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Norwoodian
01-27-2017, 08:38 AM
I'm a life-long X fan, and I'm feeling pretty down this morning after last night's loss. I hate to say it, but the Bearcats manhandled. We got tossed around like little rag dolls. UC was more physical, more poised, ran a better offense, killed us on the boards. I mean, Trevon has the game of his life, goes for 40, UC misses 19 free throws, and we still lose handily. I REALLY hate to say this, but the Leprechaun schooled our coach with the Xs and Os. What do we go, guys?

beatuc
01-27-2017, 09:26 AM
I'm a life-long X fan, and I'm feeling pretty down this morning after last night's loss. I hate to say it, but the Bearcats manhandled. We got tossed around like little rag dolls. UC was more physical, more poised, ran a better offense, killed us on the boards. I mean, Trevon has the game of his life, goes for 40, UC misses 19 free throws, and we still lose handily. I REALLY hate to say this, but the Leprechaun schooled our coach with the Xs and Os. What do we go, guys?

UC ran a horrible offense and still won. It was rebounding nothing more, nothing less.

xufan2434
01-27-2017, 09:46 AM
I'm a life-long X fan, and I'm feeling pretty down this morning after last night's loss. I hate to say it, but the Bearcats manhandled. We got tossed around like little rag dolls. UC was more physical, more poised, ran a better offense, killed us on the boards. I mean, Trevon has the game of his life, goes for 40, UC misses 19 free throws, and we still lose handily. I REALLY hate to say this, but the Leprechaun schooled our coach with the Xs and Os. What do we go, guys?

I said this last night too. First time I ever thought that. Just IMO, Mack could have used his timeouts better to stop runs or at least halt them before they got going. And I know our bigs were trash last night but I could not believe he didn't once choose to run 2 of them out there at the same time. Honestly, I thought the wings did just as bad of a job as boxing out and rebounding as the bigs did. And considering UC was sending 4 to the glass every time, it's a whole team effort. I know the offense would have been probably worse because of it, but when you're getting your ass handed to you that bad on the glass, you can't just keep trying to the same thing and expect different results.

Pete Delkus
01-27-2017, 09:53 AM
In circles in early 2016, Mack hinted at how it will be differen without Jalen Reynolds.

This is a case of be careful what you wish for, or in this case, help facilitate.

bleedXblue
01-27-2017, 09:55 AM
i said this last night too. First time i ever thought that. Just imo, mack could have used his timeouts better to stop runs or at least halt them before they got going. And i know our bigs were trash last night but i could not believe he didn't once choose to run 2 of them out there at the same time. Honestly, i thought the wings did just as bad of a job as boxing out and rebounding as the bigs did. And considering uc was sending 4 to the glass every time, it's a whole team effort. I know the offense would have been probably worse because of it, but when you're getting your ass handed to you that bad on the glass, you can't just keep trying to the same thing and expect different results.

mack never does this.......

Caf
01-27-2017, 09:58 AM
UC ran a horrible offense and still won. It was rebounding nothing more, nothing less.

The only coaching decision that made me scratch my head was the switch to 1-3-1. We were getting killed on the glass and that zone only made it worse.

bleedXblue
01-27-2017, 10:06 AM
The only coaching decision that made me scratch my head was the switch to 1-3-1. We were getting killed on the glass and that zone only made it worse.

Well I think part of it was the foul trouble

JimCoker
01-27-2017, 10:08 AM
One of the very few good things I took away from this game was the toughness and overall attitude displayed by Quentin Goodin. I think he will be a real asset to this team in the coming years running the point.

xuwin
01-27-2017, 10:13 AM
The only coaching decision that made me scratch my head was the switch to 1-3-1. We were getting killed on the glass and that zone only made it worse.

He had to switch to the 1-3-1 because of foul trouble with the guards. How do you play man to man defense if the officials refuse to call offensive fouls.

muskieindent
01-27-2017, 10:15 AM
I'm a life-long X fan, and I'm feeling pretty down this morning after last night's loss. I hate to say it, but the Bearcats manhandled. We got tossed around like little rag dolls. UC was more physical, more poised, ran a better offense, killed us on the boards. I mean, Trevon has the game of his life, goes for 40, UC misses 19 free throws, and we still lose handily. I REALLY hate to say this, but the Leprechaun schooled our coach with the Xs and Os. What do we go, guys?

Time to accept that UC is better than us this year.If they can fix the foul shooting problem,they could make a run in March.Outside of SMU,no one in that league should beat them.They finally have guys who can score.

atljar
01-27-2017, 10:16 AM
He had to switch to the 1-3-1 because of foul trouble with the guards. How do you play man to man defense if the officials refuse to call offensive fouls.

Yes, this.

We were getting killed on Offensive boards in man and zone. The zone forced them to start shooting from outside, which for the most part they werent making. The zone worked for stops, and worked for the foul situation. However, the O rebounds and quick bunnies back up for second chance points is what cost us this game.

With that said, why wasnt X slashing to basket left and right trying to pickup the same fouls? I dont think the refs were one sided, I just think UC capitalized on how they were calling the game

Who would have taken the bet that Trevon scores 40 and we lose?

xuwin
01-27-2017, 10:16 AM
One of the very few good things I took away from this game was the toughness and overall attitude displayed by Quentin Goodin. I think he will be a real asset to this team in the coming years running the point.

I think Bluitt, Goodin and Jones were the positives in this game for Xavier. I see them getting much more playing time from here on out.

Caf
01-27-2017, 10:20 AM
Yes, this.

We were getting killed on Offensive boards in man and zone. The zone forced them to start shooting from outside, which for the most part they werent making. The zone worked for stops, and worked for the foul situation. However, the O rebounds and quick bunnies back up for second chance points is what cost us this game.


Who would have taken the bet that Trevon scores 40 and we lose?

Yeah they didn't make the shots but then they easily got the boards. 2-3 would have had a better chance at accomplishing both.

bleedXblue
01-27-2017, 10:23 AM
Agreed, time for Jones and Goodin to be getting 15-20 minutes a game. They are the future. Ed needs more rest and I've seen enough of Gaston and Sean to know the minutes are better invested in Tyrique. Yes, he still cant guard, but he can get better and learn to the point where he could have an impact in March.

xufan2434
01-27-2017, 10:45 AM
mack never does this.......

I know he doesn't do it. But they also don't get killed on the boards like that ever. And when it's quite blatantly costing you the game, you're too stubborn to try something different?

THRILLHOUSE
01-27-2017, 10:50 AM
Agreed, time for Jones and Goodin to be getting 15-20 minutes a game. They are the future. Ed needs more rest and I've seen enough of Gaston and Sean to know the minutes are better invested in Tyrique. Yes, he still cant guard, but he can get better and learn to the point where he could have an impact in March.

Jones is gonna have to stop getting in foul trouble if he wants 15 - 20 minutes a game though. But yes, I want to see more Jones than O'Mara at this point.

casualfan
01-27-2017, 10:54 AM
The zone worked for stops, and worked for the foul situation. However, the O rebounds and quick bunnies back up for second chance points is what cost us this game.


No, it didn't.

It's not a stop if you don't get the rebound

Muskeagle
01-27-2017, 10:57 AM
Don't get me wrong, I'm frustrated, too. It was a bit of a demoralizing loss, but some of the comments don't make sense. X did not lose this game "handily." It was close until very late and still winnable with a 1:30 to play. As for the zone move, it did change the offense of UC to good results. Yes, we got abused on the boards while in the zone....BUT we got abused on the boards the WHOLE game. I don't think the game was officiated evenly. Lots of things didn't make sense. The commentators were saying something like "they're letting them play" when Macura went in for a layup and three guys make contact with no call, and then UC brushes by Sumner and it's a three point play. UC was a little more in attack mode....but not to the tune of a +10 foul differential. I'm not blaming the offcials for the loss as it was no more egregious than most home court advantages, but how Cronin didn't get a T with his tirade is inexcusable. How did Bernard's steal turn into a jump ball and Macura's clear tie up at the end, not get a call. I mean, whatever, about the officiating. The sole reason we lost is our bigs didn't show up anywhere close to the level they had been playing at for most of the year. Yes, they've been overall disappointing, but an AVERAGE performance from our bigs and X wins. Jones missed two relatively easy and ones (although he hit his FT and was overall a positive). Gaston,0-5. O'Mara 0-2. Terrible. I know many of you disagree also with Mack's TO usage. That's a fair debate. I saw someone here say that leaving the game with two in his pocket was inexcusable....and that's fine to have that opinion. I don't know that I agree with Mack or the poster (honestly speaking), but there is a very clear argument to saving them. I believe we are down four with a minute + to go and Gaston missed a bunny. He makes it...down two with a minute to play? and suddenly having two timeouts to stop clock and set things up in the final minute is VERY important. Didn't work out that way, but there's an argument to saving them for this possibility. I'm not saying one is right and one is wrong, but to pass it off as absolutely ridiculous is not really fair to the situation.

This stretch has sucked, but other than Villanova, the games have all been close. The team does not suck. There is hope yet.

GoMuskies
01-27-2017, 11:00 AM
X did not lose this game "handily." t.

We got completely worked in the second half. If Blueitt is human yesterday, it's a Villanova style beatdown.

casualfan
01-27-2017, 11:03 AM
We got completely worked in the second half. If Blueitt is human yesterday, it's a Villanova style beatdown.

Agreed. They outscored us by 16 in the second half after he went from superhuman to really freaking good.

That's kind of the scary part.

It took one of the better offensive performances in Xavier basketball history to keep the game respectable.

klark
01-27-2017, 11:15 AM
The one thing I liked from Goodin is he ran the offense and did not force for the most part. He was driving into the lane and kicking it out which is what they need to do with no threat from the bigs. I like him at the point as much as Ed when he plays like he did last night.

I do also agree he needed Jones and Gaston or Omara out on the floor to stop the offensive rebounds. They keep UC off the glass last night, they win that game despite all the other things.

Muskeagle
01-27-2017, 11:21 AM
The one thing I liked from Goodin is he ran the offense and did not force for the most part. He was driving into the lane and kicking it out which is what they need to do with no threat from the bigs. I like him at the point as much as Ed when he plays like he did last night.

I do also agree he needed Jones and Gaston or Omara out on the floor to stop the offensive rebounds. They keep UC off the glass last night, they win that game despite all the other things.

I do agree that Mack could have done this differently and this is one option that might have been more effective than what he tried.

ArizonaXUGrad
01-27-2017, 11:25 AM
Yes the team was superhuman in the first, but pretty average in the second. They never really played stellar defense or rebound at all the entire game. It is pretty clear this team lacks any kind of true road identity.

As said in another thread, if Ed is shut down this season is near lost. We will struggle to get to the tournament and do nothing if we make it. I feel back for Trevon, he left his heart out on the court last night and what will probably he his last season won't be much. Now if Ed can go the rest of the way, they have a chance to make some noise but they need to get tough on the road. Road wins come from mental toughness from the upperclassmen.

Edit: This is a spoiled fan post from me, we aren't bad. We just aren't as good as we could be.

markchal
01-27-2017, 11:34 AM
Edit: This is a spoiled fan post from me, we aren't bad. We just aren't as good as we could be.

I think this is the frustrating part for me. I didn't think we would win last night, but after we were up 8 at half and with Tre playing like he was, I thought we should have won. We should have beaten Butler and Creighton, those were really winnable games we just gave away down the stretch. It's like we keep finding new ways to lose instead of having anyone step up in crunch time to put us over the top.

Wheelhouse
01-27-2017, 11:45 AM
I do think UC dominated the game. This is the best offensive team they've had in a while. They beat us to loose balls and out-muscled us on the glass. The only reason we were in the game is because Tre was unconscious and UC was awful from the line. This Xavier team has shown limited heart and they need to find it soon or this season is not going to end well.

I do think there were some positives last night:

1. Tre was sublime
2. Goodin really played well. Made some mistakes but that's expected from a freshman. I want him to get more minutes
3. I thought Jones did some really nice things. If he can control his fouls he's going to be dangerous.

And now, the negatives:

1. JP's lackadaisical passing and poor shot selection. I love MFM but he's got to reign himself in sometimes.
2. Rebounding. Nothing else needs to be said.
3. Our ability to get in the lane. I'm sure Ed's shoulder is really bothering him, but man, he's been a bit of a disappointment this year. Not bad, just disappointing so far.
4. The play of our bigs. I love that we went right into Gaston on the first two possessions but he's got to finish those. He has missed an insane number of bunnies this year. I like him and his play because at this point he's our only competent and consistent big but last night was not his night. As for O'Mara, I don't even know what to say.
5. Our defense. Woof. UC got into the lane at will.

There is enough talent on this team that a March run is possible but the further we get into the season the less confident I am in that happening. I'm hoping we can survive the BE gauntlet and somehow have a magical March. With that said, let's get the freshman more playing time in the hopes they'll develop at a rapid pace.

xufan2434
01-27-2017, 12:02 PM
I do think UC dominated the game. This is the best offensive team they've had in a while. They beat us to loose balls and out-muscled us on the glass. The only reason we were in the game is because Tre was unconscious and UC was awful from the line. This Xavier team has shown limited heart and they need to find it soon or this season is not going to end well.

I do think there were some positives last night:

1. Tre was sublime
2. Goodin really played well. Made some mistakes but that's expected from a freshman. I want him to get more minutes
3. I thought Jones did some really nice things. If he can control his fouls he's going to be dangerous.

And now, the negatives:

1. JP's lackadaisical passing and poor shot selection. I love MFM but he's got to reign himself in sometimes.
2. Rebounding. Nothing else needs to be said.
3. Our ability to get in the lane. I'm sure Ed's shoulder is really bothering him, but man, he's been a bit of a disappointment this year. Not bad, just disappointing so far.
4. The play of our bigs. I love that we went right into Gaston on the first two possessions but he's got to finish those. He has missed an insane number of bunnies this year. I like him and his play because at this point he's our only competent and consistent big but last night was not his night. As for O'Mara, I don't even know what to say.
5. Our defense. Woof. UC got into the lane at will.

There is enough talent on this team that a March run is possible but the further we get into the season the less confident I am in that happening. I'm hoping we can survive the BE gauntlet and somehow have a magical March. With that said, let's get the freshman more playing time in the hopes they'll develop at a rapid pace.

I still find this above everything else to be the biggest issue. Obviously defense doesn't matter in a game like last night when you can't rebound after a missed shot. But in the other close games recently, especially Butler and Creighton... I have 0 confidence this team can buckle down and get a stop in crunch time. And because of that, it's put so much pressure on themselves to score late in the game because they know they have to keep up to have a chance. On ball defending and lateral quickness is just not a strength of this team. Mack runs the same pack line defense as UVA, but their guys are so much better in the system because they can keep someone in front of them.

And to be honest, defense is a lot about effort. But even with their best effort it's hard to watch guys like JP try to chase around a screen or stay on someone when they do a cross-over step back. I mean there's times where we're not even close and just praying they miss the shot. That's no way to get significant wins when they need em

atljar
01-27-2017, 12:38 PM
Initial stop, it did. Second chance points it didnt

JEHARDI
01-27-2017, 01:39 PM
I'm a life-long X fan, and I'm feeling pretty down this morning after last night's loss. I hate to say it, but the Bearcats manhandled. We got tossed around like little rag dolls. UC was more physical, more poised, ran a better offense, killed us on the boards. I mean, Trevon has the game of his life, goes for 40, UC misses 19 free throws, and we still lose handily. I REALLY hate to say this, but the Leprechaun schooled our coach with the Xs and Os. What do we go, guys?

Lost handily? We were down 4 with the ball under 2 minutes left. Yes, we thoroughly pummeled on the boards and we have issues inside but the punk on the other side did not out-coach anyone, our bigs were dominated and could not defend without fouling.

BandAid
01-27-2017, 02:57 PM
Nevermind, other posters covered what I was going to say.

BandAid
01-27-2017, 02:59 PM
Jones is gonna have to stop getting in foul trouble if he wants 15 - 20 minutes a game though. But yes, I want to see more Jones than O'Mara at this point.

Let Tyrique use all of his fouls. I've never understood saving a kid when he's essentially in there to develop. Having Tyrique available for the last five minutes of a game shouldn't be a necessity for this team.

Norwoodian
01-27-2017, 03:08 PM
Lost handily? We were down 4 with the ball under 2 minutes left. Yes, we thoroughly pummeled on the boards and we have issues inside but the punk on the other side did not out-coach anyone, our bigs were dominated and could not defend without fouling.

The game was close for only two reasons: (a) Trevon had a super-human performance, and (b) UC could not make a free throw. If Trevon has his normal game (18 points), and UC hits free throws like it typically has all year, then we lose by at least 30 points. Spank city, pal.

Caf
01-27-2017, 03:31 PM
Initial stop, it did. Second chance points it didnt

Haha - so what? What good is that?

IM4X
01-27-2017, 03:37 PM
One of the very few good things I took away from this game was the toughness and overall attitude displayed by Quentin Goodin. I think he will be a real asset to this team in the coming years running the point.

Yes... I agree... and of course the fact that Trevon still has the ability to turn it on in a game and shoot as well as anyone in the country.

AviatorX
01-27-2017, 03:37 PM
The game was close for only two reasons: (a) Trevon had a super-human performance, and (b) UC could not make a free throw. If Trevon has his normal game (18 points), and UC hits free throws like it typically has all year, then we lose by at least 30 points. Spank city, pal.

I know you are a UC troll, but if we are going on season averages, can we do something about UC's 30 point advantage on second chance points and once-a-season performance on the offensive glass against what is an elite defensive rebounding team in X?

IM4X
01-27-2017, 03:38 PM
I think Bluitt, Goodin and Jones were the positives in this game for Xavier. I see them getting much more playing time from here on out.


I sure hope so.

IM4X
01-27-2017, 03:45 PM
Agreed, time for Jones and Goodin to be getting 15-20 minutes a game. They are the future. Ed needs more rest and I've seen enough of Gaston and Sean to know the minutes are better invested in Tyrique. Yes, he still cant guard, but he can get better and learn to the point where he could have an impact in March.

one thing though for us to rememeber is that Gaston and O'Mara got to go up against Farr and Jaylen in practice. That made everyone better. Competition for the bigs this season during practice isn't at the same level and that may be part of the reason these guys are not as battle tested or as tough in games.

Mrs. Garrett
01-27-2017, 03:48 PM
We got completely worked in the second half. If Blueitt is human yesterday, it's a Villanova style beatdown.

Kind of the story of the season against ranked opponents. Either Mack doesn't make the necessary adjustments at the half or we just don't have the players to compete.

I've been pretty disappointed in the post; especially O'mara. I did not expect this much of a drop off when Farr and Reynolds left.

IM4X
01-27-2017, 04:07 PM
We got completely worked in the second half. If Blueitt is human yesterday, it's a Villanova style beatdown.

This is very accurate. While I think the poster you responded to was referring to the fact that it was in fact a winnable game, I too was assessing the game similarly. What bothered me a bit is that after the game Mack made it sound like the only problem they had was the inability of the bigs to rebound. He seemed to completely that without Bluiett's incredible performance (which there's about a .001% chance of him or anyone else on the team ever replicating) his team would have been down in the game by another 15-20 points.

XfansinKy
01-28-2017, 08:28 AM
When the ref continued to listen to Cronin instead of walking away like he should have, I had a feeling UC would get a few calls and get in the game. Cronin also made some adjustments on D and got his guys closer to Trevon, slowing him down. Coach Mack is a pretty good coach imo but Cronin did a better job on that night.

vee4xu
01-28-2017, 09:32 AM
I know you are a UC troll, but if we are going on season averages, can we do something about UC's 30 point advantage on second chance points and once-a-season performance on the offensive glass against what is an elite defensive rebounding team in X?

I agree that Norwoodian is a troll. After many years on this board and seeing trolls pretending to be X fans, instead of themselves, I am left to wonder if the lexicon includes a name for people who do such things. Idiot comes to mind, but that word already exists. What's funny is so many trolls who are "lifetime X fans"' usually never use a name that includes Xavier, which is a total giveaway. So, now I'm off in search to find a new word in the lexicon that describes these idiots. I'll report back if I find something. For now, Norwoodian's name says it all for the average IQ of any Norwoodian is muted by the inbreeding that goes on there. In that regard, one can have empathy for this particular idiot.

XU 87
01-28-2017, 03:43 PM
The game was close for only two reasons: (a) Trevon had a super-human performance, and (b) UC could not make a free throw. If Trevon has his normal game (18 points), and UC hits free throws like it typically has all year, then we lose by at least 30 points. Spank city, pal.

If, if, if.

If my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle.

xuwin
01-28-2017, 03:53 PM
If, if, if.

If my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle.

Exactly. If UC didn't have a superhuman effort on the offensive glass against one of the best rebounding teams in the country Xavier would have killed them.
If Sumner didn't have a torn labrum and Myles Davis wasn't an idiot and Reynolds didn't leave early it would have been no contest.

Masterofreality
01-29-2017, 11:15 AM
UC ran a horrible offense and still won. It was rebounding nothing more, nothing less.

This...rebounding and EFFORT.

xuwin
01-29-2017, 01:37 PM
This...rebounding and EFFORT.

It was effort fueled by a sellout home crowd. UC is a good team but it was not their normal effort.