Game Thread: Xavier v. Florida (November 24, 2019) Charleston Classic

[American X]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FlCwZRKW.gif&f=1&nofb=1

Xavier University Musketeers (6-0,0-0) vs. Florida (4-2,0-0)
Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 8:30 p.m.
Charleston, South Carolina

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



Television: ESPN






Xavier Radio: Xavier Gameday App (available in your phone's app store) with play-by-play from XU Hall of Famer and former Musketeer standout Joe Sunderman ('79). Analysis will be provided by Xavier Hall of Famer and XU all-time leading scorer Byron Larkin ('88).











Live Stats: Media stats at Statbroadcast.com. Fan stats at GoXavier.com.

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[WCWIII]

Championship Sunday baby! Let's Go X!

[GIMMFD]

Basically our first test against a team as talented as we are top to bottom, gonna be really interesting to see how we come out, at times our offense has looked very disturbing with poor shot selection, and just other bone-headed decisions, but our defense has been rock solid enough to keep us in any game. Love that we're playing together as a team, so hopefully some of those shots from outside fall, and we take care of the ball. Do those two things, couple that with our defense, and we'll have a pretty damn good shot to bring home some hardware.

[scoscox]

Basically our first test against a team as talented as we are top to bottom, gonna be really interesting to see how we come out, at times our offense has looked very disturbing with poor shot selection, and just other bone-headed decisions, but our defense has been rock solid enough to keep us in any game. Love that we're playing together as a team, so hopefully some of those shots from outside fall, and we take care of the ball. Do those two things, couple that with our defense, and we'll have a pretty damn good shot to bring home some hardware.

they're probably even more talented than we are. for some reason, people want to play for mike white. going strictly by recruiting rankings, they're stupid loaded

[American X]

I have zero expectation of Xavier beating Florida. Xavier will perfectly execute everything to lose the game. Then Xavier will cockpunch the Gators and win in triple overtime.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Kyky warming up per Shannon. Playing? She doesnt know.

[scoscox]

Kyky warming up per Shannon. Playing? She doesnt know.

he and ramsey are both available apparently, but I'd be shocked to see either play

[scoscox]

check that he's back in street clothes

[SemajParlor]

And now Tandy is back in street clothes. Hmmm

[Xville]

I bet he is coming out of his skin; chomping at the bit to play.

[Xville]

Have a weird feeling that bishop is going to have a little bit of a coming out party tonight....or maybe I'm smoking something

[SemajParlor]

Have that feeling already this will be a great one.

[SemajParlor]

Have a weird feeling that bishop is going to have a little bit of a coming out party tonight....or maybe I'm smoking something

He reminds me so much of Sumner. I think we're going to blink and one day he will be a star.

[scoscox]

ZFree is killing me. great anticipation on D and then blows the layup

[Xville]

Will goodin just graduate already...I'm so sick of his decision making...he makes grade school basketball mistakes

[scoscox]

florida is so loaded with talent. not sure how this team has 2 losses

[Xville]

florida is so loaded with talent. not sure how this team has 2 losses

Yep...that's what happens when you have freshmen and sophomores in your starting lineup...dripping with talent but young. They may be a final four team though by the end of the year.

[noteggs]

8 turnovers in first 11 minutes. Yikes

[Xville]

8 turnovers in first 11 minutes. Yikes

And somehow tied...I'll take it :)

[scoscox]

bryce moore letting kerry know who the better grad transfer is

[Strange Brew]

Have that feeling already this will be a great one.

I have a fever. More damn cowbell. Ring it boys!

[D-West & PO-Z]

Scruggs has that turn around J in the lane down man. Thats been big this year.

[Xville]

Another stupid grade school move by goodin

[D-West & PO-Z]

Thats a charge!

[xu82]

Q makes me want to be a negative person.

[Xville]

Two best players with 2 fouls awesome

[D-West & PO-Z]

We seem to have a foul problem with our best players. Sometimes they need to let a play go to save the fouls.

[kellernr]

Q makes me want to be a negative person.Tandy better be starting by conference play. Q looks like he forgot how to play basketball. 7pts thru 2.5 games so far.

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[D-West & PO-Z]

Was that on Carter or Jones?

[xu82]

Naji thinks he has NBA range. He does not.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Way too many turnovers.

[scoscox]

florida has been uber physical. refs could let us breathe a little

[Xville]

Florida is loaded...cannot afford to just give possessions away like goodin has done 4-5 times now.

[Grizzx12]

Tandy better be starting by conference play. Q looks like he forgot how to play basketball. 7pts thru 2.5 games so far.

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I like everything Q has done for the program but I have to agree. Some of these decisions are head scratchers for a sophomore much less a senior with the minutes Q has played.

[noteggs]

Scruggs has that turn around J in the lane down man. Thats been big this year.

Amazing!

[SemajParlor]

Stay in this game and keep grinding. Team isn't going to win many shootouts so defensive effort every trip still needs to be there.

[noteggs]

Where’s Carter?

[KabeX]

gettin run out of the gym. don't know how we turn this one around. Maybe start by not turning the damn thing over.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Announcer jinx. F that

[Xville]

I dont know if we can score enough with them...florida is too talented for us to just shut them down.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I dont know if we can score enough with them...florida is too talented for us to just shut them down.

Not wasting possessions and turning it over like we are thats for sure.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Left 2 points on the line there on that posession. We need to hit our FTs in this one.

[Xville]

How many times is our defense going to get exposed by a simple pick and roll...good gawd

[SkyWalker]

Florida's offense is light years in front of ours.

[Strange Brew]

Stay in this game and keep grinding. Team isn't going to win many shootouts so defensive effort every trip still needs to be there.

Grind it out is right. U of F is shooting out of their depth.

[X Factor]

They have far superior offensive abilities than us, and our defense is getting picked apart.

We basically play with 4 offensive options on the court because Goodin is zero threat. Carter forgot we had a game tonight.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Well hopefully they dont shoot almost 70% again in the second half. And hopefully we learn how to initiate our offense without turning it over.

Maybe we can make a comeback.

[Grizzx12]

Too many comments about how talented Florida is because we also have talent. They're not shooting +60% next half so let's see what happens

[GreatWhiteNorth]

Our weak offence makes it difficult for us to come back.

[XU88]

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/kBAAAOSwqfNXkU44/s-l300.jpg

Maybe this'll help. I hope.

[IM4X]

Lazy! lazy! Lazy!

Lazy passes!
Guards are just standing around on offense- not crashing the boards.

Pathetic. I would sit Q and Carter and Naji and play Freemantle, Moore and Bishop... Inexcusable from seniors and juniors.

[scoscox]

steele bout to make his money.

florida can't keep shooting this well

[noteggs]

Their offense potential is not much better than ours. Shooting 60% something is an anomaly or our defense didn’t show up.

[Xville]

Too many comments about how talented Florida is because we also have talent. They're not shooting +60% next half so let's see what happens

We dont have the talent that they do...how many McDonald all americans do we have? Come on.

With that said, if we turn it over less than 3-4 times in the second half and play better d, we may have a chance.

[scoscox]

Lazy! lazy! Lazy!

Lazy passes!
Guards are just standing around on offense- not crashing the boards.

Pathetic. I would sit Q and Carter and Naji and play Freemantle, Moore and Bishop... Inexcusable from seniors and juniors.

outrageously careless start

[X Factor]

Florida doesn't have to keep shooting 60% to win. They're going to have to shoot 25% for us to have a chance at a comeback, or our offense is suddenly going to have to turn into the Golden State Warriors from 3 years ago.

[Xville]

Alright...let's make a run!

[American X]

I am encouraged that we have not taken many terrible shots. Keep attacking, stop throwing it to the other team, and I like our chances at the end (the end of triple overtime, probably).

[D-West & PO-Z]

Naji, ugh.

Threw it right to the florida player.

[X Factor]

What the F are we doing?

[Xville]

Scruggs keeping us in it

[D-West & PO-Z]

We'd be down 20 without Scruggs.

[SemajParlor]

Put us on your back Paul, time is now.

[Grizzx12]

Should've got 23 for the flop

[xudash]

One of those nights

[xu82]

Scruggs keeping us in it

He’s our best player, despite what Q and Naji might think. They are not even second!

[X Factor]

Goodin should not be playing.

[KabeX]

Yep. No way they shoot 60% in the 2nd half.

[Xville]

Goodin effing sucks...put his ass on the bench for the rest of the damn game. How many mistakes does he need to make to sit

[D-West & PO-Z]

Yeah, they are just way better than us.

We arent playing well but Im not even mad, because they are just clearly better.

[xudash]

They can’t miss now.

[XUBison]

We may be seeing a coming-out party for a young and talented Florida team.

[XBR1]

We might lose by 30 the way this is going.

[SemajParlor]

Florida is just better than us right now.

[bjf123]

After the double OT game, I was afraid the defense would be off for this game. They’re just a step slow.


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[AviatorX]

Tyrique is the closest thing X has had, but he’s still not good enough to effectively play a true switching 1-5 defense on really, really good guards. That guy is obviously hard to find (and probably out of Xavier’s recruiting zone if we’re being honest) but it’s really being exposed tonight. The ball screen defense when they’re not switching leaves a lot to be desired.

[Xville]

Yep. No way they shoot 60% in the 2nd half.

Yeah really tough to do that when you have wide open layups and 3s. I mean our team cant hit it in the ocean, but good offensive teams hit wide open 3s

[SemajParlor]

I'm not a fan of Xavier playing late night Sunday night games.

[IM4X]

Goodin should not be playing.

Not sure Naji or Carter should be either... these guys are just playing like lazy old men.

steele needs to crack a whip.

Bark Steele - Bark.

[Xville]

Yeah, they are just way better than us.

We arent playing well but Im not even mad, because they are just clearly better.

Yeah we would need our a game to compete. This is why recruiting is so important.

[XBR1]

Q is terrible

[KabeX]

no longer will be ranked but then again we don't deserve to be.

[IM4X]

Put Freemantle in for Christ sake... at least he played hard.

[X-band '01]

It's like watching X-Nova, only the Wildcats are dressing as Florida tonight.

[Xville]

Scruggs knows he can play with these guys, hes that talented. I frankly don't think the others can.

[Xavgrad08]

Florida is better, but we have had some miscommunication on defense. As a result they have had some wide open threes. Combine that with Xavier turning the ball over and this is ugly.

[xu82]

We can learn and grow from this. How do we handle it? That is the question.

[KabeX]

I suppose I would have taken 2 - 1 making the Championship game - I think most of us would have. But this is terrible. Yeah, they're clearly better. Buy my God we can't be this bad.

[D-West & PO-Z]

no longer will be ranked but then again we don't deserve to be.

I'm not sure we fall out of top 25 with a neutral loss to FL after going 2-1 for the week.

Wouldnt be surprised either way.

[AviatorX]

Florida is very good. Having a slow start to the season didn’t magically wipe their roster of their talent. X has had several defensive lapses but the Gators are executing at a high level. They’re going to win a lot of games.

[Xville]

no longer will be ranked but then again we don't deserve to be.

I still think x is a top 25 team, I just think florida is a top 5 or 10 team who took a minute to get it going because of freshmen, sophomores and a grad transfer.

[IM4X]

We need Kyky healthy badly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[AviatorX]

I still think x is a top 25 team, I just think florida is a top 5 or 10 team who took a minute to get it going because of freshmen, sophomores and a grad transfer.

100% with you. X hasn’t played a particularly clean game, but Florida has had some spurts there just isn’t going to be an answer to.

[D-West & PO-Z]

We arent giving up.

Say what you want about the mental errors but this team does fight back.

[Xville]

The good thing is that we arent going to face a team this talented again until maybe march. Nova is close but even they dont have this kind of talent this year.

X can still win a ton of games and even win the big east and heck if tandy gets healthy, that's one more talented dude in the rotation

[IM4X]

Thank you to the Xavier coach who read my post about putting Fremantle back in.

[xu82]

I’ll look at the positive, and Freemantle is a real positive! Get KyKy healthy, less time for Q, better shot choices and take care of the ball. This is just one bad night over the course of a season. A LOT of time left here to show good things.

[IM4X]

Love the subs coach

[Xville]

Defense has ratcheted up a bit....like that!!!

[IM4X]

Love James being in there.

[D-West & PO-Z]

7-0 run!

[Xville]

Great fight here!!! Leave q on the bench for the game.

[X Factor]

Please keep this lineup on the court Coach!

[D-West & PO-Z]

Scruggs is BY FAR our best player. Just wish he knew it. And wish Naji and Q knew it.

Steele has to know it right????

[KabeX]

yeah, if nothing else I like the fight. Everyone needs the P F Scruggs mentality.

[SemajParlor]

Please keep this lineup on the court Coach!

Agreed!

[SemajParlor]

Good minutes by Dontarius playing some solid defense.

[scoscox]

Don is giving us good minutes. love it. need him to hit a 3 or two

[Xavgrad08]

Scruggs has been a beast tonight. Need someone else to step up with him.

[X Factor]

And he takes them all out

[Xville]

Scruggs is BY FAR our best player. Just wish he knew it. And wish Naji and Q knew it.

Steele has to know it right????

I think he is starting to figure it out a little bit...hes being a bit more aggressive. Why is he now sitting???? Oh great q is in...effing wondeful

[scoscox]

scruggs is responsible for almost all our points

[SemajParlor]

I love Steele, scratching my head at this move.

[D-West & PO-Z]

And he takes them all out

:headscratch::thumbsdown::facepalm:

[X Factor]

Naji is so NOT smart

[D-West & PO-Z]

What a pass by Naji!

[Xville]

Not dead yet!!!

[KabeX]

Hello. Don't mess with me. We gotta game. keep it that way.

[bjf123]

So glad Q didn’t try to go for the dunk on that.


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[X Factor]

Love the fight these guys are showing

[D-West & PO-Z]

Scruggs is unstoppable

[Blue Blooded-05]

It seems like teams are shooting 100% from the FT line against us this year

[Xville]

Man carter is a liability defensively on the perimeter

[D-West & PO-Z]

It seems like teams are shooting 100% from the FT line against us this year

Yeah we really need to work on that FT defense!

[SemajParlor]

Carter's getting a little picked on.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Problem is FL can score in bunches. Damn.

[SemajParlor]

Classic TV Teddy Valentine

[xu82]

Still a LOT of time left. Make a few shots, get a few stops, swing the Big Mo.......just sayin’!

[Xville]

Gotta have two kills in a row to get where we need to be

[X Factor]

Why did Steele take everyone out when we made a run?

[KabeX]

think that's our ball. But Q is still sucking.

[X Factor]

Goodin, smh...

[Xville]

Lost any momentum they had built up with that previous lineup..love Steele but pretty damn pissed off he didnt keep them on the floor. Horrible coaching move

[KabeX]

it looks like the effort is there but I don't know, something in his head. Playing like the first game after Sumner got hurt.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Man, trying to think of the last X player who regressed to the extent Q has.

[Grizzx12]

Looks like we have never seen a screen before. How many times will there be a switch to a guard trying to post on 24

[SemajParlor]

Why did Steele take everyone out when we made a run?

Didn't understand that.

[AviatorX]

Looks like we have never seen a screen before. How many times will there be a switch to a guard trying to post on 24

That’s the design of the defense...

[Xville]

Florida still shooting over 60 percent for those who think that was impossible

[Xavgrad08]

16 Xavier turnovers so far. Can’t beat ourselves and beat good teams.

[scoscox]

Man, trying to think of the last X player who regressed to the extent Q has.

not sure i've ever seen anyone with less feel for the game. it's crazy.

[stammina0721]

Not even upset about this loss cause I figured it would happen. My only question is how do you fix turnovers? At this point is it even fixable when 3 and 4 year players just don't value the ball?

[AviatorX]

Really love K Johnson’s game on Florida. Like Jarron Cumberland with actual athletic ability.

[Xville]

Why is goodin in?? I literally want to know what good is he on the floor??

[X Factor]

Man, trying to think of the last X player who regressed to the extent Q has.

Mo Mcafee

[scoscox]

carter is out of his depth against these guys. use zfree

[KabeX]

We're not winning this game but the next 7 min should tell us a lot.

[SemajParlor]

If we're going to play crazy and chaotic with turnovers, we might as well embrace it. Muddy it up and press might be our best option

[Xville]

Florida is really quick to the ball on d

[XBR1]

Man, trying to think of the last X player who regressed to the extent Q has.

Lumpkin

[KabeX]

Huh? How is that a foul on Paul?

[XUOWNSUC]

Moore and Freemantle should be in. Q and Carter should be out - they aren’t doing anything tonight.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Lumpkin

Honestly this one came to mind.

I was only like 8-12 or 13 when he was there so I couldnt swear by it but I do remember this.

[xu82]

Show me that foul on Scruggs, please.

[Xville]

Man scruggs is so ridiculously good. He may be the best guy on the floor...its just florida has 2-5

[xudash]

The Ted Valentine show.

[AviatorX]

UC is going to lose to Bowling Green, and they had to go all the way to the Virgin Island to do it.

[XBR1]

Honestly this one came to mind.

I was only like 8-12 or 13 when he was there so I couldnt swear by it but I do remember this.

That freshman class was great. Brown got better, posey was awesome and Darnell Williams might have been the best before he blew out his knee.

[Grizzx12]

UC is going to lose to Bowling Green, and they had to go all the way to the Virgin Island to do it.

So there is a positive to tonight

[Strange Brew]

Teddy V is garbage

[Xville]

I mean this could have easily turned into an absolute blowout so I do like the fight. The mental errors though continue to be our biggest issue and I really dont know if juniors and seniors are suddenly going to change in that regard. If they were freshmen, I'd give them time but I unfortunately think they are who they are by now.

[XUBison]

Maybe our problem is that Paul and Naji are the same person. Seems like whenever one has a good game, the other is nowhere to be found.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Definitely like our fight here.

Didnt roll over when it got to 17.

5 point game!

[KabeX]

even b4 he let it go I thought it was a good shot. Now, let's see if he can follow that up with another good play.

[X Factor]

Needed that one Q!

[Xville]

Great fight...force a turnover here and we got a chance.

[Grizzx12]

Gotta love the fight in this team!

[xu82]

This shit ain’t over!

[D-West & PO-Z]

Carter!!!!

UGH

[Xville]

Dammit carter what an awful game by him tonight just awful

[AviatorX]

Carter is not quite ready for Primetime.

[X Factor]

Damnit Carter!!!!

[KabeX]

Gonna need to knock down another couple of treys to even think about it

[SemajParlor]

Wake up call for Jason Carter.

[KabeX]

There's 1!

[Xville]

Holy hell q!!!!!!! I take back anything bad I ever said about you

[KabeX]

well do you go right back to Q?

[D-West & PO-Z]

Goodin knows we've been talkin shit lol!

[X Factor]

Ugh!!!!

[D-West & PO-Z]

Ugh, thats as good as a look as we were gonna get. Wide open.

[Grizzx12]

Damn

[KabeX]

So the last 7 minutes told me a lot. Very encouraging. Fix the TOs and it's a different outcome.

[xu82]

They never quit, and fought back hard. Come March, this might not look like a bad loss.

[Xville]

Ugh wide open chance...damn

[Blue Blooded-05]

Got the shot we wanted. Damn

Love the no quit tonight

[Xville]

Fix the mental errors and this team can go really far.

[AviatorX]

This is a top 25 team, and the roster is still incomplete. Losing this game on November 25th is no big deal. Good fight tonight.

Carter was bad tonight, but as he continues to work into the flow more and more and KyKy comes back, I’m pretty optimistic.

[D-West & PO-Z]

This is a top 25 team, and the roster is still incomplete. Losing this game on November 25th is no big deal. Good fight tonight.

Yeah I agree.

Frustrating that we played so bad in the 1st half with how close we got it in the second half.

But it was great to see us get back in it.

[scoscox]

man, would've been nice to have kyky

[KabeX]

This is a top 25 team, and the roster is still incomplete. Losing this game on November 25th is no big deal. Good fight tonight.

Agree. We saw what happened last year. We're light years away from that. Pre-season rankings are kinda irrelevant but I can see why they were #6. They're all bad losses tho ;)

[scoscox]

Yeah I agree.

Frustrating that we played so bad in the 1st half with how close we got it in the second half.

But it was great to see us get back in it.

this team fucking battles to the end

[X-band '01]

Not going to win every close one, but damn grateful to at least have another chance to steal one away after digging a huge hole earlier in the game.

Tells me that the season will have a pretty high ceiling this team can reach. Now they just gotta avoid falling in the basement.

[Grizzx12]

Yeah I agree.

Frustrating that we played so bad in the 1st half with how close we got it in the second half.

But it was great to see us get back in it.

Frustrating we've had such bad stretches in a lot of games so far. Imagine what this team can be if the offense can put together a few more possessions a game. I think the ceiling is high

[X Factor]

This is a top 25 team, and the roster is still incomplete. Losing this game on November 25th is no big deal. Good fight tonight.

Carter was bad tonight, but as he continues to work into the flow more and more and KyKy comes back, I’m pretty optimistic.

Agree. If there's ever a loss to feel good about, it might be this one.

Those guys never quit and had a chance to tie it with 10 seconds left.

Really hope Q can use those last few minutes to jump start his season.

[AviatorX]

Agree. We saw what happened last year. We're light years away from that. Pre-season rankings are kinda irrelevant but I can see why they were #6. They're all bad losses tho ;)

Lol you’re right, but there’s bad losses and then there’s losing to Bowling Green.

[Xville]

This is a top 25 team, and the roster is still incomplete. Losing this game on November 25th is no big deal. Good fight tonight.

Carter was bad tonight, but as he continues to work into the flow more and more and KyKy comes back, I’m pretty optimistic.

Agree. Hoping that freemantle continues to grow throughout the year because his ceiling is a lot higher than carter and hope kyky can contribute by big east play.

Score a little more, turn it over a little less and this could be a special special team.

[stammina0721]

When March rolls around I see 8 guys max getting minutes. Carter won't be one of them barring injury.

[American X]

Florida is a worthy adversary.

Xavier fought hard and created a chance to win. That is all we can ask this season.

Get home, get some turkey, and get ready to embarass UC out of existence in the Crosstown Shootout.

Our guys are warriors. Hold your heads high and keep your eye on big goals.

[AviatorX]

When March rolls around I see 8 guys max getting minutes. Carter won't be one of them barring injury.

Wait what? This may be the wildest take (non-Snipe) in this board’s history.

[D-West & PO-Z]

When March rolls around I see 8 guys max getting minutes. Carter won't be one of them barring injury.

I dont think we should overreact to Carters bad game.

He played really good D and had the clutch FTs in the Uconn game.

His mins may decrease as the season progresses but he will be a key rotational player.

[KabeX]

Florida is a worthy adversary.

Xavier fought hard and created a chance to win. That is all we can ask this season.

Get home, get some turkey, and get ready to embarass UC out of existence in the Crosstown Shootout.

Our guys are warriors. Hold your heads high and keep you eye on big goals.

I think that's an Xcellent plan. And remember, as we enjoy our Thanksgiving feast, we can be thankful that we are XAVIER and we don't lose to Bowling Green.

[scoscox]

Not going to win every close one, but damn grateful to at least have another chance to steal one away after digging a huge hole earlier in the game.

Tells me that the season will have a pretty high ceiling this team can reach. Now they just gotta avoid falling in the basement.

i really thought it might go in off the first bounce and we'd pull it out of our ass again. so close. love the fight

[Xavgrad08]

Per Shannon Russell Florida scored 22 points off of the 18 Xavier turnovers. We fix some of those and this X team will win a lot of games. Still proud of the way X fought.

[Xville]

When March rolls around I see 8 guys max getting minutes. Carter won't be one of them barring injury.

What? The 8 guys I can roll with but carter is definitely going to be one of them. Now will he start the whole year? Maybe, maybe not.

[GreatWhiteNorth]

It’s obvious this Florida team is more talented. They have several 5-star players in their team, but I am proud that we did not give up and fought hard till the end. This is encouraging to see.

[whopper]

Travis can count on every player now including Dontarius and we could not have said that before. Bishop competitive as well. Carter is solid but bought a knife to a gun fight but I think he gets the concept of back to back killer games now. All in all some positive signs but I have never seen so many passes tipped up for grabs as our team provides. That should be remediable. Everybody has their assignments for the next week and it is as much mental as physical. I do worry about the over reliance on Scruggs. 2 killer turnovers were Marshall and Carter after each made the steal so we were in our offensive end and ended up with nothing..Getting rid of ball like a hot potato has to end as it is gold.

[scoscox]

the press was great for us and helped us get a better hold on the game. now we know we can get good use out of it when we need it

[Xville]

Florida had one fg in the last 8 minutes of the game, none the last 6 minutes of the game. That's some defense!

[KabeX]

What? The 8 guys I can roll with but carter is definitely going to be one of them. Now will he start the whole year? Maybe, maybe not.

Carter will be key to our success. He might not be a huge scorer but he is definitely a key player. He's going to be at disadvantage physically to some more athletic players but he's smart, experience and pretty darn tough kid. And we have him for 2 years.

[GIMMFD]

I'm proud of this team, down 17 at one point, and a chance to tie with a minute left? Sheesh, that's some serious heart. Paul Scruggs is trying to play himself into a pretty little payday as well, he was incredible this tournament. Unfortunately the final goal wasn't reached, but definitely love that the guys didn't quit. Also, how big of Q to knock down those 2 threes, he gets a lot of shit, but those were big time, and I hope it inspires some confidence in his game for the rest of the way

[xukeith]

Carter looked completely gassed with 10 minutes left in the game. UF players driving right past him. Maybe that is a consequence of UConn game.
X will not be successful if one player(Scruggs) jacks up 22 shot attempts. Marshall, Jones, and Carter had combined amount of turnovers as did Scruggs. Share the ball, don't turn ball over, and make free throws.

X will only be good if X can consistently play defense.

Granted, Florida was way more talented (better recruits) and more height but X needs disciplined defense and focus on turnovers under 12 to have a chance to get in NCAA.

[IM4X]

I think it’s fair to be both proud of and disappointed in this team.

Love that they don’t quit.

Hate that they play so unnecessarily sloppy at times and continue to make so many truly bad passes for much of the game (especially the last two games) that they put themselves in a much more difficult position at the end of games.
Do they even know the difference between a good pass and a bad one... No, really... I am not sure they do.

[stammina0721]

Wait what? This may be the wildest take (non-Snipe) in this board’s history.

I am saying it for a couple reasons.

1. Freemantle is a monster on defense. Great rim protector and has some pizzaz offensively. Once conference season comes I only see him getting more minutes.

2. Kyky comes back. His minutes have to come from someone. If Freemantle minutes go up and Kyky is getting time the minutes have to come from somewhere. I don't see Moore losing time right now. With how it plays out in my opinion Carter is the odd man out along with Bishop. It's not Carter's fault it's just that there are only so many minutes and Kyky/Freemantle are going to be taking a lot of time away from others

He will get some run but I just think you will see his minutes greatly reduced as we get into league play.

[AviatorX]

I am saying it for a couple reasons.

1. Freemantle is a monster on defense. Great rim protector and has some pizzaz offensively. Once conference season comes I only see him getting more minutes.

2. Kyky comes back. His minutes have to come from someone. If Freemantle minutes go up and Kyky is getting time the minutes have to come from somewhere. I don't see Moore losing time right now. With how it plays out in my opinion Carter is the odd man out along with Bishop. It's not Carter's fault it's just that there are only so many minutes and Kyky/Freemantle are going to be taking a lot of time away from others

He will get some run but I just think you will see his minutes greatly reduced as we get into league play.

I don't think this is very likely. Freemantle isn't going to be taking minutes from Carter unless you want to see a lot of Freemantle/Jones on the floor together, which I don't think is in the cards. I suppose KyKy getting minutes could slide Naji to the 4 (and reduce Carter's run) but it seems much, much more likely that Freemantle will continue to sub for Jones and KyKy will just mean a lot less Q/Scruggs on the floor together (which everyone should be happy about).

Carter had an off night but still love what he brings. I still think he's a valuable chip and as he gets more comfortable they'll be able to play through him in the high post a bit more to release some pressure when the team is just not scoring. Let's not forget he's undergoing a major role change and in a new system.

[Snipe]

This is a top 25 team, and the roster is still incomplete. Losing this game on November 25th is no big deal. Good fight tonight.

Carter was bad tonight, but as he continues to work into the flow more and more and KyKy comes back, I’m pretty optimistic.

I agree with this

[Snipe]

Yeah I agree.

Frustrating that we played so bad in the 1st half with how close we got it in the second half.

But it was great to see us get back in it.

It was fantastic to see us get to play back in this game.

[Snipe]

this team fucking battles to the end

true dat

[AviatorX]

I really like Florida's roster construction. Nembhard and Johnson are really, really strong and versatile pieces, Blackshear is a veteran who is the SEC preseason POY, Locke is a knockdown shooter and then you have the two five star freshman in Mann and Lewis.

Not hard to see why some think that team can make a deep run. They're going to win a lot of games.

[paulxu]

Great game to attend. Muskie faithful showed up and were loud in support.
So hard to watch so many of the turnovers. Many were because Florida is very, very quick.
But so many were lazy passes and drops.
The fight in this team is incredible.
Although nice to see Q drop 2 3's there at the end to set up Scruggs chance to tie, but after his second one, Q clowned for the bench as if he was the second coming. Don't know why that irked me, but it did.
Glad to have a chance to see the team in person for a change, and be surrounded by like minded older Muskie faithful .

On to the next one. We have to fix the turnovers and find some shooters. Wish Wofford could lend us a couple.

[Snipe]

Frustrating we've had such bad stretches in a lot of games so far. Imagine what this team can be if the offense can put together a few more possessions a game. I think the ceiling is high

The ceiling is high, unfortunately, the basement is low. When we are bad, we are Bad. When we are good, well then you are talking about something. We got down 17 and made every fan want to vomit. Then we almost won the game. Jesus.

[xu82]

true dat

I hope you have found a nice rooftop bar by now! (With heaters!)

[AviatorX]

For what it's worth, based on the presser, Travis isn't even in the stratosphere of taking an inkling of a moral victory from this one. Good to see.

May sound weird, but feels like a real thrashing of a shitty team could help this team. Like an 82-45 win over Lipscomb would be nice.

[Snipe]

Florida is a worthy adversary.

Xavier fought hard and created a chance to win. That is all we can ask this season.

Get home, get some turkey, and get ready to embarass UC out of existence in the Crosstown Shootout.

Our guys are warriors. Hold your heads high and keep your eye on big goals.

Proud of the way our boys showed tonight. I actually thought we were going to win.

[Snipe]

Wait what? This may be the wildest take (non-Snipe) in this board’s history.

My takes are better than most, his is not. Many of my takes come true. Check your privilege.

[Snipe]

i really thought it might go in off the first bounce and we'd pull it out of our ass again. so close. love the fight

I thought it was going in when he shot it and even when it was bouncing around I thought it would go in. I was looking forward to quadruple overtime and winning.

[scoscox]

https://twitter.com/AdamJBaum/status/1198830715552620544

travis is pissed and i love it

[AviatorX]

My takes are better than most, his is not. Many of my takes come true. Check your privilege.

I hate to use your words, but "the ceiling is high, unfortunately, the basement is low" just works too well here.

[Snipe]

It’s obvious this Florida team is more talented. They have several 5-star players in their team, but I am proud that we did not give up and fought hard till the end. This is encouraging to see.

Not sure that is obvious, I went to the tournament and watched every Florida game. They barely beat us tonight and we were coming off a double overtime win. We came out flat and turned the ball over in 5 of our first 6 possessions. We almost won this game at the end. We had many moments of suck that we have to correct. It is not obvious that they are more talented. They are however, very talented. Good for them. It is a great win for them. We will get better. They better get better too.

[IM4X]

Carter will be key to our success. He might not be a huge scorer but he is definitely a key player. He's going to be at disadvantage physically to some more athletic players but he's smart, experience and pretty darn tough kid. And we have him for 2 years.

He needs to work on his handle in the paint: He loses the ball to easily. Don’t know if it is a mental thing or maybe he just has really small, sweaty hands. Whatever it is, he needs to do something about it.

[Snipe]

Travis can count on every player now including Dontarius and we could not have said that before. Bishop competitive as well. Carter is solid but bought a knife to a gun fight but I think he gets the concept of back to back killer games now. All in all some positive signs but I have never seen so many passes tipped up for grabs as our team provides. That should be remediable. Everybody has their assignments for the next week and it is as much mental as physical. I do worry about the over reliance on Scruggs. 2 killer turnovers were Marshall and Carter after each made the steal so we were in our offensive end and ended up with nothing..Getting rid of ball like a hot potato has to end as it is gold.


Maybe we lost the game coming out flat and turning the ball over 5 of our first 6 possessions and not getting a shot. Maybe we lost the game because we couldn't get those turnovers from Marshall and Carter. This game came down to a 3 point shot with 7.5 seconds left, and we almost hit the damn thing. It is death by a thousand cuts when you lose a game by missing one shot. Anything previous that could have been done better could have changed the outcome. And we could have done a thousand things better. We will get better.

[Snipe]

Florida had one fg in the last 8 minutes of the game, none the last 6 minutes of the game. That's some defense!

We closed out that game like a Boss.

[scoscox]

Not sure that is obvious, I went to the tournament and watched every Florida game. They barely beat us tonight and we were coming off a double overtime win. We came out flat and turned the ball over in 5 of our first 6 possessions. We almost won this game at the end. We had many moments of suck that we have to correct. It is not obvious that they are more talented. They are however, very talented. Good for them. It is a great win for them. We will get better. They better get better too.

no they are loaded. i think we are better coached, but florida is loaded to the gills with talent. they were faster, quicker, took better care of the ball, shot better. pretty much every guy on that team is a top 75 recruit. don't get me wrong we have lots of talent, but they have maybe more than anyone in the country

[Snipe]

I hope you have found a nice rooftop bar by now! (With heaters!)

I hit a couple of rooftops in Charleston, and I love the town.

[Snipe]

I hate to use your words, but "the ceiling is high, unfortunately, the basement is low" just works too well here.

Feel free to use them they are probably better than yours!

[Snipe]

no they are loaded. i think we are better coached, but florida is loaded to the gills with talent. they were faster, quicker, took better care of the ball, shot better. pretty much every guy on that team is a top 75 recruit. don't get me wrong we have lots of talent, but they have maybe more than anyone in the country

We don't play these games using recruiting ratings. You said it is obvious that they are more talented. I don't agree. It isn't obvious. They barely beat us despite your recruiting ratings. The ESPN line was Florida -2. We were higher ranked and undefeated. We made some piss poor mistakes that teams make before the gell. We could have won this game. Shove your recruiting ratings up you ass. I know they have McDonald's All Americans. So what. We should have beat them now, and we need to get better to do it next time. This is Xavier.

[scoscox]

We don't play these games using recruiting ratings. You said it is obvious that they are more talented. I don't agree. It isn't obvious. They barely beat us despite your recruiting ratings. The ESPN line was Florida -2. We were higher ranked and undefeated. We made some piss poor mistakes that teams make before the gell. We could have won this game. Shove your recruiting ratings up you ass. I know they have McDonald's All Americans. So what. We should have beat them now, and we need to get better to do it next time. This is Xavier.

i didn't say it was obvious they were more talented, but it is obvious they are loaded with talent. i couldn't agree more with the rest of your post and overall sentiment

[stammina0721]

I don't think this is very likely. Freemantle isn't going to be taking minutes from Carter unless you want to see a lot of Freemantle/Jones on the floor together, which I don't think is in the cards. I suppose KyKy getting minutes could slide Naji to the 4 (and reduce Carter's run) but it seems much, much more likely that Freemantle will continue to sub for Jones and KyKy will just mean a lot less Q/Scruggs on the floor together (which everyone should be happy about).

Carter had an off night but still love what he brings. I still think he's a valuable chip and as he gets more comfortable they'll be able to play through him in the high post a bit more to release some pressure when the team is just not scoring. Let's not forget he's undergoing a major role change and in a new system.

He definitely has value but if we are that commited to the defensive end I think he loses out by being our worst defender. But hell, maybe he doesn't lose out and the minutes for Kyky come from Q if he keeps having a million turnovers a game. I guess we will see

[Olsingledigit]

He definitely has value but if we are that commited to the defensive end I think he loses out by being our worst defender. But hell, maybe he doesn't lose out and the minutes for Kyky come from Q if he keeps having a million turnovers a game. I guess we will see

Carter definitely had a bad night but being at the game I am convinced that Fl had a game plan to take a Carter out of the equation. He was covered all night and really was never open for any shots. He will be fine and learn from it. Welcome to the Big Time, Jason. Hang in there.

[XUGRAD80]

Disappointed by the loss, but not totally unexpected. I figured it would be a very close game either way as the teams matched up so well. Florida had a lot of high expectations coming into the season and I think that when it’s all said and done, they will be near the top of the SEC and will be very much a top 10-20 team. So not a “bad” loss. X once again showed it’s never say die attitude and I think that if they had been able to get it into OT would have prevailed in the end. But I never expected an undefeated season, so I’m not shocked by the result.

On the other hand....the team across town blew a double digit lead and lost to a MAC school in OT. Of course nobody saw it because it wasn’t on ESPN national TV like the X game was! And that’s nice.

[Olsingledigit]

We don't play these games using recruiting ratings. You said it is obvious that they are more talented. I don't agree. It isn't obvious. They barely beat us despite your recruiting ratings. The ESPN line was Florida -2. We were higher ranked and undefeated. We made some piss poor mistakes that teams make before the gell. We could have won this game. Shove your recruiting ratings up you ass. I know they have McDonald's All Americans. So what. We should have beat them now, and we need to get better to do it next time. This is Xavier.

I agree with Snipe. It is one game and we lost it really in the first half and start of the second half. And still almost won it. We could sure use some shooting (Tandy?) and will webEVER see Ramsey. We could use another big and he looks to be big.

[XUGRAD80]

I hit a couple of rooftops in Charleston, and I love the town.

I concur...one of wife’s and my favorite cities to visit. 49.00 each way on Allegiant Airlines is nice too!

[UCGRAD4X]

Carter definitely had a bad night but being at the game I am convinced that Fl had a game plan to take a Carter out of the equation. He was covered all night and really was never open for any shots. He will be fine and learn from it. Welcome to the Big Time, Jason. Hang in there.

Seriously? Carter is the one other teams game plan around? I'm more concerned about his defense anyway. That is what stood out more on my TV screen. Fla played too fast for him. I guess when you have one or two even three really quick twitch players, he is not as much a liability. He just couldn't keep up.

[bleedXblue]

After 7 games:

1. We don't take care of the ball well enough
2. We don't shoot it well enough
3. When we don't play really good D, we are in big trouble.

Our offense is clearly still not there. A lot of guys not getting the ball when and where they need it. Scruggs is pretty much creating shots on his own.

A lot of things to improve on.

With the exception of Q's late 3 pointers last night, he has been a disappointment running point. We really need to see what KyKy can do.

[whopper]

I am too old school but when Q or Naj make a good play they should act like they have been there before, because they have. Bryce Moore hit a 3 in OT against UConn and walked off court to a timeout..that is what our demeanor should be IMO. Ball protection has to improve but so far Moore, Carter, Freemantle, and even Bishop look like they belong(Carter has skill but last night confidence shaken, he boarded OK and passed OK but needed a little more urgency on defense). Kyky coming and maybe Q can leverage last night game. I think it is telling that this is the THIRD time we needed a 3 to stay in the game, twice successful but last night not. It should SHOW the team how important those turnovers are as well as in close misses.

[drudy23]

Q and Naji need to let the game come to them. Outside of Q's 2 threes at the end of the game, which we needed, him and Naji are still trying to do everything in isolation. For some reason, Q has lost the ability to get by defenders and explode at the rim. He just doesn't have that explosiveness anymore for whatever reason. He used to get by defenders and to the rim all the time.

Naji continues to drive into 3 defenders and throw up crappy shots. He's capable of getting to the rim, but forces it too many times when it's not there.

This - and sloppy lazy turnovers make bad shooting worse. For how bad our shooting has been, decision making has been worse.

We're very, very lucky to be 6-1.

[whopper]

Qs best year was with Kanter drawing the center out..now there is so much help he can't overpower the other teams center who is always there. Naj needs more patience; he can always play hero ball with 2 seconds on the shot clock. We are lucky to be sure..three times needing a 3 pointer to tie..got it twice but not last night

[AviatorX]

Qs best year was with Kanter drawing the center out..now there is so much help he can't overpower the other teams center who is always there. Naj needs more patience; he can always play hero ball with 2 seconds on the shot clock. We are lucky to be sure..three times needing a 3 pointer to tie..got it twice but not last night

I mean this is underselling the difference. When Q was flanked by Kanter, Gates, Bluiett, Macura, etc. he could break down his man (which he can still do) and there weren't three other guys waiting at the rim. He's not a good finisher in traffic, so he should stop trying so much.

He is officially tied with Moore as the best 3 point shooter on the team. I'm sure that could spark pages of debate.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

I hope I'm not jinxing the X-Men but would like to see more of James and all of the frosh (minus Myles) against Lipscomb. I do not doubt that, under Steele, one must earn minutes and so assume James hasn't earned his. Still, I'd like to know if he has something he can bring to the game when it matters. Free Tandy. And, whenever he does enter the game for the first time, I'd not be surprised to see him receive a standing ovation. I must assume he is a mere mortal but the longer the season goes on, the more I convince myself that he just might be, in fact, The Second Coming. We need help at P.G.

[sgarcia]

Couple of things from the first 1/4 of the regular season:
1) Turnovers always seem to be an issue with Xavier. It doesn't seem like we have many offensive sets and the only time we have a great designed play are after time outs.
2) Naji needs to post up more. He can't be the guy that attempts the most 3's on this roster.
3) Players not named Paul Scruggs need to be more under control when attacking the basket. Naji gets out of control and the same with Q. Tyrique sometimes takes his time but others he just turns and throws the ball up right as he catches it.
4) Get Jason Carter more involved offensively. He's taken fewer shots than Q. That cannot happen. I don't know if it's lack of plays being drawn up for him or he's just being passive when he gets the ball.

I'm very happy with a 6-1 record to begin the season but as we saw last night, if our defense isn't strong we aren't going to win because our offense as it currently stands is not very good. Hopefully we kick the crap out of Lipscomb and Green Bay. I would like to get some big leads and give James, Bishop and Moore some extra minutes in those 2 games since they'll be called upon once conference play begins.

[xufan2020]

I hope I'm not jinxing the X-Men but would like to see more of James and all of the frosh (minus Myles) against Lipscomb. I do not doubt that, under Steele, one must earn minutes and so assume James hasn't earned his. Still, I'd like to know if he has something he can bring to the game when it matters. Free Tandy. And, whenever he does enter the game for the first time, I'd not be surprised to see him receive a standing ovation. I must assume he is a mere mortal but the longer the season goes on, the more I convince myself that he just might be, in fact, The Second Coming. We need help at P.G.
Look I really hope I'm wrong about Tandy and he explodes from day 1.
But I think the Xavier nation needs to understand that while he's a good/top 100 prospect and could be great down the road, he's not Chris Paul/Steph Curry. I don't think it's unrealistic that Tandy can average around 8ppg this year, but it seems like many of you setting a little too high of expectations.