Game Thread: Xavier v. Seton Hall (Janury 8, 2020) Big East Conference Game

[Muskie]

Xavier University Musketeers (12-3,1-1) vs. Seton Hall (10-4,2-0)
Wednesday, January 8, 2020 at 8:30 p.m.
Cintas Center, Cincinnati

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



Television: FS1






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.

______
Most Recent Results:
Xavier Defeated St. John's
Seton Hall Defeated Georgetown

Pirate Media:
Seton Hall Athletics Homepage ( (https://gobearcats.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule)Link (https://villanova.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule)) (https://gobearcats.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule)
Seton Hall on Twitter (Link (https://twitter.com/SetonHallMBB))

[noteggs]

Like the intensity!

[Xville]

For those who believe powell is an NBA player, and naji is not, I invite you to watch naji against powell tonight. That's the difference between the nba and college. In the nba, everyone is built like Naji and athletic like Naji and that is why Naji has a chance. Powell is just another great college player (love the guy in college). Not saying hes not a great player, because he is but 6'2 average athleticism doesnt translate and is a reason why he stayed all four years.

[noteggs]

Horrible call on Q

[Xville]

My gawd tandy is so smooth.

[noteggs]

For those who believe powell is an NBA player, and naji is not, I invite you to watch naji against powell tonight. That's the difference between the nba and college. In the nba, everyone is built like Naji and athletic like Naji and that is why Naji has a chance. Powell is just another great college player (love the guy in college). Not saying hes not a great player, because he is but 6'2 average athleticism doesnt translate and is a reason why he stayed all four years.

Yea Naji is making him look pedestrian.

[Xville]

Why is naji off powell? Makes zero sense.

[bjf123]

Why is naji off powell? Makes zero sense.

Give him a breather?


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[xu82]

This is frustrating. I hate being critical of individual players, but some guys need to think before jacking up the super quick three.

[AviatorX]

About time Tyrique. He’s really going to need to man up in this one.

Seton Hall making a fair number of difficult shots. Their offense doesn’t look sustainable (although obviously that’s an understatement about Xavier’s offense).

[KFX]

Same shit different day. No discipline, turnovers, poor decisions, lack of intensity.

[XUBison]

Why is naji off powell? Makes zero sense.

I don’t know. He can’t possibly be getting gassed guarding that slow old college player.

[AviatorX]

Really don’t think we need a lot of James in this one.

[IM4X]

This is embarrassing coach!!!

[Xville]

About time Tyrique. He’s really going to need to man up in this one.

Seton Hall making a fair number of difficult shots. Their offense doesn’t look sustainable (although obviously that’s an understatement about Xavier’s offense).

Scruggs needs to be more assertive on the offensive end tonight and xavier needs to STOP TURNING THE BALL OVER ASSHOLES

[stammina0721]

Seton Hall is flat out better. Not an over reaction just outright more talent. Xavier's only chance is to hit double digit 3's. If they don't they won't win

[X Factor]

Lowest bball IQ team ever. Turnover after turnover.

[stammina0721]

This is embarrassing coach!!!

It's not embarrassing Seton Hall is better hands down and unarguably

[mistabeecee41]

Yea Naji is making him look pedestrian.

This aged well

[IM4X]

This aged well

We could really use D. Miles in this game. Just saying.

[AviatorX]

X took a pretty good shot from Seton Hall the last 10 minutes (self inflicted to a point). Stay in touch here and get to the locker room.

[Xville]

This aged well

Almost all of Powell's points have come when marshall wasnt guarding him

[X Factor]

We need offense. Goodin with 1 point so far.

[Xville]

Just stop turning the ball over almost every other possession and x will be just fine tonight.

[stammina0721]

Going to need 10 or more threes to win

[X Factor]

Great D by Q...not.

[IM4X]

It's not embarrassing Seton Hall is better hands down and unarguably

Sorry. can’t agree with that... we just aren’t plYing as smart and are being out coached - we had some bad lineups in too long.

[kellernr]

Great D by Q...not.Laziest defender on the team. Passes off his guy on every screen or goes under every screen leaving the shooter open. I hate this switch everything defense Steele runs.

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[Xville]

Great D by Q...not.

Loved his effort there, he almost got a hand up within 15 feet of the guy....almost. hate his too cool for school attitude at times

[stammina0721]

Lol it looks like old school Richmond Spider top of the key weave is going to be the adjustment

[stammina0721]

Sorry. can’t agree with that... we just aren’t plYing as smart and are being out coached - we had some bad lineups in too long.

We are what we are... We are not a smart team that isn't going to change.

[noteggs]

This aged well

Agree for the most part.

[xu82]

Sorry. can’t agree with that... we just aren’t plYing as smart and are being out coached - we had some bad lineups in too long.

Hard to confirm it’s “out coached” if 2 of the core 4 refuse to be coached. No talent to turn to, so he’s stuck. UGH! Hard to watch!

[Xville]

Ok that is the scruggs x needs in the second half.

Outside of naji, that was horrid defense...no help anywhere and q is the laziest turd ever.

With all this said, took seton halls best shot, and still within single digits...better d, less stupid turnovers, and get out of this with a win.

[X Factor]

Laziest defender on the team. Passes off his guy on every screen or goes under every screen leaving the shooter open. I hate this switch everything defense Steele runs.

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Just checked, and Goodin has the worst defensive rating of anyone in the rotation. His defense that first half was atrocious.

[X Factor]

Hard to confirm it’s “out coached” if 2 of the core 4 refuse to be coached. No talent to turn to, so he’s stuck. UGH! Hard to watch!

I would turn to KyKy. At least he can score in bunches. Goodin needs to sit.

[bjf123]

Who would have guessed Jason Carter would be our top scorer at half time?


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[XUBison]

Just checked, and Goodin has the worst defensive rating of anyone in the rotation. His defense that first half was atrocious.

yeah, but he has over 500 career assists.

[IM4X]

Hard to confirm it’s “out coached” if 2 of the core 4 refuse to be coached. No talent to turn to, so he’s stuck. UGH! Hard to watch!

Bad lineups... too long to call a TO... he owns those two mistakes.

[Xville]

yeah, but he has over 500 career assists.

To the other team?

[AviatorX]

XVille is right. It’s going to have to be a big Scruggs half if X is going to claw back in.

Say what you want about this team, but it’s never rolled over this season. They’ve made every game interesting even when they’ve trailed big. Let’s see if they can continue that trend and get over the hump tonight.

[noteggs]

Let’s score 62 on them in second half like they did a few years ago on us at Cintas. Of course with us on top tho.

[bjf123]

SH took 10 more shots that we did thanks to 10 turnovers and giving up 6 offensive boards.


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[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

Agree with the post that S.H. looks like the better team---better shooters, better rebounders, better at loose balls, better bench, their offensive sets look well thought out and their Bigs are intimidating us.

Understand why Naji hasn't scored much. But, Scruggs, as he sometimes does, has disappeared. It is stating the obvious I realize, but if you're going to ask Naji to stick with Powell + focus on defense, other guys must step up. Scruggs + Q are not contributing enough on offense.

if I'm Steele, in second half, I keep running the ball inside + telling our guys to drive to the bucket. There will be lots of blocked shots but better opportunity to draw fouls on the Bigs.

[IM4X]

We are what we are... We are not a smart team that isn't going to change.

I agree we are not a smart team- but a smart coach should be able to correct some
of that by having smart plays that are run to perfection. I would be in A players face after some of these lazy passes.

[xukeith]

Who would have guessed Jason Carter would be our top scorer at half time?


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He reads this board.

[AviatorX]

Really not interested in seeing a heavy dosage of Tyrique post ups. It does not work.

[xu82]

Really not interested in seeing a heavy dosage of Tyrique post ups. It does not work.

I prefer it to Q or Naji behind the arc. At lest he draws fouls....and some rim.

[AviatorX]

Seton Hall is playing really well. I’m not super high on them as a team, but they’re looking good tonight.

[Xville]

Really not interested in seeing a heavy dosage of Tyrique post ups. It does not work.

Especially against this team...its be nice to have mcspanky right now.

[IM4X]

Especially against this team...its be nice to have mcspanky right now.

Or Miles not redshirting- this is why we need him!!!

[stammina0721]

I agree we are not a smart team- but a smart coach should be able to correct some
of that by having smart plays that are run to perfection. I would be in A players face after some of these lazy passes.

And being in their A would mean nothing. It is what it is. To beat Seton Hall you need one of two things. You need Powell to be off or you need to hit a lot of threes. Noone is going to beat them body for body inside. If X doesn't pour in threes real soon the game is over

[kellernr]

I wish X had some offensive weapons. It pisses me off when I see Q, Moore and Carter all on the floor together. 2v5 on offense. Tandy needs to be out there for most of the 2nd half. Need someone that can actually shoot on the floor. Naji is tired from chasing powell so his lack of offense doesnt bother me. Need someone to step up.

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[KabeX]

We're shooting 43%/57% from 3 and we're gonna lose.

[stammina0721]

Seton Hall is playing really well. I’m not super high on them as a team, but they’re looking good tonight.

Seton Hall will be a second weekend team maybe a third. Powell is that good and noone beats them inside.

[Lloyd Braun]

Or Miles not redshirting- this is why we need him!!!

Redshirt these days is silly IMO. I guess he could grad transfer somewhere year 5 but not likely

[stammina0721]

Need Seton to go cold for 4 min

[Lloyd Braun]

Seton Hall will be a second weekend team maybe a third. Powell is that good and noone beats them inside.

I’ll believe it when I see it. They crap the bed annually.

[xu82]

Plenty of time! Raise that energy!!!


OR.....take a nap.

[Xville]

Going to win this game

[Xville]

Seton Hall will be a second weekend team maybe a third. Powell is that good and noone beats them inside.

Meh...same team as last year

[stammina0721]

IQ dumb. Can't fall asleep there

[stammina0721]

Meh...same team as last year

That's like saying Xavier had the same team as last year when they improved to a one seed

[xu82]

Carter bruising the backboard from behind the arc. Then the quick and easy basket in response. This is killin’ me!

[X Factor]

Damnit Carter, can't even hit the rim and then foul Powell on the other end. Dumb!

[kellernr]

I wish carter played less. He has scored 14 tonight but has probably given up 20+. Every time he fouls its an and 1.

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[AviatorX]

Seton Hall will be a second weekend team maybe a third. Powell is that good and noone beats them inside.

I would bet a lot of money Seton Hall won’t make the Sweet 16.

[Xville]

Real great sequence there carter...miss a wide open 3 by a few feet and then stand like a statue trying to take a charge when the guy started at the three point line.

[Xville]

That's like saying Xavier had the same team as last year when they improved to a one seed

Huh?

[bjf123]

Going to win this game

Seton Hall? Sure.


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[whopper]

Rhoden has had 2 layups off in bounds..discouraging. We are getting the very good Powell I have heard about. We have had two momentum opportunities and have not even close o converted on them

[Lloyd Braun]

Why even call a foul there? Did Powell’s draft knock Carter down? Refs love to be famous that’s for sure.

[stammina0721]

I would bet a lot of money Seton Hall won’t make the Sweet 16.

Bet on. Have you seen college basketball this year? You can't name me 16 teams better than Seton Hall

[KabeX]

Up to 49%/62.5% from 3 and we're still gonna lose

[stammina0721]

Rhoden has had 2 layups off in bounds..discouraging. We are getting the very good Powell I have heard about. We have had two momentum opportunities and have not even close o converted on them

And we should. You can't hope to win by hoping a guy fails. Unfortunately our two big scorers can't show up

[bjf123]

Dagger.


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[KabeX]

Up to 49%/62.5% from 3 and we're still gonna lose
Check that. We're gonna get run out of our own gym. SH is good and better days are ahead. But sigh.......

[stammina0721]

This game is lost. My question is where does Xavier get the road win to try and go .500 in conference?

[X Factor]

Our offense is brutal. Just posting up Scruggs every time and hoping he can keep making 15 foot fadeaways.

Absolutely no ball movement.

[AviatorX]

Bet on. Have you seen college basketball this year? You can't name me 16 teams better than Seton Hall

If there were a prop bet that no Big East team would make the Sweet 16, I’d be all over it.

Seton Hall has Kevin Willard on the sidelines and a mediocre offense (especially when Powell isn’t super efficient, which admittedly he often is). We’ll see in March I guess.

Willard managed to avoid the Sweet 16 with the monster tri state class they had (many of whom stayed 4 years).

[OTRMUSKIE]

We are not good and for anybody to argue that has no clue. When has X ever looked good all year? TCU was prob the most complete game and even then they started to collapse towards the end. I’m officially putting Travis on the hot seat. He has been awful!

[X Factor]

Name on positive thing Goodin has done tonight.

[Lloyd Braun]

Nice flop. Q had a good reason to be upset.

[Xville]

Defense has been pretty awful tonight, and not why we are losing but the refs have sucked ass for being the home team

[IM4X]

To beat Seton Hall you need one of two things. You need Powell to be off or you need to hit a lot of threes. Noone is going to beat them body for body inside. If X doesn't pour in threes real soon the game is over

1. Why is Carter shooting so many threes when Kyky and Scruggs are in?
2. Naji passed on giving the ball up to Scruggs who had open threes multiple times early in the game.
3. Jones needs to stay in... Freemantle is getting burned on defense.

[Xville]

We are not good and for anybody to argue that has no clue. When has X ever looked good all year? TCU was prob the most complete game and even then they started to collapse towards the end. I’m officially putting Travis on the hot seat. He has been awful!

This team could be so good if they got their head out of their ass. As far as Steele is concerned, I'll wait until this core is gone

[stammina0721]

We are not good and for anybody to argue that has no clue. When has X ever looked good all year? TCU was prob the most complete game and even then they started to collapse towards the end. I’m officially putting Travis on the hot seat. He has been awful!

You putting any coach on the hot seat in year 1.5 shows you don't have much of a clue. Last time I checked Steele isn't on the floor and he is running with a majority of Macks guys.

If any coach is on the hot seat it's Roy Williams. His quote the other day is awful. Him saying it's his lowest talented team is a cardinal sin. He has been there forever and he should be coaching his guys up way better than what he is.

Year one Steele had a bare pickings and had to fill in with a bunch of JUCO guys. Let's lay off the hot seat talk

[Xville]

Made 5 stops this half.....5. The offense has not been the problem this game. The refs have been a little insane this half against x.

[stammina0721]

My only suggestion is Steele should have gone with a 4 guard lineup. I'd have liked to see...
Goodin
Scruggs
Tandy
Naji
Tyrique/ Carter

[Xville]

6th stop!!! Let's make a run.....and then, a stupid dumb turnover...shocking

[stammina0721]

I think point is proven there. Steele has absolutely no part in Naji just tossing the ball out of bounds

[X Factor]

Fool me once...

[Xville]

Plenty of time if defense steps up

[Lloyd Braun]

It’s a dumb play by Naji but every time Powell does the fake and lean into the defender in the air it’s a travel. Once your feet are set you can’t take a step forward.

[Xville]

Aaargh needed that 3 from kyky

[stammina0721]

I will say this... Look at Powell's feet. He lands one step at a time then jumps staggered. That is a travel by definition

[Xville]

Dagger

[X Factor]

Goodin is awful.

[Xville]

There's Jones' customary dunk miss that happens once a game.

[Lloyd Braun]

Goodin actually has some sweet spots from 3. The left wing is not one of them... I would be curious to see he advanced shooting stats.

[bjf123]

There's Jones' customary dunk miss that happens once a game.

Sometimes he forgets that his arms aren’t 5 feet long.


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[Xville]

Goodin is awful.

Time for him to graduate...what does he do over the summer? It certainly cant be shooting.

[IM4X]

Scruggs is the hot hand - too many times his teammates missed feeding him when he was open from 3... too many times.

[Lloyd Braun]

Criticism I have for Travis tonight is not having a better rotation to give guys a rest. Starters are gassed

[Xville]

Couldnt make stops in the 2nd half, and when they actually did they turn it over or miss an open 3 but a mile.

[IM4X]

Scruggs... work it to Scruggs.

[stammina0721]

Dagger

I don't do this much but I agree with Thommy. The 3 pt play with 4 seconds left on the shot clock was the dagger

[Blue Blooded-05]

You putting any coach on the hot seat in year 1.5 shows you don't have much of a clue. Last time I checked Steele isn't on the floor and he is running with a majority of Macks guys.

“Mack’s guys” have 47 of our 64 points tonight. If you’re looking forward to a team full of Steele’s guys next year, I want a sip of whatever you’re drinking.

Face it, Steele lacks the je ne sais quoi of past Xavier coaches. The guy is just bland.

[Xville]

Criticism I have for Travis tonight is not having a better rotation to give guys a rest. Starters are gassed

Naji certainly is...I dont think scruggs has done enough to be gassed.

[Xville]

“Mack’s guys” have 47 of our 64 points tonight. If you’re looking forward to a team full of Steele’s guys next year, I want a sip of whatever you’re drinking.

Face it, Steele lacks the je ne sais quoi of past Xavier coaches. The guy is just bland.

Hilarious...not that I'm a fan of his but I'm sure this same post was made in Mack's first couple of years.

[X Factor]

We are so dumb!!!!!!!!!!

[Xville]

Damn scruggs...two absolutely terrible plays...could have been down 2 with 130 left. Now 8 and game prolly over.

[X Factor]

Hahaha, down 4 with a chance to cut it to 2 and we're gonna lose by 10!!!

[OTRMUSKIE]

Travis might not be playing but a good coach grabs Q and Naji and tells them to sit their ass on the bench until they can prove they have control. How many awful shots are we going to let these two take. I get Naji has won us some games but Steele has zero control over these guys since last year. I look forward to the new class coming in.

[AviatorX]

Hilarious...not that I'm a fan of his but I'm sure this same post was made in Mack's first couple of years.

1 billion percent. And likely during Miller’s as well. It would be too early to judge Steele at IU or UK, let alone at Xavier. People need to relax.

Anyone making such a statement after Xavier loses one (1) game to the team that’s picked to win the league (which is one of the best in America) is an absolute moron. There’s no way around it.

[Lloyd Braun]

Hall doesn’t deal well with the press... if we had enough bodies it would have been more effective. That’s why they suck in March too

[Strange Brew]

1 billion percent. And likely during Miller’s as well. It would be too early to judge Steele at IU or UK, let alone at Xavier. People need to relax.

Anyone making such a statement after Xavier loses one (1) game to the team that’s picked to win the league (which is one of the best in America) is an absolute moron. There’s no way around it.

Ran head first into a buzzsaw tonight. Learn and get better.

[X Factor]

Ran head first into a buzzsaw tonight. Learn and get better.

Xavier was a 3 point favorite tonight.

Xavier killed themselves again, like they always do. Stupid turnovers at the worst possible times. Bad shots.

[Xville]

I just want this team to find a way to be .500 in conference this year and then start fresh next year. I know next year will be a little bit of a struggle with most likely all of the core gone, but I'm really ready to turn the page on these guys.

[MADXSTER]

Seton Hall will win the BE

[bjf123]

Too many inconsistencies on the floor. We’re just not that good.


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[GoMuskies]

Well, we are who we thought we were.

[whopper]

all of the sudden our depth looks poor.. We need Freemantle to play 15 min and not be overmatched, and all of the sudden Moore is not to be found. Seton Hall won with a lot of guys not named Powell getting 4 and 6 points looking at the box. Damn. I can't throw much at starters and even Scruggs bad pass at end was just poor discipline but human. Creighton is now a must win at home

[GoMuskies]

For those who believe powell is an NBA player, and naji is not, I invite you to watch naji against powell tonight. That's the difference between the nba and college. In the nba, everyone is built like Naji and athletic like Naji and that is why Naji has a chance. Powell is just another great college player (love the guy in college). Not saying hes not a great player, because he is but 6'2 average athleticism doesnt translate and is a reason why he stayed all four years.

Rereading the thread and came across this from early in the game. Lol

[stammina0721]

Travis might not be playing but a good coach grabs Q and Naji and tells them to sit their ass on the bench until they can prove they have control. How many awful shots are we going to let these two take. I get Naji has won us some games but Steele has zero control over these guys since last year. I look forward to the new class coming in.

Clearly you have never coached and you dont understand players today. Bobby Knight coaching doesn't work in today's game

[Strange Brew]

I just want this team to find a way to be .500 in conference this year and then start fresh next year. I know next year will be a little bit of a struggle with most likely all of the core gone, but I'm really ready to turn the page on these guys.

Positive notes:

Team shot better
Didn’t give up
Press at the end was helpful

Negatives:
Goodin is not good at 3s
X lost

And as always....Refs suck :)

[Xville]

Seton Hall will win the BE

They will be in top 3 for sure...I think butler wins the league though. Think butler is a really bad matchup for seton hall.

[xukeith]

Clearly Seton Hall is talented and has so many weapons. They played a few tough games vs TOP talented teams. X was grasping at straws and simply not as talented. Butler vs SH for crowns of BE this year. X if lucky will be 4-6th in one darn awesome stacked league

[AviatorX]

I’ve been saying since October this is a 7-11 seed and hoped to win one tournament game. Still feel that way, but it might not be fun to watch!

[KabeX]

I still think SH is the best team in the BE. They didn't have Mamu and it didn't matter. The stats suggest a close game - they shot it better overall but we shot well (ironically exactly the same - 44.4%). Even TOs were close. But RBs weren't. You can't get out rebounded by 10 and give up 10 offensive RBs (most of which were converted) and win. They're better at this point. Question is can we fix the TO and "smartness" issue. We shall see.

[X Factor]

Positive notes:

Team shot better
Didn’t give up
Press at the end was helpful

Negatives:
Goodin is not good at 3s
X lost

And as always....Refs suck :)

Didn't give up...yay! We've heard that before this year.

[Xville]

Rereading the thread and came across this from early in the game. Lol

Powell had ten points with naji guarding him. My point is that powell would be shut down in the nba because everyone is built like Naji, and there are a lot of them so fatigue wouldnt be an issue. Powell is one hell of a college player, but so was carsen Edwards at Purdue and the guy is going to be a bench player at best in the nba.

[KFX]

The most ill disciplined team I’ve seen since the skip days. Coaching brings nothing to this team. Same mistakes game after game. Bailout one on one play, Turnovers and poor decisions. And no consequences for the players. Agree with previous poster TS may want to bench a Naj or Q after a poor decision and send the message that better decision making is needed. These guys are largely doing their own thing - Steele is at risk of losing this team to that propensity.

[GoMuskies]

I’ve been saying since October this is a 7-11 seed and hoped to win one tournament game. Still feel that way, but it might not be fun to watch!

It's going to be really hard for this team to win enough games in this Big East to make the Tournament.

[X Factor]

It's going to be really hard for this team to win enough games in this Big East to make the Tournament.

Creighton this weekend isn't going to be any kind of easy game.

[stammina0721]

This is the thing. We moved into the BE. I get the impression people have the expectation of A-10 success and that isn't a reality
We are in the toughest conference in America. We may not have name power but the Big East has tougher players than any conference in the country. Xavier will pull out some improbably road win cause it's how this conference works. I'm not worried yet this team is on Pace to be a tournament team

[GoMuskies]

Powell had ten points with naji guarding him. My point is that powell would be shut down in the nba because everyone is built like Naji, and there are a lot of them so fatigue wouldnt be an issue. Powell is one hell of a college player, but so was carsen Edwards at Purdue and the guy is going to be a bench player at best in the nba.

Powell was so much better than Naji it isn't funny. And Naji is good. If Powell has no shot, Naji better go ahead and get his passport.

[AviatorX]

It's going to be really hard for this team to win enough games in this Big East to make the Tournament.

So you think X will miss the tournament? I’d take that bet.

I don’t think they’re a threat to do any real damage, but I’ll be surprised if they aren’t there. Still gotta have 68 teams.

[AviatorX]

Powell had ten points with naji guarding him. My point is that powell would be shut down in the nba because everyone is built like Naji, and there are a lot of them so fatigue wouldnt be an issue. Powell is one hell of a college player, but so was carsen Edwards at Purdue and the guy is going to be a bench player at best in the nba.

Carsen Edwards is possibly one of the worst guys you could use to prove this point. He’s in the NBA!

[Jehoya]

I’ve been saying since October this is a 7-11 seed and hoped to win one tournament game. Still feel that way, but it might not be fun to watch!

Right now we’re looking very much like an 11 seed/ Number 1 seed in the NIT tournament.

[X Factor]

Powell was so much better than Naji it isn't funny. And Naji is good. If Powell has no shot, Naji better go ahead and get his passport.

Naji isn't in the same league as Powell. I like Naji a lot, but Powell is up there with Bluiett. I would take Trevon over Powell though.

[XUBison]

I just want this team to find a way to be .500 in conference this year and then start fresh next year. I know next year will be a little bit of a struggle with most likely all of the core gone, but I'm really ready to turn the page on these guys.

Great, so we’re back to hoping for the stupid .500 conference streak again? As far as next year, our opening starting lineup could be: Odom, Tandy, James, Carter, and Freemantle. Cant wait for that shit-fest.

[GoMuskies]

This Big East is just going to be a slog, and I don't think we're built to win enough of them at this point. I'm not saying we won't make the Tournament, because we're going to have a bunch of coin flips, and we might just get enough of them to land on our side. But I think we're underdogs at this point to make it. Minor underdogs. Like +150. And we saw tonight that +150 dogs sometimes come through with flying colors!

[GoMuskies]

Great, so we’re back to hoping for the stupid .500 conference streak again? As far as next year, our opening starting lineup could be: Odom, Tandy, James, Carter, and Freemantle. Cant wait for that shit-fest.

.500 in this year's Big East means an NCAA Tournament bid easy. So it's actually a good goal this year. 8-10 would even be close.

[stammina0721]

“Mack’s guys” have 47 of our 64 points tonight. If you’re looking forward to a team full of Steele’s guys next year, I want a sip of whatever you’re drinking.

Face it, Steele lacks the je ne sais quoi of past Xavier coaches. The guy is just bland.

And everyone said the same thing about Mack in his first few years. Remember the McKenzie class that just disappeared? That made this board explode. Steele is fine you have to give a first time coach some leash.

[stammina0721]

.500 in this year's Big East means an NCAA Tournament bid easy. So it's actually a good goal this year. 8-10 would even be close.

This... .500 in conference is an 8 seed easy

[Xville]

Powell was so much better than Naji it isn't funny. And Naji is good. If Powell has no shot, Naji better go ahead and get his passport.

You don't watch the NBA much do you

[XUBison]

Right now we’re looking very much like an 11 seed/ Number 1 seed in the NIT tournament.

this team has NIT written all over it.

[Xville]

Great, so we’re back to hoping for the stupid .500 conference streak again? As far as next year, our opening starting lineup could be: Odom, Tandy, James, Carter, and Freemantle. Cant wait for that shit-fest.

I dont care about the streak, I just think 500 gets x in the tourney which is extremely important.

[AviatorX]

And everyone said the same thing about Mack in his first few years. Remember the McKenzie class that just disappeared? That made this board explode. Steele is fine you have to give a first time coach some leash.

Do we think these teams would be better with Mack at the helm? Probably, but I think more based on just a decade of head coaching experience rather than Mack being significantly “better” than Travis. The 2018 recruiting class was already garbage before Mack left, and let’s face it, he wasn’t going to reign in Naji and have this team playing under control.

There was basically no plan in place to transition from the Bluiett/Macura era. Not a rebuild by any stretch of the imagination, but the roster construction left a lot to be desired. I’m fine with that, because they really really went for it in 2017-18, but that’s just the reality at a program like Xavier. You can’t reload completely with one recruiting class.

[GoMuskies]

You don't watch the NBA much do you

You don't have to watch the NBA to know that your post ended up looking silly, because Powell torched us.

[stammina0721]

Listen to Roy Williams pres conference... Id be more upset if that was my coach because he is basically saying my talent sucks so I give up as opposed to actual coaching ... Noone here thinks Steele isn't coaching. Roy Williams is a joke. Would you rather have him than Steele???

[stammina0721]

Do we think these teams would be better with Mack at the helm? Probably, but I think more based on just a decade of head coaching experience rather than Mack being significantly “better” than Travis. The 2018 recruiting class was already garbage before Mack left, and let’s face it, he wasn’t going to reign in Naji and have this team playing under control.

There was basically no plan in place to transition from the Bluiett/Macura era. Not a rebuild by any stretch of the imagination, but the roster construction left a lot to be desired. I’m fine with that, because they really really went for it in 2017-18, but that’s just the reality.

I disagree. The plan is in place... Look at our commits this year and the next couple. TyTy, James, and Freemantle are the equivalent of Cage, and Doellman class toughness wise but with more raw talent. With our class next year we will be rolling towards a 1 seed in a couple years

I trust in Steele he just started with a couple sophomores and a bare cupboard. Let the man build he will be the next great X coach that moves on to Duke in 2026

[AviatorX]

Listen to Roy Williams pres conference... Id be more upset if that was my coach because he is basically saying my talent sucks so I give up as opposed to actual coaching ... Noone here thinks Steele isn't coaching. Roy Williams is a joke. Would you rather have him than Steele???

Uh yeah, probably.

[Xville]

You don't have to watch the NBA to know that your post ended up looking silly, because Powell torched us.

Again, he scored ten against naji.

[GoMuskies]

Again, he scored ten against naji.

I don't think this stat makes the point you think it does.

[scoscox]

Naji ended up with 15, but went 3-10 from the field and only had 3 assists and two rebounds. not letting him get what he wanted was a big reason seton hall won.

[Xville]

I disagree. The plan is in place... Look at our commits this year and the next couple. TyTy, James, and Freemantle are the equivalent of Cage, and Doellman class toughness wise but with more raw talent. With our class next year we will be rolling towards a 1 seed in a couple years

I think he meant a plan before this years freshman class.

I agree though that with the kyky class and the odom class, the future looks bright. The parts just seem to fit better. Really need a solid 2021 class and then I think the program can stabilize and thrive under Steele. This is why I think it is so valuable to at least make the tourney this year. That, and for my own selfish reasons of wanting to watch them in march madness even if it only lasts one round

[Xville]

I don't think this stat makes the point you think it does.

If you say so...i think it says a lot especially when most of those points were when naji was fatigued and no one else on our team has the length to disrupt powell, that's not the case on nba rosters.

[XUBison]

I dont care about the streak, I just think 500 gets x in the tourney which is extremely important.

Fair enough. Regardless, last season was the one and only season that I will ever cheer for that streak as some sort of consollation.

[scoscox]

Do we think these teams would be better with Mack at the helm? Probably, but I think more based on just a decade of head coaching experience rather than Mack being significantly “better” than Travis. The 2018 recruiting class was already garbage before Mack left, and let’s face it, he wasn’t going to reign in Naji and have this team playing under control.

There was basically no plan in place to transition from the Bluiett/Macura era. Not a rebuild by any stretch of the imagination, but the roster construction left a lot to be desired. I’m fine with that, because they really really went for it in 2017-18, but that’s just the reality at a program like Xavier. You can’t reload completely with one recruiting class.

continuity is huge. we lost a shit ton in that 2014 class. bluiett, macura, sumner, omara, kanter, and gates all gone after 2018. that's an unsustainable amount of losses. Villanova lost less than we did and they're still struggling to figure it out with a hall of fame coach. On top of that, Mack leaves and we basically don't have a sophomore class, outside of dontarius. it's a tall task for a second year coach.

[XUBison]

Naji ended up with 15, but went 3-10 from the field and only had 3 assists and two rebounds. not letting him get what he wanted was a big reason seton hall won.

They must’ve had Kevin Garnett guarding him.

[Lloyd Braun]

Powell was so much better than Naji it isn't funny. And Naji is good. If Powell has no shot, Naji better go ahead and get his passport.

It’s quite possible that neither have a shot at long term NBA success. If I’m picking one I guess I will pick Powell because he has a better chance of being drafted but he is not a real good 3 point shooter and does nothing elite. He’s a liability on defense in the NBA as well.

[Xville]

I know its ridiculously early in conference play, but doesnt this kind of make the Creighton game a must win? I mean the team cant be 1-3 with two home losses...at least I dont see a way to get to 9-9 if that occurs, not in this conference this year.

[drudy23]

Game thoughts:

* More of the same - as Joe said in the postgame, this game was a microcosm of this team. One step forward, one step back.
* Our best shooters simply have to shoot more. Period. It's not happening, and I put that on coaching
* Jason Carter is always open - there's a reason for that
* Their very big dudes intimidated the hell out of everyone not named Tyrique - there was zero chance we were winning that game without extending the floor by making shots. We need shooters in this program pronto - desperately
* They shouldn't count kills, they should count dumb plays - victim of our own stupidity in so many important situations
* Freemantle and Carter were abused on defense - why no James?
* The second the game gets a little uncomfortable, Naji goes into hero ball mode
* Scruggs needs to make this his team, and Steele needs to enable it
* If KyKy isn't shooting and creating, there's no reason for him to be out there. 4 shots and 2 in the second half where he played the final 10-12 minutes - was again missed in wide open situations by guys forcing stupid plays
* Naji is no Myles Powell - MP is a stud and a 100% lock for first team Big East and probably frontrunner for POY (with Baldwin) in arguably the best conference in college basketball

[IM4X]

I still think SH is the best team in the BE. They didn't have Mamu and it didn't matter. The stats suggest a close game - they shot it better overall but we shot well (ironically exactly the same - 44.4%). Even TOs were close. But RBs weren't. You can't get out rebounded by 10 and give up 10 offensive RBs (most of which were converted) and win. They're better at this point. Question is can we fix the TO and "smartness" issue. We shall see.

As crappy as I think X played and was coached at times tonight - I do agree with you. This SH team looks like the most complete and best team in the BE. I could honestly see them reaching the final four and even having a chance of cutting down the net. Good guard play - legit bigs and possibly the best player in the BE if not the country leading them.

[XUBison]

I know its ridiculously early in conference play, but doesnt this kind of make the Creighton game a must win? I mean the team cant be 1-3 with two home losses...at least I dont see a way to get to 9-9 if that occurs, not in this conference this year.

was thinking the same thing. The Creighton game is huge.

[Blue Blooded-05]

1 billion percent. And likely during Miller’s as well. It would be too early to judge Steele at IU or UK, let alone at Xavier. People need to relax.

Anyone making such a statement after Xavier loses one (1) game to the team that’s picked to win the league (which is one of the best in America) is an absolute moron. There’s no way around it.

I don’t get the “PeOpLe PrObAbLy SaId ThAt AbOuT MaCk” people. So what if they did? You’re expecting me to not bitch about a team/coach now because someone might have preemptively bitched about a different team/coach 10 years ago?

Bitching is half the fun. None of us actually has a fvcking clue what we’re talking about. So we bitch... and it starts to make us feel better... until some pretentious keyboard warrior buzzkill calls us a moron for it.

GFY

[drudy23]

I have realistic expectations. The biggest frustration to me is that I don't think this team is living up to its own expectations. And I think fixing and changing some things could get them there. But they're not happening, mostly holding players accountable for repeated stupidity.

[Xville]

Just to be clear, and then I'll shut up about it. I was not saying naji is better than powell. What I am saying is that nba, powell is going to have a lot of trouble, if he even makes it which i think is slim.Naji has a chance due to length, physical attributes, defense etc. Anyways, it's clear many on here dont watch the nba or understand how different of a game it is vs college so I'll sign off on the topic

[IM4X]

I would bet a lot of money Seton Hall won’t make the Sweet 16.

I wouldn’t. They have a very complete team with the type of superstar senior guard who typically ends up lead his team deep in a tournament. I would not be surprised one bit if they make the final four.

[xu82]

I have realistic expectations. The biggest frustration to me is that I don't think this team is living up to its own expectations. And I think fixing and changing some things could get them there. But they're not happening, mostly holding players accountable for repeated stupidity.

I am hoping and praying we get to that point. As some other options develop, I hope we can send that message without looking like we are tanking. We need more options in order to send the message, and that’s happening to some extent.

[XUBison]

Just to be clear, and then I'll shut up about it. I was not saying naji is better than powell. What I am saying is that nba, powell is going to have a lot of trouble, if he even makes it which i think is slim.Naji has a chance due to length, physical attributes, defense etc. Anyways, it's clear many on here dont watch the nba or understand how different of a game it is vs college so I'll sign off on the topic

No, it’s just that no one here cares if Powell makes the NBA or not.

[xu82]

I wouldn’t. They have a very complete team with the type of superstar senior guard who typically ends up lead his team deep in a tournament. I would not be surprised one bit if they make the final four.


I’ll hope they make it!

Is it too much to ask that we play them there?

[drudy23]

As good as Freemantle has looked so far, he was completely over-matched tonight. SH's big guys are monsters. How do we get some of those?

[AviatorX]

I don’t get the “PeOpLe PrObAbLy SaId ThAt AbOuT MaCk” people. So what if they did? You’re expecting me to not bitch about a team/coach now because someone might have preemptively bitched about a different team/coach 10 years ago?

Bitching is half the fun. None of us actually has a fvcking clue what we’re talking about. So we bitch... and it starts to make us feel better... until some pretentious keyboard warrior buzzkill calls us a moron for it.

GFY

Jeez. No one is telling you not to bitch. Doesn’t mean we aren’t going to make fun of you when bitching morphs into horrendous takes.

As for the keyboard warrior stuff, we’re all on a college basketball message board dedicated to a middle of the road (as of now) Big East team, so don’t think anyone is coming out ahead there.

[XUBison]

As good as Freemantle has looked so far, he was completely over-matched tonight. SH's big guys are monsters. How do we get some of those?

well, we recruited a monster, but I think he’s in prison now.

[scoscox]

As good as Freemantle has looked so far, he was completely over-matched tonight. SH's big guys are monsters. How do we get some of those?

we have a mini-one on the bench redshirting

[GoMuskies]

Just to be clear, and then I'll shut up about it. I was not saying naji is better than powell. What I am saying is that nba, powell is going to have a lot of trouble, if he even makes it which i think is slim.Naji has a chance due to length, physical attributes, defense etc. Anyways, it's clear many on here dont watch the nba or understand how different of a game it is vs college so I'll sign off on the topic

It may well be true that Powell won't be an NBA player. It's just that Naji guarding him tonight has nothing to do with that point. Powell had no problem with Naji.

[GoMuskies]

Our "elite" defense is KenPom #29 post-Seton Hall. The Pirates absolutely torched us.

[scoscox]

It may well be true that Powell won't be an NBA player. It's just that Naji guarding him tonight has nothing to do with that point. Powell had no problem with Naji.

it's not like powell lit naji up. the majority of his points came without naji on him, whether it was bryce moore (who he torched unmercifully), paul scruggs, or getting layups in transition (which was a significant amount of his points). naji mostly contained him. did he shut him down? no, but he was by far the most effective defender we put on him.

powell did not beat us. he was 10-21, 2-8 from three. 24 points yes, but not exactly efficient. letting rhoden get 14, gill get 11, and mcknight get 15 is what beat us. it could be argued that the attention we paid powell allowed that to happen. One criticism i have of steele is that we laid way off of mcknight almost daring him to shoot and he made them. that made no sense to me. he's not a great shooter, but he can hit uncontested shots. not sure how that strategy benefited us and it played a big part in digging that huge hole in the first half.

[IM4X]

we have a mini-one on the bench redshirting

I want to go on record to say it was a big mistake Coach Steele for you to save Miles, when he really could have helped this team. No question he has a different skill set than Carter and even Freemantle and would beautifully compliment Jones as Hankins did last year.

He would have been very helpful tonight. Shocked Steele couldn’t see how badly someone like him (bringing his Hankins-like size and abilities) would not benefit this team enough to let the kid play. I just watch this game unfold tonight with SH’s giants and then see him sitting completely healthy and ready to go on the sidelines and think, “Really coach?” How quickly he forgets what a truly big who can block easily grab balls thrown high (which other bigs were struggling with tonight.
Burn the shirt... Burn it now!!!

[scoscox]

I want to go on record to say it was a big mistake Coach Steele for you to save Miles, when he really could have helped this team. No question he has a different skill set than Freemantle and and Carter. He would have been very helpful tonight. Shocked Steele couldn’t see how badly someone like him (bringing his Hankins-like size and abilities) would not benefit this team enough to let the kid play. I just watch this game unfold tonight with SH’s giants and then see him sitting completely healthy and ready to go on the sidelines and think, “Really coach?”

would've been nice to have him for sure, especially tonight and seems like he could've contributed. not gonna kill him for that though and, according to steele, it was miles' choice to redshirt

[SemajParlor]

powell did not beat us.

Yes he did.

[IM4X]

I’ll hope they make it!

Is it too much to ask that we play them there?

Maybe right now it is... If Steele Is not walking these players through every single bad possession of the game and pointing out what they did wrong and what they should have done, he needs to be. We all keep talking about repeated stupid mistakes. The coach needs to own some responsibility- and change his approach until he gets through. I would love to see more Scruggs and Kyky and Naji and Jones and James. That combination seemed to click a bit in the SJ’s game. It is so painfully obvious that Kyky and Scruggs need to be shooting more from 3... not Q... not Carter and not Naji (though I don’t mind him taking a few when he is making other shots).

[IM4X]

would've been nice to have him for sure, especially tonight and seems like he could've contributed. not gonna kill him for that though and, according to steele, it was miles' choice to redshirt

Sure it was.

You mean Steele convinced him it was in his best interest to make his own decision to redshirt.

Travis can talk about all of the Farr and Love comparisons he wants, but this kid was a little more ready and Steele even admitted he has been progressing at a scary fast pace.

The ONLY reason I would consider redshirting him if I were Steele, is if I knew 100% that Naji and Scruggs were both coming back. Even then, I would have trouble redshirting him, knowing he could be a difference maker in some games and big time difference maker towards the end of the season.

[AviatorX]

I want to go on record to say it was a big mistake Coach Steele for you to save Miles, when he really could have helped this team. No question he has a different skill set than Carter and even Freemantle and would beautifully compliment Jones as Hankins did last year.

He would have been very helpful tonight. Shocked Steele couldn’t see how badly someone like him (bringing his Hankins-like size and abilities) would not benefit this team enough to let the kid play. I just watch this game unfold tonight with SH’s giants and then see him sitting completely healthy and ready to go on the sidelines and think, “Really coach?” How quickly he forgets what a truly big who can block easily grab balls thrown high (which other bigs were struggling with tonight.
Burn the shirt... Burn it now!!!

I think you are vastly overrating Miles. It was the least surprising redshirt of all time. In fact, redshirt talk started about 5 minutes after he committed. Chances are he won’t be a huge contributor next season either.

[bleedXblue]

When does t start to become indicative of the coach? These guys aren't together enough, don't play hard enough, don't value the ball enough. Seton Hall is very good. But man we just don't seem like a team that has everyone on the same page.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

Game thoughts:

* More of the same - as Joe said in the postgame, this game was a microcosm of this team. One step forward, one step back.
* Our best shooters simply have to shoot more. Period. It's not happening, and I put that on coaching
* Jason Carter is always open - there's a reason for that
* Their very big dudes intimidated the hell out of everyone not named Tyrique - there was zero chance we were winning that game without extending the floor by making shots. We need shooters in this program pronto - desperately
* They shouldn't count kills, they should count dumb plays - victim of our own stupidity in so many important situations
* Freemantle and Carter were abused on defense - why no James?
* The second the game gets a little uncomfortable, Naji goes into hero ball mode
* Scruggs needs to make this his team, and Steele needs to enable it
* If KyKy isn't shooting and creating, there's no reason for him to be out there. 4 shots and 2 in the second half where he played the final 10-12 minutes - was again missed in wide open situations by guys forcing stupid plays
* Naji is no Myles Powell - MP is a stud and a 100% lock for first team Big East and probably frontrunner for POY (with Baldwin) in arguably the best conference in college basketball

This sums it up well. And, this is the team we have seen pretty much all year. I hope things get better but halfway through the season, I don't think I can expect it. At this point, I would be happy to see X go .500 in B.E. and make the Big Dance. That, to me, would be an outstanding year. I hope they can do it!

We all put a lot of faith in the returning Core Four and, as a result, this team was over-rated at the season start. The performance of this group has been O.K. but inconsistent. And, there really isn't much of a bench. My sense from afar (and it is from very far away and perhaps inaccurate) is that Steele hasn't connected with these guys. They don't seem to want to execute what he talks about and Steele, to me, seems to talk to this team through his press conferences. I watch him on the sidelines and when a player makes a dumb turnover, you can read his lips saying something along the lines of "that was f*****g stupid!". But apparently, he doesn't confront or connect with these players because they do it again and then, again.

Coaching + game management is under whelming. A more veteran coach (perhaps like Willard) would be able to squeeze more out of this team, I think, but, it is debatable as to how much more. How coachable are our veterans? I can't really tell.

So, Steele isn't a great coach at this point in his career. Maybe he's not even a good coach. But, let's take him off the hot seat. The guy is young (mid thirties to me is young). And, he needs to grow into this job---every coach does. There are few great college coaches that I can think of, that haven't spent years at their craft and mostly at the same place (or just a couple of places). A lot of coaches we now consider to among the best, had some rough years early on. It is going to painful to watch this year and next (and maybe the year after, too). Right now, he doesn't seem to have total control of this team and his game planning and in-game decision making have not been effective.

But, I think Steele will get there. He apparently has the energy and work ethic. That's a good base. Let's make a long term investment in him and, we can all hope, he gets this program back to an elite level in the B.E. We don't want X to always be a stepping stone to a big coaching job. We need to give Steele some breathing room, let him grow + develop as a coach and hopefully that pays big dividends in a few years.

[Xavier]

When does t start to become indicative of the coach? These guys aren't together enough, don't play hard enough, don't value the ball enough. Seton Hall is very good. But man we just don't seem like a team that has everyone on the same page.

I will disagree with this point. I actually think this team fights as hard as any recent team I can remember. Always feel like they take big punches and a few minutes later they have cut the lead to 6ish. Happened a lot against Nova, we kept battling back and then nova would go on a mini run where in years past we would fold but we kept pushing and playing hard. It is one of the few things I have thought Steele has done well with- team plays pretty hard. They just aren't the smartest/talented team.

[Blue Blooded-05]

Anyone know what’s up with Moore? The guy was supposed to be a Stanley-esque defender, which would be perfect in conference this year against guys like Powell, Baldwin and Howard. I keep hearing he’s injured, yet he still seems to log 10 uninspiring minutes per game. Is this a lingering injury from the past that’ll continue or a new one that is expected to heal up over time?

Naji defending Powell was not ideal. They conceded the 3 to Q (per the usual) and conceded everything to Carter (nice new wrinkle). By the 2nd half our offense featured a gassed Naji, Q/Carter uncovered and 2 defenders to collapsing on Scruggs and Ty at all times. Not a good sign when your best offensive play is a Scruggs fade away.

[scoscox]

Yes he did.

letting powell score three points above his average didn't beat us. letting rhoden and gill double their averages and mcknight hitting 3 threes is what beat us

[drudy23]

When does t start to become indicative of the coach? These guys aren't together enough, don't play hard enough, don't value the ball enough. Seton Hall is very good. But man we just don't seem like a team that has everyone on the same page.

This is where I'm at.

Different story if this was year one, but there's been time for improvement. Not saying it should be perfect, but it should be better. It's not.

The coach is accountable to that.

[AviatorX]

I think this team plays extremely hard (pointing to a play here or there where someone got out hustled doesn't change that). Might be sour grapes at this point, but to me it felt like Mack teams had a tendency to pack it in (especially on the road) when things went south. Granted, things didn't go south very often in Mack's last season. Team 98 fights harder than a lot of X teams in recent memory, in my opinion.

No argument from me with respect to cohesiveness and valuing the ball. I personally think this is 95% a roster construction issue as opposed to a lack of respect for Steele, Steele not having a voice in the locker room, etc.. I understand if some want to point to Steele on roster construction (or these issues as a whole), but personally I'm going to let him turn the roster over once in full before I go down that road. If the 2019 and 2020 classes are having similar issues when they're running the show together (accounting for youth obviously), it's a different conversation.

I'm a firm believe in "it's not the X's and O's, but the Jimmies and Joes." X is in a weird spot roster-wise. Xavier has several very very good players, but if we did a Big East fantasy draft where you had to play real basketball games with your team, no one would put this roster together.

[bleedXblue]

I will disagree with this point. I actually think this team fights as hard as any recent team I can remember. Always feel like they take big punches and a few minutes later they have cut the lead to 6ish. Happened a lot against Nova, we kept battling back and then nova would go on a mini run where in years past we would fold but we kept pushing and playing hard. It is one of the few things I have thought Steele has done well with- team plays pretty hard. They just aren't the smartest/talented team.

Playing hard ALL of the TIME. There is no sense of urgency. No "we are going to impose our will". Scruggs and Goodin have both gotten off to very slow starts the last 2 games. Do we have have a pace or tone setter? I just dont see it. This team has a talent deficit and the only way to beat teams like SH, Nova etc is by executing better and winning more 50-50 balls than them. Every possession counts. Did you see the rebounding deficit last night. Isn't rebounding 90% effort?

[xukeith]

Maybe. SH's interior post players intimidated all inside shots. Lots of floating balloons over 7'3" guys arms to then clank.
Even next year when X has D. Miles, he probably needs a 1/2 year to learn playing against D1 styles and speed. I think X is on the 3-5 year plan for something big.
It took Willard 10 years to assemble this SH team. We shall see.

[JTG]

Just to be clear, and then I'll shut up about it. I was not saying naji is better than powell. What I am saying is that nba, powell is going to have a lot of trouble, if he even makes it which i think is slim.Naji has a chance due to length, physical attributes, defense etc. Anyways, it's clear many on here dont watch the nba or understand how different of a game it is vs college so I'll sign off on the topic

I think the issue with most on here is, we don't care what these guys do in the NBA. We care how they perform at X. If they're great here and never get drafted, I'm still thrilled. Unless they come here to Indy with the Pacers, ala Sumner, I don't pay attention. I wish them the best but, I care what they do during their time at X.

[Xville]

I think the issue with most on here is, we don't care what these guys do in the NBA. We care how they perform at X. If they're great here and never get drafted, I'm still thrilled. Unless they come here to Indy with the Pacers, ala Sumner, I don't pay attention. I wish them the best but, I care what they do during their time at X.

Not going to tell you how to feel, but guys making it to the nba out of x is a really big deal recruiting wise. Think it is a huge feather in a coach's cap to say " player x,y,z played here and they are on rosters" not saying that is the end all be all, but I think as fans of the school, we want as many players drafted and on rosters as possible.

[AviatorX]

Not going to tell you how to feel, but guys making it to the nba out of x is a really big deal recruiting wise. Think it is a huge feather in a coach's cap to say " player x,y,z played here and they are on rosters" not saying that is the end all be all, but I think as fans of the school, we want as many players drafted and on rosters as possible.

Agreed. And this is an area where X is severely lacking as compared to similarly situated programs, which is another reason why it's so frustrating that it seems a decent percentage of X guys don't exhaust their eligibility.

[JTG]

As far as game planning goes, if we are going to play balls to the wall defense, we need to use more of the roster. If Naji has more of a blow, he can be more effective. I think at the end of games our core four are gassed. Tell these guys that when they are in the game to play all out, all the time. Tell them, they will get a blow, and be expected when they return to play all out. Also, whether ahead or behind, use all your time outs just as a tool to rest your players. You don't get any points for having leftover time outs at the half, or the end of the game.
Also I'm surprised the addition of Matt Graves to the staff hasn't had more of an effect. He spent some time with Brad Stevens at Butler. An as much as I can't stand Butler, Stevens was a coaching genius. Those 2 teams he took to the FF's had no business making it to the Sweet Sixteen. They mostly outsmarted people, (something this X team will NEVER be accused of).

[GIMMFD]

Our "elite" defense is KenPom #29 post-Seton Hall. The Pirates absolutely torched us.

Yikes, I don't really know what to chalk it up to, Seton Hall just really exposed some glaring problems, some things you'd expect to be fixed by now. This team has a lot of deficiencies, really miss having a Trevon or JP that could set the tone to be honest. It'll be interesting to see how Big East play turns out, watch they're going to end up having a worldie against Creighton, and it's just going to lead to more frustration and confusion

[GoMuskies]

Those 2 teams he took to the FF's had no business making it to the Sweet Sixteen. They mostly outsmarted people

Why isn't PMI around anymore to remind us that those Butler teams really just outlucked people (two years in a row....all the way to the championship game)?

[xudash]

Am I over simplifying this?

We couldn't keep them honest from outside.

When we went inside we were going up against Sequoia trees.

And then mix in some bad defense - or overwhelmed defense - and stupid decisions.

Frankly, Seton Hall appeared to simply be a more talented, gifted team. They were the preseason pick for the BE for a reason.

[GoMuskies]

On the "we are who we are" front, it's interesting to note that Xavier is one of four teams who truly are exactly what their results show so far according to KenPom. Yes, we are one of four teams with luck = .000. New Mexico State, Houston and FAU join us in that austere group.

[AviatorX]

Why isn't PMI around anymore to remind us that those Butler teams really just outlucked people (two years in a row....all the way to the championship game)?

The way they won the first round game against Old Dominion (and second round game against Pitt) the second year was absolutely absurd. They should have lost in the first round.

[GoMuskies]

With PMI gone, I'm glad we've still got at least one remaining rider on the Butler Luck Train.

[drudy23]

As far as game planning goes, if we are going to play balls to the wall defense, we need to use more of the roster. If Naji has more of a blow, he can be more effective. I think at the end of games our core four are gassed. Tell these guys that when they are in the game to play all out, all the time. Tell them, they will get a blow, and be expected when they return to play all out.


This is a solid point.

And why do we never use the "small" lineup to generate our own pressure? KyKy, Paul, Naji, and Scruggs could do some damage in a half-court or full court press. Obviously, you can't do that the whole game, but use their strength and length against smaller guards. I'm thinking of the West Virginia teams a few years back.

Use more of the roster and let these guys loose. Steele praised James' defense the previous game, then barely used him against big dudes even after it was obvious Freemantle and Carter were lost.

[xudash]

With PMI gone, I'm glad we've still got at least one remaining rider on the Butler Luck Train.

Oh, you have two in that category.

Butler was every bit the little engine that could, notwithstanding Heyseed and his cast.

Hell, we took out KSU for them via the 2OT game.

[Muskie]

Am I over simplifying this?

We couldn't keep them honest from outside.

When we went inside we were going up against Sequoia trees.

And then mix in some bad defense - or overwhelmed defense - and stupid decisions.

Frankly, Seton Hall appeared to simply be a more talented, gifted team. They were the preseason pick for the BE for a reason.

Their inside ability really exacerbated our struggles to hit outside shots.

[GoMuskies]

Their inside ability really exacerbated our struggles to hit outside shots.

Yeah, when they started blocking everything we tried in the paint in the first half, I thought we might literally lose by 30. Glad we found a way to get some scoring despite the trees.

[American X]

I double-dog dare Seton Hall to shoot that well in March.

Do we track the correlation between the other team hitting a three and Naji responding with hero ball?

[GIMMFD]

This is a solid point.

And why do we never use the "small" lineup to generate our own pressure? KyKy, Paul, Naji, and Scruggs could do some damage in a half-court or full court press. Obviously, you can't do that the whole game, but use their strength and length against smaller guards. I'm thinking of the West Virginia teams a few years back.

Use more of the roster and let these guys loose. Steele praised James' defense the previous game, then barely used him against big dudes even after it was obvious Freemantle and Carter were lost.

Press Virginia did do an all game full court press, and that was because the roster was very deficient in shooting (sound familiar), that's a pretty interesting idea to be honest, we do have good length, but if there's a team that's fundamentally efficient they'll break the press.

[scoscox]

we don't need to do it all game, but i think we should mix it in a little more in random spurts in the game, rather than just in desperation mode. we had a tough time getting over the hump last night. maybe pressing occasionally more throughout the game could've helped "boost" a run if you will and get us closer to coming back. i think it's probably worth a try

[drudy23]

There just seems to be some logical things this team could be trying to try to generate some consistent offense knowing the lack of shooting ability. It pretty much seems like we're going to ride this out and I can see Steele saying something like "these are my guys" and changing nothing. This is a complete guess, but it feels like he's more concerned with managing fragile egos and his relationships than he is with trying to do what it takes to win.

Increase half and full court pressure to lead to easy buckets. Play multiple bigs at once to space the better open up shooters. Ensure best shooters are getting and shooting the most shots.

What is Steele doing to maximize performance of his team besides just saying "this is unacceptable"? Nothing is changing.

[scoscox]

There just seems to be some logical things this team could be trying to try to generate some consistent offense knowing the lack of shooting ability. It pretty much seems like we're going to ride this out and I can see Steele saying something like "these are my guys" and changing nothing. This is a complete guess, but it feels like he's more concerned with managing fragile egos and his relationships than he is with trying to do what it takes to win.

Increase half and full court pressure to lead to easy buckets. Play multiple bigs at once to space the better open up shooters. Ensure best shooters are getting and shooting the most shots.

What is Steele doing to maximize performance of his team besides just saying "this is unacceptable"? Nothing is changing.

this the same steele that just let a kid transfer because he wasn't giving him token playing time in some of our toughest games of the year?

[drudy23]

this the same steele that just let a kid transfer because he wasn't giving him token playing time in some of our toughest games of the year?

Really just referring to the Naji, Paul, and Q dynamic which has never clicked. Feels like he can't disrupt that core for fear of losing the team. Like I said, I could be 100% wrong, but it kind of feels that way. Mostly because nothing seems to be changing.

[IM4X]

And why do we never use the "small" lineup to generate our own pressure? KyKy, Paul, Naji, and Scruggs could do some damage in a half-court or full court press. Obviously, you can't do that the whole game, but use their strength and length against smaller guards. I'm thinking of the West Virginia teams a few years back.

Use more of the roster and let these guys loose. Steele praised James' defense the previous game, then barely used him against big dudes even after it was obvious Freemantle and Carter were lost.

This is great post!

I would love to see this in action.

[IM4X]

we don't need to do it all game, but i think we should mix it in a little more in random spurts in the game, rather than just in desperation mode. we had a tough time getting over the hump last night. maybe pressing occasionally more throughout the game could've helped "boost" a run if you will and get us closer to coming back. i think it's probably worth a try

agree.

[scoscox]

Really just referring to the Naji, Paul, and Q dynamic which has never clicked. Feels like he can't disrupt that core for fear of losing the team. Like I said, I could be 100% wrong, but it kind of feels that way. Mostly because nothing seems to be changing.

maybe to some extent. he also just doesn't have a lot of alternatives

[SemajParlor]

letting powell score three points above his average didn't beat us. letting rhoden and gill double their averages and mcknight hitting 3 threes is what beat us

Powell dominated the game. When it wasn't scoring himself it was the attention he drew to allow Rhoden Gill and McKnight to kill us. He's the best player in the conference and put a clinic on how to control the game.

[Olsingledigit]

I agree. We simply do not have a dominating player like Powell.

[GIMMFD]

we don't need to do it all game, but i think we should mix it in a little more in random spurts in the game, rather than just in desperation mode. we had a tough time getting over the hump last night. maybe pressing occasionally more throughout the game could've helped "boost" a run if you will and get us closer to coming back. i think it's probably worth a try

No I definitely agree that if we did it in spurts it would add a dimension to our game, fun to keep opposition on their toes, but you're definitely right, we have the length, I just never made the connection, sad to say watching WVU play relatively often, but I think it's a damn good idea.

[Juice]

I agree. We simply do not have a dominating player like Powell.

No one does. He's one of the best players in the country.


Player kPOY
Rating
1
Vernon Carey, Duke
6-10 · 270 · Fr · Southwest Ranches, FL 1.766

2
Devon Dotson, Kansas
6-2 · 185 · So · Charlotte, NC 1.641

3
Jordan Nwora, Louisville
6-7 · 225 · Jr · Buffalo, NY 1.523

4
Luka Garza, Iowa
6-11 · 260 · Jr · Washington, DC 1.477

5
Kaleb Wesson, Ohio St.
6-9 · 270 · Jr · Westerville, OH 1.467

6
Markus Howard, Marquette
5-11 · 180 · Sr · Chandler, AZ 1.413

7
Cassius Winston, Michigan St.
6-1 · 185 · Sr · Detroit, MI 1.361

8
Obi Toppin, Dayton
6-9 · 220 · So · Ossining, NY 1.349

9
Myles Powell, Seton Hall
6-2 · 195 · Sr · Trenton, NJ 1.321

10
Payton Pritchard, Oregon
6-2 · 190 · Sr · West Linn, OR 1.276


He's 9th on KenPom in his player of the year standings.