Xavier @ St John's Game Thread (January 30, 2018)

[paulxu]

http://www.xavier.edu/postseason/images/bball2.jpg
http://cache.lego.com/upload/contentTemplating/MinifiguresBios/images/pic773F455B41A27FB44B60F2397BAA49D7.jpg VS https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/sports/ncaa-march-madness-emoji/img/mascots/stJohnsRedstorm.png?c=1
#6/6 Xavier University Musketeers (19-3, 7-2 BE) v St John's Red Storm (10-12, 0-10 BE)
Wednesday, January 30, 2018 at 8:30 pm ET
Carnesecca Arena (5,602) in Queens, N.Y.

Notes (http://goxavier.com/documents/2018/1/29//2017_18_Xavier_Game_Notes_game_23_at_St_John_s.pdf )

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


Television: CBSSN with Andrew Catalon (play-by-play), Steve Lappas (analyst), sideline reporting Tina Cervasio

Radio: 700 WLW-AM (and iHeartRadio), play-by-play from Joe Sunderman (`79). Analysis by Byron Larkin (`88).

[Muskie]

Three cheers for Steve Lappas.

[SemajParlor]

I'll be in the house. I think this game is going to be closer than people may expect. Only -6 scares me for a potential outright you know what.

[GetUp5]

Down to -5 at a lot of places. Interesting.

[GetUp5]

SJU home games in the BE...

Providence 94-72
DePaul 91-74
GTown 69-66
Nova 78-71
Creighton 68-63

They've been really competitive in the last 3 and obviously took the Muskies to the wire at Cintas. It really is nice that the "landmine" we need to avoid is the #89 ranked KenPom team on the road.

Teams SJU is ranked above in KenPom..
90 - Wisconsin
92 - Vandy
94 - Wake
99 - Stanford
102 - Iowa
106 - Illinois
108 - GTech
110 - Oregon St.
112 - Colorado
116 - Iowa St.

Not too bad for the last place BE team. They would be the 5th highest rated team in the AAC and 4th highest rated team in the A10.

[XMuskieFTW]

Line down to -4.5. What is happeningggg

[Xuperman]

Down to -5 at a lot of places. Interesting.

What? They just played a HORRIFIC game on Saturday..... one of the ugliest box scores you will see AND X is coming off maybe it's most complete game. No one in their right mind would take SJU +5, BUT Vegas is uncanny at calling games like this. That spread is very concerning.

[X Factor]

SJU home games in the BE...

Providence 94-72
DePaul 91-74
GTown 69-66
Nova 78-71
Creighton 68-63

They've been really competitive in the last 3 and obviously took the Muskies to the wire at Cintas. It really is nice that the "landmine" we need to avoid is the #89 ranked KenPom team on the road.

Teams SJU is ranked above in KenPom..
90 - Wisconsin
92 - Vandy
94 - Wake
99 - Stanford
102 - Iowa
106 - Illinois
108 - GTech
110 - Oregon St.
112 - Colorado
116 - Iowa St.

Not too bad for the last place BE team. They would be the 5th highest rated team in the AAC and 4th highest rated team in the A10.

Regardless, it would be a terrible loss for Xavier.

[SemajParlor]

Yeah any time the home team is dogs by under 5 that's a danger zone for the road favorite - Ie Providence. The 6 day layoff might be something people are looking at. For whatever reason St Johns gives Xavier trouble. They actually almost dropped a few to them including a scary one at Carnasecca in the 2015-2016 season.

[gladdenguy]

I am really scared about this game. I'm hoping X puts the foot on the throat and runs away with it......but I don't think that will happen.

This would be a devastating loss for seeding.

Come on X!!!!!

[Cheesehead]

X has not matched up well with them this season and past seasons. Just something about them. They also have nothing to lose and would love to mess up our ranking and/or seeding.

[nuts4xu]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DUzEliTVQAAqEq3.jpg:large

[STL_XUfan]

For those that don't have CBS sports network. YoutubTV has a 7 day free trial that includes CBS sports network. The 7 days will cover tonight's game and Saturday's game (which are thankfully the last 2 CBS sports games this year).

[markchal]

relax guys, we're gonna kill em.

[paulxu]

I think it will be close (but hope not).
We only got them by 6 at home, and we have trouble with small, quick guards.
Still, get the W and get out of town.

[muskiefan82]

X has not matched up well with them this season and past seasons. Just something about them. They also have nothing to lose and would love to mess up our ranking and/or seeding.

At this point, I think SJU is just trying to get any victory at all

[GetUp5]

Regardless, it would be a terrible loss for Xavier.

It would suck, sure. Terrible? Not really.

This thread is awfully nervous today. Xanax people, xanax.

[xumuskies08]

Yeah, as bad as St. John’s has been, it’s still a tier 2 game in RPI and tier B in KenPom.

I hope Xavier wins (and think they probably will), but a loss wouldn’t be devastating and/or terrible

[GetUp5]

X has not matched up well with them this season and past seasons. Just something about them. They also have nothing to lose and would love to mess up our ranking and/or seeding.

X has won @ SJU 3 out of 4 times since the BE started.

[X-band '01]

X has won @ SJU 3 out of 4 times since the BE started.

St. John's actually had a season sweep of Xavier in Steve Lavin's final year. Xavier has won the remaining 7 in Big East play.

[OTRMUSKIE]

X isn’t losing tonight. I think they handle Mullins and company with ease.

[OTRMUSKIE]

Is there anyway to watch this game online? Does cbssn have an app

[paulxu]

...


Is there anyway to watch this game online? Does cbssn have an app


For those that don't have CBS sports network. YoutubTV has a 7 day free trial that includes CBS sports network. The 7 days will cover tonight's game and Saturday's game (which are thankfully the last 2 CBS sports games this year).

[XMuskieFTW]

Down to X -4. Just seems bizarre to me.

[paulxu]

Thank you Xavier for scheduling a game for me to watch tonight.

[SemajParlor]

Down to X -4. Just seems bizarre to me.

Especially when I would imagine the casual public sees X as the on paper heavy favorite. None of this makes sense.

[Xuperman]

Down to X -4. Just seems bizarre to me.

Agreed. This is the number set by professional book makers to make $$. An obvious Xavier -4 to the general public. They are totally banking on a close one.....It is no secret they are VERY GOOD at what they do...:bash:

[xu koop scoop]

Out of luck tonight? Have Direct TV Now in Naples. No CBSSN on it. Have used You Tube TV free trial recently. Any other ideas?

[HenryMuto]

Point spread down to 4 ? They have not won a game in conference.

[xu82]

Out of luck tonight? Have Direct TV Now in Naples. No CBSSN on it. Have used You Tube TV free trial recently. Any other ideas?

If you’re in Naples, you’re NOT out of luck. :)

But you might want to look around to find the game...

[HenryMuto]

Agreed. This is the number set by professional book makers to make $$. An obvious Xavier -4 to the general public. They are totally banking on a close one.....It is no secret they are VERY GOOD at what they do...:bash:

The line is opened by Vegas and yes they are good at what they do but they usually move the line based on betting so the drop doesn't mean Vegas thinks we are going to barely win the drop is more because people are betting on Saint John's.

They best win this game and I would guess by double digits. I don't bet on games ever but if I did I would bet this one.

[Jesuit4Life]

I'll post this info again since, as STL noted, any of these will cover both tonight and our final CBS Sports Network game on Saturday. Don't forget to cancel afterward. And I've personally used both the Playstation Vue and FuboTV free trials with no issues.

PlayStation Vue (https://psvue.com/plans) (5-day free trial) - How to subscribe (https://www.playstation.com/en-us/network/vue/faq/subscription/#how-to) | Supported devices (https://www.playstation.com/en-us/network/vue/faq/supported-devices-and-set-up/#supported-devices)
Core and Elite plans include CBS Sports Network.

DirecTV Now (https://directvnow.com/thegoodstuff) (7-day free trial) - How to subscribe (https://help.directvnow.com/hc/en-us/articles/210967246-How-do-I-sign-up-for-DIRECTV-NOW-) | Supported devices (https://help.directvnow.com/hc/en-us/articles/212447843-What-devices-and-browsers-can-be-used-with-DIRECTV-NOW-)
Go Big and Gotta Have It plans include CBS Sports Network.

YouTube TV (https://tv.youtube.com) (7-day free trial) - How to subscribe (https://support.google.com/youtubetv/answer/7129816) | Supported devices (https://support.google.com/youtubetv/answer/7129767)
YouTube Red does NOT include CBS Sports Network.

Hulu with Live TV (https://www.hulu.com/live-tv) (7-day free trial) - How to subscribe (https://help.hulu.com/en-us/guide-to-new-hulu-and-live-tv) | Supported devices (https://help.hulu.com/en-us/supported-devices)
Hulu subscription plans (No Commercials or Limited Commercials) do NOT include CBS Sports Network.

Fubo TV (https://www.fubo.tv/welcome) (7-day free trial or 1 month promo (https://slickdeals.net/f/10488052-1-month-fubo-premier-tv-streaming-trial-free-new-customers-only)) - How to subscribe (https://fubotv.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/sections/115001140368-Account-Management) | Supported devices (https://fubotv.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002183228-What-devices-can-I-watch-fuboTV-on-)


Is there anyway to watch this game online? Does cbssn have an app
No app but you can stream through their site with certain TV providers: http://www.cbssports.com/watch/cbssportsnetwork


Out of luck tonight? Have Direct TV Now in Naples. No CBSSN on it. Have used You Tube TV free trial recently. Any other ideas?
Did you get the Go Big or Gotta Have It plan? Those are the only two that include CBSSN for the DirecTV Now free trial.

[Smooth]

Three cheers for Steve Lappas.

If crickets could cheer he would have got a standing ovation.......

.....unless crickets could gamble - then they would have been distracted by the rest of this thread.

[Nigel Tufnel]

The line is opened by Vegas and yes they are good at what they do but they usually move the line based on betting so the drop doesn't mean Vegas thinks we are going to barely win the drop is more because people are betting on Saint John's.

They best win this game and I would guess by double digits. I don't bet on games ever but if I did I would bet this one.

Oh, boy. I respectfully disagree. Vegas is on St. John's. The sharps are on St. John's. The bright side is that Vegas and the sharps are often wrong. They are right more than they are wrong...but they too can get it wrong.

81% of the bets are coming in on X. Line went from -6 to -3.5/-4. That means one of two things: Vegas thinks this is going to be a very close game; or the 19% that is coming in on St John's are enormous bets by the pros and Vegas is siding with them. There really isn't any other option.

I'm a little nervous about this one. If this was a game with any team other than X, I would take St John's solely on the numbers.

[xu koop scoop]

I'll post this info again since, as STL noted, any of these will cover both tonight and our final CBS Sports Network game on Saturday. Don't forget to cancel afterward. And I've personally used both the Playstation Vue and FuboTV free trials with no issues.

PlayStation Vue (https://psvue.com/plans) (5-day free trial) - How to subscribe (https://www.playstation.com/en-us/network/vue/faq/subscription/#how-to) | Supported devices (https://www.playstation.com/en-us/network/vue/faq/supported-devices-and-set-up/#supported-devices)
Core and Elite plans include CBS Sports Network.

DirecTV Now (https://directvnow.com/thegoodstuff) (7-day free trial) - How to subscribe (https://help.directvnow.com/hc/en-us/articles/210967246-How-do-I-sign-up-for-DIRECTV-NOW-) | Supported devices (https://help.directvnow.com/hc/en-us/articles/212447843-What-devices-and-browsers-can-be-used-with-DIRECTV-NOW-)
Go Big and Gotta Have It plans include CBS Sports Network.

YouTube TV (https://tv.youtube.com) (7-day free trial) - How to subscribe (https://support.google.com/youtubetv/answer/7129816) | Supported devices (https://support.google.com/youtubetv/answer/7129767)
YouTube Red does NOT include CBS Sports Network.

Hulu with Live TV (https://www.hulu.com/live-tv) (7-day free trial) - How to subscribe (https://help.hulu.com/en-us/guide-to-new-hulu-and-live-tv) | Supported devices (https://help.hulu.com/en-us/supported-devices)
Hulu subscription plans (No Commercials or Limited Commercials) do NOT include CBS Sports Network.

Fubo TV (https://www.fubo.tv/welcome) (7-day free trial or 1 month promo (https://slickdeals.net/f/10488052-1-month-fubo-premier-tv-streaming-trial-free-new-customers-only)) - How to subscribe (https://fubotv.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/sections/115001140368-Account-Management) | Supported devices (https://fubotv.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002183228-What-devices-can-I-watch-fuboTV-on-)

And if none of the above works for you, some other options for streaming...
Before visiting any of these sites, here are a few guidelines:
First, make sure you have updated anti-virus software. Avast, AVG, and Microsoft Security Essentials all are free options.
Then, get AdBlock (https://adblockplus.org), uBlock (https://www.ublock.org), or a comparable ad blocker for your browser. You may also need Anti-Adblock Killer (https://reek.github.io/anti-adblock-killer) depending on your stream.
Do NOT install any software (plugins, add-ons, codecs, etc) from these sites. And do NOT disable your ad blocker - if you get a message instructing you to do so, either use AAK or find a different stream.
Streams usually begin shortly before tipoff but ultimately it is up to whoever is running it. Some sites use the same stream so you may need to click around.
http://wiz1.net/channel69
http://cricfree.sc/watch/live/xavier-vs-st-johns-live-streaming
r/ncaaBBallStreams (https://www.reddit.com/r/ncaaBBallStreams/new/) should have a thread later


No app but you can stream through their site with certain TV providers: http://www.cbssports.com/watch/cbssportsnetwork


Did you get the Go Big or Gotta Have It plan? Those are the only two that include CBSSN for the DirecTV Now free trial.

Took some effort but got 7 day trial on FUBO. Thanks for mentioning.

[Lloyd Braun]

Oh, boy. I respectfully disagree. Vegas is on St. John's. The sharps are on St. John's. The bright side is that Vegas and the sharps are often wrong. They are right more than they are wrong...but they too can get it wrong.

81% of the bets are coming in on X. Line went from -6 to -3.5/-4. That means one of two things: Vegas thinks this is going to be a very close game; or the 19% that is coming in on St John's are enormous bets by the pros and Vegas is siding with them. There really isn't any other option.

I'm a little nervous about this one. If this was a game with any team other than X, I would take St John's solely on the numbers.

Yea I was fairly (irrationally) confident until this line shifted. St John’s was winning in the second half at Cintas until X made a big run. If X won at home by 6 just two weeks ago, why would X be favored by 6 on the road?

[Nigel Tufnel]

Yea I was fairly (irrationally) confident until this line shifted. St John’s was winning in the second half at Cintas until X made a big run. If X won at home by 6 just two weeks ago, why would X be favored by 6 on the road?

I'm hoping Vegas is taking this rationale. And they will be wrong. X is playing at a much higher level now than they were 2 weeks ago.

[Xuperman]

81% of the bets are coming in on X. Line went from -6 to -3.5/-4. That means one of two things: Vegas thinks this is going to be a very close game; or the 19% that is coming in on St John's are enormous bets by the pros and Vegas is siding with them.

You are dead to rights. Unless you have been exposed to the professional sports betting business, it is just good clean fun for most. Go X!!!

[xu koop scoop]

Ready for game here in Naples. There's so much going on here on weekends with family I seldom can watch. Had to sign up for FUBO free trial just to watch. tonight.

[GIMMFD]

Not the best of starts here..

[UCGRAD4X]

St. Johns looks like they want it more. Just gotta wear them down.

[IM4X]

JP needs to come out - major net negative

[paulxu]

Every now and then Naji is out of control

[UCGRAD4X]

gotta keep in front of Ponds, geez

[UCGRAD4X]

Every now and then Naji is out of control

Dude has some mad skills - gotta control it

[paulxu]

, and we have trouble with small, quick guards.


Bump

[Grizzx12]

I can't watch this one. Hotel bandwidth simply won't allow it and it's killing me. Forgot how frustrating gamecast is

[X Factor]

Worst team in the country at getting a shot off at the end of the half.

X had at least 4-5 defensive breakdowns where guys didn't know who they were guarding or got mixed up on a switch.

[UCGRAD4X]

I can't watch this one. Hotel bandwidth simply won't allow it and it's killing me. Forgot how frustrating gamecast is

X by five at the half

[paulxu]

Worst team in the country at getting a shot off at the end of the half.

Which makes no sense when we are so good at out of bounds shots. Shouldn't be a problem.

Crazy that 28 of their 32 pts come from 2 guys. Might be a clue there for the second half.

[UCGRAD4X]

Worst team in the country at getting a shot off at the end of the half.

I know, right?

drives me crazy

[paulxu]

Would be nice if someone (anyone) could guard Ponds.

[X Factor]

Great defense...

[X Factor]

Tre is an awful defender

[X Factor]

This is pathetic.

[mistabeecee41]

Tre is an awful defender

It’s consistently embarrassing. The worst part is it’s a lack of effort that’s the problem.

[paulxu]

Playing down to our competition. Maybe JP can foul out their starters.

[X Factor]

Does anyone know who they're supposed to be guarding? We constantly leave guys wide ass open!

[X Factor]

Playing down to our competition. Maybe JP can foul out their starters.

That's a recipe for an early exit from the conference tourney and NCAA tourney.

[paulxu]

Would be nice if someone (anyone) could guard Ponds.

Bump

[X Factor]

Yeah, just let Ponds drive the length of the court and lay it in!

Tre needs to stop shooting and play some defense.

[HenryMuto]

Turning into a train wreck WTF

[X Factor]

We look beyond awful

[UCGRAD4X]

Would be nice if someone (anyone) could guard Ponds.

not O'Mara

[stammina0721]

All im gonna say is Blueitt rushing everything has this whole offense out of sync. He has taken at least 4 contested threes with over 10 seconds on the shot clock

[kellernr]

All 4 seniors playing like garbage

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[X Factor]

turnover, turnover, brick, turnover, brick...

[UCGRAD4X]

Is there anyone you can say is playing well today?

[UCGRAD4X]

Besides Ponds and Clark

[Lloyd Braun]

Is there anyone you can say is playing well today?

Ponds.

[RoseyMuskie]

This type of performance from both senior stars is concerning. Not so much this game, but in the tournament.

[Lloyd Braun]

Besides Ponds and Clark

Ha. You knew it was coming

[RoseyMuskie]

Fairly clear that Goodin just needs to shoot in rhythm.

[X Factor]

Stay in front your man!! Goodin with the matador defense...

[X Factor]

Up 5 with the ball and JP turns it over...killer

[X Factor]

What kind of pass was that Tre???

[paulxu]

Come on Muskies. Just get a damn stop and finish this thing.

[UCGRAD4X]

damn macura

[Lloyd Braun]

Sloppy turnovers have been killer. St John’s plays hard and has length so give them credit. Crunch time coming...

[ChicagoX]

The amount of horrible passes leading to turnovers are just killing us.

[X Factor]

SJU is 0-10

[mistabeecee41]

Can we delete the “is this the best Xavier team ever?” Thread?

[paulxu]

Nice stop.

[Cheesehead]

I stopped watching

[muskiefan82]

It's a matchup issue with st. John's

[IM4X]

Can we delete the “is this the best Xavier team ever?” Thread?

I'll second that.

Tre and JP were a joke tonight... they have a lot of explaining. No leadership... Horrible shooting... lots of sloppy stupid decisions.

Mack does not get a pass either. He let his players shoot a bunch of wild threes all game. This team looks like a mess again.

[X Factor]

Thank God in the end they were still St. John's.

[paulxu]

Covered. Need to work on guarding small guards.
Thanks Muskies!

[Grizzx12]

What was the spread? It's almost spooky how Vegas always seems to know

[GoMuskies]

Covered the 4 and everything.

[X Factor]

What was the spread? It's almost spooky how Vegas always seems to know

It's crazy.

[UCGRAD4X]

It's a matchup issue with st. John's

exactly what Mack said post game

[GreatWhiteNorth]

Why Jones only played a few mins? Is there something wrong with him?

[whopper]

JP should watch films of stockton and make the easy pass.. How did Q make a behind the back pass to banter..very bad matchup for us..Sean and Tyrique aren't useful against st johns. Tre missing makable shots and I bet the gym was cold. Win ugly which by Brad Gilbert is the best sports book i have read and that is what we did.

[RoseyMuskie]

Why Jones only played a few mins? Is there something wrong with him?

Because Kanter has been our best player against St. John’s in both games.

[UCGRAD4X]

Why Jones only played a few mins? Is there something wrong with him?

He basically sucked when he was in there.

[xu koop scoop]

Signed up for FUBO TV shortly before tip. Enjoyed every minute. Thought Kanter was going to the line instead of Goal Tend.
Bluiett's shot pct stunk. Macura made some horrible turnovers. We had better coach. Think we went 9 for 9 at end of game on Free Throws. Winning nail biters is the diff between a Top 10 team & one who is barely in or out of the Top 25.

[stammina0721]

Glad we won. However, this team has all the makings of a March upset. Talented team that turns the ball over and plays down to its opponent. I wouldn't be shocked to see a final four or a loss to a 15 seed

[UCGRAD4X]

Have you noticed how during St John's timeouts, Mullins hardly talked at all. The assistants were doing all the 'coaching' and Mullins did a little rah rah stuff, if he said anything, but no real information to his players.

[GreatWhiteNorth]

I am glad X won’t play this team again this season.

[whopper]

I dont want to lose Tyrique mentally.. There are times he will be needed and it may start with Georgetown. You can lose any game in this league. JP turnovers sad to say is what let st johns stay in game as EVERY ONE was a live ball

[xu82]

JP should watch films of stockton and make the easy pass.. How did Q make a behind the back pass to banter..very bad matchup for us..Sean and Tyrique aren't useful against st johns. Tre missing makable shots and I bet the gym was cold. Win ugly which by Brad Gilbert is the best sports book i have read and that is what we did.

I’m pleased with a win. We shot and played poorly on the road and won in the BE. I’ll take it.

[UCGRAD4X]

Post game guy made the Bill Murray ground hog reference three times and mentioned Murray a couple more times. Get some new material dude.

[xavierj]

Glad we won. However, this team has all the makings of a March upset. Talented team that turns the ball over and plays down to its opponent. I wouldn't be shocked to see a final four or a loss to a 15 seed

They are 20-3 5-2 on the road and you can see them losing To a 15 seed. St John’s is 0-11 but has lost 8 of 11 by 7 points or less. 7 to Nova, 6 and 5 to Xavier, 7 and 5 to Creighton and 5 at Seton Hall. They have talent, no depth and a coach who was a great player but out of his league coaching.

[XUOWNSUC]

I am glad X won’t play this team again this season.

I wouldn't be so sure. The #2 seed (currently Xavier) in the Big East tourney plays the winner of #7 versus #10 (St. John's). I can easily see St. John's winning that first game at MSG.

[UCGRAD4X]

I’m pleased with a win. We shot and played poorly on the road and won in the BE. I’ll take it.

Thank God it was the Jonnies. Mullins really sucks. All this single digit losses they keep bringing up ad nauseum is the sign of bad coaching end game strategy.

[UCGRAD4X]

If Xavier has any hopes of winning this league, they could not afford to lose this game.

[xu koop scoop]

Read every in game post. Sad that most were negative as were ahead most of game or behind by a couple points. Negative posts on Tre & JP understood, but we do use 9 guys & others stepped up to the plate, but few posts about their heroics. My best XU friend, who passed this summer, always shared a motto with me, "Just give us a chance to win with under 2 minutes". We got that chance & succeeded. Even if we had lost in those 2 minutes I would have felt well entertained. Blowout losses are not entertaining.

[drudy23]

Mullins really sucks. All this single digit losses they keep bringing up ad nauseum is the sign of bad coaching end game strategy.

This.

[Jesuit4Life]

Goaltending breakdown
https://twitter.com/FOX19Joe/status/958548361107398657

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[XU 87]

SJU is a decent team with decent talent. They just don't have a clue how to win close games.

X's turnovers were frustrating, but some of that was due to SJU athleticism.

[JTG]

Why do we struggle against St John, and look like a CYO team vs Villanova ? Yet Butler looks like the Larry Bird Celtics against Villanova? Who knows, weird shit happens in conference. You win and move on

[ArcherXU]

He basically sucked when he was in there.

I have to respectfully disagree. Jones hasn't played enough the past few games to even have enough time to suck if you ask me.

I understand tonight was match up based but without looking up his minutes I feel like they have been fewer and fewer. I know the obvious is to point to Kanter's play, but I feel like Jones' defensive presence, rebounding, and emotional play was a major contributing factor to last years run and would hate to put that aside come this year's Tourney.

[bobbiemcgee]

20 wins b4 Feb.

[Cheesehead]

Have you noticed how during St John's timeouts, Mullins hardly talked at all. The assistants were doing all the 'coaching' and Mullins did a little rah rah stuff, if he said anything, but no real information to his players.

Yes, my son who made the trip and was behind the bench tonight, pointed that out to me last year. Mullins is not there for the X and O's I guess.

[X-band '01]

I wouldn't be so sure. The #2 seed (currently Xavier) in the Big East tourney plays the winner of #7 versus #10 (St. John's). I can easily see St. John's winning that first game at MSG.

It would probably be either Butler, Marquette or Providence. Possible win for the Johnnies but not likely.

If Butler gets that spot and goes winless yet again in the Big East tournament, I may not stop laughing for a week.

[MHettel]

-Shots didn't fall. Ok. That happens
-Our guys could take the perimeter players off the dribble and penetrate.
-SJU seemed long, and once we penetrated, there were arms everywhere which led to those TOs. They are among the D1 leaders in steals. No doubt this length plays into it.
-If they could shoot, and had some depth, they would be pretty lethal.
-How do you fire Mullin? He's a legend there. GTown should take note for when they gotta can Ewing....

[HenryMuto]

Well beat the spread even.........my god I had a rough night tonight first X then Kentucky but so happy both pulled them out.

[xu82]

Yes, my son who made the trip and was behind the bench tonight, pointed that out to me last year. Mullins is not there for the X and O's I guess.

I texted that to a buddy before the game. I’ll check tomorrow to see if he noticed. He recruits some good athletes, but then delegates, it seems. Something ain’t right in that process.

[drudy23]

Tyrique simply isn't moving how he was earlier in the season. He doesn't have the bounce, explosion, or ferocity...my guess is that the knees are holding him back.

[GoMuskies]

8 Big East wins and a home date with Georgetown on Saturday means that we should see the best post of the season every season Saturday night at about 8:15!

[xu82]

Tyrique simply isn't moving how he was earlier in the season. He doesn't have the bounce, explosion, or ferocity...my guess is that the knees are holding him back.

Rest, get well, and be ready when we need the big guy! C. Mack has a history of getting them ready at the right time.

[bleedXblue]

Yes, my son who made the trip and was behind the bench tonight, pointed that out to me last year. Mullins is not there for the X and O's I guess.

if the last two minutes of last nights games dont prove that Mullins and his staff are clueless, nothing will

[stammina0721]

They are 20-3 5-2 on the road and you can see them losing To a 15 seed. St John’s is 0-11 but has lost 8 of 11 by 7 points or less. 7 to Nova, 6 and 5 to Xavier, 7 and 5 to Creighton and 5 at Seton Hall. They have talent, no depth and a coach who was a great player but out of his league coaching.

I know they have talent but did you watch Nova on Sunday? I watched every second of that game. If you watched that team play and how under control they were even though they lost a guy and Brunson was battling a knee tweek, they looked like they were always in control. They are outright on another level. It is no secret Xavier plays down to its opponent and a team like Nova does not. Not only did X play down to St John's they also did vs DePaul, ETSU and Msrshall. That is why I say they are a team that can be upset. It doesn't mean they will... this team is more than capable of playing in April, but I wouldn't say a 15 couldnt win either

[muskiefan82]

I am ready.

[muskiefan82]

8 Big East wins and a home date with Georgetown on Saturday means that we should see the best post of the season every season Saturday night at about 8:15!

The post is prepared

[webxu]

What an ugly game last night! Tre and JP played poorly to say the least, and we still won.. win and advance.

Flipside Q and Scruggs played great, if they can continue to knock down a couple shots I like our chances...

[xavierj]

I know they have talent but did you watch Nova on Sunday? I watched every second of that game. If you watched that team play and how under control they were even though they lost a guy and Brunson was battling a knee tweek, they looked like they were always in control. They are outright on another level. It is no secret Xavier plays down to its opponent and a team like Nova does not. Not only did X play down to St John's they also did vs DePaul, ETSU and Msrshall. That is why I say they are a team that can be upset. It doesn't mean they will... this team is more than capable of playing in April, but I wouldn't say a 15 couldnt win either

ETSU is a decent team which Xavier outacored by 24 points in last 15 minutes. Nova struggled this year with Marquette, lost at Butler, and also struggled with Western KY and for 3/4 of the game against Northern Iowa. Duke lost to Boston College and Michigan state struggled with Rutgers twice, nearly losing both and also struggled with Maryland. And North Carolina lost to Wofford at Home. All teams have games where they struggle, not just Xavier.

[xudash]

I know they have talent but did you watch Nova on Sunday? I watched every second of that game. If you watched that team play and how under control they were even though they lost a guy and Brunson was battling a knee tweek, they looked like they were always in control. They are outright on another level. It is no secret Xavier plays down to its opponent and a team like Nova does not. Not only did X play down to St John's they also did vs DePaul, ETSU and Msrshall. That is why I say they are a team that can be upset. It doesn't mean they will... this team is more than capable of playing in April, but I wouldn't say a 15 couldnt win either

If this is an issue, and though I don't like to minimize the importance of any and every game, I would think that the collective mindset come NCAAT time would be to lock-in and get the job done.

I just don't see this being an issue at tournament time.

Notwithstanding its NC, Nova also has demonstrated an ability to get knocked out of the tournament earlier than expected.

I get that we want them playing their best come March. We want them to be a finely tuned machine. Even JP admitted to them not playing their best game yet. Overall, I'll continue to believe that they'll be laser focused when they enter the NCAAT.

[Emp]

Did Mack play one possession of zone last night? Ponds was free passed down the lane continuously.

I have a theory that in the long run Mack believes all of our players have to be able to defend Man-to-man, and he is going to commit to it for as many possessions as possible, forget the short term issues.

[GetUp5]

HIS NAME IS CHRIS MULLIN. THERE IS NO S ON THE END OF HIS NAME. He's in the Hall of Fame for Christ's sake.

[GoMuskies]

HIS NAME IS CHRIS MULLIN. THERE IS NO S ON THE END OF HIS NAME. He's in the Hall of Fame for Christ's sake.

Does this guy work at Krogers?

[GetUp5]

ETSU is a decent team which Xavier outacored by 24 points in last 15 minutes. Nova struggled this year with Marquette, lost at Butler, and also struggled with Western KY and for 3/4 of the game against Northern Iowa. Duke lost to Boston College and Michigan state struggled with Rutgers twice, nearly losing both and also struggled with Maryland. And North Carolina lost to Wofford at Home. All teams have games where they struggle, not just Xavier.

Not only is ETSU decent, but they're #67 in KenPom. They were #58 the other day before they played The Citadel.

Our players are 18-22 years old. Of course, over the course of a season, they're going to have some down games. And, there are going to be some teams we don't match up well with. That's why the seeding in the tournament isn't the thing to worry about - I'd rather have good match ups like last year. Shoot, give us a 6 seed if the match ups are better. Think UC would have traded their 6 for our 11 last year? In a heartbeat.

[markchal]

Hate to break up the string of negativity, but Tre and JP are rarely both off on the same night, and we still won, which is nice. I have no doubts they will be locked in when we need them the most.

Scruggs played pretty well, and if he maintains this level of confidence/poise, our bench takes a big step up. Also nice to see Goodin shoot well. If we can get Gates/Jones going again v. GT, we could contend for the BE championship. Obviously, that four game stretch of something like At Butler At Creighton Home SH home Nova will be what determines it.

[SemajParlor]

Not sure why Q stayed on Ponds all night. The few times Scruggs was on him he did a nice job and even caused some turnovers. Paul is turning into a FREAK on defense.

[Xtemporaneous]

Escape from New York. That is all. Set our sights on Saturday and curb stomp the team formerly known as the powerhouse - Georgetown.

[XU 87]

Does anyone know who they're supposed to be guarding? We constantly leave guys wide ass open!


X played good defense last night holding SJU to .93 points per possession, which is good. SJU also shot about 43% for the game, which is also good.

The problem was that X didn't shoot very well, and turned the ball over to much, which often led to SJU layups. Tre was 1-9 from the three.

[xumuskies08]

Gawd the negativity...

That was a top 100 road win. Xavier was projected to win by 6 on KenPom and by 4 in Vegas. They won by 5.

Was it ugly? Yes. Could the Muskies have played better? Yes. The turnovers and poor shooting are concerning, but literally every team has those struggles throughout the season.

Take the W.


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[GetUp5]

Hate to break up the string of negativity, but Tre and JP are rarely both off on the same night, and we still won, which is nice. I have no doubts they will be locked in when we need them the most.

Scruggs played pretty well, and if he maintains this level of confidence/poise, our bench takes a big step up. Also nice to see Goodin shoot well. If we can get Gates/Jones going again v. GT, we could contend for the BE championship. Obviously, that four game stretch of something like At Butler At Creighton Home SH home Nova will be what determines it.

This. JP and Tre were both off. Q and Scruggs are starting to be legitimate shooting threats. Gates hit that corner 3 when they were down 4 late in the 2H, arguably the biggest shot of the game.

St. John's ain't Fordham. That's a good, ugly conference road win.

[IM4X]

The problem was that X didn't shoot very well, and turned the ball over to much, which often led to SJU layups. Tre was 1-9 from the three.

And JP was 1-6 from 3 with 6 turnovers.

Silver lining is that the young guys are continuing to play well and the free throws are starting to fall again.

[XUFan09]

X played good defense last night holding SJU to .93 points per possession, which is good. SJU also shot about 43% for the game, which is also good.

The problem was that X didn't shoot very well, and turned the ball over to much, which often led to SJU layups. Tre was 1-9 from the three.Yup.

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[SemajParlor]

Gawd the negativity...

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The same people who were negative about this game probably questioned the line that Vegas set. Vegas doesn't make mistakes, guys. I'll take the road W.

[SemajParlor]

I was lucky to have great seats last night (about 3 rows behind Mullin). At the end of the game JP walked past the scorer's table and was still getting harassed by Johnny fans. He turned and loudly yelled "0-11!" to the few remaining fans and ran into the tunnel.

[XUFan09]

I was lucky to have great seats last night (about 3 rows behind Mullin). At the end of the game JP walked past the scorer's table and was still getting harassed by Johnny fans. He turned and loudly yelled "0-11!" to the few remaining fans and ran into the tunnel.Lol

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[Lamont Sanford]

I was lucky to have great seats last night (about 3 rows behind Mullin). At the end of the game JP walked past the scorer's table and was still getting harassed by Johnny fans. He turned and loudly yelled "0-11!" to the few remaining fans and ran into the tunnel.

Hahaha. Love that kid.

[paulxu]

The same people who were negative about this game probably questioned the line that Vegas set. Vegas doesn't make mistakes, guys. I'll take the road W.

Vegas does make mistakes. Richmond on the road at Davidson. Davidson 11 pt favorites at home. Richmond won by 11.

They just don't make too many mistakes.

[X-band '01]

On a lark, here are the next 8 games the Johnnies play:

Sat 2/3 - home vs. Duke at MSG. This might be more of a road game once all the local Duke fans snatch up tickets.
Wed 2/7 - at Villanova. Not winning that one.
Sat 2/10 - home vs. Marquette at Carnesecca. This would seem to be the likely game where the Johnnies finally get their first league win. If the season ended today, Marq/SJU would be the 7-10 game in the Big East tournament.
Wed 2/14 - at DePaul. Blue Demons have not won a league game at home yet - they even failed to beat Georgetown in Chicago. Of course, there is that small matter of DePaul winning by 17 against the Johnnies earlier this year.
Wed 2/21 - at Marquette. Another game that will resemble the dentist's chair but likely be a Marquette win.
Sat 2/24 - home vs. Seton Hall at MSG. Something tells me the law of averages will be on the Johnnies' side for this one too. Whatever hopes The Hall has of getting a Top 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament go out the window if they lose this one.
Wed 2/28 - vs. Butler at Carnesecca. Doubt Shamorie Ponds has another bad game against Butler, but I don't like how they match up with Butler in this one.
Sat 3/3 at Providence. More likely than not Providence is flirting with the bubble at this stage. Can't see the Friars losing at their place.

At the end of the day, I could see St. John's actually winning as many as 3 of their final 8 games. Assuming one of those wins is at DePaul, that might be enough to get the Johnnies out of the cellar.

[xu82]

Hahaha. Love that kid.

Yeah, because he’s OURS!

[HenryMuto]

I am glad X won’t play this team again this season.

10 seed Saint John's beats 7 seed in conf tournament then plays 2 seed X......it's possible

[xavierj]

The same people who were negative about this game probably questioned the line that Vegas set. Vegas doesn't make mistakes, guys. I'll take the road W.

Oh they make them. Last night Buffalo was 7 point favorite at Kent and lost, UK favored by 10 lucky to win in OT, Davidson was a big favorite and lost to a bad Richmond team, Florida was 4 pt favorites at Georgia and lost by 12. You will see every night that the line doesn’t hold up, but they are really close more often than not. They don’t really care as the betting public typically doesn't get it right.

[mid major]

Oh they make them. Last night Buffalo was 7 point favorite at Kent and lost, UK favored by 10 lucky to win in OT, Davidson was a big favorite and lost to a bad Richmond team, Florida was 4 pt favorites at Georgia and lost by 12. You will see every night that the line doesn’t hold up, but they are really close more often than not. They don’t really care as the betting public typically doesn't get it right.

You mean Buffalo lost? Buffalo is, arguably, UC's best win of the season so far.