Xavier v. Butler (Big East Tournament)

[xudash]

Butler is dirty. Barlow is a fading POS.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Get it to Myles and let him shoot FT's

Yes this

[D-West & PO-Z]

Butler is dirty. Barlow is a fading POS.

He went to Moeller what do you expect? :lmao:

[X Factor]

The butthurt will be huge on the Butler board tonight!!!!

[Porkopolis]

Hell of an effort tonight. On to the semis.

[XUFan09]

Woot

[D-West & PO-Z]

Huge!!!!!

[Xville]

Huge win!!!! Great job guys!!!!!!!!

[xufan2020]

AHHHHH YES! Finally.... Time to do homework, LOL! Good night guys

[D-West & PO-Z]

I'm not going to be able to sleep!!!

[Jesuit4Life]

Let's do it again later today!

[Blue Blooded-05]

That was an absolute battle tonight. Well done boys!!

[D-West & PO-Z]

Any reports of a Bdubs in Rookwood being burnt down tonight??

[Retire33]

Might have been best defensive effort all year long

[BMoreX]

See you in 20 hours!!!

[muskiefan82]

Ticket officially punched?

[LadyMuskie]

Awesome win!! They're playing like champions!

[paulxu]

I bet there's not a sober Muskie at BDubs.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Game going to last a while. Whistle after whistle and xavier has no clutch

Clutch enough for you???

[X Factor]

The butthurt will be huge on the Butler board tonight!!!!

Tons of butthurt....calling Dee a cun*. Blaming the whole game on the refs. I love it. 7 of the last 9 against Butler!!!!!!

[D-West & PO-Z]

Ticket officially punched?

Some may think we are headed to the dump still. :facepalm:

[BMoreX]

Lost in the win is a lock for the NCAA tournament

[LadyMuskie]

Tons of butthurt....calling Dee a cun*. Blaming the whole game on the refs. I love it. 7 of the last 9 against Butler!!!!!!

Ah . . . the infamous Butler Way. So dignified. So classy.

[X Factor]

RPI now 30 SOS 15

[XU Cowbell Kid]

Our record looks so much better with a 20 in the W column.

[LadyMuskie]

Our record looks so much better with a 20 in the W column.

It feels better too, IMO.

[X Factor]

Give Mack credit, this team played tough tonight. I loved watching a low scoring overtime game that X toughed it out and won!

Not starting a debate, but Mack is playing a tougher schedule than any other coach has ever played at Xavier.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Trevon my MVP. He had at least 3 huge fights on the boards that got us second chances and big dfensive rebounds!

[Perma Fro]

Perma Fro's Star of the Night...The entire Team.

[Masterofreality]

RPI now 30 SOS 15


Our record looks so much better with a 20 in the W column.

No doubt Dancing now...and we will be a single digit seed so no dump for us. No way. I really did not want to be 19-13 on Selection Sunday.

But......the abjectly stoooooopid turnovers this team makes and the missed free throws absolutely make me insane. It should be so much easier.

[BMoreX]

"It's only an upset if you think they're the better team. We're the better team." I love it coach

[X Factor]

Love Mack's locker room speech..."we didn't come here to beat Butler, we came here to win a BE Championship"

[Caveat]

You gotta love playing in a conference where the opportunity to pick up great resume-building wins like this in Round 1.

[D-West & PO-Z]

You gotta love playing in a conference where the opportunity to pick up great resume-building wins like this in Round 1.

Yeah seriously. Awesome win in the quarter finals.

[GreatWhiteNorth]

So happy for this win. Great, great effort ! Thank you guys. We are not on the bubble any more. Who said we are "unlucky". Let's do this again.

[PM Thor]

Any reports of a Bdubs in Rookwood being burnt down tonight??
Not with me at work tonight. Maybe tomorrow night.

[spursy]

This rivalry is going to be so much fun going forward.

Bring on Georgetown! Time for the 3 game sweep!

[xudash]

Tons of butthurt....calling Dee a cun*. Blaming the whole game on the refs. I love it. 7 of the last 9 against Butler!!!!!!

Roosevelt Jones diving into our bigs and gets a foul called on us.

Barlow flopping against Myles.

Good lord. Fakers.

[Xavgrad08]

Big time Win. Really proud of our players and coaches. Mack has had a lot of success against Butler.

[Masterofreality]

No question, this was the hardest earned 20 win season in Xavier history. 10-9 now in the 2nd toughest conference in the country.

Not losing to Auburn or LBSU the second time would have made it easier, but given how the league has played out, you really can't demean the accomplishment.

Oh, and yeah........Buck Futler!!!!!!

They will be our biggest bitch......errrrr....rival in this league going forward. Flopping sissyboys.

[X-Fan]

Might have been best defensive effort all year long
Completely agree. X found a way to out ugly Butler. That's not easy to do. Thought Trevon played a huge role in that. He really stifled Jones and has come a long way in that department this year.

Our record looks so much better with a 20 in the W column.
Amen!

"It's only an upset if you think they're the better team. We're the better team." I love it coach
Loved it also, and couldn't agree more. If you recall, X was up 10+ at the half @ Butler but lost due to some ridiculous shooting by Chrexivixiuoious. Glad they took care of business in a game they didn't play their best offensively.

Cannot wait till GTown tonight!

Go X!!!!

[D West]

Give Mack credit, this team played tough tonight. I loved watching a low scoring overtime game that X toughed it out and won!

Not starting a debate, but Mack is playing a tougher schedule than any other coach has ever played at Xavier.


There is no debate on the level of competition. No X coach has had this level of competition night in and out. I chuckle at the A-10 and the teams we left behind.

[nasdadjr]

I have blasted mack all year and have not really gotten to watch the game yet cause I'm at work but from what I can tell ugly but effective. I'll take an ugly defensive win over a pretty loss any day. Good job to coach mack you and they boys earned that win

[nasdadjr]

That win locks us into 8 9 game unless a win tomorrow someway gets us to the seven line but I don't see how that could happen

[Backyard Champ]

Not sure if it has been discussed, but I think Macks starting line up, and second half starting line up almost lost is the game. I'm a Mack guy, but he nearly cost us the game with those moves.

Honestly, we are a much better team than Butler. That game shouldn't have been that close. Glad we won though, friggin Butler flops all the time. I wish we would have slammed it home in the final seconds instead of dribbling it out. F them.

[BandAid]

Not sure if it has been discussed, but I think Macks starting line up, and second half starting line up almost lost is the game. I'm a Mack guy, but he nearly cost us the game with those moves.


I think JP had a -15 differential tonight.

[xudash]

Anyone ragging on Chris Mack after this win, well, I presume you know how stupid you look at this point.

On a happier note, from the Indy Star:

Thursday's loss leaves Butler still winless in the Big East Tournament, as the Bulldogs lost 51-50 to Seton Hall in its initial appearance last season.

Is Butler Little Brother II? Should we call them Little Huckleberry - Little Huck?

The Butler Way:

1. Losing their cool and getting T'd up.

2. Barlow flopping against Myles and looking stunned that he didn't sell it. Is Butler beginning to realize that crap doesn't fly in a conference like the BE?

3. Roosevelt Jones literally diving into our bigs out of control; Chris went nuts - rightfully so - when they called a foul on us.

[Irishdawg]

Congrats on the win guys. Outside of Barlow and maybe Woods, the Bulldogs played pretty terrible last night. Credit to Xavier's overwhelming size and talent for that. You can call us whatever you'd like, the loss hurts, but considering the lack of depth of this team and it's Jekyll and Hyde nature at the foul line, it's honestly probably for the best to lose early and get some rest and practice for the tourney.

Good luck the rest of the way.

[JEHARDI]

Yep and I'll again say it....can't wait until dee graduates

Hopefully, you go away first. You are the whiniest POS!

[markchal]

Not sure if it has been discussed, but I think Macks starting line up, and second half starting line up almost lost is the game. I'm a Mack guy, but he nearly cost us the game with those moves.

Honestly, we are a much better team than Butler. That game shouldn't have been that close. Glad we won though, friggin Butler flops all the time. I wish we would have slammed it home in the final seconds instead of dribbling it out. F them.

This. Our starting lineup got out scored like 17-3. Just really puzzling how Mack is still guessing at his lineups. Also wanted more Austin Jr., but I'll get my wish since we have another game today.

[Cheesehead]

Anyone ragging on Chris Mack after this win, well, I presume you know how stupid you look at this point.

On a happier note, from the Indy Star:

Thursday's loss leaves Butler still winless in the Big East Tournament, as the Bulldogs lost 51-50 to Seton Hall in its initial appearance last season.

Is Butler Little Brother II? Should we call them Little Huckleberry - Little Huck?

The Butler Way:

1. Losing their cool and getting T'd up.

2. Barlow flopping against Myles and looking stunned that he didn't sell it. Is Butler beginning to realize that crap doesn't fly in a conference like the BE?

3. Roosevelt Jones literally diving into our bigs out of control; Chris went nuts - rightfully so - when they called a foul on us.

That is the MO for Jones. I have seen several Butler games this season adn that kid should be called for about 4 offensive fouls every game. He continually drives right into the defender when the defender is in a legal guarding position. It drives me crazy that he gets away with it most of the time.

BTW, Creighton was still flopping last night in their game as well. At least both teams are headed home.

[Masterofreality]

Not sure if it has been discussed, but I think Macks starting line up, and second half starting line up almost lost is the game. I'm a Mack guy, but he nearly cost us the game with those moves.

Honestly, we are a much better team than Butler. That game shouldn't have been that close. Glad we won though, friggin Butler flops all the time. I wish we would have slammed it home in the final seconds instead of dribbling it out. F them.

Honestly, I have to agree. Not only that, who came up with the concept of going with a zone defense out of a time out after we went up 5 in overtime? We gave a wide open three to Chrabs, that luckily he missed, but they got the rebound and basket. Before the possession began and before the lineups were set, no less than Byron Larkin said on the radio "no zone here". They did it anyway.

As everyone knows, I am a proponent of changing defenses at times, but c'mon. Time and score. Sometimes what this staff does in game is absolutely mystifying.

Overall though, great job by the staff overall on toughening up this team. There is growth.

[Masterofreality]

Finally, Thank Gawd the league used up Wally Rutecki on the St. John's/Providence game and had him paired up with Ed Corbett to minimize the damage. Rutecki would have called every flop as a foul last night and the game would have taken four hours.

Mike Roberts is a really good official and Anderson is OK. Chiazza is young and he made most of the questionable calls. Roberts and Anderson didn't go for that flopping and flailing by Butler (Barlow's pathetic attempt at the end) and they also called a lot of the typical cheap crap that Butler gets away with. I thought that overall it was a very well officiated tournament game.

[sgarcia]

I haven't gone through this thread but wanted to throw in my 2 cents. Great defensive effort by the entire team last night when we needed it. We could've folded after that terrible start to the 2nd half but we didn't. Myles, Trevon and Remy couldn't hit anything but they hung in there and made up for it on the defensive end. I'll take any type of win over our friends to the west and it's even sweeter in the conference tourney. We're now winning close games (3 out of the last 4). It's starting to even out. I'm expecting another ugly one tonight vs. Gtown. Hopefully the guys can put forth another great defensive effort and win a close one at the end. Regardless, we've now officially 100% punched our ticket to the dance. No first four game, no bubble talk. At the beginning of the season my personal expectation was an NCAA tournament win. No matter how we got here it's probably where a lot of us thought we would be at this point of the season. Just relax and enjoy tonight and hopefully tomorrow night.

[Muskeagle]

Man, we have some SOUR fans sometimes. Are there mistakes that can/should be discussed on a message board? Sure....but holy, hell!! Butler was ranked #22. AFTER the game, Butler's RPI is 28 and ours is 30 (http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-men/d1/ncaa-mens-basketball-rpi) and people are talking about how they sucked and we are WAY better--all to serve the purpose of justifying being negative and cutting down our players and coaches. I love many of the discussions on here, but following Xavier basketball sure doesn't seem like fun for a lot of you. It's frustrating how entitled some of the posters seem to be. We all want X to be great. We all want them to be ranked all the time and get high seeds to the NCAA, and make Sweet Sixteens, Elite Eights, and Final Fours, but do the math, not a lot of teams do this (16, 8, 4) It has become very frustrating how negative the board has become...in regards to our players and our coach. With friends like these....who needs enemies?

[X-Fan]

Not sure if it has been discussed, but I think Macks starting line up, and second half starting line up almost lost is the game. I'm a Mack guy, but he nearly cost us the game with those moves.

Honestly, we are a much better team than Butler. That game shouldn't have been that close. Glad we won though, friggin Butler flops all the time. I wish we would have slammed it home in the final seconds instead of dribbling it out. F them.


Honestly, I have to agree. Not only that, who came up with the concept of going with a zone defense out of a time out after we went up 5 in overtime? We gave a wide open three to Chrabs, that luckily he missed, but they got the rebound and basket. Before the possession began and before the lineups were set, no less than Byron Larkin said on the radio "no zone here". They did it anyway.

As everyone knows, I am a proponent of changing defenses at times, but c'mon. Time and score. Sometimes what this staff does in game is absolutely mystifying.

Overall though, great job by the staff overall on toughening up this team. There is growth.
Yep, those were my two biggest complaints. JP starting both halves, and the switch to zone. I didn't get the zone decision at all. Maybe Mack thought his guys were tired? Maybe he thought it would throw off a disciplined Butler team? Considering that X was SMOTHERING Butler in their Man to Man most of the game, the switch was very upsetting to me.

I'll say two things:
1. I don't think much of Butler, but you can't discount their results. They ugly up games, outwork their opponent, and play within their system.
2. With that said, X out uglied Butler last night. I say that as a huge compliment. That's the best D I've seen them play all year. As SGARCIA said, even when X wasn't hitting shots they didn't get down, they just dug in more on D.

In any case, that win got them to 20 and safely in the NCAAs. Now, let's go beat GTown and Nova and win this tourney!

Go X!!!!

[nasdadjr]

In the end the only thing that ever matters is who won who lost. X won butler lost so their whiny fans can suck it. When villanova clubbers us in the final we will have to do our share of sucking but that is still a little ways away haha

[bleedXblue]

We were pretty fortunate to win last night. Yes, I will give Mack credit for the improved D. But we won despite in large part to some pretty questionable moves/non moves. The last "play" of the game in regulation was horribly designed/executed. Not going to Jalen there was inexcusable IMHO. The Stainbrook TO on one of the last possessions in front of our bench was horrible. Mack watched that unfold right in front of him without calling a TO (he had two left at the time). Better in game coaching through grade school level situations is dumfounding at times. Yes we won and I'm thrilled. But a guy in his 6th year should be better than last night.

[Masterofreality]

Not negative. My nature is to analyze, review, critique and break down tape on a basketball game. There are things that go on within the game that are open for discussion. No coach or staff is perfect, but there are items open for questioning and in a league like this, decisions and missed details cost you basketball games. There is absolutely no reason not to question why Xavier went zone in a very critical possession last night for no good reason.

To balance that out, however, we did much more ball screen switching on defense last night and the hedging was way down. Maybe my signature is taking effect!

And I am a strong supporter of Chris Mack. I am sure that things we bring up here are debated by the staff as well. We can all get better, and I got better the longer I coached. Let's all keep getting better, but never only live with the rose colored glasses on.

[kyxu]

Not sure if it has been discussed, but I think Macks starting line up, and second half starting line up almost lost is the game. I'm a Mack guy, but he nearly cost us the game with those moves.

Honestly, we are a much better team than Butler. That game shouldn't have been that close. Glad we won though, friggin Butler flops all the time. I wish we would have slammed it home in the final seconds instead of dribbling it out. F them.


Honestly, I have to agree. Not only that, who came up with the concept of going with a zone defense out of a time out after we went up 5 in overtime? We gave a wide open three to Chrabs, that luckily he missed, but they got the rebound and basket. Before the possession began and before the lineups were set, no less than Byron Larkin said on the radio "no zone here". They did it anyway.

As everyone knows, I am a proponent of changing defenses at times, but c'mon. Time and score. Sometimes what this staff does in game is absolutely mystifying.

Overall though, great job by the staff overall on toughening up this team. There is growth.

Yes to both of these.

Also, during the postgame, Shannon asked Mack why he started JP at the beginning of both halves. Mack didn't know how to respond; it was almost as if he didn't realize JP started.

But, I guess when you get a win against a really good team, you're splitting hairs with this stuff.

[Xavier]

We were pretty fortunate to win last night. Yes, I will give Mack credit for the improved D. But we won despite in large part to some pretty questionable moves/non moves. The last "play" of the game in regulation was horribly designed/executed. Not going to Jalen there was inexcusable IMHO. The Stainbrook TO on one of the last possessions in front of our bench was horrible. Mack watched that unfold right in front of him without calling a TO (he had two left at the time). Better in game coaching through grade school level situations is dumfounding at times. Yes we won and I'm thrilled. But a guy in his 6th year should be better than last night.

Wait, the Stainbrook turnover near end of regulation? I know now the final play in regulation. The play you're talking about you wanted a time out? Do you just want to call a time out anytime stain is about to get doubled? He had a wide open Dee, it was just a bad pass...

[xuwin]

Not sure if it has been discussed, but I think Macks starting line up, and second half starting line up almost lost is the game. I'm a Mack guy, but he nearly cost us the game with those moves.

Honestly, we are a much better team than Butler. That game shouldn't have been that close. Glad we won though, friggin Butler flops all the time. I wish we would have slammed it home in the final seconds instead of dribbling it out. F them.

How are we a much better team than Butler? They finished 12-6 in the Big East and we finished 9-9. It wasn't by accident.

[Muskeagle]

MOR....I was actually (mentally), including you in the category of those who bring up debatable, discussable points. It's a lot of the other stuff...."can't wait til he graduates," "dumb coach", "Bulter sucks, we should have crushed them" type stuff I was referring to.

EDIT: meant to reply with quote

[xuwin]

Congrats on the win guys. Outside of Barlow and maybe Woods, the Bulldogs played pretty terrible last night. Credit to Xavier's overwhelming size and talent for that. You can call us whatever you'd like, the loss hurts, but considering the lack of depth of this team and it's Jekyll and Hyde nature at the foul line, it's honestly probably for the best to lose early and get some rest and practice for the tourney.

Good luck the rest of the way.

Thanks for the congrats. That was a great game and a war from beginning to end. Woods is a warrior on the boards. It seems that he should be a bigger shot blocker and interior scorer with his length and athleticism. Good luck in the tournament. You are definitely capable of doing some damage.

[X-Fan]

Yes to both of these.

Also, during the postgame, Shannon asked Mack why he started JP at the beginning of both halves. Mack didn't know how to respond; it was almost as if he didn't realize JP started.

But, I guess when you get a win against a really good team, you're splitting hairs with this stuff.
I saw his response, he was more side stepping the question. My guess, because Mack provided no info, is that Myles did something to violate team rules. That's the only thing I can think of. The offense/defense is so much better right now with Myles.

[XUFan09]

We were pretty fortunate to win last night. Yes, I will give Mack credit for the improved D. But we won despite in large part to some pretty questionable moves/non moves. The last "play" of the game in regulation was horribly designed/executed. Not going to Jalen there was inexcusable IMHO. The Stainbrook TO on one of the last possessions in front of our bench was horrible. Mack watched that unfold right in front of him without calling a TO (he had two left at the time). Better in game coaching through grade school level situations is dumfounding at times. Yes we won and I'm thrilled. But a guy in his 6th year should be better than last night.

Apparently Reynolds was the initial option, but they couldn't get it to him. As for the play that unfolded, I have to give a lot of credit to Barlow for selling out on Myles to go for that steal. That was a risk-reward situation that paid off for him.

[xuwin]

Apparently Reynolds was the initial option, but they couldn't get it to him. As for the play that unfolded, I have to give a lot of credit to Barlow for selling out on Myles to go for that steal. That was a risk-reward situation that paid off for him.

Chris said after the game that he probably should have sent Myles to the other side to take Barlow away from the play.

[nasdadjr]

After watching this game one thing is certain... butlers cheerleaders are way uglier than any collective group I've ever seen before

[markchal]

Apparently Reynolds was the initial option, but they couldn't get it to him. As for the play that unfolded, I have to give a lot of credit to Barlow for selling out on Myles to go for that steal. That was a risk-reward situation that paid off for him.

I do think Jalen needs to do a better job getting open. It's a lot harder to get those entry passes to him than it is to Stainbrook, who usually does a better job getting position.

[XUFan09]

Chris said after the game that he probably should have sent Myles to the other side to take Barlow away from the play.

Yeah, I remembered him saying that after I posted. Still, Stainbrook got doubled like that a lot, and it usually didn't lead to a turnover.

[IM4X]

Not sure if it has been discussed, but I think Macks starting line up, and second half starting line up almost lost is the game. I'm a Mack guy, but he nearly cost us the game with those moves.

Honestly, we are a much better team than Butler. That game shouldn't have been that close. Glad we won though, friggin Butler flops all the time. I wish we would have slammed it home in the final seconds instead of dribbling it out. F them.

Great finish by the guys but yeah, the starting line up at the beginning of the game and the second did hurt us. JP just had a rough game and Remy had a rough start. Can't afford to let a team have runs like those again. It was like we were playing 4 on 5 for the first 4 minutes of both halves. I loved that the team fought back, though. Gave great, great effort at the end in particular.

Butler is a good team. Not a deep bench, but they are good enough to win a few games in the tournament.

[Smails]

How are we a much better team than Butler?

This. Butler is a darn good basketball team. They aren't great offensively, but they guard the living shit out of you and consistently push the limit when it comes to fouling or not fouling. They put the refs in a situation where they have to make the decision to call 200 fouls and make it a 4 hour game or are they going to 'let them play'. Most don't want to call fouls all game long.

They've been ranked most of the year, beat some good teams and dealt with some absolute program insanity ad the beginning of the year. They are a team that nobody wants to play. Beating them 2x this year is no small feat.

PS- How many air balls did XU shoot in the first 15 minutes of the game??

[newtsac]

Great game, even better resume builder for X.

I have to admit (as much as I hate it) that Butler is one of the savviest teams out there. Aside from being talented, they make themselves even better with HIGH basketball IQ's. They are experts at ball-hawking and they understand how to game the refs. As many complaints as there has been about the officials, it still seemed unbiasedly inconsistent -- but isn't it always?

Nevertheless, I still hate them and that is good for the rivalry. You know, the incredibly lopsided 14-4 rivalry.

If FGCU was "Dunk City," Butler will always be "Flop City."

[markchal]

I don't think we are a much better team, but I think we should be a better team, and that's what posters mean. Obviously, they had a better season. But, our talent is better/deeper. We played them three times, they never looked the part of a great team to me. Looked like an undermanned team that played hard and rebounded well, but they never looked like they had more talent. You can't say that about the rest of the BE tournament teams.

[xavierj]

I didn't have a problem with JP getting the start as long as they had planned on going zone right from the start. The 1-1-3 gave Butler fits at Cintas so I thought that is why he started him. I was confused when they started out in man. So Myles either broke a rule or maybe Chris felt JP could guard Jones since he is big and kind of slow and maybe wanted to keep Myles from fouling early.

[THRILLHOUSE]

I didn't have a problem with JP getting the start as long as they had planned on going zone right from the start. The 1-1-3 gave Butler fits at Cintas so I thought that is why he started him. I was confused when they started out in man. So Myles either broke a rule or maybe Chris felt JP could guard Jones since he is big and kind of slow and maybe wanted to keep Myles from fouling early.

I was ok with JP getting a start, but was baffled when he started the 2nd half.

[JTG]

Great game, even better resume builder for X.

I have to admit (as much as I hate it) that Butler is one of the savviest teams out there. Aside from being talented, they make themselves even better with HIGH basketball IQ's. They are experts at ball-hawking and they understand how to game the refs. As many complaints as there has been about the officials, it still seemed unbiasedly inconsistent -- but isn't it always?

Nevertheless, I still hate them and that is good for the rivalry. You know, the incredibly lopsided 14-4 rivalry.

If FGCU was "Dunk City," Butler will always be "Flop City."

This...we do ourselves a disservice looking down our nose at Butler. They do more with less than anyone in the conference. Very very saavy basketball IQ guys. And it makes up for a talent deficit. They play the same way they did with uber flopper/sneaky fouler Matt Howard. And contrary to some, the turmoil of Brandon Miller leaving was way overblown. He could NOT coach. Holterman was a blessing for them. It would be nice to send Reynolds to Butler for a month this off season, so that maybe just a smidgen of bball IQ would rub off on him.
Glad we won, now on to Gtown, which they for some reason do not match up well with us.

[LA Muskie]

We were pretty fortunate to win last night. Yes, I will give Mack credit for the improved D. But we won despite in large part to some pretty questionable moves/non moves. The last "play" of the game in regulation was horribly designed/executed. Not going to Jalen there was inexcusable IMHO. The Stainbrook TO on one of the last possessions in front of our bench was horrible. Mack watched that unfold right in front of him without calling a TO (he had two left at the time). Better in game coaching through grade school level situations is dumfounding at times. Yes we won and I'm thrilled. But a guy in his 6th year should be better than last night.
Glad to see we're still debating the use of Timeouts. Mid-play, on a steal no less. I guess Mack is supposed to anticipate that as well?

[fellahmuskie]

Game is on replay right now on FS1.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Wait, the Stainbrook turnover near end of regulation? I know now the final play in regulation. The play you're talking about you wanted a time out? Do you just want to call a time out anytime stain is about to get doubled? He had a wide open Dee, it was just a bad pass...

Yeah totally agree. No way for Mack to predict the bad pass.

[LA Muskie]

I saw his response, he was more side stepping the question. My guess, because Mack provided no info, is that Myles did something to violate team rules. That's the only thing I can think of. The offense/defense is so much better right now with Myles.
This is the textbook definition of jumping to conclusions. I can think of any number of other reasons, the most likely to me being matchups, the ability to throw different defenses at Butler, and Myles' recent (and continuing) slump.

[XU Cowbell Kid]

Game is on replay right now on FS1.

If you don't have UVerse that is.

[XUFan09]

I don't think we are a much better team, but I think we should be a better team, and that's what posters mean. Obviously, they had a better season. But, our talent is better/deeper. We played them three times, they never looked the part of a great team to me. Looked like an undermanned team that played hard and rebounded well, but they never looked like they had more talent. You can't say that about the rest of the BE tournament teams.

I think it's often harder to recognize than offensive ability, but Butler has a lot of defensive talent. They are #9 in Kenpom adjusted defensive efficiency for more than just hard work. Barlow, Jones, and Chrabacz are all great defenders; Woods is mobile and good on defense; and Dunham at least has pretty good length. Offensively, they are about as efficient as Xavier's offense last year, which no one called world-beaters, but the defense carries that team.

[fellahmuskie]

If you don't have UVerse that is.

I'm sorry, that sucks. I thought maybe the replay would be allowed.

Just watched the first four minutes of the 2nd half. I'm no good at analyzing defense, but on offense J.P. had three great looks - one open 3-pointer and two runners in the lane where he made a nice move from the perimeter. Could have easily scored 5-7 points. Just wasn't his night. I expect him to make some big shots tonight.

[American X]

The turning point of the second half was the Myles Davis air high-fives after the technical foul free throws.

[X-Fan]

This is the textbook definition of jumping to conclusions. I can think of any number of other reasons, the most likely to me being matchups, the ability to throw different defenses at Butler, and Myles' recent (and continuing) slump.
Yeah, it is a bit of a jump. I'll give you that.

I'll counter your list of reason with a few thoughts.

I'm not sure if I'd say Myles is in a slump. He's made at least one 3 a game in almost every game this year, and hit an important 3 when he got in last night. Considering he scored 18 in the last win over Butler, has started most of the season, plays good D, and can handle the ball well, Myles not starting was VERY surprising. I am big on JP. I think he's going to have an amazing career at X, but it made no sense to have him start both halves.

You don't "shuffle" your lineup at this point in the season. You don't put in a guy (JP) who IS in a half season long slump, has a tendency for poor shot selection, and plays "ok" Man to Man D against a team that can kill you from 3. It's not like Mack started in the 1-3-1 zone with JP out there!

I AM a Mack guy. I have defended him all season, and still stick by him. However, that move made no sense to me unless it was because of my previously mentioned possible reason. Not trying to attack JP, Mack, or you. Just stating my view.

[Masterofreality]

The turning point of the second half was the Myles Davis air high-fives after the technical foul free throws.

This. THAT was funny.

[Snipe]

I am watching the game again now on FS1

Long Live Dee Davis!

Xavier Seniors come to play. I love my Alma.

[Xavier]

This. THAT was funny.

Agreed- he has done it all year when shooting technicals.

[Snipe]

right near the end now too so tune in if you can

[paulxu]

I honestly don't ever remember seeing anyone do Air Fives.

That was positively AWESOME.

I would love it if one of you techno guys could do that vine thing with it.

[xu82]

right near the end now too so tune in if you can

It looks like we might let this one slip away! Damn!

[LA Muskie]

This. THAT was funny.
He does it every time he shoots techs. And it gets me every time.

Myles Davis taking "do it exactly the same every time" to a whole new level...

[ArizonaXUGrad]

Guys, Butler can play, but the guys they rely on are Seniors or have been in the program a while. We started 2 freshmen and 1 guy who red shirted last year. Butler relied on experience with 2 seniors, 2 juniors, and a sophomore. Their bench is where they go to inexperience.

It's the NCAA and having seniors and juniors matter especially when they have been in the program 3-4 years.

[LA Muskie]

Yeah, it is a bit of a jump. I'll give you that.

I'll counter your list of reason with a few thoughts.

I'm not sure if I'd say Myles is in a slump. He's made at least one 3 a game in almost every game this year, and hit an important 3 when he got in last night. Considering he scored 18 in the last win over Butler, has started most of the season, plays good D, and can handle the ball well, Myles not starting was VERY surprising. I am big on JP. I think he's going to have an amazing career at X, but it made no sense to have him start both halves.

You don't "shuffle" your lineup at this point in the season. You don't put in a guy (JP) who IS in a half season long slump, has a tendency for poor shot selection, and plays "ok" Man to Man D against a team that can kill you from 3. It's not like Mack started in the 1-3-1 zone with JP out there!

I AM a Mack guy. I have defended him all season, and still stick by him. However, that move made no sense to me unless it was because of my previously mentioned possible reason. Not trying to attack JP, Mack, or you. Just stating my view.
We're cool. I'm not saying I agreed with the decision (as I mentioned earlier, I did not like the starting lineup). I just wouldn't jump to the conclusion that it was disciplinary without more to go on. Frankly, when that's the case is Mack usually makes a point to tell the world.

[XU Cowbell Kid]

I'm sorry, that sucks. I thought maybe the replay would be allowed.

Just watched the first four minutes of the 2nd half. I'm no good at analyzing defense, but on offense J.P. had three great looks - one open 3-pointer and two runners in the lane where he made a nice move from the perimeter. Could have easily scored 5-7 points. Just wasn't his night. I expect him to make some big shots tonight.

Oh no worries, I don't have UVerse, so I'm watching it right now. I just feel bad for those that can't.

OVERTIME??? I did not see that one coming.

[Snipe]

Xavier 0-3 in OT and Butler 2-0 in OT going into last night. Fun to watch

turning the corner on that

and Dee Davis is playing like a Boss

[BandAid]

I wonder if Myles does air fives at practice

[X-Fan]

Guys, Butler can play, but the guys they rely on are Seniors or have been in the program a while. We started 2 freshmen and 1 guy who red shirted last year. Butler relied on experience with 2 seniors, 2 juniors, and a sophomore. Their bench is where they go to inexperience.

It's the NCAA and having seniors and juniors matter especially when they have been in the program 3-4 years.
I was actually thinking about our "Are we young this year" argument during on point in the 1st half. X had the following lineup on the court:
G Dee Davis - Sr.
G Myles Davis - So.
F Trevon Bluiett - Fr.
F JP Macura - Fr.
F Jalen Reynolds So.

I'm pretty sure that was the combo of players, wither way I know it was 1 Sr, 2 So, and 2 Fr.

In any case, my point is that X the inconsistency we've seen this year is in part due to X's lack of experience. Also, I'll note that while that lineup wasn't in there very long, they easily held their own, including a good defensive stop. Very positive stuff!

[JTG]

Bluiett does not play like a freshman, and his tournament experience is starting to show. He was in the HS State Finals 3 of his 4 years. He knows about pressurized tournament situations. Hopefully I didn't just jinx him, and he goes for 15 & 10 tonite.

[bleedXblue]

Glad to see we're still debating the use of Timeouts. Mid-play, on a steal no less. I guess Mack is supposed to anticipate that as well?

The play literally happened right in front of him. We had about 10 seconds left on the shot clock. As soon as Stain got doubled 20 feet from the basket, yes I expect him to call a timeout.

[D-West & PO-Z]

The play literally happened right in front of him. We had about 10 seconds left on the shot clock. As soon as Stain got doubled 20 feet from the basket, yes I expect him to call a timeout.

No way, Stainbroook usually makes really good passes out of double teams, he just made a bad pass there. Mack couldnt have anticipated that.

[xudash]

Guys, Butler can play, but the guys they rely on are Seniors or have been in the program a while. We started 2 freshmen and 1 guy who red shirted last year. Butler relied on experience with 2 seniors, 2 juniors, and a sophomore. Their bench is where they go to inexperience.

It's the NCAA and having seniors and juniors matter especially when they have been in the program 3-4 years.

Exactly.

Butler is an interesting mix. I do believe they find certain kinds of guys, or at least have in recent years, who fit into their system and play with a high basketball IQ. Having acknowledged that, there is no question that they push the envelope when it comes to fouling and flopping. Last night was a showcase in that regard, especially in two cases: Jones literally diving into our bigs, getting a foul called against us, and Barlow's idiotic flop against Myles Davis late in OT. For that matter, Dunham would probably have a better scoring % if he focused on putting the ball in the basket than kicking his legs out most of the time to fake getting fouled.

[LA Muskie]

The play literally happened right in front of him. We had about 10 seconds left on the shot clock. As soon as Stain got doubled 20 feet from the basket, yes I expect him to call a timeout.
You realize that we WANT him to get doubled, right? He's one of the best passing bigs in the game. He made a mistake. It happens.

[xudash]

https://twitter.com/XavierGameday/status/576222556811837440

[Muskied]

https://vine.co/v/O9Hd9AIQDT6

My favorite part of the game last night. New way to shoot a 3...

[X Factor]

https://vine.co/v/O9Hd9AIQDT6

My favorite part of the game last night. New way to shoot a 3...

Wow...what an acting job.

[bleedXblue]

You realize that we WANT him to get doubled, right? He's one of the best passing bigs in the game. He made a mistake. It happens.

Its called situational coaching. We had 10 seconds left on the shot clock in a critical possession late in the game. Stain gets trapped close to the baseline and in a spot that's extremely difficult to pass from. That's not an ideal situation to escape from and create a good shot. Hence, that's exactly why I would have called a timeout prior to the turnover. The TO allows you to escape from the trap and get organized for a better shot opportunity.

This wasn't a possession early in the second half.......the game was literally on line and he had 2 TO's left.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Its called situational coaching. We had 10 seconds left on the shot clock in a critical possession late in the game. Stain gets trapped close to the baseline and in a spot that's extremely difficult to pass from. That's not an ideal situation to escape from and create a good shot. Hence, that's exactly why I would have called a timeout prior to the turnover. The TO allows you to escape from the trap and get organized for a better shot opportunity.

This wasn't a possession early in the second half.......the game was literally on line and he had 2 TO's left.

I would have to go back and look at it but just from memory I think you are exaggerating a little bit with the trap. From my memory they were coming to double team and stain made a bad pass. It wasnt that he was "trapped" struggling to find someone and had nothing to do with it.

This wasnt the Myles Davis trapped at the end of the game getting a jump ball call type of trap.

[Masterofreality]

https://vine.co/v/O9Hd9AIQDT6

My favorite part of the game last night. New way to shoot a 3...

That stuff gets around in the officiating circles and eventually bites you in the ass. Sometimes a team gets such a rep for flopping and flailing that refs don't even buy legit fouls.

Gotta pick you spot, like Dee did at Creighton.

[Drew's Crew]

Its called situational coaching. We had 10 seconds left on the shot clock in a critical possession late in the game. Stain gets trapped close to the baseline and in a spot that's extremely difficult to pass from. That's not an ideal situation to escape from and create a good shot. Hence, that's exactly why I would have called a timeout prior to the turnover. The TO allows you to escape from the trap and get organized for a better shot opportunity.

This wasn't a possession early in the second half.......the game was literally on line and he had 2 TO's left.

This type of nitpicking bullshit is why I have posted less and less over the years.

I love X basketball and I was all jacked up last night over the win. We know what we have, but we also need to know what we don't

Mack is a good coach, period. 2-time A-10 COY, players love him and he recruits extremely well. We have beaten 5 top-25 teams this season and have suffered close losses in 3 OT games. WE compete, we play hard, and the players respond well to Mack On top of that, he has been loyal and passionate about this program.

We are an awesome program, but the expectations need to be realistic. Stop criticizing every damn thing that Mack does or doesn't do on a daily basis.

Please, I'm begging you.

Allow the rest of us to just discuss the game and enjoy our time on the board. I do not condone accepting mediocrity nor do I condone always making excuses. But, Jesus...you would think we had Creighton's record with all the whining on this board.

We are talented, we are young, and we play hard. Next year we will be better, but just enjoy this team while it lasts and the last of Stain and Dee's careers in their X uniforms. No matter their shortcomings, we are a better program with them than without them.

And the same goes for Coach Mack. The coach that calls out Dunham for being a bitch and hates Butler almost more than I do and loves Xavier more than I do.

That's my coach.

[BMoreX]

^Get back to teaching

[XU Cowbell Kid]

This type of nitpicking bullshit is why I have posted less and less over the years.

I love X basketball and I was all jacked up last night over the win. We know what we have, but we also need to know what we don't

Mack is a good coach, period. 2-time A-10 COY, players love him and he recruits extremely well. We have beaten 5 top-25 teams this season and have suffered close losses in 3 OT games. WE compete, we play hard, and the players respond well to Mack On top of that, he has been loyal and passionate about this program.

We are an awesome program, but the expectations need to be realistic. Stop criticizing every damn thing that Mack does or doesn't do on a daily basis.

Please, I'm begging you.

Allow the rest of us to just discuss the game and enjoy our time on the board. I do not condone accepting mediocrity nor do I condone always making excuses. But, Jesus...you would think we had Creighton's record with all the whining on this board.

We are talented, we are young, and we play hard. Next year we will be better, but just enjoy this team while it lasts and the last of Stain and Dee's careers in their X uniforms. No matter their shortcomings, we are a better program with them than without them.

And the same goes for Coach Mack. The coach that calls out Dunham for being a bitch and hates Butler almost more than I do and loves Xavier more than I do.

That's my coach.

I'm just quoting this so people can read it twice. It deserves to be read twice.

[Xavier]

I would have to go back and look at it but just from memory I think you are exaggerating a little bit with the trap. From my memory they were coming to double team and stain made a bad pass. It wasnt that he was "trapped" struggling to find someone and had nothing to do with it.

This wasnt the Myles Davis trapped at the end of the game getting a jump ball call type of trap.

He definitely is exaggerating. It's the exact play we want, stain has ball- I think Dunham left dee to double and about 4-5 feet away when stain passes. Maybe further. Regardless, Either A)stain takes it to hoop or B) gets doubled and kicks to Dee for an open look. What happened was C) as Dunham came to double, about half way between Dee and Stain, stain tried to pass and it was stolen. By no means did I think stain was passing out of a trap, he was passing to an open guy as Dunham started to come down and double.

[Xavier]

Dress Crew. I do think there is a ton of whining on the board, more than deserved imo. Still, how do you feel about skirting the bubble four years in a row?

[markchal]

Dress Crew. I do think there is a ton of whining on the board, more than deserved imo. Still, how do you feel about skirting the bubble four years in a row?

It's a message board, what do you want? Everyone to blindly support Mack?

[D-West & PO-Z]

this type of nitpicking bullshit is why i have posted less and less over the years.

I love x basketball and i was all jacked up last night over the win. We know what we have, but we also need to know what we don't

mack is a good coach, period. 2-time a-10 coy, players love him and he recruits extremely well. We have beaten 5 top-25 teams this season and have suffered close losses in 3 ot games. We compete, we play hard, and the players respond well to mack on top of that, he has been loyal and passionate about this program.

We are an awesome program, but the expectations need to be realistic. Stop criticizing every damn thing that mack does or doesn't do on a daily basis.

Please, i'm begging you.

Allow the rest of us to just discuss the game and enjoy our time on the board. I do not condone accepting mediocrity nor do i condone always making excuses. But, jesus...you would think we had creighton's record with all the whining on this board.

We are talented, we are young, and we play hard. Next year we will be better, but just enjoy this team while it lasts and the last of stain and dee's careers in their x uniforms. No matter their shortcomings, we are a better program with them than without them.

And the same goes for coach mack. The coach that calls out dunham for being a bitch and hates butler almost more than i do and loves xavier more than i do.

That's my coach.

reps!!!

[D-West & PO-Z]

It's a message board, what do you want? Everyone to blindly support Mack?

No but when it gets to the point of criticizing Mack for not calling a timeout/anticipating a turnover while we are running a play/offense that is the exact play/offense we want to have happen is ridiculous.

[Chalmers0]

I was actually thinking about our "Are we young this year" argument during on point in the 1st half. X had the following lineup on the court:
G Dee Davis - Sr.
G Myles Davis - So.
F Trevon Bluiett - Fr.
F JP Macura - Fr.
F Jalen Reynolds So.

I'm pretty sure that was the combo of players, wither way I know it was 1 Sr, 2 So, and 2 Fr.

In any case, my point is that X the inconsistency we've seen this year is in part due to X's lack of experience. Also, I'll note that while that lineup wasn't in there very long, they easily held their own, including a good defensive stop. Very positive stuff!


I don't necessarily think we are "young" enough to use that as an excuse for losses or anything (not saying anyone has either) but based solely on experience I think KenPom has us at something like 226 in the country. Definitely gives a little bit of reasoning behind some growing pains and inconsistencies we have had.

[Xavier]

No but when it gets to the point of criticizing Mack for not calling a timeout/anticipating a turnover while we are running a play/offense that is the exact play/offense we want to have happen is ridiculous.

I don't know, I think he should've called a time out at the end of the St. John's game (?) when Myles got doubled. Thought it was clear he was going to either turn it over or travel.

[LA Muskie]

I don't know, I think he should've called a time out at the end of the St. John's game (?) when Myles got doubled. Thought it was clear he was going to either turn it over or travel.
Or get fouled (twice) and not have it called? Probably more than 90 times out of 100 that is called a foul. And usually you don't want to call a TO to avoid it -- particularly when the ball is in the hands of your best FT shooter.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I don't know, I think he should've called a time out at the end of the St. John's game (?) when Myles got doubled. Thought it was clear he was going to either turn it over or travel.

I agree to an extent about that situation but thats not what I was talking about . That situation was clearly different from Stainbrooks turnover.

[bleedXblue]

No but when it gets to the point of criticizing Mack for not calling a timeout/anticipating a turnover while we are running a play/offense that is the exact play/offense we want to have happen is ridiculous.

Why can't you wrap your head around how critical the moment was? Exactly the play we wanted? WTF? Stain getting trapped with 10 seconds on the shot clock and 20 feet from the basket? What's ridiculous is the level of basketball IQ some people have.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Why can't you wrap your head around how critical the moment was? Exactly the play we wanted? WTF? Stain getting trapped with 10 seconds on the shot clock and 20 feet from the basket? What's ridiculous is the level of basketball IQ some people have.

You clearly dont know what trapped means. When one person thinks everyone elses' basketball IQ is low while their's is superior, yet NO ONE agrees with them that is usually pretty telling.

[paulxu]

https://twitter.com/XavierGameday/status/576222556811837440

I love me some air-fives!

[xudash]

This type of nitpicking bullshit is why I have posted less and less over the years.

I love X basketball and I was all jacked up last night over the win. We know what we have, but we also need to know what we don't

Mack is a good coach, period. 2-time A-10 COY, players love him and he recruits extremely well. We have beaten 5 top-25 teams this season and have suffered close losses in 3 OT games. WE compete, we play hard, and the players respond well to Mack On top of that, he has been loyal and passionate about this program.

We are an awesome program, but the expectations need to be realistic. Stop criticizing every damn thing that Mack does or doesn't do on a daily basis.

Please, I'm begging you.

Allow the rest of us to just discuss the game and enjoy our time on the board. I do not condone accepting mediocrity nor do I condone always making excuses. But, Jesus...you would think we had Creighton's record with all the whining on this board.

We are talented, we are young, and we play hard. Next year we will be better, but just enjoy this team while it lasts and the last of Stain and Dee's careers in their X uniforms. No matter their shortcomings, we are a better program with them than without them.

And the same goes for Coach Mack. The coach that calls out Dunham for being a bitch and hates Butler almost more than I do and loves Xavier more than I do.

That's my coach.

Let's see if we can get some of these high IQ fans to read this again.

You want to talk about IMPROVEMENT. that was a WAR last night. I didn't see us let up for one possession. Great coaching job by Chris Mack.

[XU Cowbell Kid]

Why can't you wrap your head around how critical the moment was? Exactly the play we wanted? WTF? Stain getting trapped with 10 seconds on the shot clock and 20 feet from the basket? What's ridiculous is the level of basketball IQ some people have.

Your expectations simply do not make sense. I went back and watched the highlights. I timed it from the moment when Barlow moves off of Davis toward Stain to the moment that he has sole possession of the ball. The result? 0.81 seconds. (For you math people out there, I did 10 measurements. Every one came in between 0.77 and 0.86). The time between when Barlow turns and when he has shared possession of the ball (thus eliminating the option of a timeout) - 0.45 seconds. The average human reaction time is 0.3 seconds. Assuming Chris Mack recognizes that Barlow coming in to help on Stainbrook will result in a turnover the instant that Barlow pulls off of Davis, Mack only has 0.15 seconds to get the refs attention and call a timeout.

How you think a timeout should have been called there is a complete mystery to me.

Equally baffling is why you think one needed to be called. Sure, in hindsight it would have prevented a turnover. But what if Stain had kicked out to a wide open Davis and he drained a 3? You gotta have faith in your players to get the job done. I doubt Mack would ever want to call a timeout in that situation, even if it was physically possible.

Can we please stop talking about timeouts now?

[bleedXblue]

Your expectations simply do not make sense. I went back and watched the highlights. I timed it from the moment when Barlow moves off of Davis toward Stain to the moment that he has sole possession of the ball. The result? 0.81 seconds. (For you math people out there, I did 10 measurements. Every one came in between 0.77 and 0.86). The time between when Barlow turns and when he has shared possession of the ball (thus eliminating the option of a timeout) - 0.45 seconds. The average human reaction time is 0.3 seconds. Assuming Chris Mack recognizes that Barlow coming in to help on Stainbrook will result in a turnover the instant that Barlow pulls off of Davis, Mack only has 0.15 seconds to get the refs attention and call a timeout.

How you think a timeout should have been called there is a complete mystery to me.

Equally baffling is why you think one needed to be called. Sure, in hindsight it would have prevented a turnover. But what if Stain had kicked out to a wide open Davis and he drained a 3? You gotta have faith in your players to get the job done. I doubt Mack would ever want to call a timeout in that situation, even if it was physically possible.

Can we please stop talking about timeouts now?

From what I remember it was an ugly possession all around. You could argue he could/should have called a timeout prior to Stain even getting the ball to get a better play drawn up. We had two timeouts left and it was a critical possession with the game in the balance. Not sure what the mystery is?

[markchal]

Your expectations simply do not make sense. I went back and watched the highlights. I timed it from the moment when Barlow moves off of Davis toward Stain to the moment that he has sole possession of the ball. The result? 0.81 seconds. (For you math people out there, I did 10 measurements. Every one came in between 0.77 and 0.86). The time between when Barlow turns and when he has shared possession of the ball (thus eliminating the option of a timeout) - 0.45 seconds. The average human reaction time is 0.3 seconds. Assuming Chris Mack recognizes that Barlow coming in to help on Stainbrook will result in a turnover the instant that Barlow pulls off of Davis, Mack only has 0.15 seconds to get the refs attention and call a timeout.

How you think a timeout should have been called there is a complete mystery to me.

Equally baffling is why you think one needed to be called. Sure, in hindsight it would have prevented a turnover. But what if Stain had kicked out to a wide open Davis and he drained a 3? You gotta have faith in your players to get the job done. I doubt Mack would ever want to call a timeout in that situation, even if it was physically possible.

Can we please stop talking about timeouts now?

He's not talking about the last play of regulation when Barlow stole it. That would've been insane to expect Mack to call a TO in that situation. He has to be talking about the turnover Stain had before that.

[Juice]

Dress Crew. I do think there is a ton of whining on the board, more than deserved imo. Still, how do you feel about skirting the bubble four years in a row?

X will be anywhere from a 7-9 seed. That's not exactly on the bubble.

X was a ten seed the last time they went to the sweet 16 and I think as a whole there was less bitching that year than this year.

[D-West & PO-Z]

X will be anywhere from a 7-9 seed. That's not exactly on the bubble.

X was a ten seed the last time they went to the sweet 16 and I think as a whole there was less bitching that year than this year.

Yeah there was you are right. I am surprised there wasnt more bitching since we didnt really go to the Sweet 16 since Lehigh beat Duke. Doesnt count and Mack sucks and gets no credit remember???????

[markchal]

X will be anywhere from a 7-9 seed. That's not exactly on the bubble.

X was a ten seed the last time they went to the sweet 16 and I think as a whole there was less bitching that year than this year.

Wasn't that the year of the brawl? You think there was less bitching this year??? That's insane.

Also, it's nice we are playing for seed now, but that didn't happen until a game (arguably) into the conference tourney. We were a lucky call against Creighton (a correct call, but not one officials always make even though Dee was absolutely fouled) away from being in the NIT. The original poster is right, we were definitely skirting the bubble this year, for the fourth year in a row.

[spursy]

Wait did we win last night? Because this is how the board usually acts after a loss. Wtf is going on here. We beat butler in a close game and solidified our spot in the tournament. On top of that our team looks to be in a good place and people are stepping up (looking at you larry. He played great and with such confidence before he was benched for a turnover. Really happy with his development this year.)

[markchal]

(looking at you larry. He played great and with such confidence before he was benched for a turnover. Really happy with his development this year.)

I agree on this, and really wish Mack would lengthen his leash. He seems to run the offense well and always is a spark off the bench. He's definitely way more athletic than Dee, and I'm excited about his future here.

[D-West & PO-Z]

The only thing that worries me about Larry is he seems to get "lost"/a little flustered sometimes on offense or on a break. He traveled once and there was at least one other time a travel probably should have been called on him.

He did have one great drive and dish though for an easy layup.

[markchal]

The only thing that worries me about Larry is he seems to get "lost"/a little flustered sometimes on offense or on a break. He traveled once and there was at least one other time a travel probably should have been called on him.

He did have one great drive and dish though for an easy layup.

I think that's just from lack of experience. He's barely played at all and will get more comfortable once Mack doesn't yank him every time he has one mishap. But yeah, going forward I understand the uncertainties with playing him, but given the need to rest Dee and because he does bring a spark, I can live with a turnover or two if he's playing as hard as he has been for 5-8 minutes a game.

[Masterofreality]

Here's the deal....and get used to it.

Being on the edge is what life is like in a Top 2 league. In a league like this, there will be no walk overs and lots of games to the edge. Until you get to the point, like a Villanova, where you have a Senior laden talented team that was recruited for the level you are at, you will need to persevere and ride the roller coaster.

I believe the biggest issue of doubt this year was placed by losses to LBSU and Auburn. Without those, there would have been a lot less angst on here.

[markchal]

Here's the deal....and get used to it.

Being on the edge is what life is like in a Top 2 league. In a league like this, there will be no walk overs and lots of games to the edge. Until you get to the point, like a Villanova, where you have a Senior laden talented team that was recruited for the level you are at, you will need to persevere and ride the roller coaster.

I believe the biggest issue of doubt this year was placed by losses to LBSU and Auburn. Without those, there would have been a lot less angst on here.

That's true about no walk-overs. Not when the worst team in your league plays as hard as Creighton does. And avoiding the bad non-con losses definitely would've made things easier on all the fans this year.

I do get that it's a tough league and will always be a battle, but I really think we're not that far off from where we need to be. I don't think this team is even in the top 3 of teams Mack has had. I think we can consistently be top 3-4 in the league, but maybe I'm delusional.

[Xavier]

X will be anywhere from a 7-9 seed. That's not exactly on the bubble.

X was a ten seed the last time they went to the sweet 16 and I think as a whole there was less bitching that year than this year.

Well. They are not on the bubble now, but more so they were on the bubble until the last game of the regular season, agreed?

I'm also not saying X can't make a run. I guess was my point is I'd hope this trend of being on the bubble isn't becoming a norm, to me that is unacceptable and everyone on the board can agree X was on the bubble heading into the Creighton game.

[PM Thor]

Here's the deal....and get used to it.

Being on the edge is what life is like in a Top 2 league. In a league like this, there will be no walk overs and lots of games to the edge. Until you get to the point, like a Villanova, where you have a Senior laden talented team that was recruited for the level you are at, you will need to persevere and ride the roller coaster.

I believe the biggest issue of doubt this year was placed by losses to LBSU and Auburn. Without those, there would have been a lot less angst on here.

This. Just take a look at Creighton. They lost 7 conference games by a total of 13 points. Could have easily been 21-12 instead of 14-19.

[xu82]

Here's the deal....and get used to it.

Being on the edge is what life is like in a Top 2 league. In a league like this, there will be no walk overs and lots of games to the edge. Until you get to the point, like a Villanova, where you have a Senior laden talented team that was recruited for the level you are at, you will need to persevere and ride the roller coaster.

I believe the biggest issue of doubt this year was placed by losses to LBSU and Auburn. Without those, there would have been a lot less angst on here.
Yep, and as much as I hated those loses (and I was at the Auburn game with an Auburn buddy...it was rough), there's a lot to learned from adversity. The whole thing is a process and you want to just keep getting better. That's what we seem to be doing. Play your best at the end!

[Drew's Crew]

Dress Crew. I do think there is a ton of whining on the board, more than deserved imo. Still, how do you feel about skirting the bubble four years in a row?

I don't feel great about it at all to be honest. We have a lot of posters on here that criticize the program and rightfully so. Level headed critical observations are welcome. I just lashed out a bit because I feel like people are beginning to really nitpick and just find things to complain about.

Additionally, I think Mack has proven he can coach. The dude knows what he's doing, he showed that his first few years at the helm. If anything, I think recruiting was a bigger adjustment than expected. That, more than anything, has led to our string of mediocrity (by the way, we aren't mediocre his year, we are a damn good D-1 program).

Now that Mack has started to settle down with his recruiting and getting his type of guys, I believe we will see improvement.

The expectations - and don't jump all over me, I think having high expectations is a GOOD thing - can sometimes be over the top. Unless you are a program like Duke, AZ, UNC, KU etc. There are going to be ups and downs. I mean, it's the reality of coaching college age players.

Does Jamie Dixon suck all of a sudden? Did 2-time Big 12 COY Turgeon suck the last 3-4 years at MD? No, of course not.

I think even the most cynical fan can see that we have some really good young talent.

We have been spoiled with our coaches over the years. Mack is a really good coach AND he loves Xavier!! He is what we have ALWAYS wanted. Does he have weaknesses? Yeah, he does. I hope he improves and I think he will.

We have potential to be a top 25 team this year and be even better next year. I would say that after this recent downside, Mack has done a grat job in getting us back on track. If anything, the way his guys love him, play for him, and have a passion for my alma mater is what ticks me off with the overly-critical observations sometimes.

[markchal]

Speaking of learning/growing up, was I the only one who wanted the ball in Trevon's hands at the end of the game? With Myles being cold, I thought Trevon had a good matchup to either drive and draw a foul, or hit that devastating pull-up of his. Certainly would've (well, could've) been better than what we ended up with at the end of regulation.

[xu82]

I don't feel great about it at all to be honest. We have a lot of posters on here that criticize the program and rightfully so. Level headed critical observations are welcome. I just lashed out a bit because I feel like people are beginning to really nitpick and just find things to complain about.

Additionally, I think Mack has proven he can coach. The dude knows what he's doing, he showed that his first few years at the helm. If anything, I think recruiting was a bigger adjustment than expected. That, more than anything, has led to our string of mediocrity (by the way, we aren't mediocre his year, we are a damn good D-1 program).

Now that Mack has started to settle down with his recruiting and getting his type of guys, I believe we will see improvement.

The expectations - and don't jump all over me, I think having high expectations is a GOOD thing - can sometimes be over the top. Unless you are a program like Duke, AZ, UNC, KU etc. There are going to be ups and downs. I mean, it's the reality of coaching college age players.

Does Jamie Dixon suck all of a sudden? Did 2-time Big 12 COY Turgeon suck the last 3-4 years at MD? No, of course not.

I think even the most cynical fan can see that we have some really good young talent.

We have been spoiled with our coaches over the years. Mack is a really good coach AND he loves Xavier!! He is what we have ALWAYS wanted. Does he have weaknesses? Yeah, he does. I hope he improves and I think he will.

We have potential to be a top 25 team this year and be even better next year. I would say that after this recent downside, Mack has done a grat job in getting us back on track. If anything, the way his guys love him, play for him, and have a passion for my alma mater is what ticks me off with the overly-critical observations sometimes.

And even THESE programs have missed the Tournament in recent years. Let's not all lose track of that. It happens to the best of them, folks. I wish there was less nail biting required, but I'm glad we're on the right side of things in the end (usually). Let's hope this is the year we go on the next improbable run.

[xu82]

Speaking of learning/growing up, was I the only one who wanted the ball in Trevon's hands at the end of the game? With Myles being cold, I thought Trevon had a good matchup to either drive and draw a foul, or hit that devastating pull-up of his. Certainly would've (well, could've) been better than what we ended up with at the end of regulation.

That was ugly, but I liked that Mack was quick to throw out there that things should have been schemed differently. He owned it. As for Trevon, he's a guy that can will a team to win (especially in the years ahead), but he was not having his best night from the FT line. I don't doubt him though. Clutch last night for the most part.

[GIMMFD]

Does Jamie Dixon suck all of a sudden?

I actually think Jamie Dixon isn't all that great... sure he is 307-110, 2 sweet 16s and an elite 8, but I feel as if his Pittsburgh teams underperform in the tournament.

[Masterofreality]

Speaking of learning/growing up, was I the only one who wanted the ball in Trevon's hands at the end of the game? With Myles being cold, I thought Trevon had a good matchup to either drive and draw a foul, or hit that devastating pull-up of his. Certainly would've (well, could've) been better than what we ended up with at the end of regulation.

It don't think that Tre is quite there yet. There were times near the end of the game where he tried to take his guy to the hoop and got swatted. He hasn't learned all the way yet how to use his body, be strong enough and score through contact.

He'll get there, but he's got a ways to go. Still, I don't mind him being aggressive.

[paulxu]

Musketeer mascot photo bombs the live TV announcing crew. Good stuff.

Edit. Well this is in the wrong damn thread. Have another Paul.