Xavier vs. Creighton Game Thread (January 13, 2018)

[American X]

http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2752.png&h=150&w=150https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/19/71/2a/19712ae18a9faac9f2720c6936a94a60.jpg

#10 Xavier Musketeers (15-3, 3-2) vs. #25 Creighton Blue Jays (14-3, 4-1)

Time: 2:00 p.m. ET

Cintas Center | Cincinnati, Ohio

TV: FOX

Radio: 700 WLW Listen Live (https://www.iheart.com/live/700wlw-1713/?autoplay=true&pname=15400&campid=header&cid=index.html)

Live Chat (http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=XavierHoops)

Live Stats (http://www.sidearmstats.com/xavier/mbball/)
(http://www.sidearmstats.com/xavier/mbball/)

GoXavier Preview (http://goxavier.com/news/2018/1/11/mens-basketball-no-10-xavier-returns-home-to-host-no-25-creighton-on-saturday.aspx)

Full Game Notes (https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/goxavier.com/documents/2018/1/11/2017_18_Xavier_Game_Notes_game_19_CREIGHTON.pdf)

Creighton Preview (http://www.gocreighton.com/news/2018/1/11/-25-mens-basketball-visits-10-xavier-in-top-25-showdown.aspx)


*check back for more links and articles

[XU3232]

Running man jerseys tomorrow!

[nuts4xu]

https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/951882559557861377

[BMoreX]

Can't lose now.

[X-band '01]

Xavier had those jerseys for 2 games last year - W against Seton Hall and an L against Butler.

Everyone behind the scenes is definitely pulling out all the stops for tomorrow.

[bleedXblue]

They have really been playing well.....and we aren't........

Not feeling very good about tomorrow. Who guards Foster and Thomas?

[X-band '01]

If not for a late-game meltdown at Seton Hall, they could easily be undefeated in the Big East. By the same token, they're due for a letdown themselves.

[GIMMFD]

The Running Man's are so clean, can't wait to see them, hopefully it acts as a big reset button, and we're back to our early season form. It's there, we've seen it, just gotta channel it again.

[bleedXblue]

The Running Man's are so clean, can't wait to see them, hopefully it acts as a big reset button, and we're back to our early season form. It's there, we've seen it, just gotta channel it again.

I think it all starts and ends defensively with this team. They have to find a way to get better. If we gain some confidence there........I think it translates to the other end of the court.

[American X]

Facing a Creighton squad known shooting threes, how much of the 1-3-1 zone do we see today? Who do we have defending their top guys?

Xavier and Creighton appear to be two pretty evenly matched teams.

[XUFan09]

I can't remember one way or another. Does Cintas have Skyline?

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[Smooth]

The best thing? Now when Scruggs passes the ball to a guy in a white jersey it will be a good thing.

[American X]

Kanter and Marshall in starting lineup.

Cannot wait to see the throwback uniforms and devour some Blue Jay. LET'S DO THIS!

[Lloyd Braun]

Is this game starting on an alternate network?

[mistabeecee41]

watching this Michigan game. remember when people on this board didn't want Charles Matthews because he couldn't shoot?

.................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .....................

[Lloyd Braun]

On fox sports Go

[Lloyd Braun]

JP bringing it tofay!

[Grizzx12]

Active defense, kicking it out from the black hole in the paint, all things we'd gotten away from in the sluggish past few weeks......keep it up!!

[xukeith]

Good passing. Rushed shots. Scruggs looks a lot better. We should start Marshall every game. Gates actually got a 1st half big rebound.

This game reminds me of the run and gun Loyola Marymount games(not that quick) but a lot of running.

[Grizzx12]

Good passing. Rushed shots. Scruggs looks a lot better. We should start Marshall every game. Gates actually got a 1st half big rebound.

This game reminds me of the run and gun Loyola Marymount games(not that quick) but a lot of running.

What a block by Scrcuggs

[Lloyd Braun]

What a block by Scrcuggs

Immediately benched after said block.

[letskeepitreal]

Gates finally bringing it today

[XUFan09]

It appears that Gates is responded well to not starting after a couple bad games .

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[Grizzx12]

Boooooooo!! Not a foul on Naji there

[Grizzx12]

On top of the threes and the block, Scruggs has so far had more zip to his passes and after that last bucket located his man sneaking off to the corner well

[X Factor]

Heck yeah!!

[Xville]

This is more like it!!! ��

[Grizzx12]

So we are playing the officials in this as well?

[GIMMFD]

Gosshh the running mans look so good

[GoMuskies]

Appreciate the guys bringing the A game today.

[Grizzx12]

Well that was one of the best halves of the year!

[American X]

Who was the guy in the #1 jersey? He looked okay. He looks long.

[xufan2020]

Trevon looking more comfortable with his jumper. It was funny reading that thread where everyone pretended they were therapists and knew how to properly heal his shoulder

[kellernr]

Maybe they just needed an ass kicking to get them to play better

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[GIMMFD]

Who was the guy in the #1 jersey? He looked okay. He looks long.

Nah he's overrated and terrible. Shouldn't touch the floor. In fact I don't even know why Trevon is playing, so stupid, we're never going to get an 8 seed at this rate.

[Lloyd Braun]

Freshmen came to play today too in the friendly confines of Cintas. Great job to those attending for bringing the energy!

[xu82]

Freshmen came to play today too in the friendly confines of Cintas. Great job to those attending for bringing the energy!

You’re welcome! I am undefeated at Cintas. Now....if I’ve jinxed this I’m any way, I will banish myself for a period of time. I’ll also be open to a go fund me deal to get me to more games if we win. :)

[XUFan09]

You’re welcome! I am undefeated at Cintas. Now....if I’ve jinxed this I’m any way, I will banish myself for a period of time. I’ll also be open to a go fund me deal to get me to more games if we win. :)Where are you, 82? It's my first game in a year myself, and I'm also defending an undefeated record! I'm over by the Woods.

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[letskeepitreal]

What happened to Tyrique.? I don’t think he’s been in the game .

[XUFan09]

What happened to Tyrique.? I don’t think he’s been in the game .Damn, you're right. Weird.

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[UCGRAD4X]

Did the announcer really call O'Mara "voluminous"?

[UCGRAD4X]

What happened to Tyrique.? I don’t think he’s been in the game .

His name was mentioned when the announcer saw Foster's zero.

[Lloyd Braun]

What happened to Tyrique.? I don’t think he’s been in the game .

As it stands now DNP-CD.

[xu82]

Where are you, 82? It's my first game in a year myself, and I'm also defending an undefeated record! I'm over by the Woods.

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Section 207, row K on the AISLE! Seat 1

[UCGRAD4X]

I have the picture on pause just as Macura got that foul. ABSOLUTELY all ball.

ABSOLUTELY!

[X Factor]

Big men doing work!

[xu82]

Never sat up here before, but a good view. Go Sean!!!

[UCGRAD4X]

...and with harm...

[X Factor]

Loving this!!

[UCGRAD4X]

There's the move by Trevon we've been looking for.

[X Factor]

Love the hard cuts!!

[xukeith]

Tyrique Jones injured?

[UCGRAD4X]

I think the real Gates just stood up!

[GIMMFD]

section 207, row k on the aisle! Seat 1

buy the man a beer

[X Factor]

This is glorious!!

[X Factor]

JP with a floor slap!

[XUFan09]

JP with a floor slap!I heard it from the upper concourse lol

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[UCGRAD4X]

I heard it from the upper concourse lol

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Prolly left a mark on the floor.

[GIMMFD]

I heard it from the upper concourse lol

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Buy this guy a beer too

[xu82]

buy the man a beer

I think I drank it all already!

[xukeith]

Bad FT shooting by team and silly TO's by Bluiett

[X Factor]

I heard it from the upper concourse lol

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Hahaha

[X Factor]

Bad FT shooting by team and silly TO's by Bluiett

You do realize X is up 22 points?

[xukeith]

I think the real Gates just stood up!

Amen!

[UCGRAD4X]

I see Tyrique on the bench enthusiastically cheering his mates. Looks ok.

[Lloyd Braun]

I see Tyrique on the bench enthusiastically cheering his mates. Looks ok.

He’s healthy.

[GIMMFD]

You do realize X is up 22 points?

Yeah, that's why this sucks, how are we ever going to get an 11 seed now?? What the hell.

[xukeith]

You do realize X is up 22 points?

Yes. But like Coach Mack, X is far from ready to play in March. We have to get better. Do not accept mediocrity or let it go by unnoticed. If he had 2 TO's I would not mention it.
TEAM needs to get better at FTs.

[GIMMFD]

Yes. But like Coach Mack, X is far from ready to play in March. We have to get better. Do not accept mediocrity or let it go by unnoticed. If he had 2 TO's I would not mention it.
TEAM needs to get better at FTs.

.... the team that has made the most free throws in the country and is 12th in FT shooting in the ENTIRE COUNTRY needs to get better at FTs.. okay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8Hw3D08cUk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8Hw3D08cUk

[SemajParlor]

Great game for Paul Scruggs.

[Lloyd Braun]

You do realize X is up 22 points?

http://i0.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/023/397/C-658VsXoAo3ovC.jpg

[UCGRAD4X]

.... the team that has made the most free throws in the country and is 12th in FT shooting in the ENTIRE COUNTRY needs to get better at FTs.. okay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8Hw3D08cUk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8Hw3D08cUk

and as soon as this was mentioned on the air they missed three of the next five...

[GoMuskies]

Winning is a lot more fun than losing.

[Xville]

That was a lot more enjoyable. Great game all around today!

[GIMMFD]

and as soon as this was mentioned on the air they missed three of the next five...

Don't tell me you believe in superstition..

[Xupergirl]

Even Scruggs had a golden moment. Good game

[UCGRAD4X]

As a complete a game as they have played in a while.

I want to keep it positive so I won't mention the stupid turnovers and a bit of a down day at the line. Nope, won't even go there.

[Grizzx12]

This game is exactly what was needed!!

[Grizzx12]

As a complete a game as they have played in a while.

I want to keep it positive so I won't mention the stupid turnovers and a bit of a down day at the line. Nope, won't even go there.

Ill go there, one of if not the most complete game this season but lots of room for improvement!!! Take that cross court pass inside the arc out of the playbook and we win by 30

[UCGRAD4X]

I hate to take all the credit....but....

I've been in the process of moving and I watched the last two games without my D'Artagnan stuffed action figure (NO IT'S NOT A DOLL!!!!)

Finally had it in the house today.

Soooo...proof positive.

[GreatWhiteNorth]

Great win. Happy to see Scruggs getting better and playing with more confidence. Kanter and O’Mara both played a great game. I hope Tre’s shoulder gets better soon. Gates is outstanding today. Congrats to Mack for his 202 win. It is so much fun and enjoyable watching the game today on FOX TV. Victory was never in doubt.

[ArizonaXUGrad]

Any word on Jones? Was it resting or something else?


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[whopper]

He was in great spirits on the bench. Omara did not play in second half against providence. It is tough to coach with this depth and you can be sure with the St Johns and Seton Hall quickness Tyrique will see plenty of time. Depth does not help against villanova as brunson has ball in hands 90% of time and has 1 turnover per game this year-"maybe" at cintas scruggs can put some pressure on him. It is great to see scruggs play well as we were over depth in the front court and under in the backcourt with little answers for quick guards. I am shocked that Krempl did nothing as he looked great against delgado and butler and even the big Baylor guy. A great all around game obviously and Macura had the best 10 point game in regular season he ever had

[Backyard Champ]

I think I heard in postgame that's he got dinged up in practice and they didn't feel like he could comfortably receive a pass. Though I could be wrong.

[bjf123]

I think I heard in postgame that's he got dinged up in practice and they didn't feel like he could comfortably receive a pass. Though I could be wrong.

Yep. That’s what Mack said. Tyrique didn’t feel like he’d be able to catch passes.


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[UCGRAD4X]

Yep. That’s what Mack said. Tyrique didn’t feel like he’d be able to catch passes.

It's not so much the receiving end that has been an issue with this team lately....

I hope he is able to recover quickly and the whole team gets better at passing AND receiving.

This is one tough league and I want to WIN IT!

A lot of nagging questions answered today. Something to build off of so we peak at the right time.

[xukeith]

Any word on Jones? Was it resting or something else?


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He hurt his right finger and it was "puffy" according to Mack. He felt he would hurt the team. Mack said he might play if he could rebound and block shots with that good left arm

[letskeepitreal]

Wow, that was a pretty good effort with lots of contributors in spite of Tyrique’s absence as well as below average scoring effort by JP. Just happy to also see the game that Scruggs and Marshall had. Kanter has really surprised me. He’s going to have a good career in Europe.

[bleedXblue]

defense.....defense......defense.......11 steals. Keep that sh&* up!!!!

[X Factor]

How in the heck did we hold Creighton to 70 points with Kanter playing 24 minutes? According to some, he gives up more points than he scores.

He is our best big man and rebounder.

Gates was a monster today.

I guess we can put the "sit Trevon for a month" ridiculousness to bed. Hopefully this breaks him out of the slump and he has a strong finish to the season.

[letskeepitreal]

When we play inside out, Trevon is likely to get easier shots. With our bigs, this needs to be a point of emphasis every game.

[XUFan09]

How in the heck did we hold Creighton to 70 points with Kanter playing 24 minutes? According to some, he gives up more points than he scores.

He is our best big man and rebounder.

Gates was a monster today.

I guess we can put the "sit Trevon for a month" ridiculousness to bed. Hopefully this breaks him out of the slump and he has a strong finish to the season.With Kanter, it helps that Creighton's centers generally just takes up space on the court. But yeah, when the team is playing good defense, they can really hide Kanter well. When they aren't playing good team defense, though, they are dependent on individual defensive performances and he's really isolated.

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[XUFan09]

When we play inside out, Trevon is likely to get easier shots. With our bigs, this needs to be a point of emphasis every game.The teams that have recently hampered Xavier offensively have done a really good job of denying the entry pass to the bigs. X ran some good actions to get the bigs the ball in this game (maybe in response to what Providence and Villanova did) and hopefully that continues.

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[American X]

Knowing that Xavier can play defense against a good offensive team brings me comfort.

I loved the balanced scoring and great performances off of the bench from Gates, Scruggs and O'Mara. Great passing, great team win.

Mack obviously understands Scruggs far better than we do and he responded with quality minutes.

[bleedXblue]

[QUOTE=American X;607175]Knowing that Xavier can play defense against a good offensive team brings me comfort.

I loved the balanced scoring and great performances off of the bench from Gates, Scruggs and O'Mara. Great passing, great team win.

Mack obviously understands Scruggs far better than we do and he responded with quality minutes.[/QUOTEYYYYY

Yep for sure.....and when he finally crosses over from a confidence perspective, he will take it to another level. Kid has game, just not 100% sure of himself yet. It will come....hopefully very soon

[xuwin]

When we play inside out, Trevon is likely to get easier shots. With our bigs, this needs to be a point of emphasis every game.

I'm sure it is.

[whopper]

scruggs is the only player who has a chance to guard the quick guards (if you saw ponds last night with 35 against villanova you know what i mean). Give him 12 minutes without necessity of worrying about fouls will make a big difference.

[XUFan09]

scruggs is the only player who has a chance to guard the quick guards (if you saw ponds last night with 35 against villanova you know what i mean). Give him 12 minutes without necessity of worrying about fouls will make a big difference.Yeah. Goodin is a really good defender, but even he struggles against the small, quick guards. Scruggs can smother them when he's locked in.

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[xuwin]

Yeah. Goodin is a really good defender, but even he struggles against the small, quick guards. Scruggs can smother them when he's locked in.

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His ability to take care of the ball on offense is the only thing that is keeping him from getting more playing time. He looked much better yesterday and I think will be a positive force by March. It is frustrating to watch him telegraph his passes and have steals going the other way for easy layups though.

[XU 87]

Knowing that Xavier can play defense against a good offensive team brings me comfort.



I thought X played great D last yesterday. Based on the "eyeball" test, it seemed that just about every shot Creighton took was contested to some extent. I don't recall a lot of wide open threes that I seemed to be watching the last few games. X was at least getting a hand in the guy's face, which I think makes a big difference when shooting a three.

[SemajParlor]

I guess we can put the "sit Trevon for a month" ridiculousness to bed. Hopefully this breaks him out of the slump and he has a strong finish to the season.


Are you telling me Chris Mack has a better understanding of what's going on with Tre more than XUHoopsFan97?

[mid major]

So, Tyrique was the one who was ill and Bluiett was just in a slump? I wonder if some still want Bluiett to rest on the bench until he gets out of his slump.

[xu82]

I just want to point out that since I graduated (shortly after the passing of the dinosaurs), we have won every game I have attended with the exception of the double overtime crappola at Auburn a few years ago. That includes 4-0 in NCAA tournament games. I am available for any individuals or groups that may want to sponsor my basketball viewing in person. Don’t worry, I don’t require first class airfare. I can rough it.

[GIMMFD]

I just want to point out that since I graduated (shortly after the passing of the dinosaurs), we have won every game I have attended with the exception of the double overtime crappola at Auburn a few years ago. That includes 4-0 in NCAA tournament games. I am available for any individuals or groups that may want to sponsor my basketball viewing in person. Don’t worry, I don’t require first class airfare. I can rough it.

I truly hope you people listened to me in buying this man a beer on the weekend..

[xu82]

I truly hope you people listened to me in buying this man a beer on the weekend..

I believe the official PA announcement came shortly before your post that I had already consumed every beer available at Cintas for that game day. A remarkable feat, I must admit! I did have the pleasure of meeting ‘09 at the end so that was nice. And I think he can vouch for my consumption.

If only it had been time to go to bed after that....

But Uber drivers are your friends.

[XUFan09]

I believe the official PA announcement came shortly before your post that I had already consumed every beer available at Cintas for that game day. A remarkable feat, I must admit! I did have the pleasure of meeting ‘09 at the end so that was nice. And I think he can vouch for my consumption.

If only it had been time to go to bed after that....

But Uber drivers are your friends.Haha it was good meeting you, 82.

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[xu82]

Haha it was good meeting you, 82.

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The pleasure was mine, thanks for coming by. I usually come earlier in the season, but it was nice to get such a comfortable win in a BE game.