XAVIER vs VILLANOVA

[markchal]

To me when facing one of the best if not the best shooting team in the country, it would make sense to extend the defense out and force villanova to beat you inside which is not a strength of theirs...but hey what do I know I'm not a division 1 coach who just suddenly thinks villanova is going to stop making outside shots when they are open.

Yeah actually I don't think this is a very solid plan either. It's much easier to say than to execute. The reality is their guards are a lot more athletic and were easily able to get past our defender. If we didn't help, didn't play a packline, with this personnel, they would've had a lot of easy layups and mid-range shots. We could've been better about rotations and guys not losing three-point shooters, but I don't think it's as easy to say "just let them try to beat us inside."

Also, for those that want to point out how good the bigs were, I agree and do think we should've gotten inside more, but also credit Villanova for taking that away. They started doubling a lot more, forcing us to kick out to wide open shooters...who couldn't hit ANYTHING in the second half. We also had a lot of turnovers forcing it inside, so "getting the bigs more shots" is also easier said than done.

[muethibp]

Here's what Doc had in his column this morning:
""What do you want (us) to do?'' Mack said. "They're making shots from 30 feet, 27 feet. Some of the circus shots that go in for them. . .

"Play better defense,'' Mack finally decided."

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/columnists/paul-daugherty/2015/02/28/doc-xavier-villanova-shooting/24192995/

I don't think coach felt every three was Circus. There were a few that were from deep or highly contested. Coach knows they needed to play better D, and said just that.

It was a really tough loss. We're talking about a minute sequence where Nova went from up 3 to up 9 because of two consecutive 3's they made. Let's not act like Nova is some chump. It was back and fourth the entire game, and then Nova delivered a knockout blow that X couldn't answer. This isn't the devastating loss. If X doesn't get to the Tourney, it'll be because of losses to UTEP, Auburn, DePaul, Creighton, etc...

This is going to be one LONG week.

I can't believe the coach of the team I like the best thinks and says things like that. First, he's just wrong - Villanova just played with skill and talent, they were not throwing in circus shots. But that's beside the point. Because even if Villanova was throwing in circus shots, a true leader of young men does not suggest that the other team's results were somehow lucky or flukey (which is leader-authorized excuse making). Nor does a true leader say "what do you want us to do?" as if he is unable to handle questions or criticisms without sarcasm and suggesting he is without answer to challenges that arise.

A true leader says, "Man, that Villanova team is talented. I credit our team for trying to defend and forcing some very difficult shots, but the fact is Villanova rose to the occasion. Some of the shots they made were amazing. Right now they're where we want to get to. Our task is clear: get back at it tomorrow and try to bring our game to the point where we can play with a team like that for 40 minutes and take home a win."

Is that some coachspeak? Of course. But it also really matters in sending the message to impressionable young men as to how to act and how to motivate them to continue giving top effort.

Mack. He just doesn't get it. Never really has, showing no signs of getting any better. Hard not to feel like the program was climbing for a few decades and has hit a plateau.

[BlueX]

Can someone go over what Fox showed the coaches saying at the half. I didn't catch much of it but it sounded like Rick Carter wanted to change something with the defense.

[GoMuskies]

Can someone go over what Fox showed the coaches saying at the half. I didn't catch much of it but it sounded like Rick Carter wanted to change something with the defense.

Mack told him to fuck off, essentially.

[EastCoastXman]

If Mack wants to see a highlight reel of "circus shots" all he has to do is bring up the tape of Davis & Davis in the Nova game. Those shots should count as turnovers in the stat sheet. Bottom line is the coaching staff is not getting it done at Winning Time with this team!

[BandAid]

Can someone go over what Fox showed the coaches saying at the half. I didn't catch much of it but it sounded like Rick Carter wanted to change something with the defense.

Rick wanted to pressure Archidiacono further out. He referred to it as rushing the quarterback. The thought is that if you can speed him up, you can speed up their entire offense, force errors, rush shots, and pull them out of rhythm. Downside is if he handles the pressure, Nova has more open lanes for passing and making cuts. I don't recall us extending our defense on Archi, and he ended scoring all but 2 of his points in the second half.

On the other hand, Villanova extended their defense on us with great success. They ran us off the 3-point line and forced our guys to drive. I have no way of objectively collaborating this, but I feel like our offense has struggled with teams extending their man defense on us for the last few years. This could be because we focus so much on learning and practicing the pack-line that our offense infrequently practices against extended man, or because our practice squad can't match the length and athleticism of our conference peers leading to subpar preparation. OR I'm talking out my ass - which is the most likely.

The other thing mentioned in the coaches huddle was playing tighter on Ennis, especially when he was coming off an off-ball screen.

[IM4X]

Strange comments by Mack are concerning. He and his team were outplayed and outcoached. You have to get better and stop making excuses.

Yes. I think I've made this comment about 10 times over the past two seasons. Mack almost never takes any responsibility or admits he is part of the team's issues.

He usually has one of five excuses:

A: He will call out individual players who had an off games, mention some of ther mistakes and say they need to get better.

B: He will proceed to throw the whole team under the bus by saying they all need grow up.

C: "What do you want me to do, the players are not giving enough effort... And you can't teach effort"

D: "the other team did so many amazing things I've never seen before from that team"

E: "I guess the coaches are going to need to try harder to get through to the players in practice because they (as in all of them) just aren't getting what we are teaching them.

Now there were more than a few handfuls of poor decisions by players. But when many different players are making these mistakes again and again, it is apparent they are not being worked on or properly shown what the better options are because the players continue to keep making the same mistakes. Or maybe Mack believes Jay was just lucky enough to recruit players to Nova who already knew how to make the right decisions... Because apparently he thinks making better decisions is something that can't be taught either.

On the other hand, there isn't a true leader on the current team (thought maybe Matt or Dee could have been that guy) with the will to win in every game - someone who can just take over a game like we used to have (e.g. Tu or Lyons, or Crawford or even Semaj). There isn't one player on the team who can be consistently counted on to come through when we need him. But even finding a guy who can lead the team and be that guy is the reponsibility of the coach.

Maybe Trevon or JP will become that guy in the future. But no one has established himself this year, that's for sure.

[Masterofreality]

Can someone go over what Fox showed the coaches saying at the half. I didn't catch much of it but it sounded like Rick Carter wanted to change something with the defense.


Mack told him to fuck off, essentially.


Rick wanted to pressure Archidiacono further out. He referred to it as rushing the quarterback. The thought is that if you can speed him up, you can speed up their entire offense, force errors, rush shots, and pull them out of rhythm. Downside is if he handles the pressure, Nova has more open lanes for passing and making cuts. I don't recall us extending our defense on Archi, and he ended scoring all but 2 of his points in the second half.

On the other hand, Villanova extended their defense on us with great success. They ran us off the 3-point line and forced our guys to drive. I have no way of objectively collaborating this, but I feel like our offense has struggled with teams extending their man defense on us for the last few years. This could be because we focus so much on learning and practicing the pack-line that our offense infrequently practices against extended man, or because our practice squad can't match the length and athleticism of our conference peers leading to subpar preparation. OR I'm talking out my ass - which is the most likely.

The other thing mentioned in the coaches huddle was playing tighter on Ennis, especially when he was coming off an off-ball screen.

Well, The Head Coach rejecting his "Defensive Coordinator's" advice certainly worked out well, now. Didn't it?

[DC Muskie]

Yeah actually I don't think this is a very solid plan either. It's much easier to say than to execute. The reality is their guards are a lot more athletic and were easily able to get past our defender. If we didn't help, didn't play a packline, with this personnel, they would've had a lot of easy layups and mid-range shots. We could've been better about rotations and guys not losing three-point shooters, but I don't think it's as easy to say "just let them try to beat us inside."

Also, for those that want to point out how good the bigs were, I agree and do think we should've gotten inside more, but also credit Villanova for taking that away. They started doubling a lot more, forcing us to kick out to wide open shooters...who couldn't hit ANYTHING in the second half. We also had a lot of turnovers forcing it inside, so "getting the bigs more shots" is also easier said than done.

I think the biggest problem with feeding the post is how we actually feed the post.

You can't lob the ball into Stain, when they are athletic enough to come and help on the back side and steal the ball. It happened a few times.

Our offense is not designed to get the bigs open down low. Part of the that is they are pretty good at passing from the high post. But you can' spend a lot of time trying to make the perfect entry pass down low. You have to keep everyone moving. That's how you hurt a team defensively that has a 6'4" guy as their center.

[xsteve1]

The thing that bothers me is that on senior night, at home, with a loud sold out crowd, with a 7 point halftime lead, X gets blown out in the second half. Yes, Nova hit shots in the second half and X didn't. But we shouldn't be having our ass handed to us like that, at home.

This is why yesterday bothered me as well. Yeah I know Nova is better but getting drilled by 19 in the 2nd half with everything 87 mentioned is worrisome going forward.