Game Thread: Xavier v. Evansville (November 10, 2018) Non-Conference Game #2 [Archive]

Muskie

11-07-2018, 10:33 AM

http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2752.png&h=150&w=150 v. 2303

Xavier Musketeers (1-0; 0-0) vs. Evansville Aces (0-1, 0-0)

Time: 4:00 p.m. ET

Cintas Center | Cincinnati, Ohio

TV: FSN

Radio: 700 WLW

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

Live Stats (https://goxavier.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary)
(http://www.sidearmstats.com/xavier/mbball/)
(http://goxavier.com/news/2018/2/26/mens-basketball-no-3-xavier-can-clinch-a-share-of-the-big-east-title-with-a-win-on-wednesday.aspx)GoXavier.com (https://goxavier.com/news/2018/11/5/mens-basketball-celebrates-opening-night-on-tuesday-vs-iupui.aspx)

The Athletic: (https://theathletic.com/632581/2018/11/06/egger-talking-xavier-hoops-with-shannon-russell-as-musketeers-tip-off-new-season/)(Not Yet Posted)

Enquirer: ( (https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/college/xavier/xaviersports/2018/11/05/xavier-mens-basketball-season-opener-vs-iupui-scouting-report/1848853002/)Not Yet Posted)

*check back for more links and articles

The Setting

Xavier continues their 2018-2019 homestand when Evansville visits the Cintas Center on Saturday. Fans await word on whether Quentin Goodin will make his season debut, after sitting out the season opener on Tuesday. Xavier improved to 1-0 on the strength of Ryan Welage's 3 point barrage and strong interior play from Tyrique Jones against IUPUI. This is the first game of the Maui Invitational.

Evansville enters its first season under Kentucky Alum, Walter McCarty. The Aces are predicted to finish near the bottom of the Missouri Valley Conference. In their exhibition match-up, they were paced by Dainius Chatkevicius, a 6-9 Forward, with 17 points. K.J. Riley, another Forward, had 16 points. Evansville shot 50.9 % from the field.

What to Watch

Xavier: How thee players continue to gel under Steele's system. Can Ryan Welage continue his second half hot hand? Tyrique Jones will face two post players who score. Will he stay out of foul trouble? Does Saturday mark the return of Quentin Goodin? Also, will Travis Steele be wearing a Hawaiian shirt?

Evansville: How Evansville plays against Illinois. In their exhibition, Evansville played more up-tempo. Will, that continue?

Last Game:

Xavier won their season debut against IUPUI 82-69 on November 6, 2018 (Link (https://goxavier.com/news/2018/11/6/mens-basketball-mbb-vs-iupui.aspx)).

Evansville defeated New Mexico Highlands 83-61 on November 3, 2018 (Link (https://gopurpleaces.com/news/2018/11/3/mens-basketball-earns-83-61-exhibition-win.aspx)).

Evansville lost to Illinois 99-60 on November 8, 2018 (Link (https://www.courierpress.com/story/sports/college/evansville/2018/11/08/illinois-routs-evansville-head-coach-walter-mccartys-debut/1892013002/)).

GoMuskies

11-07-2018, 11:12 AM

What, no mention of the fact that this game is our first test in the super-exclusive Maui Invitational?!? Can't be undefeated Maui champs without beating the Purple Aces! Feel that Maui excitement Saturday in the Cintas Center.

Muskie

11-09-2018, 08:00 AM

Muskie

11-09-2018, 10:46 AM

Some previews are beginning to be posted.

xukeith

11-09-2018, 01:17 PM

Which FSN channel will it be on?

American X

11-09-2018, 01:34 PM

I do not know much about Evansville, except for a douche who used to play for them.

(and why are the Aces purple?)

Muskie

11-09-2018, 03:05 PM

Which FSN channel will it be on?
Fox Sports Ohio I believe.

Jesuit4Life

11-10-2018, 12:45 PM

FSN clearance list (https://goxavier.com/documents/2018/11/9//Clearances_Basketball_Evansville_at_Xavier.pdf):
FOX SPORTS ARIZONA
FOX SPORTS DETROIT
FOX SPORTS FLORIDA (Panthers)
FOX SPORTS SUN (Non Heat)
FOX SPORTS MIDWEST
FOX SPORTS NORTH
FOX SPORTS OHIO
FOX SPORTS SOUTHEAST
FOX SPORTS SOUTHWEST (PLUS)
FOX SPORTS WEST
FOX SPORTS WISCONSIN (PLUS)
MASN 2
YURVIEW NEW ENGLAND

xu82

11-10-2018, 02:24 PM

Fox Sports Ohio I believe.

It appears this is a new channel for us, as it wasn’t on my favorites and I had to search in a panic to find the game. I found it on FSSE (1729 on UVerse in Atlanta).

sirthought

11-10-2018, 03:06 PM

Streams I'm finding are not working so far. If anyone has any luck please share a link.

D-West & PO-Z

11-10-2018, 03:13 PM

Comforting seeing Q out there.

skyking

11-10-2018, 03:31 PM

Sure doesn't look like Q lost anything in his long recovery.

Lloyd Braun

11-10-2018, 03:33 PM

Interesting strategy blowing the secret weapon on Evansville! #FireSteele

Jesuit4Life

11-10-2018, 03:34 PM

Let's Go X

Lloyd Braun

11-10-2018, 03:35 PM

Side note: Q’s jumpshot looks different. Form is different from last year. I really think last summers injury played a huge role. If he can hit 36-37% from 3 he is impossible to guard.

skyking

11-10-2018, 03:40 PM

Love Scruggs confidence this year.

X Factor

11-10-2018, 03:53 PM

Looks like our defense from last year.

I'm beginning to despise the packline defense.

GoMuskies

11-10-2018, 04:05 PM

I forgot we were playing. Apparently so did our defense.

Illinois only beat these guys by 40. Nig big deal.

GoMuskies

11-10-2018, 04:16 PM

Man, Evansville is going to go at Welage every time down the floor. I'm afraid we're going to see that a lot.

ArizonaXUGrad

11-10-2018, 04:16 PM

We are not a defensive team. This is looking more and more like an NIT team. We have a long way to go

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X Factor

11-10-2018, 04:17 PM

We are not a defensive team.

We haven't been a defensive team the past few years. I hate the packline. Don't tell me we don't have the athletes to be a good defensive team.

GoMuskies

11-10-2018, 04:19 PM

What the hell is Q doing there. That is not cool.

Porkopolis

11-10-2018, 04:20 PM

What the hell is Q doing there. That is not cool.

That was mind blowingly stupid from Q. He deserved that ejection.

LOLmickcronin

11-10-2018, 04:21 PM

This is an incredibly low IQ basketball team.

ArizonaXUGrad

11-10-2018, 04:21 PM

We are emotionally out of control, our offense sucks, and defense is terrible. Welcome to a new coach and new players.

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GoMuskies

11-10-2018, 04:21 PM

Q cannot seriously be protesting here. That's about the dumbest, most blatant thing I've ever seen a Xavier player do.

KFX

11-10-2018, 04:23 PM

Q is gone and he should be. Boneheaded play and Stelele should not argue the call.

xukeith

11-10-2018, 04:24 PM

here we go........very inexperienced players.

immature, no chemistry.

X Factor

11-10-2018, 04:25 PM

Why can't we guard the three point line?

drudy23

11-10-2018, 04:26 PM

Q is gone and he should be. Boneheaded play and Stelele should not argue the call.

And on the next play, Harden smacks the ball out of an Ace's hand during a stoppage of play and Naji almost lost his s**t

GoMuskies

11-10-2018, 04:27 PM

Good that we're so physically superior. May be trouble when we start playing better, stronger teams.

GoMuskies

11-10-2018, 04:27 PM

I hate Doug Gottlube.

LOLmickcronin

11-10-2018, 04:29 PM

Now Scruggs gets stripped then outhustled for the ball and yells at the ref?

ArizonaXUGrad

11-10-2018, 04:30 PM

When we lose this is it ok to start walking out on a ledge? This team is woefully average.

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LOLmickcronin

11-10-2018, 04:33 PM

When we lose this is it ok to start walking out on a ledge? This team is woefully average.

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Some is growing pains I’m sure but... damn I fear what this group is going to look like against the big east. 3-4 guys are getting lots of minutes who have no business being on the court in the big east.

drudy23

11-10-2018, 04:34 PM

When we lose this is it ok to start walking out on a ledge? This team is woefully average.

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Dude, they're young as hell in the 2nd game of the year. They're going to take some lumps, so you might as well prepare yourself for that now.

We lost 5 pros.

Xville

11-10-2018, 04:34 PM

Rationally we all knew this was a transition/rebuilding year. No reason to be that worried...now if they look like this middle of next year, then we press the emergency button

X Factor

11-10-2018, 04:36 PM

When we lose this is it ok to start walking out on a ledge? This team is woefully average.

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Overreact much? 1 1/2 games in the books and you can tell this team is woefully average?

ArizonaXUGrad

11-10-2018, 04:36 PM

I knew it would be rough against the top 100 but not teams 250-300.

Wisconsin is going to roll us at home if we play like this.

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GoMuskies

11-10-2018, 04:38 PM

When we lose this is it ok to start walking out on a ledge? This team is woefully average.

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We're not losing today. Evansville is really shitty. And it's November. Too early for sweeping generalizations about the team.

xukeith

11-10-2018, 04:40 PM

ArizonaXUGrad

11-10-2018, 04:41 PM

We're not losing today. Evansville is really shitty. And it's November. Too early for sweeping generalizations about the team.

I hope so but their threes keep falling and it’s not like they are that contested.

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drudy23

11-10-2018, 04:42 PM

One game does not carry over to the next.

ArizonaXUGrad

11-10-2018, 04:45 PM

Sorry guys I have been annoyingly relegated to watching on my phone while being forced to listen to property brothers. Xavier is giving me more stress than I need.

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X Factor

11-10-2018, 04:50 PM

Kennedy and Harden should not be playing this many minutes, but they're being forced to.

ArizonaXUGrad

11-10-2018, 04:54 PM

Kennedy and Harden should not be playing this many minutes, but they're being forced to.

I like what I see from Kennedy. He makes freshman mistakes but he looks decent. Harden looks about the same but a sophomore.

Welage is kind of useless when he isn’t shooting well.

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xukeith

11-10-2018, 04:57 PM

What happened to the best defensive team ?????????????? Can u imagine playing Illinois?

GoMuskies

11-10-2018, 04:59 PM

What happened to the best defensive team ?????????????? Can u imagine playing Illinois?

May not need to imagine it. Could very well happen Wednesday in Maui.

xukeith

11-10-2018, 04:59 PM

Only good thing was Jones rebounding and Goodin showing he is a solid threat.

big negative is DEFENSE. I thought last year was bad defense,,,.... gee whiz! hope it is chemistry.

GoMuskies

11-10-2018, 04:59 PM

Naji needs to get un-funked.

X Factor

11-10-2018, 05:00 PM

Naji hasn't played well

X Factor

11-10-2018, 05:02 PM

Harden is bad

X Factor

11-10-2018, 05:03 PM

Evansville has made 17 threes!!!

New Xavier opponent record. Not the record Steele wanted to have.

GoMuskies

11-10-2018, 05:03 PM

Harden is bad

Well, he wasn't screwed to the bench last year for no reason.

ArizonaXUGrad

11-10-2018, 05:06 PM

Drawing out of bounds plays well travelled south with Mack.

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GoMuskies

11-10-2018, 05:08 PM

2-0

LOLmickcronin

11-10-2018, 05:08 PM

I like what I see from Kennedy. He makes freshman mistakes but he looks decent. Harden looks about the same but a sophomore.

Welage is kind of useless when he isn’t shooting well.

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Agreed. None of these three can really get big east minutes though... maybe 6-8 minutes for welage if you need a little 3 point jump start.

X Factor

11-10-2018, 05:09 PM

50% from the free throw line.

X Factor

11-10-2018, 05:11 PM

19 points 20 rebounds from Tyrique. We will need that effort Tuesday!

xu82

11-10-2018, 05:14 PM

That was not a peaceful period in my life. Q needs to be a leader, NOT a knucklehead. I would have felt much better with him out there.

drudy23

11-10-2018, 05:15 PM

LOLmickcronin

11-10-2018, 05:25 PM

Naji, Q, Scruggs, Rique are gonna be real tired at the end of the season. Probably Hankins too. These 5 are good players.

The others are multi-year works in progress.

I hope they're in shape.

We might only play 7 guys in some games.

Castlin I think will be a solid glue guy as well that can play 15 min or so a game. The rest you’re right about

IM4X

11-10-2018, 05:32 PM

Lloyd Braun

11-10-2018, 05:32 PM

I take full blame for the Q tech and ejection. I have been well known to be a major jinx and should know better. Gladly it was only a T and not an ACL. Onto Wisconsin.

X Factor

11-10-2018, 05:38 PM

So I wasn’t able to watch the game and apparently it was a perfect game to miss just looking at the close score against a team that got destroyed by Illinois.

What the hell happened? Just looking at the stats Tyrique, Scuggs seemed to be good and Hankins and Q looked solid.

I’m guessing after peeking at some posts here that the defense was beyond bad and some players played rather poorly.

Did Harden and Kennedy get a lot of minutes due to foul trouble or was it just a decision by Steele to keep trying to get the bench guys more time?

Xavier built a 15 point lead in the 1st half and looked like they were going to cruise. Then they stopped playing defense and Evansville kept raining in threes. Naji was in foul trouble and Q got ejected. Harden and Kennedy had to play a lot more minutes than they should have. X's defense was terrible (did I mention I hate the packline defense?) and Evansville was hot.

Offense was good, but the defense, foul trouble, and Q's boneheaded flagrant was terrible.

Hopefully Naji shows up Tuesday against UW.

xukeith

11-10-2018, 05:42 PM

Castlin I think will be a solid glue guy as well that can play 15 min or so a game. The rest you’re right about

I agree.

Section 200

11-10-2018, 05:52 PM

Evansville has made 17 threes!!!

New Xavier opponent record. Not the record Steele wanted to have.

Amazing to win giving up 17 3s. Seemed like Villanova!

Nigel Tufnel

11-10-2018, 06:10 PM

GreatWhiteNorth

11-10-2018, 06:10 PM

X has to improve on defence and practise those FT shooting. If we allow a better team to score 17 threes, we would lose for sure.

xu82

11-10-2018, 06:38 PM

I tend to not usually overreact...and I hope I’m wrong and eat crow on this. I hope it’s because he’s been sick...but I hope Naji finds a new gear. His effort and body language have me a little concerned

I hate to say it, and I hope I’m wrong, but at times he looks a little.....””Naji-centric”?

xudash

11-10-2018, 06:42 PM

I didn't get the IUPUI game on TV. Both Fox Sports FL and Fox Sports SUN carried this one in Florida. So, this was my first viewing of them.

My 2 cents:

1. The team that was on the floor that built the lead to 15 points has potential.

2. May Q, as a leader, never do anything like that again.

3. We can only hope that this team will learn to commit to playing hard for all 40 minutes of each game.

4. I'm confident that Steele will mesh these guys together well.

5. Some of the Evansville 3's that dropped were fully contested. It seemed like they could throw it up and score. Yes, we contributed to their confidence level, but they got into a freaky groove against us - it was Hoosieresqu.

It's the second game of the year. I'm not going to panic.

Finally, and most importantly, I hope that kid who flopped slipped and fell during his post-game shower.

Xville

11-10-2018, 06:44 PM

Xavier built a 15 point lead in the 1st half and looked like they were going to cruise. Then they stopped playing defense and Evansville kept raining in threes. Naji was in foul trouble and Q got ejected. Harden and Kennedy had to play a lot more minutes than they should have. X's defense was terrible (did I mention I hate the packline defense?) and Evansville was hot.

Offense was good, but the defense, foul trouble, and Q's boneheaded flagrant was terrible.

Hopefully Naji shows up Tuesday against UW.

I absolutely hate the packline...I thought it was going to leave with mack, but sadly it doesnt look like it. So I guess we will again be losing to Villanova by 30 twice this year.

AviatorX

11-10-2018, 06:51 PM

I absolutely hate the packline...I thought it was going to leave with mack, but sadly it doesnt look like it. So I guess we will again be losing to Villanova by 30 twice this year.

Fine if you disagree with the philosophy, but packline is not the issue at all, execution is. Packline is working out alright at UVA and Archie is installing a pretty good version in Bloomington.

Lloyd Braun

11-10-2018, 06:53 PM

X has to improve on defence and practise those FT shooting. If we allow a better team to score 17 threes, we would lose for should.

Someone should ask Travis if they practice free throws. If they don’t they should.

Xville

11-10-2018, 07:02 PM

Fine if you disagree with the philosophy, but packline is not the issue at all, execution is. Packline is working out alright at UVA and Archie is installing a pretty good version in Bloomington.

It's a gimmicky defense that leaves the wings wide open and it's exactly the reason why Villanova has consistently destroyed us.

In regards to this season though, my expectations were pretty low before the season started so I'm not going to worry too much. As I said before, if hy middle of next year we look like this then it may be time to push the panic button.

smileyy

11-10-2018, 07:34 PM

My positive takeaways:

Tyrique is a beast, more than I could have imagined
Scruggs and Q shot better than 50% from 3. That's a great sign for them.

D-West & PO-Z

11-10-2018, 07:36 PM

Some is growing pains I’m sure but... damn I fear what this group is going to look like against the big east. 3-4 guys are getting lots of minutes who have no business being on the court in the big east.

3-4? This is a huge exaggeration. What did we play 9 guys? So according to you we only can go 5-6 deep in BE play? GTFO.

X Factor

11-10-2018, 07:42 PM

Fine if you disagree with the philosophy, but packline is not the issue at all, execution is. Packline is working out alright at UVA and Archie is installing a pretty good version in Bloomington.

Well then maybe it was the way Mack taught it and now the way Steele is teaching it, because it did seem to work better when Miller was here.

I think Steele is going to be a very good coach, but how many years are we going to hear about executing on defense? Everyone blamed it on the players (Trevon, JP, Kanter, O'Mara, Stainbrook, Farr, etc.), and how they just weren't good defenders.

You can't tell me Scruggs with his crazy wingspan, Naji, Goodin, Tyrique, Castlin, etc. are just bad defenders.

If it's poor execution, then Mack was to blame for the past few years. If this team doesn't improve, then Steele will be to blame.

D-West & PO-Z

11-10-2018, 07:49 PM

Did anyone ask and did Steele answer why the hell we were in zone so much as they were drilling three after three? I would love to hear that answered. Maybe fatigue? But that will be a problem going forward if so as we arent very deep.

The packline is frustrating me too. If we ran it like UVA it would be great but we dont and we havent. Seems like the packline is less effective as the game evolves to chucking more threes than ever.

Lloyd Braun

11-10-2018, 07:56 PM

If we ran the pack line effectively we would hear about how terrible our offense is. The players we have excel in open court.

Xville

11-10-2018, 08:07 PM

Nevermind.....on to wisconsin.

Lloyd Braun

11-10-2018, 08:15 PM

I’m convinced we will beat Villanova and lose to DePaul this year.

xu82

11-10-2018, 08:27 PM

I’m convinced we will beat Villanova and lose to DePaul this year.

If you’ve bumped your head, you may want to get that checked.

noteggs

11-10-2018, 08:43 PM

First two games:

From what I’ve seen from Tyrique and Scruggs, I’m very encouraged. Hankins looked good today and Welage on Wednesday. Castlin is going to be a good role player.

From our projected two best players we haven’t seen their best for various reasons.

Harden has not been the shooter we thought, but ironically is a decent ball handler. Kennedy has shown some promise as a defender which might translate to minutes as the season goes on.

New coach with extremely new team chemistry - not too bad.

AviatorX

11-10-2018, 09:40 PM

Well then maybe it was the way Mack taught it and now the way Steele is teaching it, because it did seem to work better when Miller was here.

I think Steele is going to be a very good coach, but how many years are we going to hear about executing on defense? Everyone blamed it on the players (Trevon, JP, Kanter, O'Mara, Stainbrook, Farr, etc.), and how they just weren't good defenders.

You can't tell me Scruggs with his crazy wingspan, Naji, Goodin, Tyrique, Castlin, etc. are just bad defenders.

If it's poor execution, then Mack was to blame for the past few years. If this team doesn't improve, then Steele will be to blame.

1000 percent agree. This team has the horses to be very good defensively (in any system). If they aren’t good in the system they’ve chosen to implement, that’s on coaching. I’m just not ready to call it after two games.

AviatorX

11-10-2018, 09:42 PM

It's a gimmicky defense that leaves the wings wide open and it's exactly the reason why Villanova has consistently destroyed us.

In regards to this season though, my expectations were pretty low before the season started so I'm not going to worry too much. As I said before, if hy middle of next year we look like this then it may be time to push the panic button.

In what way is the packline a gimmicky defense? A huge chunk of teams play it. Villanova is on a run of historic offensive dominance, they destroy every defense.

XUBison

11-10-2018, 10:26 PM

If we ran the pack line effectively we would hear about how terrible our offense is. The players we have excel in open court.

Then why are we running pack line?

XUBison

11-10-2018, 10:33 PM

I hate to say it, and I hope I’m wrong, but at times he looks a little.....””Naji-centric”?

I’ve had the same thought. Hope we’re wrong.

IM4X

11-11-2018, 12:41 AM

Xavier built a 15 point lead in the 1st half and looked like they were going to cruise. Then they stopped playing defense and Evansville kept raining in threes. Naji was in foul trouble and Q got ejected. Harden and Kennedy had to play a lot more minutes than they should have. X's defense was terrible (did I mention I hate the packline defense?) and Evansville was hot.

Offense was good, but the defense, foul trouble, and Q's boneheaded flagrant was terrible.

Hopefully Naji shows up Tuesday against UW.

Thanks for filling me in X Factor.

This X team clearly has the shortest bench in years. Hopefully we see better defense as Q, Scruggs, Naji and Tyrique play more minutes together.

Xuperman

11-11-2018, 04:31 AM

I think the guys saw that 40 pt beat down and simply underestimated UE....All the player interviews I have seen in the past month shows that our core 4 + Hankins, are a very cocky bunch. The formally modest Naji Marshall vanished after claiming he was disrespected when not selected ALL BE. That slight hasn't seemed to motivate him to this point but hoping it will with better competition. Scruggs WILL post crazy numbers with Q at point and Agent 0 looks like Delgado 2.0. So harken back to last years OOC close calls....just get the W and move on!

whopper

11-11-2018, 05:52 AM

I also noticed that Evansville had a guy totally shadowing Welage yesterday and that opened up the middle for Jones and Hankins. His turnover came as he went by his defender on a poor close out but was met on the baseline and threw it back out to nobody. His role is not to bring his defender anywhere near the middle. He will be OK and his one on one defense will improve. Certainly not a great performance yesterday but I am optimistic.

Xuperman

11-11-2018, 06:03 AM

I stared at this thing for A LONG time and this box score is a real head scratcher....so much to decipher but I conclude that we kicked their aces. If they shoot a robust 40% from 3 and we shoot a modest 75% from the line it's a blowout coupled with a perceived good defensive effort. Fact is, UE was jacked up playing the Big East champs and were getting real lucky from distance. Other than that, total dominance, especially when Q was running the O.

Lloyd Braun

11-11-2018, 06:17 AM

Then why are we running pack line?

I don’t think they are tbh

American X

11-11-2018, 06:40 AM

Top-notch move by our leader popping a guy in the head with the basketball. Will kidnapping a pug be his next brilliant decision?

paulxu

11-11-2018, 07:42 AM

I didn't get to see the game, or the Q ejection foul, but it sounds like a Chris Mack throwback deal.

bleedXblue

11-11-2018, 08:34 AM

Team is playing a bit selfish in my opinion. Too much individual play and bad decision making out of multiple players in the first two games. Not a huge surprise with the new HC. Steele is going to have his growing pains and he will have to sit some guys to get his point across. He has to find his best defensive 5-6 players in a hurry. I like the young guys getting minutes early but that isn't going to work against Wisc and Auburn.

bleedXblue

11-11-2018, 08:35 AM

I didn't get to see the game, or the Q ejection foul, but it sounds like a Chris Mack throwback deal.

Not quite that bad, but a real bonehead move and not a good look at all. It will be interesting to see how Steele handles it

X-man

11-11-2018, 09:10 AM

xudash

11-11-2018, 01:55 PM

With so many new players and player combinations, it is not surprising that defense is an issue. The good thing is that we have a lot of very athletic defenders, and therefore I believe that defense is eminently "fixable" with time and experience playing together. Coach Steele says that the offense is there already, and I largely believe him although we still play a bit too much one-on-one offense IMHO. But that, along with our defense, should not be a problem later in the season. I don't think we should be surprised if Wisconsin is more than we can handle given how early it is in our schedule. And Maui will be tough for the same reason. But by the time of the Shootout and conference play, I believe that we will be a tough out for virtually everyone we play.

Agree with you and XUPERMAN.

I checked the UE board and one of their posters literally mentioned that "that was a month's worth of 3's". I get that our defense has to improve, but good lord with some of those shots dropping. We all know the old saying about "ifs and buts", but it was a weird game. Now, part of that was a lack of respect for the opponent - not playing for all 40 minutes.

That brings me to the final point on this day after: the ball to the face bullshit stops now. Confidence? Excellent. Wonderful. Arrogance? No thanks.

xukeith

11-11-2018, 03:12 PM

Agree with you and XUPERMAN.

I checked the UE board and one of their posters literally mentioned that "that was a month's worth of 3's". I get that our defense has to improve, but good lord with some of those shots dropping. We all know the old saying about "ifs and buts", but it was a weird game. Now, part of that was a lack of respect for the opponent - not playing for all 40 minutes.

That brings me to the final point on this day after: the ball to the face bullshit stops now. Confidence? Excellent. Wonderful. Arrogance? No thanks.

Agree.

I bet no team will ever hit 17 3 pointers or more again this year against X. Maybe Marquette.

The 2 3 zone for part of the defense helped Aces launch 3's. Please Travis, no more zone unless bigs/small forwards are in Foul Trouble.

Wisconsin is a LOT better than the Aces. Wisconsin will win a lot and be 4-6th in B10. I say don't double Happ. Hands up everywhere in passing lanes, keep rebounding from all positions, play defense like UC and offense like Xavier.

XUGRAD80

11-11-2018, 03:27 PM

I just watched the replay of the game, which I missed watching yesterday....

The encouraging thing to me is that team has a lot of talent. A lot of talent. They are not going to loose to many games because they are flat out NOT talented enough to win.

But what they are not enough RIGHT NOW is......they are not SMART enough to beat really good teams. They are making a lot of MENTAL mistakes. That could be because they don’t understand the system, or that they aren’t experienced enough to run it, but I don’t think it’s because they can’t PHYSICALLY do it. It’s not because they are too small, or too slow, or not physically capable of doing g the things they need to do.

I expect that they will show a great deal more understanding and knowledge of the system as time goes on, and that they will play much better defense as the season goes on and they become more comfortable playing in the positions that they placed in.

sirthought

11-11-2018, 03:55 PM

As it's the second game, with mostly young players and a new coach, WE ALL understood this team was going to take time and learn execute to the level fans here have grown accustomed to.

But in my experience I'm pretty pleased when the team has four players score well into double figures, and they more than double the opponent on rebounds, and 56% of our field goals came off an assist. Our team was able to block nearly a quarter of all their 2 point attempts. (Most teams don't do that well with any D1 opponent.)

I enjoyed that it wasn't a blow out and the players we had on the floor who needed to fight through adversity to get the win. At least the game wasn't boring.

We don't have many seniors with experience at this level. They all need to improve, no doubt. But I'm please with Scruggs improvement, although I think he's been really overhyped and has a long way to go to play team ball better. His growth this season might be most important to the team's success. Castlin's efficiency so far has been impressive and I hope that they allow him to participate on more plays.

Hardin likely won't play as much if Goodin walks the line. But this playing time has got to only help him improve, under fire, working to figure it out. I agree with others that the coaching staff needs to move on from the pack line and zone defense as much. It's hard to know who is or isn't accountable and they should still be able to help each other in a man to man situation. Never liked it with Miller or Mack either.

I don't see a victory at Wisconsin, sadly, but again...this is a young team. Hankins and Jones are showing us some good stuff and the front court was what we've been worried about. If that continues and Goodin and Marshall can keep improving, they might have a shot to pull out a win at home.

drudy23

11-11-2018, 04:26 PM

Wisconsin will be a good test because they are patient, methodical, and smart. Something that will test a young defense. If not playing the whole possession has been an issue, as Steele stated, he better get that fixed quick when playing Wisconsin. They will execute well and they won't panic.

It's not a great match-up for us early in the season. We should have the athletic advantage overall if we can find a way to utilize it without being careless.

IM4X

11-11-2018, 08:01 PM

If the starters can stay out of foul trouble and Steele can just keep some of those bench players on the bench until they are absolutely needed, maybe we see better chemistry a little faster and more players in rhythm more often.

Starting to think that in order for this team to compete at a higher level...

Q needs to be running the offense for at least 32 minutes a game.
Scruggs and Naji need to play 32+ minutes
Jones 28+
Castlin 28+
Hankins 20+
Welage 18+
Kennedy 2-5
James 2-5
Hardin 2 -5

With Jones and Hankins sometimes on the floor together.

bobbiemcgee

11-11-2018, 08:04 PM

Gotta find a way to guard the 3 pt. line. UE 51 pts. from 3 and had 12 against Illini.

D-West & PO-Z

11-11-2018, 09:42 PM

Gotta find a way to guard the 3 pt. line. UE 51 pts. from 3 and had 12 against Illini.

It was actually 18 points against Illinois according to the box score on ESPN. 6/24. 17/33 against us. I was thinking of they took around the same number maybe they just got lucky and made a lot more but they took 9 more against us so maybe they had that many more open looks due to our poor D.

XUGRAD80

11-12-2018, 06:42 AM

maybe they had that many more open looks due to our poor D.

Bingo

Im certainly not one to point the blame at past staffs and say it’s their fault, but I think we have to realize that playing tough, in your face, take no prisoners, defense was not a part of the culture over the last several years. The returning players are not in that mindset at this point. No surprise to me. The same thing was true when Skip left. It will take some time for the mental approach to change and it’s not going to be a painless or easy transition. Nor will it be a quick one. I expect to hear Steele talking about it every day for the rest of the year. As I’ve said earlier, I don’t believe it a physical inability as much as it’s a mental block. It’s not like they are asking 5’9” guards to stop 6’4” guards from shooting 3 pointers. X has plenty of height and length to guard the 3 point line effectively. But right now, the players are not moving quickly enough to do so. Evansville was able to easily move the ball around the outside and get open 3 point shots. Part of that has to be mental....players thinking about where they have to be and not just moving instinctively slows them down. Part of it is determination and desire....players have to WANT it enough to fight through the picks and get into the correct positions. The last administration didn’t emphasize that enough perhaps? Are the transfers and freshman are not up to speed yet? I wouldn’t think so. They probably don’t understand just how hard they have to play on the defensive side of the ball...yet. I suspect that will be emphasized much more during practice and film work.

If Steele is the coach that we all hope he is (and many believe him to be) it’s only a matter to TIME before they do. But it is going to be painful for us fans to watch them go through this process. We can say all we want that they need to do this, or need to do that, but we might as well be talking to the wind for as much good as it will do. At least we have a coach that seems to “get it”. I have faith that he will instill that into the players over time as well.

MITTENMUSKIE16

11-12-2018, 08:05 AM

Caf

11-12-2018, 08:36 AM

Our 3pt defense could surely be better, but this seems to be exactly what we saw under Mack. It's less of an effort issue and more of a strategic one. The coaches value interior defense over perimeter and a strong shooting team can exploit it. I think it's important to note that while they torched us from 3 they only pulled down 3 offensive boards and we more than doubled their total rebounds.

Xville

11-12-2018, 08:43 AM

As many have stated so far, the defense isn't bad because of a lack of physical ability, unlike last year with Tre, JP, Kerem, etc. This team's on-the-ball defense should be pretty relentless because of their length and speed, and I think that really hasn't been a problem (but they will face bigger and better athletes once the schedule picks up). However, the thing that I've seen is how poor some of the defense has been off the ball. Falling asleep when your guy doesn't have the ball allows open passes, bad close-outs, and good ball rotation for open threes. Steele stressed in the offense extending the pressure a bit more, after made free throws and timeouts, which would be nice to see. Also, this team needs to play the passing lanes much better, and that should be something they can do with their length. I think they'll get there with better effort and execution, but it is a matter of when that can happen.

Everything you stated here though about the passing lanes and the way the defense has played off the ball is because of the packline, which is why I hate it. The packline is more about interior defense, leaving wings open until the ball gets swung to one side or the other. In my opinion, it's a stupid defense and I hope Steele gets away from it, or at least makes tweaks to it by extending out the perimeter, but if you do that, then it's not really a packline.

I think in an era where basketball is going more and more to shooting 3s and essentially having 4 guys on the floor at a time that can shoot and make them, the packline is a losing strategy. People will point to Virginia as having success or Arizona, but I don't want to be either of those teams....I'd like for the team to make a final four.

Lloyd Braun

11-12-2018, 09:34 AM

I’m concerned with FT% defense. We are giving up 77% on FTs and Wisconsin is 2nd in nation in FT%. I hope Steele addresses this in practice today.

MITTENMUSKIE16

11-12-2018, 10:06 AM

Everything you stated here though about the passing lanes and the way the defense has played off the ball is because of the packline, which is why I hate it. The packline is more about interior defense, leaving wings open until the ball gets swung to one side or the other. In my opinion, it's a stupid defense and I hope Steele gets away from it, or at least makes tweaks to it by extending out the perimeter, but if you do that, then it's not really a packline.

I think in an era where basketball is going more and more to shooting 3s and essentially having 4 guys on the floor at a time that can shoot and make them, the packline is a losing strategy. People will point to Virginia as having success or Arizona, but I don't want to be either of those teams....I'd like for the team to make a final four.

I agree, mostly. And Steele has said as much that he plans to tweak it to personnel, in-game adjustments, etc. However, you can play the packline off the ball much better than they have last year and to start this year. You can sag off your guy for help defense but still be ready on the catch. They aren't necessarily out of position (b/c of the scheme of the defense), but you have to do things in advance of the ball coming to you that they simply haven't been good at. Mack didn't stress defense, and the team hadn't the past few years bc they could and would outgun people. But at some point this team has to look at its sheer physical abilities and step up to play defense like they are capable.

IM4X

11-12-2018, 10:16 AM

X not only needs to get to the line more often but they need to start sinking more when they get there.

Not having Tre (85%) and JP (82%) And Gates (83%) And O’Mara (80%) and even Kanter (78%) means we need other players to step up or we’re going to see some games slip away that could easily be won with good FT shooting.

MITTENMUSKIE16

11-12-2018, 10:37 AM

MITTENMUSKIE16

11-12-2018, 10:41 AM

Q, Paul, and Naji should get to the line a ton. Q is the only one that has proven to be a better than average FT shooter. Hopefully the other two can creep to about 75%-78%. Tyrique and Hankins will get fouled a lot too... Hoping they're above 65%.

Last year's team made more FTs than opponents attempted...

Edit...

Naji shot 75% last year, which is a good number to stay at, but it would be nice to creep up a bit higher, on more attempts

Paul shot 72%, which will also hopefully increase on more attempts.

IM4X

11-12-2018, 11:57 AM

Last year's team made more FTs than opponents attempted...

A stat that can not be pointed to enough times.

It’s a great feeling when opponents are afraid to foul at the end of a game, worried it might seal a victory for X. Not so much when opponents, knowing X struggles form the line, purposely fouls to try to seal the win for their team.

Let’s hope Steele is putting in extra time in practice to get all of the player shooting consistently well from the charity stripe.

Roach

11-12-2018, 02:57 PM

Agree.

I bet no team will ever hit 17 3 pointers or more again this year against X. Maybe Marquette.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. Yes, it wasn't the most stellar defensive performance by X, but Evansville had 33 3-point attempts, and made more than 50% of them. Most D1 teams couldn't replicate that performance if the shots were completely uncontested. On rare occasions, the shots just keep falling and there's little an opponent can do to stop it. That was the case for Evansville. It reminded me of the Elite 8 game between IU and Kent State in 2002 where IU shot an ungodly percentage from beyond the arc and made it virtually impossible for Kent to keep up. Evansville's barrage of 3-pointers would have doomed most any opponent, yet X won the game. Focus on that. Yes, the defense needs improvement, but let's not catastrophize this.