Defining OOC Success

[Xuperman]

With the Exhibition behind us, what would success in the OOC schedule look like. 13 games total with 5 away from Cintas. Would 9-4 make most of us feel good going into BEast play? If we win all of our home games that would be OK I guess, but I am hoping this team can surprise and go 11-2. Gotta prevent UW from returning the favor from last year, Hankins vs Happ is must see TV! Avoiding an OU upset is paramount. Win 1 in Maui, beat the Tigers and humiliate the Bearcats......That would be quite satisfying!!!

[xufan02]

I think 9-4 is probably right on with this team.

[Xuperman]

The Wisconsin game is HUGE. It will set the tone/mindset going into Maui. We will know a lot about this team after that one. They basically have everyone back and should be a tourney team, however they will be without their sophomore sharpshooter Ford due to injury. Has there been a bigger recent non-con game at Cintas? I mean considering all the unknowns for us player wise and a new HC. ESPN power index has us at a 33% chance of winning.. I guess that means Vegas will have us as a home dog.

[Xville]

I think 9-4 and I'd be happy. I dont expect more than one win in maui, and I dont expect us to beat Wisconsin or UC. I think this is definitely a team that will be better at the end of the year than the beginning, which is way more important anyways.

I know it's silly to look this far ahead but if naji, paul, q and Jones all stay for another year, I think next year we could see something extremely special. A serious contender for a final four...however that's a long way to go and who knows what could happen between now and next year.

[xufan02]

The Wisconsin game is HUGE. It will set the tone/mindset going into Maui. We will know a lot about this team after that one. They basically have everyone back and should be a tourney team, however they will be without their sophomore sharpshooter Ford due to injury. Has there been a bigger recent non-con game at Cintas? I mean considering all the unknowns for us player wise and a new HC. ESPN power index has us at a 33% chance of winning.. I guess that means Vegas will have us as a home dog.

I agree that the Wisconsin game is important. A lot will be decided based on who wins the defensive battle and controls pace. I think Cintas is going to be LOUD for this game.

[ArizonaXUGrad]

Shooting is paramount for it, we win by out shooting them in Madison and dictating the pace.

The dribble drive won’t be quite as effective against their defense. We will need to run and get Welage and Scruggs going from outside.


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[Xuperman]

Cintas is going to be LOUD for this game.

LOUD for sure....just like it was in Madison last year. This game is an eerie role reversal with UW on the road in a hostile environment vs an unproven home team. X had key returning starters and was able to get the hard fought W. It was one helluva game...no reason to think this one will be any different.....GO X!!!

[drudy23]

NCAA Tournament or bust. Anything less is a disappointment. That should be a MINIMUM goal for this program every year.

[xufan02]

LOUD for sure....just like it was in Madison last year. This game is an eerie role reversal with UW on the road in a hostile environment vs an unproven home team. X had key returning starters and was able to get the hard fought W. It was one helluva game...no reason to think this one will be any different.....GO X!!!

I will be interested to see how this game is officiated. If officiated tight I think it is to Wisconsin's advantage. It's early so I think it will be called tight. I hope the let the bigs play; like to see Tyrique and Hankins against Happ.

[fellahmuskie]

Wisconsin, Auburn, and UC games will tell us a lot. If we could win 2 of 3 from that bunch, we set ourselves up for another great season. (Obviously, hard to predict what will happen with the remaining two games in Maui).

I hope Q is ready to go by the Wisconsin game. Without him at full strength, we are going to struggle.

I'm guessing 10-3 in preseason, but hoping for 11-2. 9-4 would definitely not be a disaster, but likely means we lose the Shootout and/or Wisconsin, which would suck.

[GIMMFD]

Wisconsin, Auburn, and UC games will tell us a lot. If we could win 2 of 3 from that bunch, we set ourselves up for another great season. (Obviously, hard to predict what will happen with the remaining two games in Maui).

I hope Q is ready to go by the Wisconsin game. Without him at full strength, we are going to struggle.

I'm guessing 10-3 in preseason, but hoping for 11-2. 9-4 would definitely not be a disaster, but likely means we lose the Shootout and/or Wisconsin, which would suck.

I'd rather it be Wisconsin than the Shootout lol. I think 9-4 is right for this team in the OOC, which is alright, I also think we end up with at least 20 wins this year as well, I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised, but I think that there's too many moving parts right now, and we need Q healthy and running the offense because he's so damn good at it. I think we have a lot of talent, just kind of have to see what happens with it.

[xukeith]

Agree with 9-4 OOC.

BE will be crazy with all the talent and hunger of every team except DePaul

[American X]

Undefeated or I will get really mad on the internet.

[ArizonaXUGrad]

Undefeated or I will get really mad on the internet.

Lol you and me both. I promise to walk a ledge at all losses.


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[xukeith]

i don't know how to post a new thread so this thread will suffice

IUPUI (predicted 6th in Horizon) article 2 days ago:
https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/2018/11/02/iupui-feels-disrespected-picked-finish-sixth-horizon-league/1767964002/

......called this the best team he’s been a part of since he stepped on campus.

Gardner’s squad lost its top three scorers, but return the next four, in addition to adding key transfers who sat out last season.

Redshirt senior center and Cairo, Egypt, native Ahmed Ismail is a 7-1, 260-pound force that IUPUI just hasn’t had in recent years. Justice was Kentucky Mr. Basketball in 2015 before two years at Vanderbilt. McCall views him as “one of the best shooters I’ve ever played with.”

Also has a 6'10 frosh and a coach who told his player that he would score all the guard points, gave another a role to defend opponent's best player and a post player who will get all post touches to dominate the interior.

They are significantly LESS athletic. transfers will help them. They are better than KY Weslyn.
We will have Hankins back. Hope Goodin is 100% healthy but we will do fine without him this game. He should start.

[MITTENMUSKIE16]

Not sure where to put this, but thought it was funny....

ESPN’s “Basketball Power Index” (BPI) has DePaul rated higher than Xavier. They also have Marquette rated higher than duke. At what point do you reevaluate whatever goes into that rating system.

[XUFan09]

Not sure where to put this, but thought it was funny....

ESPN’s “Basketball Power Index” (BPI) has DePaul rated higher than Xavier. They also have Marquette rated higher than duke. At what point do you reevaluate whatever goes into that rating system.

Not to defend BPI specifically, but it's just preseason weights. With the limited information available for new college teams (e.g. transfers, new recruits, etc.), these weights are just supposed to establish a better starting position for teams than simply treating them all equal to one another. That way, early season rankings after only a few games can actually make some sense. If you didn't have weights, there would be some crazy fluctuations due to single-game outliers. I never even look at the preseason rankings because of this. So DePaul is ranked above Xavier? That will sort itself out quickly with BPI's algorithm once there's some actual game data.

[MITTENMUSKIE16]

I understand what BPI is and its limitations, but my overall point was how flawed it must be to have those two data sets come out of it. In no way, shape, or form should DePaul be rated higher than Xavier, especially using a computer algorithm. Same goes for Marquette over Duke. That was my only point, and it makes me curious what information is being put into it.

[XMuskieFTW]

I really think we should be at least 10-3 looking at this schedule. Missouri and UC aren't that great this year. Should be able to pull one of those out on the road. Should be able to serve hold at home with only one difficult game. 1 win in Maui should be doable. I'll be a bit disappointed at less than 10-3. 9-4 means we probably missed all our chances at good wins and will definitely need to finish at least 10-8 in conference.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I'm guessing 10-3 OOC.

I'd be ok with 9-4 and disappointed with anything worse than that.

[Muskie]

Looks like Q will miss the opener. I'm hoping it's just the opener.

[XUFan09]

I understand what BPI is and its limitations, but my overall point was how flawed it must be to have those two data sets come out of it. In no way, shape, or form should DePaul be rated higher than Xavier, especially using a computer algorithm. Same goes for Marquette over Duke. That was my only point, and it makes me curious what information is being put into it.

You're overthinking this. The standard for preseason weights is just being better than a setup with nothing at all. It's a really low bar. BPI simply underrates Xavier, but that's easy to do when there's only 4 returning players. DePaul returns a lot of a borderline top 100 team and is probably a bit overrated.

The vast majority of mental energy for these systems is directed toward how the algorithm shapes up for the season as a whole. Keep in mind that the preseason weights also get dropped altogether, thus further reducing the amount of investment in them. These preseason rankings by Kenpom, Sagarin, BPI, etc., are less worthwhile than Bracketology in mid-April.

[MITTENMUSKIE16]

I’m not overthinking the preseason concept as a whole... there’s a reason BPI is so vastly different on the four mentioned teams compared to Kenpom. In Kenpom, Duke is 3, Marquette 29, Xavier 53, and DePaul 77. I’m simply asking why, or stating, that BPI is seriously off base compared to the other ones you mention. And it has me curious what BPI puts into it.

[xukeith]

I'm guessing 10-3 OOC.

I'd be ok with 9-4 and disappointed with anything worse than that.

If X is 10-3 OOC I'd be very happy. I see 10-8 in BE conference. -

20-11 going into BE torney, assuming X has 6-7 top 50 wins. I will be happy.

[xukeith]

# 7 game to watch in November!

https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2018-11-04/november-college-basketball-games-matter-most

[XUGRAD80]

I’m not overthinking the preseason concept as a whole... there’s a reason BPI is so vastly different on the four mentioned teams compared to Kenpom. In Kenpom, Duke is 3, Marquette 29, Xavier 53, and DePaul 77. I’m simply asking why, or stating, that BPI is seriously off base compared to the other ones you mention. And it has me curious what BPI puts into it.

I thought I read s’mewhere that BPI is primarily based on what a team has returning from last year....% of scoring coming back, % of minutes played coming back, etc......but don’t quote me on that.

[Xville]

Assuming X goes 1-2 in Maui, which I don't think anyone here can realistically project better than that due to the competition there, the OOC W-L record essentially comes down to 3 games....Wisconsin, @UC, and @Missouri. I don't feel great about this team going 2-1 in those three, so that's why I predict 9-4. Wisconsin and UC are both ahead of us in Preseason Kenpom (which unlike the junk that BPI is, I trust as a strong metric) and Missouri is about ten spots below us but that game is on the road.

I hope to be pleasantly surprised, but I think this team may take some lumps early this season.

[scoscox]

preseason kenpom is actually pretty bad. Can't really trust it until maybe mid way through the season.

[XUMIOH12]

As a whole, I'd be satisfied with 9-4. Anything better would be great/mean we picked up a couple nice wins. Anything less would be a big disappointment/mean we lost a bad game.

[BigMoeMusketeer]

I think they will lose 5 non-conference games. Unfortunately.

[Xuperman]

Wisconsin, Auburn, and UC games will tell us a lot. If we could win 2 of 3 from that bunch, we set ourselves up for another great season.

OK, so we lost the 1st of these key 3. Here's my take on game 2. If we beat Auburn, the winners bracket will likely bring 2 losses. However if Auburn beats us....wins against SDSU and say, the Cyclones, might be better overall. Both of those teams could be quality wins come March. I prefer the latter and a 4-2 record leaving Maui. That would keep that 11-2 OOC record realistic.

[GIMMFD]

OK, so we lost the 1st of these key 3. Here's my take on game 2. If we beat Auburn, the winners bracket will likely bring 2 losses. However if Auburn beats us....wins against SDSU and say, the Cyclones, might be better overall. Both of those teams could be quality wins come March. I prefer the latter and a 4-2 record leaving Maui. That would keep that 11-2 OOC record realistic.

Obviously I'd never want our guys to lose, but you might be right here, if we can beat those two with a loss to Auburn, but our team hasn't looked so sharp in the first couple games, I'm interested to see how they respond tomorrow, I don't see us beating Auburn, but you never know, there's a lot of parity in college basketball. Just hoping some of things we've been harping on looks better, we're gonna need to improve a lot before the shootout.

[fellahmuskie]

Obviously I'd never want our guys to lose, but you might be right here, if we can beat those two with a loss to Auburn, but our team hasn't looked so sharp in the first couple games, I'm interested to see how they respond tomorrow, I don't see us beating Auburn, but you never know, there's a lot of parity in college basketball. Just hoping some of things we've been harping on looks better, we're gonna need to improve a lot before the shootout.
I don't know. I'd rather get a marquee win with two respectable losses than two nice wins and a loss. I feel like the experience of playing Duke would be good for the team and make them better prepared for the rest of the non-conference schedule. Obviously, X still has to go out there and get the w vs. Auburn. I would love to see Q, Tyrique and Naji put it together and shock everyone.

[Xuperman]

Yeah, we could all feel good with a top 10 W, even if it is followed by 2 losses. I do think however, that Auburn will struggle to stay top 20 as things progress. Best to get that 1 win right away and have the chips fall where they may......in no way want to see game 3 in this tourney played for last place......GO X!!!

[xukeith]

X will win at least ONE game.

[paulxu]

I don't even see the Bertha post, but maybe this will take the thread out of my "new" pop ups.

[drudy23]

Yeah, we could all feel good with a top 10 W, even if it is followed by 2 losses. I do think however, that Auburn will struggle to stay top 20 as things progress. Best to get that 1 win right away and have the chips fall where they may......in no way want to see game 3 in this tourney played for last place......GO X!!!

I'm not sure why people think Auburn will fall. Auburn is very good. They are top ten 10 good.

[Xuperman]

I'm not sure why people think Auburn will fall. Auburn is very good. They are top ten 10 good.

I might be the only one....just a hunch. It's a karma/Bruce Pearl thing.

[Xville]

I'm not sure why people think Auburn will fall. Auburn is very good. They are top ten 10 good.

Agreed. Sec is absolutely loaded this year and they have a chance to win it.

[Xuperman]

Wisconsin, Auburn, and UC games will tell us a lot. I'm guessing 10-3 in preseason, but hoping for 11-2. 9-4 would definitely not be a disaster, but likely means we lose the Shootout and/or Wisconsin, which would suck.

I guess 11-2 was a pipe dream but had we not blown a 19 point lead, we would have still been on track. Both the Auburn and UW games will be very "good losses" come march. We can ALL be Badger fans today when they beat #4 Virginia! 10-3 is still realistic....should only be a 3/4 point dog vs UC and Mizzou will struggle this year. OHIO is the trap game!

[JTG]

I'm guessing 10-3 is a pipe dream. Probably 8-5, the way we are playing. Maybe Steele analyzes this past week , makes some tweaks, and gets this team on track. This has been like watching 5 guys with their shorts on fire. If they insist on playing that way, then press and trap, and score off turnovers.

[fellahmuskie]

I guess 11-2 was a pipe dream but had we not blown a 19 point lead, we would have still been on track. Both the Auburn and UW games will be very "good losses" come march. We can ALL be Badger fans today when they beat #4 Virginia! 10-3 is still realistic....should only be a 3/4 point dog vs UC and Mizzou will struggle this year. OHIO is the trap game!

After that 3-game losing streak, I would be ecstatic with 10-3. I think we can do it, but lack of consistency will probably doom us in a game or two.

[xukeith]

I hoping 9-4 will do. then 10-8 in Big East is X's only hope. 3-4 bids for BE this season.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I'm guessing 10-3 is a pipe dream. Probably 8-5, the way we are playing. Maybe Steele analyzes this past week , makes some tweaks, and gets this team on track. This has been like watching 5 guys with their shorts on fire. If they insist on playing that way, then press and trap, and score off turnovers.

If we lose 2 more we are in trouble. Mizzou is not good and lost their best player to injury. UC will be tough but you never know in that game. If we can win at UC 10-3 is still realistic. But I am really hoping for 9-4 at this point.

[Xavier]

I hoping 9-4 will do. then 10-8 in Big East is X's only hope. 3-4 bids for BE this season.

Easily 5. People always forget come selection Sunday just how hard it is to find 68 worthy teams.

[xukeith]

Easily 5. People always forget come selection Sunday just how hard it is to find 68 worthy teams.

Wanna bet? look at the conference. It is early but right now BE is 6th best record. If BE wants 5 or more, it needs to be in top 4 conferences. A down year for BE.
3-4 bids.

Skyline 3 way bet?

[XUFan09]

Wanna bet? look at the conference. It is early but right now BE is 6th best record. If BE wants 5 or more, it needs to be in top 4 conferences. A down year for BE.
3-4 bids.

Skyline 3 way bet?

In the Big East's worst year (2013-2014), they earned 4 bids. Yes, Providence was the auto bid, but they earned an at-large seeding at the same time. This year is definitely better than that first year. What this year's version of the Big East lacks is power teams, but it makes up for that in depth. Some of these teams will rise and some will fall in conference play, but it will shake out with a decent number of bids, though probably not a lot of good seed lines. Just three bids is out of the question. Four is possible but unlikely. Five is far more likely.

[xukeith]

In the Big East's worst year (2013-2014), they earned 4 bids. Yes, Providence was the auto bid, but they earned an at-large seeding at the same time. This year is definitely better than that first year. What this year's version of the Big East lacks is power teams, but it makes up for that in depth. Some of these teams will rise and some will fall in conference play, but it will shake out with a decent number of bids, though probably not a lot of good seed lines. Just three bids is out of the question. Four is possible but unlikely. Five is far more likely.

What does this mean," Providence was the auto bid, but they earned an at-large seeding at the same time." How does a team earn an auto bid AND an at-large seeding? Do you mean they were not seeded 12-16?

Also 5 years ago, the ACC, SEC, B10 and B12 did NOT have as gigantic as conferences as they do now. They gulp up most of the bids in the top 4 spots.

If BE is better than 2014, Awesome!! Does that mean teh B12, ACC, B10 and B12 are worse than 2014? If not, BE needs to be in top 4 to earn 5-6 bids unless DePaul, X, Seton Hall win the BE tourney.

[XUFan09]

What does this mean," Providence was the auto bid, but they earned an at-large seeding at the same time." How does a team earn an auto bid AND an at-large seeding? Do you mean they were not seeded 12-16?

Also 5 years ago, the ACC, SEC, B10 and B12 did NOT have as gigantic as conferences as they do now. They gulp up most of the bids in the top 4 spots.

If BE is better than 2014, Awesome!! Does that mean teh B12, ACC, B10 and B12 are worse than 2014? If not, BE needs to be in top 4 to earn 5-6 bids unless DePaul, X, Seton Hall win the BE tourney.

Simple: They earned an at-large seeding, not an at-large seed. This past year, Villanova earned an at-large seeding but not an at-large seed. It's not that difficult to grasp that though auto-bids contribute to the tournament field, teams seeded 1 through 12 tend to be ones who would make the field as an at-large team if they didn't secure the auto-bid. Thus, an at-large seeding or seed line.

Concerning your assertion that other conferences are much larger, that's not actually true. There have been some movements (e.g. Louisville to the ACC) but the last large conference shift happened at the same time as Xavier joined the Big East. The 2013-2014 season saw most major teams in the same conference they are in today.

But then, your third paragraph misses the point. The Big East this year is better than its worst year, where four teams made the tournament. By that, I mean that it's deeper. The third and fourth teams in 2013-2014 were 12 seeds. That won't be the case this year. There's a lot of good, solid teams but not a lot of great teams. It makes the overall average rating worse while disguising the depth. These teams compete against the rest of college basketball for bids, not against other major conferences. So, all that matters is whether college basketball is better than five years ago.

Edit: There doesn't seem to be any evidence at this point that basketball is better or worse than five years ago.

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[BigMoeMusketeer]

I think they will lose 5 non-conference games. Unfortunately.

I'm still here, although it would be great to steal one on the road at a rather pedestrian Missouri team.

[XMuskieFTW]

Wanna bet? look at the conference. It is early but right now BE is 6th best record. If BE wants 5 or more, it needs to be in top 4 conferences. A down year for BE.
3-4 bids.

Skyline 3 way bet?

The A-10 and American are both generally 3 team conferences, yet both are probably looking at 1-2 teams this year. The ACC, Big Ten, Big East, American, A-10, Mountain West, SEC, pac 12, and big 12 will likely get 45 bids(9 auto, 36 at large). The american, a-10, and mountain west will probably account for 5-6. That is 39-40 spots for the remaining 6 conferences. There are 75 teams remaining in those conferences. So a little more than half of the teams from those 6 conferences will make the tournament. There will be some rough teams making the dance.

[GoMuskies]

I'll give those conferences 6 (Amercan 3, MWC 2 and A-10 1). And I'd assume there's another at-large or two out there from the other leagues (a Buffalo or perhaps a Loyola who loses its conference tournament). So I'd plan on 8 at-larges from the "others".

[Xuperman]

I guess 11-2 was a pipe dream but had we not blown a 19 point lead, we would have still been on track. Both the Auburn and UW games will be very "good losses" come march. 10-3 is still realistic....should only be a 3/4 point dog vs UC and Mizzou will struggle this year. OHIO is the trap game!

Man, after seeing what OHIO did to an experienced Marshall team, the Bobcats ARE a textbook trap game. These guys have very imposing size and play extremely physical. They feast on contact and drawing fouls along with getting their moneys worth when they foul. Look for them to try a dictate pace and trade blows with our front court. Should have Ty, Zach, Naj salivating to duke it out!

[XMuskieFTW]

Ohio only shoots 26% from 3. The only buy game I can see us losing is against a team that can torch us from 3. Ohio cannot.

[Xuperman]

Yeah, their starters don't look to shoot many 3's but they have 2 bench guys that do. I look for us to score a TON off their missed shots turned into fast break points as long as we can keep those 2 behemoths off the O glass. Nice to see our FT% start to take off because we are going to get plenty of opportunities.

[bjf123]

Ohio only shoots 26% from 3. The only buy game I can see us losing is against a team that can torch us from 3. Ohio cannot.

Given our recent 3 point D, I won’t be surprised if they shoot over 50% behind the arc.


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[xukeith]

I say X plays it's best game of the season Wednesday.

[GIMMFD]

Man, after seeing what OHIO did to an experienced Marshall team, the Bobcats ARE a textbook trap game. These guys have very imposing size and play extremely physical. They feast on contact and drawing fouls along with getting their moneys worth when they foul. Look for them to try a dictate pace and trade blows with our front court. Should have Ty, Zach, Naj salivating to duke it out!

I know some guys on the Marshall team, though experienced, D'Antoni lives and dies by the 3, they shot like 29% in that game, even though Elmore was efficient, their second best player Burks was not. Ohio might be alright, but Marshall isn't the litmus test to prove it against, especially when they didn't play their best game. Yes I know they went to the tournament last year and beat Witchita, yes it was a great story, but trust me, and yes they could possibly win C-USA again, but I just don't think we should have a problem with this game like the other guys said, mainly because Ohio doesn't shoot the deep ball well, and just the fact that we have better athletes, barring something crazy happening we should win this game.

[Xuperman]

I just don't think we should have a problem with this game like the other guys said, mainly because Ohio doesn't shoot the deep ball well.

That may be true but that doesn't seem to stop teams from scorching us. The 6'7" SR Gavin Block is a major concern. He is red hot of late going 9 of his last 11 from distance. The other guy that chucks a lot of 3's is a 6'8" 230lb freshman. His % is below average but he's only played 8 games of D1. Their size is a concern because if either start hitting a few early over, say Castlin, then Marshall will probably draw the assignment. I am hoping that for once, 3 balls are not an issue so Naji can help defend their big man Carter. I fear if this one ends up in the 80's there could be trouble.

[bleedXblue]

I say X plays it's best game of the season Wednesday.

you do know that Q and Hankins have been sick? And Harden is coming back from being sick......

[XMuskieFTW]

you do know that Q and Hankins have been sick? And Harden is coming back from being sick......

And Castlin wasn't feeling well in practice yesterday. If we are down to 7 guys, this one gets really interesting.

[drudy23]

Just win. By 1 or by 30, just need a W.

[94GRAD]

Just win. By 1 or by 30, just need a W.

For NET purposes, please win by 10

[paulxu]

I think Sumner's got some eligibility left.

[Xuperman]

And Castlin wasn't feeling well in practice yesterday. If we are down to 7 guys, this one gets really interesting.

Paul might see substantial minutes at the point. If so look for KK to really show us something tonight.

[paulxu]

If I see any minutes at point, this team is in deep kimchi.

[GIMMFD]

That may be true but that doesn't seem to stop teams from scorching us. The 6'7" SR Gavin Block is a major concern. He is red hot of late going 9 of his last 11 from distance. The other guy that chucks a lot of 3's is a 6'8" 230lb freshman. His % is below average but he's only played 8 games of D1. Their size is a concern because if either start hitting a few early over, say Castlin, then Marshall will probably draw the assignment. I am hoping that for once, 3 balls are not an issue so Naji can help defend their big man Carter. I fear if this one ends up in the 80's there could be trouble.

I agree, we do tend to let teams live from downtown, hopefully we can fix that trend, the size is kind of a concern, I wonder if we end up throwing Kennedy out there in order to use his length to disrupt them a bit if they hit a few, that could be an interesting development, at the end of the day we just have to play a clean game, and keep improving defensively, just hoping for a win and to get to the Shootout


you do know that Q and Hankins have been sick? And Harden is coming back from being sick......

Sheesh what the hell is going on??

[Xuperman]

Assuming X goes 1-2 in Maui, which I don't think anyone here can realistically project better than that due to the competition there, the OOC W-L record essentially comes down to 3 games....Wisconsin, @UC, and @Missouri. I don't feel great about this team going 2-1 in those three, so that's why I predict 9-4. Wisconsin and UC are both ahead of us in Preseason Kenpom (which unlike the junk that BPI is, I trust as a strong metric) and Missouri is about ten spots below us but that game is on the road.

I hope to be pleasantly surprised, but I think this team may take some lumps early this season.

Spot on prediction....missed every opportunity to this point and we certainly took some lumps. Only thing to hang our hat on is taking a top 10 to overtime, however if the road trip to Mizzu is a positive one, making the tourney is still doable. Wouldn’t hurt if UW and/or Auburn win their conference. Maybe if Missouri and Illinois finish with a .500 or better league record, that might help. Otherwise our OOC resume will not move the needle at all.

[ArizonaXUGrad]

I keep saying it, we missed every OOC opportunity to produce a decent win. Now it's down to not laying any eggs and winning at Missouri who has now figured out how to play without Porter. I could see 9-4 down to 7-6. If it's 9-4, there is a decent chance this team finishes over .500.

[GoMuskies]

Mizzou is going to be tough. We won't be favored.

[Muskie4106]

Mizzou is going to be tough. We won't be favored.

I hope we can beat Mizzou.

They barley beat Kennessaw State, blown out by Iowa State, Loss to Oregon State and Kansas state easily, and barely won against UCF in overtime last game.

They do have 11 days to prepare for us, but this IS A MUST WIN OOC game for us. But first we got to beat EKU. So stick with them and lets hope for improvement.

[GoMuskies]

Yes, but UCF is flat out better than us, and is far better than anyone we've beaten. That was a huge win for Mizzou, and winning in Columbia would be a big win for us.

[drudy23]

We've beaten no one. We need to beat Missouri.

[BigMoeMusketeer]

I could see 9-4 down to 7-6.

7-6 at this point would require us losing to either EKU or Detroit Mercy, literally, two of the worst team in Division 1. That would be comically bad.

I said 8-5 / 16-15 before the season, and I stand by it now. Just seems less people think I'm nuts now.

When 3/7th of your rotation is Castlin, Welage and Hankins, you aren't competing in the Big East or against that ilk of opponent. You simply aren't. Mix in Naji disappointing and Q trying to replicate Trevon's shot attempts, and you have what we got.

Next year will be a LOT better, just enjoy the Coach and the young players growing and improving as the year goes on.

[markchal]

Next year will be a LOT better, just enjoy the Coach and the young players growing and improving as the year goes on.

Will we though? I think we'll be better, but we're still going to be counting on some freshmen to be pretty big contributors. Two years from now is when I think we'll be back to the program we're used to having, and hopefully the recruiting stays on track and then the Steele era should be off and running.

[ArizonaXUGrad]

Will we though? I think we'll be better, but we're still going to be counting on some freshmen to be pretty big contributors. Two years from now is when I think we'll be back to the program we're used to having, and hopefully the recruiting stays on track and then the Steele era should be off and running.

Better and good are two different things, we will be better next year. KyKy will contribute from day 1 I think, I also think Freemantle will. We won't have any low D1 players getting PT next year and will have some depth. Right now it's 12 guys, but I wouldn't be shocked if we lost one on the way.

[JTG]

I think Steele should tell Q, " Next time you start jacking 3s, you're gonna sit". Run some plays for Welage, and give Scruggs the green light. And run a 3/4 court, or timeline press with Q and Naji, to get some cheap baskets.

[noteggs]

Better and good are two different things, we will be better next year. KyKy will contribute from day 1 I think, I also think Freemantle will.

Completely agree. Not only with new class coming in, Q and Naji should be adjusted to their new roles from this year. Also, think Steele will continue to find better ways to utilize Scruggs - arguably our best player this season to date.

[ArizonaXUGrad]

I also think one of Harden or Kennedy will make a small leap to a productive player on both sides. At this point, I think it’s Kennedy.


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[Xuperman]

No doubt Scruggs is going to be a Star.....he’s just getting warmed up!

[Xuperman]

Aside from individual game threads, this one contains it's share of gloom and doom. Yeah, we blew all of our chances at any real resume builders but 3 teams from our buy games are good enough to win their conference tourneys and get auto bids. In fact, all 3 have strong conference POY candidates. However, even if all 3 should get in, IDK if it moves the needle for us come selection Sunday. Hey maybe SDSU can get in that way, but one of those guys that kill us is involved in some sort of sextape scandle. Gotta get this road W on Tuesday and hope the Tigers make the tourney. Otherwise if we end up on the Bubble, our 5 OOC loses will likely burst it. Must go 9-4 OOC and surprise everyone in 2019!! Go X

[GoMuskies]

Missouri is not making the Tournament. At least not the NCAA Tournament.

[Xville]

Missouri is not making the Tournament. At least not the NCAA Tournament.

I think their chance and Xavier's chance is about the same. It could happen, but it's not likely. In my opinion, Missouri has a lot more margin for error due to playing in the SEC which is absolutely loaded this year. Both teams are on the rise though and the future looks bright.

[xu koop scoop]

3 of our losses I accept. Wisky (we could have tied at end except for bogus offensive foul), Auburn (took to OT) & UC (away). Missouri & San Diego both seem unacceptable, but let's see how their seasons play out. We are about to finish 8-5 OOC with a Detroit win. Unsuccessful OOC. Let's look at Vanillanova. Also not successful OOC. Their 27 pt beatdown at home vs Michigan was a bigger margin than any of our losses. Losing at home to Furman & to Penn in Philly also bad losses. Their loss to Kansas seems very acceptable. Overall, the BE is down. So 8-5 OOC & 9-9 or better in BE seems possible. We need to try new starters in the lineup & new combos of players during games. We were #1 in country at 2 pt FG% before Missouri game. So shoot more 2's, less 3's. Try Hankins & Jones together (this has become a pet peeve of mine). Get Welage to play better D - he doesn't like to foul. Fouling can be part of better D. The 3 Grad Transfers don't seem to be in sync with our Core 4. Most of what needs to be corrected is attitude & team chemistry. Coach Steele may be struggling with chemistry between assistants & him. I believe we have middle of the road talent in the BE. The team can hopefully bond as the season progresses.

[GoMuskies]

Furman may not be a bad loss as it turns out for Nova. And at least Nova has the holiday tournament championship to hang their hat on.

Speaking of OOC, tonight's Buffalo/Marquette game should be awfully interesting. Strange as it seems, Marquette may be catching Buffalo in letdown mode. Given the geography, you've got to think Syracuse is the game this week that those Buffalo players had circled on the schedule when it came out. Now three days later they are in Milwaukee facing the Warriors. That's a tough turnaround that they may well not be ready for.