XAVIER vs UTEP

[MADXSTER]

1551 vs 1552

Xavier University Musketeers (5-0)
W Northern Arizona 93-60 Preseason pick was 3rd in Big Sky
W Long beach State 97-74 Preseason pick was 3rd in Big West
W Stephen F Austin 81-63 Preseason pick was 1st in Southland
W Murray State 89-62 Preseason pick was 1st in OVC
W San Diego Toreros 82-71 Preseason pick was 5th in WCC

vs UTEP Miners (3-0) Preseason pick was 2nd in CUSA
W Washington St 65-52
W New Mexico St 77-76
W Princeton 62-56

Friday Nov. 28, 2014 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Fullerton Ca
Television: ESPN 2
Radio: 700 WLW-AM

GameTracker

Live Chat

[MADXSTER]

UTEP sophomore forward Vince Hunter and senior guard/forward Julian Washburn have been named to the 10-man Preseason All-Conference USA Team.

Hunter was the 2014 C-USA Freshman of the Year, five-time Freshman of the Week and a finalist for the Kyle Macy National Freshman of the Year Award. He set UTEP freshman records for free throw attempts (202) and field goal percentage (.568) last season while averaging 12.3 points and 6.5 rebounds. Hunter was the Miners' leading scorer in C-USA play with 14.5 ppg.

Washburn enters the season with 1,186 career points to rank 18th in school history.

Both Hunter and Washburn were second team All-League honorees in 2013-14

[LA Muskie]

Looks like our bigs are finally going to get a test. Party's over, fellas...time to go to work.

[MADXSTER]

Looks like our bigs are finally going to get a test. Party's over, fellas...time to go to work.

Looks like they start...
6'0"
6'8
6'8
6'10"
7'1"

[A10fan]

I guess X is going to try to get and run at every possibility. Should be an interesting test of wills.

[X-man]

Early line...Muskies giving 7-7.5. I agree that the competition steps up in this game. But this is why we schedule. Get 'er done, lads, and we knock on the top-25 door.

[sirthought]

UTEP looks like a decent team. I hope our rebounding and passing saves the day. It could be more of a grinder than we've had so far.

[Snipe]

Any bootleg live stream?

[xu82]

Yep, that floor is still hideous.

[MADXSTER]

Vince Hunter was once a recuit of Xavier's. Think grades may have been the issue.

[paulxu]

We need to run all game on this team.

[Jesuit4Life]

Any bootleg live stream?
http://cricfree.sx/espn2-live-stream.php
http://wiz1.net/channel7
or WatchESPN if you have access.

[sirthought]

Any bootleg live stream?

You can use this URL in VLC player.
rtmp://93.174.95.125:1935/edge/_definst_/rgyus7ao2ullmbt

You can stream it in a browser through http://goatd.net/

[xu82]

Myles out of the dog house.

[GoMuskies]

Dee Davis drives me to drink. Not that I mind that too much.

[XfansinKy]

Stop shooting Dee!

[sirthought]

Blu to Reynolds is sweet

[Blue Blobs Bro]

Jalen Reynolds is a man among boys

[GoMuskies]

Sumner kind of reminds me of Semaj the way he looks out there. Obviously not as good, but style wise.

[NY44]

UTEP is playing well and catching breaks. Stay out of foul trouble and we'll outlast this hot streak.

[GoMuskies]

Myles is making amends today.

[MADXSTER]

Boy's, we have a hell of a game going on right now. My thinking is that we have more depth so if they get into foul trouble hopefully we will have the advantage.

[sirthought]

Myles is making amends today.

He seems driven!

[GoMuskies]

Love it when Remy slashes.

[sirthought]

Love it when Remy slashes.

hear hear

I think he needs to get more involved in the offense than he has been.

[xu82]

I was thinking we'd be better at FT % this year, but I think I saw 5/10. Not good enough against good teams. Small sample size, so there's hope.

[GreatWhiteNorth]

We are missing FT again today, but look at the team fouls.......this will affect UTEP later in the game. Go X.
Butler beats Georgetown, what's going on?

[xu82]

Being so deep helps a lot in terms of fouls and fresh legs. That has been an issue in recent years, but a pleasure this year. Doubt they can come close to matching our depth.

[sirthought]

So our weakness is still defending the three and proper rotation.

Our guards need to watch who's hanging out at the line.

[paulxu]

Dee...please kick it out.

[xu82]

Make them pay!

[GoMuskies]

Why does Farr start?

[xu82]

What did Farr do/say? I'll never know.

[Xavgrad08]

Stupid play James Farr.

[Emp]

Cute chick with weed board at Venice beach.

[SemajParlor]

Time for Little Melo to show up and take over. This is for real now, kid.

[BandAid]

All the little things going utep's way, and right now they look like they want it more. Get hungry guys! Come on!

[mistabeecee41]

Stain has been pretty much perfect up until this point. He's statistically due for this kind of game

[xu82]

Lots of firepower on the floor now
Plus Dee

[GoMuskies]

Not a good sequence for Macura

[paulxu]

JP, you missed the layup. Don't miss the easy pass to Jalen.
Come on Muskies. Turn it up a little.

[BMoreX]

To many fouls

[Xavgrad08]

Feels like all of the momentum is going UTEP's way but we are only down 3.

[Blue Blobs Bro]

Not really one to complain about the refs but come on, some of those were obvious .

[GoMuskies]

The legendary Hunter making us look silly.

[xu82]

Not a good sequence for Macura

A blocking foul would have been his 4th, but yeah.

[GoMuskies]

Did a UTEP fan just carry his blanket along press row to yell at the refs?

[BlueGuy]

Not really one to complain about the refs but come on, some of those were obvious .

We can't complain about officiating right now. We're getting our fair share of calls.

[SemajParlor]

Regardless of the outcome, this is a good game for our young team. Physical and intense. Let's see who steps up here.

[BlueGuy]

Dollar Shave Club's commercial is good. Anyone use that service?

[paulxu]

Except for a 5 minute stretch against San Deigo, I think this is the first time we've been behind.
Good test of our toughness. Would like to see us run more.

[GoMuskies]

That kind of day.

[SemajParlor]

Holy. Hate that.

[paulxu]

What?

[BlueGuy]

Except for a 5 minute stretch against San Deigo, I think this is the first time we've been behind.
Good test of our toughness. Would like to see us run more.

They are looking very out of sorts right now...

[BMoreX]

Gtfo

[XfansinKy]

They are looking very out of sorts right now...

Agree. Back to playing AAU ball

[paulxu]

So sloppy.

[xubrew]

Could someone punch Tim Floyd right in the face?? Just really hard, right in the face. The world will be a slightly better place if that happens

[Xavgrad08]

Half court offensive execution has been awful today.

[GoMuskies]

Was Stain just tired? No other reason for that foul.

[BlueGuy]

Fuck it. Just give it to Blueitt.... Let him Crawford/Halloway this game...

[GoMuskies]

Could someone punch Tim Floyd right in the face?? Just really hard, right in the face. The world will be a slightly better place if that happens

Guy is one helluva college coach, though.

[mistabeecee41]

Get your head in the game Stain. Not a senior play to foul a point guard 60 feet away from the basket with 33 seconds on the shot clock when they're in the bonus.

[X-band '01]

First test of the season - neither team has had more than a 7-pt lead.

Can't imagine that Floyd is going to allow his defense to give Bluiett any other outside looks.

[xu82]

Lots of time. Play our game.

[BlueGuy]

Flagrant 1

[BlueGuy]

Elbow to the chest... Might not be a flagrant

[xu82]

Anyone else see the shirt that said Thug Life? I hope that's one of theirs!

[GoMuskies]

Remy probably fouled first. Glad they didn't call that.

[BlueGuy]

We got lucky on that. No way was there contact above the shoulder.

[GoMuskies]

Huge break for us.

[BMoreX]

I just can't believe how many threes they've gotten.

[BMoreX]

I just can't believe how many threes they've gotten.

Again

[oddblob]

would be nice to play perimeter defense

[BMoreX]

Game

[oddblob]

not looking good here

[Caveat]

Getting worked by a branch campus school. Embarrassing.

[GoMuskies]

Well....maybe UTEP will turn out to be good.

Long Beach will be much tougher in Southern California.

[X-band '01]

would be nice to play perimeter defense

I'd settle for ANY defensive stops at this point.

[BMoreX]

Brutal foul there as the shot clock was low

[BandAid]

How many layups have we missed? Damn

[X-band '01]

Makeup no-call? That's an obvious shove in front of the Xavier bench.

[oddblob]

Get the stop

[X-band '01]

Got the stop, now need to get within 1 or tie.

[oddblob]

done. really bad showing. bummer.

[BandAid]

Another missed layup

[mohr5150]

Man, he blue itt.

[BMoreX]

That's ten seconds

[X-band '01]

Don't need to foul, but a stop is an absolute must.

EDIT: My feed must be behind BMore.

[BMoreX]

What?

[Xavgrad08]

Frustrating game to watch. We have a lot to improve on but the future still looks very bright.

[oddblob]

ugh.

[GoMuskies]

Just not our day.

[BMoreX]

Welp.

[Caveat]

Garbage showing. Need to shake it off because there are much better teams coming up.

[X-band '01]

That's ten seconds

53.0 to 44.1 ain't 10 seconds.

[GoMuskies]

Nice shot by Myles. I wasn't too thrilled when it went up.

[Emp]

Missed open lay ups. Shot chart looks ugly.

[xu82]

53.0 to 44.1 ain't 10 seconds.

Were you a math major? Probably not an English major...

[GoMuskies]

Let's just get a steal and a 3. I'll take an ugly win.

[X-band '01]

Close but no cigar 82.

[GoMuskies]

Walk?

[BMoreX]

53.0 to 44.1 ain't 10 seconds.

Didn't see it started at 33

[xukeith]

X is frozen in 2nd half. Good D by UTEP?
Bluiett Blew it with that wide open lay up. I think X had 8 2nd half lay ups that were missed. Oh well. Next year X can go undefeated.

[oddblob]

abysmal second half

[Strange Brew]

Didn't think you could run the baseline after a TO?

[BMoreX]

That fucking blew

[GoMuskies]

Wtf was that?

[oddblob]

what on earth was that???? good lord

[X-band '01]

Door is open. And slammed shut.

[mistabeecee41]

Yeah, run that play to the guy who can't jump

[BMoreX]

They had a shot

[BandAid]

Well that pretty much sums up this game

[xukeith]

Not so talented a Xavier team?
Maybe this is a freshman and sophomore learning season. Play defense! Big East is really good this year

[LA Muskie]

Reality strikes. We didn't deserve to win that game.

[xu82]

Our young guys won't be so young when our tourney run starts.

[OH.X.MI]

Ugh weekend ruined. Terrible performance.

[GoMuskies]

Mack needs to work on that play.

[paulxu]

Well, that hurt.

[Caveat]

A C-USA loss isn't going to look good on the tournament resume down the road.

[GoMuskies]

Long Beach is going to be really tough on Sunday, too.

[gladdenguy]

What the fuck is JP doing. 3.5 seconds is plenty of time. Terrible loss.

[xsteve1]

Those are the situations Mack struggles with and Miller was so good at. Just a totally different bunch away from Cintas.

[X-band '01]

Ugh weekend ruined. Terrible performance.

Too soon to say that - still got a game with either Washington or Long Beach State coming up. 3 wins would have been great, but 2 wins wouldn't be bad, either. It's a lot better than what Xavier did in Atlantis last season.

[LA Muskie]

Mack needs to work on that play.

I like the play. Not so much the execution. Gotta have the right personnel on the floor. Which means Randolph or Sumner instead of Macura inbounding/making the pass.

[xukeith]

We all knew UTEP was a top 15 team, right?

[Strange Brew]

A C-USA loss isn't going to look good on the tournament resume down the road.

Yep, typical Mack team. Blow a winnable game or two in Nov and be the odd man out in Mar.

[X-band '01]

Long Beach is going to be really tough on Sunday, too.

You absolutely sure Washington will beat them? I'm not entirely sold on that.

[LA Muskie]

What the fuck is JP doing. 3.5 seconds is plenty of time. Terrible loss.

Following instructions. That was the play drawn up.

[GoMuskies]

Following instructions. That was the play drawn up.

Following instructions, but doing it poorly.

[X-band '01]

We all knew UTEP was a top 15 team, right?

Not a Top 15 team, but a team that should still finish near the top of its conference. Still would have been nice to get that kind of a win early in the season, though.

Losing to San Diego (and possibly Princeton) would have looked much, much worse.

[paulxu]

Yep, typical Mack team. Blow a winnable game or two in Nov and be the odd man out in Mar.

May be a little early for that reading.

[LA Muskie]

Yep, typical Mack team. Blow a winnable game or two in Nov and be the odd man out in Mar.

Whoa... Step back from the ledge.

[GoMuskies]

You absolutely sure Washington will beat them? I'm not entirely sold on that.

No, they may win today, but I'd expect to see them Sunday. And it will be a battle if so.

[XU 87]

Disappointing. Poor defense, poor rebounding, and missed lay ups.

[boozehound]

When they get to the locker room Mack needs to check these guys for female genitalia. Pitiful performance all around, but particularly on the glass. We looked soft. IMHO the game was lost because X couldn't rebound on either end of the court. Defense needs to improve as well.

[LA Muskie]

Those are the situations Mack struggles with and Miller was so good at. Just a totally different bunch away from Cintas.

I disagree. Mack's out of bounds plays are actually pretty solid.

[XfansinKy]

Dammit I love Mack and his recruits but Floyd just handed out another free clinic. This is UTEP no UK. Wtf!

[kyxu]

It's a lot better than what Xavier did in Atlantis last season.

That's a rather low bar.

There's no reason, with its talent and experience, that Xavier should not have won this game and this tournament.

If we get LB again on Sunday, that will be another really tough game.

[LA Muskie]

Yep, typical Mack team. Blow a winnable game or two in Nov and be the odd man out in Mar.

Wow. Just wow.

[paulxu]

I hope they're mad, and take it out on somebody.

[LA Muskie]

Following instructions, but doing it poorly.

Not the best pass but not an easy one either. Probably the wrong personnel for that play. And I agree -- that's in Mack.

[LA Muskie]

Disappointing. Poor defense, poor rebounding, and missed lay ups.

This. These were the problems today.

[GoMuskies]

It was a horrible pass. You are being far too kind.

[LA Muskie]

We looked soft. IMHO the game was lost because X couldn't rebound on either end of the court. Defense needs to improve as well.
Agreed. 100%.

[XUBob]

Tough tough loss, this is a team we should have beat. I guess that there is a Thanksgiving tournament curse. This is where our defensive shortcomings were evident. Our rotations on shooters still aren't quick enough. Dee seems to struggle when teams body him up and it isn't called that is an adjustment he needs to make. As much as JP helped yesterday I think he hurt us today, he needs to slow down a bit and let the game come to him. The brain farts by Farr surely didn't help. I know that jinxes don't exist but when that kid banked in the three at the end of the shot clock I started to question myself. Imperative they win Sunday, can live with 2-1 but 1-2 would be a disappointment. I still think this group can be very good but they need to tighten some things up.


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[X-Fan]

Disappointing. Poor defense, poor rebounding, and missed lay ups.
I'll add to that poor PG play and poor veteran leadership.

I'm not high on the coaching either. Consistently opponents can get the ball to "Their Guy" and X cannot. UTEP was the way more physical team today. Certainly a bad matchup for a younger team, but X blew so many opportunities.

X has to get their D in order. Both SD & UTEP got into the lane at will. Hope X can salvage a 2-1 record.

[OH.X.MI]

Dee's decision making just baffles me sometimes. He's gotta figure some stuff out in a hurry.

[LA Muskie]

It was a horrible pass. You are being far too kind.

It's a 3/4 court pass. It's either perfect or it's not. There's not a lot of middle ground.

[xsteve1]

I disagree. Mack's out of bounds plays are actually pretty solid.

Miller's teams always played with toughness. Mack's not so much especially away from Cintas. Floyd out coached Mack today.

[xu82]

X has to get their D in order. Both SD & UTEP got into the lane at will. Hope X can salvage a 2-1 record.

Don't forget we have yet to challenge a shot from the 3 point line. HOPING they miss hasn't gone well.

[xsteve1]

Dee's decision making just baffles me sometimes. He's gotta figure some stuff out in a hurry.

He actually played pretty well today. Definitely wasn't on him. The Big's have to play tougher and rebound. Farr was awful.

[LA Muskie]

Miller's teams always played with toughness. Mack's not so much especially away from Cintas. Floyd out coached Mack today.

Oh God. Here we go with the "toughness" angle. It was a bad game. They happen. Let's not get carried away.

[xu82]

It seemed Dee took a lot of shots.... because they invited him to do so.

[XfansinKy]

Dee played well?

[xukeith]

UNC lost to OMG- Marquette! Man do they totally stink!
UConn last year played horrible often and they had a great March. It hurts. We want X to go undefeated but with frosh, and untalented senior guards, we have to wait awhile. Maybe Reynolds' senior year. He did promise a Final 4!

[XUFan09]

"Toughness" is the easy narrative when someone can not initially come up with a narrative. Frankly, this game offered a number of narratives that you could choose though. No need to fall back on a lazy one.

[OTRMUSKIE]

UTEP is good give them credit. X is young and will have a few bumps on the road to a successful year. If X wins tomorrow it will be a good sign. These tournaments just don't favor X for some reason.

[sweet16]

Mack may want to sign up for a packline refresher with Dick Bennett. Don't think he's teaching it the way it was designed.

[GoMuskies]

It's a 3/4 court pass. It's either perfect or it's not. There's not a lot of middle ground.

No, it was horrible.

[GreatWhiteNorth]

X was out-rebounded for the first time this year, together with the not-so-hot shooting, they were not good enough to beat a decent team like UTEP. The game was very close and, with a break here and there, X could have won. Keep in mind that this is a very young team and many of our top scorers are freshmen/ soph. I am a little frustrated but not mad. Hope the players learn from this loss.

[muskienick]

Typical following a first loss by Xavier. A number of "fans" rush to the top of a skyscraper and jump off without remembering to lace on a parachute. Did any of us truly expect Xavier to finish the OOC without a couple of losses? Jeez, Miller's teams lost games also and sometimes they even had instances where bad passes were made, failed to rebound well, and missed a few lay-ups.

I'm not ready to demonize Coach Mack nor canonize Coach Miller. It's one freaking(ly bad) game.

[brownlavender]

What a bunch of drama queens. We miss a few shots in a november game and we have a bunch of ledge jumpers. Pretty sure this is a fairly young team that if they win are easily in the top 25. Chalk it up as a teachable experience and move on. As for all the drama queens go have a beer and relax, this is going to be a fun season

[GoMuskies]

Ha, the initial battle of drama queens vs. sunshine pumpers. The season has truly begun!

[XU 87]

The defense needs to get better. Too many open looks. Too many guys taking the ball to the hoop.

[Caveat]

Not a Top 15 team, but a team that should still finish near the top of its conference. Still would have been nice to get that kind of a win early in the season, though.

Losing to San Diego (and possibly Princeton) would have looked much, much worse.

A team that wins a garbage conference is still a garbage team. Xavier needed to put the foot on the accelerator in the second half. Instead, they let a team full of second tier guys have open look after open look and missed their own looks on the other side.

Xavier needs to adopt a mentality that they're a major conference team. Major conference teams step on low-level mid majors like this.

[THRILLHOUSE]

Oh God. Here we go with the "toughness" angle. It was a bad game. They happen. Let's not get carried away.

Post game quote from Mack:

"No shame in losing to a really good UTEP team but really disappointed with some toughness plays that we should have made, had the opportunity to make & didn’t."

[X Factor]

A team that wins a garbage conference is still a garbage team. Xavier needed to put the foot on the accelerator in the second half. Instead, they let a team full of second tier guys have open look after open look and missed their own looks on the other side.

Xavier needs to adopt a mentality that they're a major conference team. Major conference teams step on low-level mid majors like this.

I'm as disappointed as anyone, but this post is full of so much crap. Nothing else to say.

[OTRMUSKIE]

Just a frustrated fan. He will calm down soon. Can anyone tell me why Utep plays N Mexico St twice every year in a weeks span?

[JEHARDI]

A garbage post is a garbage post and a clown is a clown, looks like you hit the daily double!

A team that wins a garbage conference is still a garbage team. Xavier needed to put the foot on the accelerator in the second half. Instead, they let a team full of second tier guys have open look after open look and missed their own looks on the other side.

Xavier needs to adopt a mentality that they're a major conference team. Major conference teams step on low-level mid majors like this.

[bjf123]

Wow. The tide turns here almost as fast as on the Bengals forum. And that's saying something. We've gone from potential Final Four candidate to the worst team with the worst coach in the history of the program in less than a day.


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[drudy23]

Starts and ends on the defensive end. 3-4 years of not being able to defend the three...has to change for this team to reach its potential.

[mohr5150]

3-4 years of not defending the 3 well... hmm... what guard has been on this team for the past 4 years?

[Xaveriana]

Miller's teams always played with toughness. Mack's not so much especially away from Cintas. Floyd out coached Mack today.

Amen Brother. It's well documented that Mack is a good recruiter and an average floor coach. Wish I knew why. He worked under great coaches. We'll never be elite with him at the helm (period) Wish he'd focus more on his job that his extracurriculars. Angry? Yes. Regret what I said? No. If you read this board I am not a Mack fan. Not a fan when I went to school with him and not now.

[sirthought]

This loss is on Coach Mack.

There were several points when the team was lacking in composure. He needed to take control of calling more plays instead of having guys work freelance. I have been saying that guarding the three would continue to be an issue and that seems to remain.

Call some plays, work the offense to get better shots and passes. I think the defense will improve if guys aren't having to worry about their offense as much.

[JudenSmithFan]

Can anyone tell me why Utep plays N Mexico St twice every year in a weeks span?

As the only other D-I program in the El Paso metro area, NMSU is our little brother and biggest rival. We play each other twice every year because both schools want the revenue generated by a guaranteed home sellout or near-sellout.

Good luck to Xavier the rest of the year. Hopefully we Miners win our garbage conference and make this loss look a little less bad for you guys.

[BMoreX]

So we root for LBSU to beat Washington, right?

[Caveat]

I'm as disappointed as anyone, but this post is full of so much crap. Nothing else to say.

That wasn't Kansas or Kentucky out there. No one stepped out to contest open looks and the team played timid on offense in the second half. It's a bad loss. The key now is to learn and not let it happen again.

[NY44]

They exploited us down low and got in the paint whenever they wanted. I'm still far from worried. We knew going into this season that Farr and Jalen had a bit more developing to do. They'll get there, and the guards will be that much better when they do.

[RealDeal]

A garbage post is a garbage post and a clown is a clown, looks like you hit the daily double!

Yep.

[BandAid]

So we root for LBSU to beat Washington, right?

I am

[xubrew]

I really hate Tim Floyd.

I actually like Huggins. Always have. I like Thad Matta as well, and I really don't mind Sean Miller.

I hate Tim Floyd, though. Based on how they'd been playing as compared to how we'd been playing I thought for sure we'd beat them. UTEP has a higher ceiling than what most of those who are ringing their hands are giving them credit for, but they hadn't played up to it yet. They did today.

It's not a bad loss because they're not a bad team and they probably will be in a position to make the NCAA Tournament regardless of what they do in the conference tournament, but it is a game we could have won and probably should have won.

[mohr5150]

Just as in past years, our team will win or lose based on their guard play. Today was not a good day. Dee did not play well. He made poor choices with the ball on several occasions and played pretty lousy defense. Our bigs had to constantly help on drives, which led to offensive rebounds. Remy disappears way too much. He needs to be more aggressive to the hoop. I saw way too much outside shooting from the boys today, although it has been that way all season so far, and we've made a lot of them. We just didn't hit them today. Stain also struggled making good choices with the ball. UTEP is a good team, not great. We should have beat them, but didn't, so we have to win a game we don't think we should to make up for it.

[vee4xu]

UTEP made some good halftime adjustments. They came out and took it to X early. When Murray State did that, X went on a 6-0 run and that was it. Today, UTEP came out and took it to X like Murray State did, but this time X went flat and UTEP took control of the game. I never thought X would be undefeated this year and that there would be teaching moments for a young team. This is one of those teaching moments. I do agree that as X's guards go, specifically Dee, so goes the team. Dee took some shots early in the shot clock, had some turnovers and didn't do a great job defending the perimeter. Yet, probably the biggest difference for me today was the absence of the dominating low post game and rebounding that really allowed X to get second shots on offense and hold teams to one missed shot on defense. They can watch the tape, learn from it and get on to the next game.

Does anyone know what the coaches' decision was that kept Miles out of yesterday's game?

[XfansinKy]

Just as in past years, our team will win or lose based on their guard play. Today was not a good day. Dee did not play well. He made poor choices with the ball on several occasions and played pretty lousy defense. Our bigs had to constantly help on drives, which led to offensive rebounds. Remy disappears way too much. He needs to be more aggressive to the hoop. I saw way too much outside shooting from the boys today, although it has been that way all season so far, and we've made a lot of them. We just didn't hit them today. Stain also struggled making good choices with the ball. UTEP is a good team, not great. We should have beat them, but didn't, so we have to win a game we don't think we should to make up for it.
If Dee can't play well early, what happens in Big East play against bigger better point guards. I'm hoping either Sumner or Brandon step up. I still hope for Dee but its been almost 4 years now.

[X Factor]

I saw way too much outside shooting from the boys today, although it has been that way all season so far, and we've made a lot of them. We just didn't hit them today.

What? The team hit 8-19 from three for 42%. I'll take that every night. The three point shot was not the problem. It was missed layups and poor rebounding, especially on the offensive end. Free throw shooting wasn't great either.

[xu82]

What? The team hit 8-19 from three for 42%. I'll take that every night. The three point shot was not the problem. It was missed layups and poor rebounding, especially on the offensive end. Free throw shooting wasn't great either.

We don't seriously challenge the three, and we had to be tougher inside today. Hopefully this is a lesson learned.

[TUclutch]

Man, some of you had some absurdly dumb posts in here. Mainly caveat, xsteve1 and strangebrew.
Someone even said we have too much experience to lose this game. Uh we have 6 freshman and 1 transfer. Outside Stain and Dee, even the other returning guys are young. This is a young team. Potential? Yes a TON. But they are young and there are going to be games like this. UTEP is a very very solid team and this in NO WAY will be a bad loss at the end of the year. This is a game that they can learn from and move on from. Jesus Christ people step off the ledge. Disappointing game? Yes. Frustrating? Sure. I would hardly call it a garbage game though.

[LadyMuskie]

Today's loss is my fault! I took down our Xavier house flag today and put up the Christmas flag. I put our big X flag up on November 1st, and took it down today because it's Christmas time. It didn't even cross my mind to leave it up. It goes back up tomorrow morning lest we continue on a downward spiral.

[D-West & PO-Z]

We havent guarded the three well on a consistent basis in a long time.

As mad as I was at this loss and as much I want to bitch and overreact, I am not jumping off any ledges yet. We had to know a let down loss s coming and I dont think this will be a "bad loss" on our schedule come March. We will lose a game this year worse than this.

Does anyone have any idea why Remy didnt play more? He played 10 less minutes than the previous game. I thought we needed his driving ability. I remember thinking about it during the game and jst looked and saw he only played 19mins. He was 3 of 5 and 2/2 from the line.

We need to shoot better than 65% from the line. I would love to see us shoot better than 70%. Frustrating to miss free points.

The Farr technical and that prayer bank 3 pointer hurt us in this game among many other things.

[Emp]

Didn't play well, almost won anyway. Suck it up and move on.

The Mack haters and "female genitalia" / toughness crowd need to take a ride over to MM where dumping on your own team is the Gold Standard.

[Emp]

Yep, typical Mack team. Blow a winnable game or two in Nov and be the odd man out in Mar.

Out in March is "typical" for Mack's teams? Really? Please tell me this is some bad attempt at humor, delusional irony.

[TUclutch]

We havent guarded the three well on a consistent basis in a long time.

As mad as I was at this loss and as much I want to bitch and overreact, I am not jumping off any ledges yet. We had to know a let down loss s coming and I dont think this will be a "bad loss" on our schedule come March. We will lose a game this year worse than this.

Does anyone have any idea why Remy didnt play more? He played 10 less minutes than the previous game. I thought we needed his driving ability. I remember thinking about it during the game and jst looked and saw he only played 19mins. He was 3 of 5 and 2/2 from the line.

We need to shoot better than 65% from the line. I would love to see us shoot better than 70%. Frustrating to miss free points.

The Farr technical and that prayer bank 3 pointer hurt us in this game among many other things.

Guessing it had something to do with Myles Davis playing extremely well. Dee is the PG, Bluiett sure wasn't going to come out, Myles can only pay the 2. Going small wouldn't have really worked either IMO. Guessing that was why. Also saw a tweet where he may have tweaked an ankle in the first half.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Yeah Myles was playing well, and he didnt play at all last game so I guess Remy's minutes were bound to go down. JP didnt have it tonight, not sure if his 10 minutes were with Remy on the bench but if so some of his 10 minutes could have gone to Remy but it probably takes a little while to realize he doesnt have it on a given night anyway.

[RoseyMuskie]

Why was JP inbounding the ball at the end, regardless of his poor pass? I believe Trevon, JP, Myles, Stain, and a fifth (caught end at bar, family commitment) were in at the time. Doesn't it make sense to have JP, Myles, and Trevon as targets, with Stain standing at center court as a facilitator for a steaking player? JP may have reacted naturally, but it seems like poor late game preparation to have him inbounding..

[XU Cowbell Kid]

Amen Brother. It's well documented that Mack is a good recruiter and an average floor coach. Wish I knew why. He worked under great coaches. We'll never be elite with him at the helm (period) Wish he'd focus more on his job that his extracurriculars. Angry? Yes. Regret what I said? No. If you read this board I am not a Mack fan. Not a fan when I went to school with him and not now.

Coming from a person with a Chris Mack quote in the signature block. Riiiiight.

[xu82]

Today's loss is my fault! I took down our Xavier house flag today and put up the Christmas flag. I put our big X flag up on November 1st, and took it down today because it's Christmas time. It didn't even cross my mind to leave it up. It goes back up tomorrow morning lest we continue on a downward spiral.

It's nice that you see your fault in this, but there must be punishment. Three Hail Mary's and two rounds at Dana's should do it. (But I must be present.)

[GoMuskies]

Beating the Beach again out on the West Coast would show a lot of mental fortitude for a young team. They're going to be a very tough out. I'd set the spread at X -3.

[OTRMUSKIE]

I got drunk at MADTREE tonight.

[NY44]

We were undefeated until the Ferguson thread was closed...just sayin'

[X-band '01]

As the only other D-I program in the El Paso metro area, NMSU is our little brother and biggest rival. We play each other twice every year because both schools want the revenue generated by a guaranteed home sellout or near-sellout.

Good luck to Xavier the rest of the year. Hopefully we Miners win our garbage conference and make this loss look a little less bad for you guys.

You'll have to humor us on the "garbage conference" talk - for years we associated C-USA/C-DOA with crosstown rival UC. Best of luck to you guys the rest of the way.

[XU3232]

Beating the Beach again out on the West Coast would show a lot of mental fortitude for a young team. They're going to be a very tough out. I'd set the spread at X -3.

Agreed, X needs to come out ready to go Sunday right out of the gate. Going to be a tough game against a team looking for revenge. If X drops this one and loses 2 in a row they could be in trouble.

[GoMuskies]

You'll have to humor us on the "garbage conference" talk - for years we associated C-USA/C-DOA with crosstown rival UC. Best of luck to you guys the rest of the way.

Also, for years we were IN a garbage conference. It's only in the last two years that we realized being in a garbage conference makes everyone in it garbage as well.

[Masterofreality]

Two things that bothered me.

A) Why is Dee Davis forcing offense when we have all kinds of other weapons?
B) Why did Remy Abell only play 19 minutes? He's one of our best defenders, a good rebounder and relentless to the basket. Just what this game needed.

[paulxu]

I'm not sure you're allowed to suggest Dee play in a different fashion that might help the team more.

[GoMuskies]

I'm not sure you're allowed to suggest Dee play in a different fashion that might help the team more.

It's okay for MOR. He's a well known hater.

For the record, I only saw Dee go into the paint once to have his shot blocked by a big guy's belly button. I consider that progress.

[Masterofreality]

Miller's teams always played with toughness. Mack's not so much especially away from Cintas. Floyd out coached Mack today.

Right. How soon some forget the boat race of the Borecats "away from Cintas" last year. That was a real battle of the wimps.

[Masterofreality]

It's okay for MOR. He's a well known hater.
.

Correct. "Hate All....Feed None".

[bleedXblue]

The L yesterday was on poor defense giving up way to many easy buckets and getting out toughed on the boards. I'm a huge Stainbrook fan, but he had 2 boneheaded turnovers in the second half. I thought Miles played a great first half of basketball, but tried to do too much in the second half. Our frosh looked more like frosh for really the first time.

Let's also give UTEP some credit, they played a great second half.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Two things that bothered me.

A) Why is Dee Davis forcing offense when we have all kinds of other weapons?
B) Why did Remy Abell only play 19 minutes? He's one of our best defenders, a good rebounder and relentless to the basket. Just what this game needed.

I asked the same thing a couple pages before in this thread. I noticed it during the game then looked up the box score and saw he only played 19mins and that was frustrating. He is awesome at driving to the hoop and he was 3/5 and 2/2 at the line. Another poster pointed out that Myles was playing well and that took some minutes from Remy and I can see that as being true. Remy cant play point and you dont want to take Bluiett out. I think Remy could have probably had some of JP's minutes tonight since he didnt have it going but it might take 5mins to realize that and he only played 10 total. I think Myles coming back and playing well took Remy's mins down. Still thought he could have played more but it makes some sense.

[Xville]

3.) Why did we play in this tournament?

Gain nothing from playing in a tournament full of mid major teams. Lose lose situation...chances were good we lose to a ok team and even if we didn't we win a tourney that doesn't do much. People are going to say it gives the team some experience but there are better ways to accomplish that. Play a true road game against an actual good team would have the same effect. No reason to play in these tournaments unless there are strong teams in the field.

[xukeith]

I think for the most part, X this year can play offense but does not have a good defensive game. I guess with 7 new guys, that is expected.

[bleedXblue]

3.) Why did we play in this tournament?

Gain nothing from playing in a tournament full of mid major teams. Lose lose situation...chances were good we lose to a ok team and even if we didn't we win a tourney that doesn't do much. People are going to say it gives the team some experience but there are better ways to accomplish that. Play a true road game against an actual good team would have the same effect. No reason to play in these tournaments unless there are strong teams in the field.

Crying over spilled milk. Who cares at this point? The schedule is the schedule. I disagree with your assessment. I think UTEP is a good team and very likely will be dancing. We should have learned something from yesterday. The defense and rebounding must get better. I think we have a very talented team of offensive players......but if we don't get better on the other side of the court, it's going to be a tough year.

[nuts4xu]

The defense and rebounding must get better. I think we have a very talented team of offensive players......but if we don't get better on the other side of the court, it's going to be a tough year.

I am not worried in the least about our rebounding/defense, it will get better. It needs to improve but both can get better with more effort and commitment to the job at hand. The defense will improve as the new guys get more comfortable in our system. Rebounding is all about effort. We have the size and athleticism to rebound with anyone in the country. Yesterday's loss should provide Mack the film needed to convince this team their rebounding effort must improve. The guards must rebound, and this has been an issue all season so far.

It's early...the season is a lifetime. Gotta take care of the "Beach" tomorrow.

[Always Learning]

3.) Why did we play in this tournament?

Gain nothing from playing in a tournament full of mid major teams. Lose lose situation...chances were good we lose to a ok team and even if we didn't we win a tourney that doesn't do much. People are going to say it gives the team some experience but there are better ways to accomplish that. Play a true road game against an actual good team would have the same effect. No reason to play in these tournaments unless there are strong teams in the field.

And just how many non-mid-majors do you think are NOT playing in some Thanksgiving "exempt" tournament? Do not play in an "exempt" event and that would be three less games you get to play (I think I am right on this). Other than St John's who were in the "exempt" NIT, weren't all of our conference brethren in tournaments? Even osu, not wanting to play maybe somebody good (a Matta belief) staged their own, called the buckeye classic, and he rounded up some very stiff opposition like Sacred Heart, James Madison, High Point, Cambell and the like.
I believe we're going to Hawaii next year, but I don't think every team there will be Top ten caliber either.

[Always Learning]

I guess everyone has a reason why we lost. Rebounding, poor shooting, defense, etc etc.
I think the only reason we lost was poor to lousy free throw shooting. We have shown better than that, but there are days.
Also, I found it unique (and I am not blaming officials) that Vince Hunter had three PF at half, played 16 minutes in the second half of a very physical second half and never was whistled once. At the same time Matt had one personal foul at half, and was called for four fouls in the second half. I saw Tim Floyd work officials a la Bobby Knight for the entire game. Just saying!

[XU 87]

Two things that bothered me.

A) Why is Dee Davis forcing offense when we have all kinds of other weapons?


Good question. At times, he forces things when they aren't there- drives to the hoop with defenders underneath the basket, three point shot early in the shot clock with a guy in his face. I think it was the UTEP game where he took a one on one fall-away jumper from just inside the free throw line in the second half. Bad shot. There's no reason for some of this.

I was looking at his assist to turnover ratio. He is ranked 156th in the NCAA. Of the top 200 players listed in the assist to turnover category, I think he was tied for 2nd in turnovers with 17. He's shooting 39% from the field and 30% from the three. I realize it's early, but the raw statistics seem to indicate that he needs to play better. And my eyes tell me that he is making some bad decisions that a senior shouldn't be making. I'm not sure what Mack and the staff are telling him, but he needs to play with some more discipline.

He does have 36 assists, which is good. But the other stats, and the bad decisions at times, takes away from that stat.

[94GRAD]

MOR, so what you/everyone's saying is when a senior PG has a down game, we lose? Weird, would never have guessed that. One of these years, they'll learn and We'll go undefeated.

[X-band '01]

3.) Why did we play in this tournament?

Gain nothing from playing in a tournament full of mid major teams. Lose lose situation...chances were good we lose to a ok team and even if we didn't we win a tourney that doesn't do much. People are going to say it gives the team some experience but there are better ways to accomplish that. Play a true road game against an actual good team would have the same effect. No reason to play in these tournaments unless there are strong teams in the field.

It was because Xavier was originally scheduled to play in Orlando, but they also had Marquette in the field. Unlike Atlantis (with Butler and Georgetown), Xavier didn't seek a waiver to play this year. As it is, they play in a loaded Orlando field next season.

[stophorseabuse]

I think this X team is struggling with the PACKLINE. The principles are there, and for large parts they have stifled penetration gaps. Their closeouts have been ugly. The importance of closing out in the PACKLINE can't be overstated. On the flip side, they have looked great defending the high ball screen, and on ball pressure has been solid.

Oh, nice to post. Been years.

[nuts4xu]

A) Why is Dee Davis forcing offense when we have all kinds of other weapons?


I still don't know why he plays as much as he does. When he brings the ball up, fails to make one pass, and misses a wide open shot, it kills us. Tends to so this a few times each game. Tough to knock his defense, but his decision making at times can be maddening. I often hear how Dee is one of the best assist men in the country. With the many options we have on offense, Dee Davis should average 10+ assists and never more than a few lay ups for points.

[redhawkmuskie]

UTEP is a very sound team both defensively and offensively. They will surely make the tournament this year and they are ranked 24th right now via RPI. I don't see this loss as one that will hinder the Muskies from making the tournament. That Vince Hunter kid is a stud and it would have been nice to get him in a Navy and White uniform.

I think getting Brandon Randolph more minutes will not hurt the team. Davis has a reputation as a good defender but I hardly think he is better defensively than Randolph, who is taller, more athletic, etc. No offense to Dee but getting randolph more minutes should help our offense since Dee has a tendency to chuck up shots at inopportune moments, which hardly fall. Brandon at least knows he cannot shoot and he is very good at driving to either score or kick to an open teammate. There are a lot of shooters on this team, unlike the past few years, so the drive-and-kick should be utilized more so than it has been thus far.

[Smooth]

I think this X team is struggling with the PACKLINE. The principles are there, and for large parts they have stifled penetration gaps. Their closeouts have been ugly. The importance of closing out in the PACKLINE can't be overstated. On the flip side, they have looked great defending the high ball screen, and on ball pressure has been solid.

Oh, nice to post. Been years.

Welcome back. May I suggest updating your signature?