Xavier vs. Georgetown Game Thread (February 3, 2018)

[American X]

http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2752.png&h=150&w=150http://statici.behindthevoiceactors.com/behindthevoiceactors/_img/chars/thumbs/hector-the-bulldog-tweety-and-sylvester-6.72_thumb.jpg

#6 Xavier Musketeers (20-3, 8-2) vs. Georgetown Generic Mascots (13-8, 3-7)

Time: 6:00 p.m. ET

Cintas Center | Cincinnati, Ohio

TV: CBS Sports Network (WHY???) Channel Finder (https://www.cbssportsnetwork.com/)

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/2018/2/1/mens-basketball-no-6-xavier-returns-to-cintas-center-on-saturday-to-host-big-east-foe-georgetown.aspx)

Full Game Notes (https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/goxavier.com/documents/2018/2/1/XAVIER_Game_Notes_game_24_GEORGETOWN.pdf)


*check back for more links and articles

[GIMMFD]

Anybody else think Georgetown would become this bad this quickly in the Big East??? Insane to think about, but that's the reality of the situation.

[SemajParlor]

Anybody else think Georgetown would become this bad this quickly in the Big East??? Insane to think about, but that's the reality of the situation.

Which is a shame because whether or not we like it it's pretty undeniable that Georgetown being relevant on a national scale helps the conference significantly.

[Nigel Tufnel]

X opens at -14.

[xu82]

X opens at -14.

After the last game, I suspect it will be in that neighborhood.....

[GoMuskies]

I think we're 20 points better than them at home. I'll take the X.

[xu koop scoop]

Planning to watch on FUBO TV while I still have my 7 day free trial.

[GIMMFD]

Which is a shame because whether or not we like it it's pretty undeniable that Georgetown being relevant on a national scale helps the conference significantly.

I agree, hopefully Ewing can get it figured out and attract good talent, we obviously want the other teams in the league to get better and raise the profile as a whole. I'd love to see the Big East consistently getting 7 bids in, we have the resources, and teams to do so.

[Masterofreality]

Which is a shame because whether or not we like it it's pretty undeniable that Georgetown being relevant on a national scale helps the conference significantly.

I've said this before, but the fact that the Big East is thriving with the teams in the 3 biggest Cities- New York, Chicago and Washington- being abjectly horrible means that, amazingly this league can be even more incredible of they can ever figure it out.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Saw someone on the XU fans FB page post about being a Knicks/Ewing fan and having a Ewing jersey he would love to get signed tomorrow. I hadnt even thought of that but I am a Knicks fan as well and Ewing was/is my favorite NBA player. I have a Ewing Knicks jersey as well. Would be awesome to somehow get it signed but I would imagine it would be hard to make that happen. A framed Ewing jersey in the man cave would be a nice addition.

[GIMMFD]

I've said this before, but the fact that the Big East is thriving with the teams in the 3 biggest Cities- New York, Chicago and Washington- being abjectly horrible means that, amazingly this league can be even more incredible of they can ever figure it out.

Well I think that it comes down more to exposure than market value/branding at this point. Yes those are our 3 biggest cities, but who hasn't heard of Villanova in Philly area? Especially fresh off a National Championship a few years ago, keep in mind Creighton with Doug McDourmett a few years ago made splashes, hell even Providence with Kris Dunn, where you just have some absolute gamers, helped to peak interest in the league, we've never had that bonfide big name superstar, (Tre is very good, but if you didn't follow college basketball much, you probably would have heard about him what? Once or twice??), I think teams like us are pulling our weight, yet don't have the recognition at a country wide level yet. Is it silly? Absolutely, am I surprised? Not terribly. As the conference grows, and we continue to make deeper March runs, more people will take note of the Big East regardless of what those 3 cities accomplish. It would be better for us as a whole for them to be good teams, but at the end of the day, we don't really need them right now to show we are a good league. People that genuinely follow college basketball understand that the Big East is a great conference, and it's only going to improve more with results in March.

[mid major]

Saw someone on the XU fans FB page post about being a Knicks/Ewing fan and having a Ewing jersey he would love to get signed tomorrow. I hadnt even thought of that but I am a Knicks fan as well and Ewing was/is my favorite NBA player. I have a Ewing Knicks jersey as well. Would be awesome to somehow get it signed but I would imagine it would be hard to make that happen. A framed Ewing jersey in the man cave would be a nice addition.

If I were you and going to the game I would take it down to the Cintas and try to get him to sign it. What's the worst that can happen? Worth a shot.

[nuts4xu]

Saw someone on the XU fans FB page post about being a Knicks/Ewing fan and having a Ewing jersey he would love to get signed tomorrow. I hadnt even thought of that but I am a Knicks fan as well and Ewing was/is my favorite NBA player. I have a Ewing Knicks jersey as well. Would be awesome to somehow get it signed but I would imagine it would be hard to make that happen. A framed Ewing jersey in the man cave would be a nice addition.

Your best bet is to wait until after the game, and appproach Ewing on their way to the bus. Not sure if it will happen, but if you are willing to take a chance, I don’t think it will hurt anything to try.

[X-band '01]

Xavier's breaking out the Running Man throwbacks for tonight's game.

[Xavier]

Xavier's breaking out the Running Man throwbacks for tonight's game.

In the Jersey teaser thing they did I thought they had road Running Man throwbacks also. I guess they would pull them out against Butler next week?

[X-band '01]

Could be Butler, but I think there's a good chance they would also wear them against Creighton (national FOX telecast) next Saturday as well.

[bleedXblue]

gotta be breaking out the royal blue running man for Nova

[D-West & PO-Z]

Your best bet is to wait until after the game, and appproach Ewing on their way to the bus. Not sure if it will happen, but if you are willing to take a chance, I don’t think it will hurt anything to try.

Where/when do they leave for bus?

[stammina0721]

Hoping today gets X back on track. I thought we found the Mojo after the Seton Hall game and with how we dismantled Marquette. The week layoff came at a bar time with how well we were playing those 2 games but hopefully tonight starts the stretch run where we see the best ball of the season

[HenryMuto]

Saint John's up 58-50 against Duke with 12 minutes left this would be huge for the conference if they upset Duke not to mention give X a better shot to move ahead of Duke on the S-Curve on Feb 11th.

[AviatorX]

Hoping today gets X back on track. I thought we found the Mojo after the Seton Hall game and with how we dismantled Marquette. The week layoff came at a bar time with how well we were playing those 2 games but hopefully tonight starts the stretch run where we see the best ball of the season

Yep, let’s hope X can get back on track from being 20-3 and slated for a 2 seed. Tonight could be the night!

[GIMMFD]

Yep, let’s hope X can get back on track from being 20-3 and slated for a 2 seed. Tonight could be the night!

Gosh, we really suck, I really hope we can get it together. Sheesh.

[HenryMuto]

Saint John's beats Duke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[stammina0721]

Yep, let’s hope X can get back on track from being 20-3 and slated for a 2 seed. Tonight could be the night!

You know what I mean with the sloppiness. Don't be an ass this early

[GreatWhiteNorth]

Finally, St. John’s was able to hang on to the lead and wins a game. Too bad they are still 0-11 in the BE.

[GoMuskies]

Yep, let’s hope X can get back on track from being 20-3 and slated for a 2 seed. Tonight could be the night!

True. If we get back on track, we'll be slated for a #1 seed.

[GIMMFD]

True. If we get back on track, we'll be slated for a #1 seed.

One game at a time, I'd love to clip 4 out of the next 5 at a minimum, I think that would put us in a great place going into the Big East tournament as well.

[xu82]

One game at a time, I'd love to clip 4 out of the next 5 at a minimum, I think that would put us in a great place going into the Big East tournament as well.

Yes, let’s not get “Duked”.

[AviatorX]

I assume CBS Sports Net will just switch to some real basketball once X tips. Stupid A10.

[GoMuskies]

I assume CBS Sports Net will just switch to some real basketball once X tips. Stupid A10.

Dr. Giannini still being at LaSuck after all these years is kind of amazing.

[GoMuskies]

No OT!!!!!!!!!!

[GoMuskies]

Get a fucking rebound. Pretty please.

[paulxu]

Anybody got a link to watch this on line?

[X Factor]

Lackluster first 12 minutes. G'Town getting what they want.

[Jesuit4Life]

Let's Go X

[stammina0721]

Why are seniors in February forcing bad 3 point shots early in the shot clock

[paulxu]

Thanks Jesuit! (maybe I don't want to watch this one?)

[GoMuskies]

This is shitty.

[stammina0721]

Thanks Jesuit! (maybe I don't want to watch this one?)

Why not? Nice high scoring game. Georgetown doesnt have the guns to keep up their pace

[Lloyd Braun]

Offensive efficiency is high....

[X Factor]

Can we get a few stops please?

[AviatorX]

Georgetown will turn the ball over all over the place in the second half.

Love what I'm seeing from Goodin and even Scruggs recognizing to push it in transition there (although he didnt finish), something we've yet to see from him.

[X Factor]

Back to refusing to play defense

[Lloyd Braun]

Who had the over?

[AviatorX]

Was that Klay Thompson at the end of the half there? Insanely quick release.

Need to shore up the D obviously.

[paulxu]

Whisky shot !

[GoMuskies]

Pretty awful half. Sweet finish to it.

[markchal]

I think Tre's shoulder might be OK after all.

[Lloyd Braun]

The Kenpom defensive rating numbers will likely take a hit in this game. Just a guess though.

[bjf123]

The Kenpom defensive rating numbers will likely take a hit in this game. Just a guess though.

Pretty good guess if this continues.


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[mistabeecee41]

eek. Regardless of whether we’re a 1/2/3/4/5 seed, teams we play in the first round will be just as good as if not better than ETSU, Marshall, SJU and GTown.

It’s great we’ve been playing well against good competiton, but we have to get better about crippling lower competition right out of he gate. 2 vs 15 games that are that tight at the end are a recipe for disaster

[X Factor]

The Kenpom defensive rating numbers will likely take a hit in this game. Just a guess though.

Will take a huge hit unless X comes out and decides to play anything resembling defense.

[Jesuit4Life]

https://twitter.com/XavierGameday/status/959939308210733056

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[GoMuskies]

eek. Regardless of whether we’re a 1/2/3/4/5 seed, teams we play in the first round will be just as good as if not better than ETSU, Marshall, SJU and GTown.



Well, that's not true. Take a look at the next Bracketology and compare Sagarins and KenPoms for those 15 and 16 seeds.

[XUFan09]

eek. Regardless of whether we’re a 1/2/3/4/5 seed, teams we play in the first round will be just as good as if not better than ETSU, Marshall, SJU and GTown.


If Xavier is a 1 or 2 seed (and most likely even if they're a 3 seed), that's simply not true. The automatic qualifiers from low-major conferences are simply bad most of the time. ETSU is actually a pretty good team. SJU is a solid team that struggles to close out games. Georgetown isn't that great, but they aren't terrible and they would be favored over most 14-16 seeds. The only one I will marginally give you is Marshall. They're pretty bad, but Xavier was playing down two starters and then lost a third started at halftime. That's jarring and they limped toward the finish line in a game that they weren't going to lose. Marshall's flurry at the end just made the score look better than the reality.

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[X Factor]

Has JP done anything positive tonight?

[X Factor]

X making Govan look like Patrick Ewing

[X Factor]

Jordan Cornette is annoying

[xukeith]

not at the game but sources say X is trying to go for quick steals and is getting burnt on defense.

[X Factor]

not at the game but sources say X is trying to go for quick steals and is getting burnt on defense.

They're just not playing defense, period.

[xukeith]

Good rebounding for Gates.

[mid major]

We're not scoring points off Gtown turnovers.

[GreatWhiteNorth]

Who wants this game more?

[X Factor]

Who wants this game more?

It's all about defense and X refuses to play D

[xukeith]

X is amazing! Get ready for Creighton and Butler!

[xukeith]

It's all about defense and X refuses to play D

Did they slap the floor today?

[xukeith]

X needs big men like Hoyas.

[X Factor]

Did they slap the floor today?

Not today. KenPom defensive ranking is going to fall into to the 70's after this debacle

[paulxu]

These announcers seem to like the Hoyas.
Meanwhile, I'm blown away that we are being out-rebounded.

[xukeith]

These announcers seem to like the Hoyas.
Meanwhile, I'm blown away that we are being out-rebounded.

I don't care about Kenpom ratings other than effects on NCAA selection committee.

[mid major]

It's almost time for JP to show up. Gates needs to hit a three.

[xukeith]

Who is guarding Bluiett??

[xukeith]

Can't wait for Villanova!!

[letskeepitreal]

This game making me nervous. Can’t get enough stops!

[AviatorX]

I don't care about Kenpom ratings other than effects on NCAA selection committee.

I wouldn't worry too much then. They haven't shown they actually care about them...doubt there's a huge shift in that just bc the numbers are on team sheets now.

[xukeith]

Does X HAVE to play these guys in DC?

[mid major]

Does X HAVE to play these guys in DC?

Yes we do. And it doesn't look like we'll win in DC so we better win today.

[Lloyd Braun]

Tough matchup for Kanter on d today.

[xukeith]

My ESPN app just put Hoyas likelihood of winning at 57%

[paulxu]

Gates wide open, no one passes to him.

[xukeith]

Tough matchup for Kanter on d today.

He doesnt play d

[xukeith]

Hoyas liklihood is now 67%

[paulxu]

Guess that's why.

[xukeith]

X choked at home?

[kellernr]

Fuck

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[markchal]

this team is very hard to beat when Gates plays well. He did not play well.

[letskeepitreal]

Unfrikkenbelievable. They let Trevon get a 4 pt play! Go X

[paulxu]

Come on Muskies. Get this one.

[kellernr]

JP didn't show up tonight

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[letskeepitreal]

Wow, we survive to OT!

[GoMuskies]

Thank God for Tre

[xukeith]

Wow, we survive to OT!

Not yet

[paulxu]

If we played D the whole game the way we played the last 19 seconds, we'd be undefeated.

Pull this out Muskies. You can do it.

[xukeith]

play tough D and kill these non NCAA teams.

[paulxu]

Great steal Q. Then pass the damn thing!

[xukeith]

Thank God Govan fouled out.

[xukeith]

Gates and JP 0-9 from 3 point land

[paulxu]

Good D there over 2 possessions. Lucky 3.

Got to hold. Come on X!

[mistabeecee41]

Well, that's not true. Take a look at the next Bracketology and compare Sagarins and KenPoms for those 15 and 16 seeds.

Maybe I was off on the specifics, but the general concept is still true. This team, for whatever reason, has played down to the competition and games have been closer than they should.

[xukeith]

very nervous

[xukeith]

Maybe I was off on the specifics, but the general concept is still true. This team, for whatever reason, has played down to the competition and games have been closer than they should.

Agree.

[GoMuskies]

Exhale

[smileyy]

Did not deserve that one, that's for sure.

[paulxu]

Thanks Muskies!

[xukeith]

Did not deserve that one, that's for sure.

Better to be lucky than good sometimes. Ask St. Johns

[GIMMFD]

That Trevor Blewitt kid is never gonna make it in the athletic Big East. Survive and advance folks.

[GoMuskies]

9 Big East wins. We all know what that means. STREEEEEEAAAAAAKKKKKKK!

[X Factor]

Well, that was way more nerve wracking than it should've been. Thank you Tre for bailing X out.

JP and Gates didn't do anything.

On the road at Butler and Creighton coming up? Better play some defense.

[xudash]

Two comments:

Give Georgetown credit for getting better.

Life in the Big East!

[Jesuit4Life]

https://twitter.com/XavierGameday/status/959965217009623040

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[GIMMFD]

https://twitter.com/XavierGameday/status/959965217009623040

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Hilarious. Also some credit to Q and Scruggs turning it on from the 3 point land as of late, they're making life a lot harder for opponents, and I really hope this continues through March.

[xu82]

Better to be lucky than good sometimes. Ask St. Johns

No OT without that banked 3. But we survived. I’ll take that every time.

[Xavier]

X choked at home?

Nope

[GreatWhiteNorth]

X was involved in so many close games that one of these days........... I really thought that we might lose tonight, and at home too. Thank God for the W. It’s good for Tre to score 31 points, or we would not have won. Moving on.

[Lloyd Braun]

Wow what a game by Tre. That 4 point play is the play of the season so far! Home loss to Gtown!? No thanks.

Too bad Georgetown’s noncon SOS is somewhere around 350th.

[xu koop scoop]

A few comments stated we play DOWN to the level of our competition. We have struggled to beat mediocre opponents, but maybe they are playing UP to the level of their competition. For these "mediocre" (or bad) opponents it's a chance for their biggest win of the year. The fact we have won all these close games shows our intense fortitiude. After all, great teams get 4 pt plays when they need them.

[xukeith]

A few comments stated we play DOWN to the level of our competition. We have struggled to beat mediocre opponents, but maybe they are playing UP to the level of their competition. For these "mediocre" (or bad) opponents it's a chance for their biggest win of the year. The fact we have won all these close games shows our intense fortitiude. After all, great teams get 4 pt plays when they need them.

Next 4 games are HUGE for X.
24,22,19 and 2 rpi games.

[Xavier]

No question. Next four games decide Xaviers seed.

[whopper]

A few comments stated we play DOWN to the level of our competition. We have struggled to beat mediocre opponents, but maybe they are playing UP to the level of their competition. For these "mediocre" (or bad) opponents it's a chance for their biggest win of the year. The fact we have won all these close games shows our intense fortitiude. After all, great teams get 4 pt plays when they need them.I think you are correct and bad teams now are not like bad teams 10 years ago. I am normally agitated during game but I was serene as G-Town could have played with anyone in the country tonight. After today you see top to bottom how strong the big east is and I almost feel bad for Marquette as everybody seems to have scouted them and they are clearly behind St Johns and Georgetown now. It will be a great tournament and I would love to see Villanova get their comeuppance

[skyking]

We find a different way to win each game. Must be tough for opponents to scout XAVIER.

[jhelmes37]

That 4-point play was priceless.

Seriously - how freaking rare is a 4 point play.

In that situation? Shit, it almost never happens.

The adage "good teams find ways to win" comes to mind!

[X Factor]

I am normally agitated during game but I was serene as G-Town could have played with anyone in the country tonight.

I disagree. X played zero defense tonight. There was absolutely no resistance for G'Town. They have the #122 ranked offense and they shredded X's defense. Nova beat the Hoyas by 30 points at G'Town. Creighton beat them by 25. Seton Hall beat them by 14.

There was a reason they looked great tonight.

I'll take the W though.

[whopper]

our 3 headed center had 32 pt and 11 re tonight.

[xu82]

The X defense in the last minute and OT did not look like what we saw the rest of the game. Seemed to freak GT out a bit. It helps to be deeper that the other guys.

[Lloyd Braun]

I disagree. X played zero defense tonight. There was absolutely no resistance for G'Town. They have the #122 ranked offense and they shredded X's defense. Nova beat the Hoyas by 30 points at G'Town. Creighton beat them by 25. Seton Hall beat them by 14.

There was a reason they looked great tonight.

I'll take the W though.

I mostly agree... the defensive intensity was spotty the first 39 minutes. But gtown made some crazy shots too. And they got away with over the back ALL night. Maybe those things are related...

[xukeith]

[QUOTE=X Factor;609496]I disagree. X played zero defense tonight. There was absolutely no resistance for G'Town. They have the #122 ranked offense and they shredded X's defense. Nova beat the Hoyas by 30 points at G'Town. Creighton beat them by 25. Seton Hall beat them by 14.

There was a reason they looked great tonight.


Maybe X plays better on the road except @ Villanova.

[xavierj]

I disagree. X played zero defense tonight. There was absolutely no resistance for G'Town. They have the #122 ranked offense and they shredded X's defense. Nova beat the Hoyas by 30 points at G'Town. Creighton beat them by 25. Seton Hall beat them by 14.

There was a reason they looked great tonight.

I'll take the W though.

Didn’t see the entire game but the stats show Xavier held them below their season FG% total and 3 pt%. They did hit 11 threes but shot 34%. Looks like it was rebounding and the bigs where they did damage. 11 to 9 offensive and 43-39 total in Georgetown’s favor. Govan and Derrickson had 42 and 24 combined.

[bobbiemcgee]

Didn’t see the entire game but the stats show Xavier held them below their season FG% total and 3 pt%. They did hit 11 threes but shot 34%. Looks like it was rebounding and the bigs where they did damage. 11 to 9 offensive and 43-39 total in Georgetown’s favor. Govan and Derrickson had 42 and 24 combined.

Let's face it, we were DAMN lucky the guy knocks down Tre on the Trey. Some kind of divine intervention methinks.

[Emp]

Well, that was way more nerve wracking than it should've been. Thank you Tre for bailing X out.

JP and Gates didn't do anything.

On the road at Butler and Creighton coming up? Better play some defense.

Gates rebounded and defended. There's a reason he doesn't come out on defensive possessions at the end.

It's mind blowing that Scruggs and Naji are seeing the defensive possessions.

[Muskeagle]

Just to respond to a couple of posters (I just read the whole thread and I'm too lazy to go back and find them among the many posts): There WAS one floor slap. Scruggs did it mid second half. We had just tied it again or something. God, I hate the floor slap.

Also, at least one person mentioned how bad Gates was tonight...and that is true...if we are talking shooting, but he did come up big with 10 boards and 4 assists. He was awful from the floor, but the shots he took were good shots.....just didn't make anything tonight.


EDIT: not sure if I was posting at the same time as the person before me, but I hadn't seen that one before I posted.

[stammina0721]

Let's face it, we were DAMN lucky the guy knocks down Tre on the Trey. Some kind of divine intervention methinks.

This... let's face it we are about 5 basketball minutes from a 8 or 9 seed. Beat Wisconsin, Marshall, Georgetown, St. John's and Northern Iowa in last minutes. Any one of those or multiple ones go the opposite way then our tune is much different. It may be destiny this year

[bigdiggins]

JP has been awful since he went back to full body condom.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Well, that was way more nerve wracking than it should've been. Thank you Tre for bailing X out.

JP and Gates didn't do anything.

On the road at Butler and Creighton coming up? Better play some defense.

Gates did not do nothing. He had a very rough shooting night but he grabbed 10 board had 4 assists and played some solid D at various point and on some big possessions.

[X Factor]

JP has been awful since he went back to full body condom.

Hahaha

[D-West & PO-Z]

That 4-point play was priceless.

Seriously - how freaking rare is a 4 point play.

In that situation? Shit, it almost never happens.

The adage "good teams find ways to win" comes to mind!

Yeah that was amazing. Hated it was that close and we needed a 4 point play and OT, but that feeling I had and the roar of the crowd after that 4 point play? Awesome.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Gates did not do nothing. He had a very rough shooting night but he grabbed 10 board had 4 assists and played some solid D at various point and on some big possessions.

Sorry, I now see several people said the same thing already.

[xu82]

The best part of being so deep is we don’t count on just one, or two, or even three guys to have great games. They just figure out how to win. This team is special.

[xavierj]

This... let's face it we are about 5 basketball minutes from a 8 or 9 seed. Beat Wisconsin, Marshall, Georgetown, St. John's and Northern Iowa in last minutes. Any one of those or multiple ones go the opposite way then our tune is much different. It may be destiny this year

Isn’t that sign of a good team? You can say that about just about any team. Xavier isn’t the only good team that has had close games this year that they pulled out. Both Duke and Michigan State have had about 5 or 6 games each where they pulled away late or won in OT against unranked teams. If St. John’s pulled out all the close games they lost, they would be about 20–4 right now. The diffence between good and average teams is winning the close ones. Enjoy the 21-3 and soon to be ranked in the top 5 if you can.

[XUFan09]

Isn’t that sign of a good team? You can say that about just about any team. Xavier isn’t the only good team that has had close games this year that they pulled out. Both Duke and Michigan State have had about 5 or 6 games each where they pulled away late or won in OT against unranked teams. If St. John’s pulled out all the close games they lost, they would be about 20–4 right now. The diffence between good and average teams is winning the close ones. Enjoy the 21-3 and soon to be ranked in the top 5 if you can.This. I consistently argue that Kenpom, Sagarin, and other margin-of-victory metrics are useful and tell a lot about teams, but in the end, a team has to notch some key victories. "Almost wins" don't carry anyone far. Xavier regularly pulls out victories when the margin is close.

The notion of Xavier being an 8 or 9 seed is still absurd. Oh, so if they lose all the closer games they ended up winning, then they would fall that far? Talk about unlikely hypotheticals...

For the record, Xavier now stands at 16th in Kenpom, 9th in Sagarin, and 12th in Haslametrics. Even if one were to judge Xavier by their average performance and not account for how they finished games, they would still be a clear top 20 team and likely protected seed. And I would never recommend judging teams by that alone. It's reductionist.

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[XUGRAD80]

At the end of the day, the real question is DID they win, it’s not how much did they win BY? I’ll take 1-point wins all the way until April.

[American X]

If we played D the whole game the way we played the last 19 seconds, we'd be undefeated.

This. Cross-post to Pet Peeves thread. That defensive possession was insane.

If we played always defense like that, we would be undefeated through April.

[Blue Blooded-05]

That 4-point play was priceless.

Seriously - how freaking rare is a 4 point play.

In that situation? Shit, it almost never happens.

The adage "good teams find ways to win" comes to mind!

Would love to hear Joe & Byron’s call of that shot. Anyone know how/where I can find it?

[paulxu]

One of the reasons we won is that Malcolm Bernard was in the house. :)

[D-West & PO-Z]

Would love to hear Joe & Byron’s call of that shot. Anyone know how/where I can find it?

My buddy was listening on radio and I asked him about it because I thought it had to be great. He said it wasn't as good as it could have been and that he doesn't think they heard the whistle so it took them a minute to realize the foul.

[GenerationX]

He did NOT like Shannon’s question lol... and he is one huge dude...


https://youtu.be/wcettgB_SH4

[whopper]

It occurred to me that except for Omara's "dunk" we did not have a dunk and I am not sure G-town had a dunk either. Govan and dedrickson hit a lot of close in shots but not dunks. To have almost 200 points and zero dunks is a rarity in Div 1(or even 2 or 3) college basketball. A testament to skill in my opinion as dunks are just not there the deeper you get in the tournament. I liked Ewing press conference for some reason, very matter of fact and did not mention foul shot disparity

[paulxu]

Lots of looks:

http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=22311307

[stammina0721]

Isn’t that sign of a good team? You can say that about just about any team. Xavier isn’t the only good team that has had close games this year that they pulled out. Both Duke and Michigan State have had about 5 or 6 games each where they pulled away late or won in OT against unranked teams. If St. John’s pulled out all the close games they lost, they would be about 20–4 right now. The diffence between good and average teams is winning the close ones. Enjoy the 21-3 and soon to be ranked in the top 5 if you can.

Dude get off my jock. Do this... quote me where i said anywhere in the post that this is not a good team. I was not saying that at all. The guy posted about devine intervention. All I said is that we have been on the positive end of everything close. I was saying maybe that is a sign that it IS destiny and that this may be our year to knock down the final four ceiling. There was nothing negative there. I swear your worse than a 19 year old Democrat making issues of things that were never said.

[Xavier]

This. Cross-post to Pet Peeves thread. That defensive possession was insane.

If we played always defense like that, we would be undefeated through April.

Well, they doubled the ball the whole possession which Gtown wasn’t expecting. Obviously X won’t double the ball all year.

[Muskeagle]

It occurred to me that except for Omara's "dunk" we did not have a dunk and I am not sure G-town had a dunk either. Govan and dedrickson hit a lot of close in shots but not dunks. To have almost 200 points and zero dunks is a rarity in Div 1(or even 2 or 3) college basketball. A testament to skill in my opinion as dunks are just not there the deeper you get in the tournament. I liked Ewing press conference for some reason, very matter of fact and did not mention foul shot disparity

G-Town had one dunk that I can remember. 1st half I think....my stream got interrupted for a second so I missed the pass (although they showed it later in a highlight package). I think the pass came from left elbow down to left block. There was a mix up with Xavier's bigs and from the left block the G-Town big went in from the side with a two hand jam. I think it was Dedrickson...don't really know.

....but yeah, there was definitely a dearth of dunks yesterday.

[muskienick]

Well, that was way more nerve wracking than it should've been. Thank you Tre for bailing X out.

JP and Gates didn't do anything.

On the road at Butler and Creighton coming up? Better play some defense.

I could have sworn that I saw Kaiser Gates doing a fine job of rebounding (leading our team in that category with 10). He also did a pretty decent job of finding the open man in the offense while leading our team in assists as well. Yes, he was not his usual self in hitting from the perimeter, But to say he "didn't do anything" is simply not accurate!

And JP did not do NOTHING either --- he had one of those rebounded tip-ins where he came out of nowhere in beating G-town's big to the ball. That, at least, was something.

[XUFan09]

Well, they doubled the ball the whole possession which Gtown wasn’t expecting. Obviously X won’t double the ball all year.Yeah, end-of-game situations allow the opportunity to play defense in ways that would leave a team really exposed once the opponent took a couple possessions to figure it out. Also, it was really high pressure, which can be disruptive in the short term but lead to a layup line in the long term.

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[xu82]

The beauty of this team is they are so deep with guys who can go off for 20+ on any given night, we don’t have to rely on the same 1 or 2 guys and go down in flames if they have an off night.

[Xuperman]

Anybody else think Georgetown would become this bad this quickly in the Big East??? Insane to think about, but that's the reality of the situation.

No one will have this line of thinking from here on out. On the contrary, this years team is just a preview of things to come. Based on what we saw last night, how do we beat them next year if both Govan and Derrickson return as seniors and we lose 4? Their frosh look fantastic AND they have 3 high recruits coming in. I'm thinking they are top 4 in the BEast in the fall.

[bleedXblue]

No one will have this line of thinking from here on out. On the contrary, this years team is just a preview of things to come. Based on what we saw last night, how do we beat them next year if both Govan and Derrickson return as seniors and we lose 4? Their frosh look fantastic AND they have 3 high recruits coming in. I'm thinking they are top 4 in the BEast in the fall.

It doesn't take a whole lot of skill to post this kind of stuff AFTER a game. Where were these thoughts/ideas prior to yesterdays game?

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but playing Monday morning QB is kind of BS.

[bjf123]

My buddy was listening on radio and I asked him about it because I thought it had to be great. He said it wasn't as good as it could have been and that he doesn't think they heard the whistle so it took them a minute to realize the foul.

The replayed it on the post game show after the game. You’re right. They didn’t know a foul had been called right away. My seats are in the section behind the X bench and we didn’t realize it right away either. Everyone was reacting to Tre making the 3 and thought the whistle was someone calling time out.


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[HenryMuto]

Amazing win last night down 4 and TB hitting the 3 and 1 simply amazing. Was a big time sweat out but I will take the win.

[stammina0721]

It's gotta be a good sign we have so many ways to win. A team that can win with multiple players is dangerous. We have had JP, Blueitt, Kanter and gates all win games this year in some way shape or form.

[usfldan]

G-Town had one dunk that I can remember. 1st half I think....my stream got interrupted for a second so I missed the pass (although they showed it later in a highlight package). I think the pass came from left elbow down to left block. There was a mix up with Xavier's bigs and from the left block the G-Town big went in from the side with a two hand jam. I think it was Dedrickson...don't really know.

....but yeah, there was definitely a dearth of dunks yesterday.

According to the play-by-play (http://goxavier.com/boxscore.aspx?id=6928&path=mbball), there were two dunks-


GEORGETOWN XAVIER
11:55-1H GOOD DUNK by GOVAN,JESSIE(in the paint) 17 Georgetown 17
-- ASSIST by MOSELY,JAGAN
09:52-2H 65 Xavier 67 (+2) GOOD DUNK by O'MARA,SEAN(in the paint)

[paulxu]

Aren't all GOOD DUNKS "in the paint?"

[xu82]

Aren't all GOOD DUNKS "in the paint?"



If you can dunk from outside the paint, that is better than good. It has it’s own category!

[Xuperman]

It doesn't take a whole lot of skill to post this kind of stuff AFTER a game. Where were these thoughts/ideas prior to yesterdays game?

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but playing Monday morning QB is kind of BS.

Are you kidding? No weak opinion after the fact. I clearly state "based on what we saw last night" that G-Town has the makings of a VERY good team in the fall. It looks like their 18/19 squad will be a factor in conference and nationally IF both Govan and Derrickson stay.