zone."

[casualfan]

The last thing you want is Martin dribbling the ball more which is what you get with him at the 2 guard. Also he would struggle big time trying to guard the opposing teams guard.

I give you that Martin at the two might hurt ball handling a bit, but I'm very confident in Semaj as a one man press break. If they tried to double him he;s good enough and athletic enough to make the right pass to the open man to get the ball across mid court.

As for Martin having to guard the other teams two guard I will again point to Saturday's 74 point defensive effort. IMO we're at the point where it is play the guy who can score, but can't defend (Martin) versus the guy who can't defend and can't score (Dee).

[XU 87]

I think it's a bad idea to play people out of position and put them in roles which they aren't equipped to handle.

[casualfan]

This team plays poor zone. And with that lineup, you have no ball handlers out there other than Semaj. I guess we just pray the other team doesn't press or play man defense. You can't just move forwards to guard and centers to a wing position and then say, "No problem. We'll play zone."

The team plays poor zone because whatever smallish guard we have out there (Myles, Dee, Reynolds) allows the guards to see right over the top of the zone and make good decisions passing. With Semaj and Martin out top they don't have that luxury.

Again, I'm not suggesting that lineup would be world beaters on d. I'm suggesting that they could do just as well as the current lineup has of late and that they'd be exponentially better on offense.

[casualfan]

I think it's a bad idea to play people out of position and put them in roles which they aren't equipped to handle.

And I think it's a bad idea to keep doing what you've been doing when it has consistently failed just because you are afraid to try something new.

What would it have hurt to try that lineup when we're down 15 late in the second half to see what happens? If they play well maybe you have something. If not you're right back where you started.

[XU 87]

And I think it's a bad idea to keep doing what you've been doing when it has consistently failed just because you are afraid to try something new.

What would it have hurt to try that lineup when we're down 15 late in the second half to see what happens? If they play well maybe you have something. If not you're right back where you started.

The team has not consistently failed. We're still in the hunt for the NCAA. And you don't do crazy things like tell Justin Martin to go play 2 and tell James Farr to go play 3. And you don't do crazy things like play a 1 guard, 3 forward (with two being 4's), and one center offense with only one ball handler (no, Semaj can't beat a press all by himself- ask DePaul, UC and Georgetown). And then after you do that you don't just change your entire defensive philosophy and start playing 2-3 zone all game. And you're not advocating to put this lineup in at the end of the game to "see what happens". You want this lineup to start and play the bulk of the minutes.

In theory, Randolph should be getting more minutes. I think the guy can play. But he looks scared to death out there. He hasn't shown enough to get more minutes.

[casualfan]

I want to say one last thing on the subject and then I'm going to leave it alone.

In our 7 Big East road games we are giving up an average of 76.5 points. If you take out the Butler game where we only gave up 50 we're giving up 81 per game on the road.

We have consistently given up huge scoring numbers on the road in conference play. There's no reason for me to believe that will change Tuesday night. The question then becomes which lineup gives us the best chance to keep pace with the scoring the opponent will likely do.

IMHO that lineup isn't the one we've been consistently running out there.

[bleedXblue]

The team has not consistently failed. We're still in the hunt for the NCAA. And you don't do crazy things like tell Justin Martin to go play 2 and tell James Farr to go play 3. And you don't do crazy things like play a 1 guard, 3 forward (with two being 4's), and one center offense with only one ball handler (no, Semaj can't beat a press all by himself- ask DePaul, UC and Georgetown). And then after you do that you don't just change your entire defensive philosophy and start playing 2-3 zone all game. And you're not advocating to put this lineup in at the end of the game to "see what happens". You want this lineup to start and play the bulk of the minutes.

In theory, Randolph should be getting more minutes. I think the guy can play. But he looks scared to death out there. He hasn't shown enough to get more minutes.

Randolph has to grow up at some point. Now looks to me to be a good time to make that happen.

[drudy23]

I want to say one last thing on the subject and then I'm going to leave it alone.

In our 7 Big East road games we are giving up an average of 76.5 points. If you take out the Butler game where we only gave up 50 we're giving up 81 per game on the road.

We have consistently given up huge scoring numbers on the road in conference play. There's no reason for me to believe that will change Tuesday night. The question then becomes which lineup gives us the best chance to keep pace with the scoring the opponent will likely do.

IMHO that lineup isn't the one we've been consistently running out there.

This...all of this...begins and ends at the defensive end. We're not offensively explosive enough to outscore opponents. Unless we dig in on D, it's NIT. If we bring some intensity on D, we got a shot.

[Juice]

I want to say one last thing on the subject and then I'm going to leave it alone.

In our 7 Big East road games we are giving up an average of 76.5 points. If you take out the Butler game where we only gave up 50 we're giving up 81 per game on the road.

We have consistently given up huge scoring numbers on the road in conference play. There's no reason for me to believe that will change Tuesday night. The question then becomes which lineup gives us the best chance to keep pace with the scoring the opponent will likely do.

IMHO that lineup isn't the one we've been consistently running out there.

The lineup you suggest is a bad idea. The offense you believe will happen will not justify the damage it will cause on the defensive end. Offensively it would be a lot of standing and watching since only Semaj can penetrate and create.

[XUFan09]

The lineup you suggest is a bad idea. The offense you believe will happen will not justify the damage it will cause on the defensive end. Offensively it would be a lot of standing and watching since only Semaj can penetrate and create.

Yep.

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[Masterofreality]

The lineup you suggest is a bad idea. The offense you believe will happen will not justify the damage it will cause on the defensive end. Offensively it would be a lot of standing and watching since only Semaj can penetrate and create.


Yep.

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Yep. Yep.

The offense was Horriffic yesterday , no matter who was in there, but has everyone forgotten that quickly how bad the offense is when Dee Davis isn't in there? Really, Really bad. And, like Bleed said, about now would be a very good time for Brandon Randolph to grow up.

[vee4xu]

Then if you don't know how to play zone at the D1 collegiate level, then that is squarely on the Coaching staff. You have plenty of Pre-season and in season practice time....even more now than before...going back as deep as September. Teaching all aspects is important. If there is a deficiency there it is Inexcuseable.

Interesting that the conversation has evolved to this point. After reading through this thread, it seems that defense is ultimately the issue. Both in terms of keeping the other team from scoring and in terms of creating offense off of it. Seems to my novice eye that X is failing on both counts. By not stopping the team from scoring, they have to inbounds the ball, usually against pressure. If they were able to keep the other team from scoring, then they can transition from rebounding, steals and turnovers.

The other thought I have is that Coach Mack comes directly from the Skip Prosser coaching tree. To be sure, Coach Mack worked with Sean Miller who (with Matta) come directly from the Herb Sendeck coaching tree. Skip was always a fast-paced, up-and-down coach. He wanted a more frenetic pace and defense seemed to be secondary in his scheme. After seeing X play since Miller left, I am left to surmise that Coach Mack more closely espouses the Skip Prosser coaching method than the Herb Sendeck-Thad Matta-Sean Miller tree. To me therein lies the difference.

[XUFan09]

Here's the thing: The difference between Xavier's home play and their road play is enormous, much greater than most teams of similar caliber. It's not that they lose on the road; it's how they lose. Alabama is the only road game in which they have played well (Alabama was decent at that time, but the wheels came off in SEC play, and I won't count Butler and DePaul).

Dee Davis isn't the problem. Isaiah Philmore isn't the problem. These guys are generally fine at home, including against some good competition. The problem is that the team as a whole performs poorly on the road. Lineup "fixes" won't change that. You still have a team as a whole that doesn't play with the same intensity.

-Justin Martin seemed to be the only one that brought intensity yesterday.
- Semaj attempted only five field goals and had three assists.
- Stainbrook grabbed only three rebounds.

It's a team-wide road problem, not a lineup problem.

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[XUFan09]

Another note: This team relies on playing faster to be effective offensively. That comes with defense first. Forcing turnovers was only a secondary purpose of Georgetown's press. The main goal was just to slow Xavier down, and they did that successfully because scoring consistently allowed them to easily set up the press.

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[NY44]

Agree that X has enough talent to make the NCAA's. I don't understand why this group can basically play with anybody in the 513 area code but look lifeless and go through the motions outside of it,

You hit the nail on the head. This is the same team we have had all year, who beat Cincinnati and Georgetown, and now there is suddenly not enough talent because we've started losing?

[PM Thor]

Yeah strange post from PMThor. Martin is far from the problem with this team. He's been the biggest surprise and is shooting the 3 really well.

Watch him on defense. He is non existent. He might be a great threat for threes, but he is not a good defender. He gets blown by by true guards, and cannot handle banging with bigger forwards. He is one dimensional. That's why he gets open shots, because teams worry about other players more. Go back and watch the games. He can't fight through any kind of pick, hell, barely tries. He never brings the ball inside, and makes stupid, stupid mistakes.

Sure, there are other players who are playing badly. But this team hinges on Martins play (IMO) and he ain't getting it done. Not even close.