Andy Katz 2021 NCAA Field of 68

[JTG]

Katz does not even consider X to be play in worthy. 2 of the play in teams are St Johns and UC. I know we're young, but I think we have a decent shot of making the field. A team with everyone on the same page, better shooting,lots of new talent, some veteran leadership. I think we have a good chance. What say the rest of you ?

[Xavier]

I wouldn't say we have a good chance. I guess 50/50 right on the bubble. Honestly just hope to see some sings of good coaching, better offense, etc. Need to find and see something in Coach Steele this year to get me believing he can take X places.

[XUGRAD80]

Just to many unknowns at this point and no real absolutes, can’t call it. There is really nothing you can point to and know for sure that X will be good in that area. I can absolutely see why few, of any, of the prognosticators are putting X in the field at this point. But as I’ve said in the past when X was highly rated, preseason rankings mean almost nothing. They will have 23 opportunities (at least) to prove their worth.

[IM4X]

More than any other season over the past decade, this season might be the hardest for an X fan (at least for me) to be offended for not being included in someone’s preseason list of top teams. We lost two crucial players who were top scorers AND rebounders form a team that was only on the bubble for the NCAA tournament and we don’t have proven BE level players coming in to replace them.

That’s not to say the bigs coming back this year together with the incoming transfers can’t prove to be special as a group. We just don’t know what we’ve got yet until these guys play together against competition.

I’ll admit, I was having serious trouble seeing how our front court could possibly be as good as last year’s without our two best defensive stoppers. Let’s remember that Freemantle and Carter struggled quite a bit at times trying to guard opponents in the paint). I do see real potential though (with all of the extra bodies), but that’s all it is at this point. Let’s hope we get a few of the big fellas - whether it’s the transfers or those who didn’t play last year - stepping up big time this season.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

I don't know. Its easy to understand the above posts. There ARE a bunch of unknowns, And, even though it seems like there is a great deal of new talent (which we all are excited to see) it takes time for that talent to become a team---maybe most of the season.

Still, to use a cliché, basketball is a team game. Most of us who come to this board appreciate that. I'm interested in more than wins and losses. Quality of play is important to me. At times last year, I absolutely wanted to puke watching this team play. The horribly stupid shots launched by our P.G., Naji forcing up low percentage efforts, the lack of ball movement, etc.

I predict (and really, really hope) the returning players will jell quickly with the many new additions and we will see a better team effort. Watching the transfers try to integrate over the last couple of seasons, its clear that it takes time for newcomers to blend in, Still, I'll be disappointed in both the returnees and especially in Steele if we don't see better ball sharing, more discipline and a more spirited defensive effort (not that our defense really sucked last year) If this group plays as a team, without the selfishness and blockheadedness of last year, I will still be pretty interested. And, they may surprise us---I choose to believe they will.

If X is going to return to the elite ranks of the Big East, we should signs of it soon---newcomers not withstanding. In that sense, I view this season as critical. Not win or or place in the top three of the conference but surprise us with the type of play described above, win some clutch games (which maybe they weren't supposed to win) play strong opponents tough on the road, even it the result is an "L"----demonstrate their potential and restore enthusiasm to this fan base. But, if we see too much of the play we saw last year, that, I think, falls on Steele.

[Xuperman]

C'mon now, we have 4 proven starters, and I would be shocked if any of the 4 digress this year stat wise. In fact, I'm thinking that all 4 make a considerable jump in numbers. This is Scruggy's team now and IMO he will be the best player on the floor most days....around 16/17 ppg with the added LOCK DOWN D ALWAYS. All we need is at least 3 of the other 8 to make significant contributions and we will be very competitive with a legitimate shot at 10 BE wins.

This is a good start. :logo:
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2020/9/29/21493929/dwan-odom-can-jump-over-your-car-xavier-basketball
(They spelled his name wrong. :nah:)

[XUGRAD80]

Other than Scruggs, who has proven what? Not saying that there is not potential, and I feel that at least a couple of the young returners will turn out to be VERY good players before it’s all said and done. But really at this point, what have they actually proven? All of the returning players were inconsistent at best last year, all of them have many areas they need to improve upon, and we still don’t know if they are going to have anyone that is a consistent outside threat, let alone 2-3 of them. Inexperienced and youth is certainly another obstacle that they will need to overcome. Maybe the transfers and freshman will make a huge difference, maybe. But there no way of knowing at this point, is there? I love your optimism, but iMO it needs to be tempered with reality and some caution.

[Xuperman]

Other than Scruggs, who has proven what?

So you don't think that Tandy, Freemantle and Carter PROVED they can produce in this league? I think a Senior Carter will be vastly improved in all areas. Obviously Coach Steele loves the guy based on his usage, and in support, Wilcher was quoted as saying he had no idea "that Carter guy was THAT good". Also, KyKy/Free both have a chance to score 10+ simply based on more PT.

Of course Scruggs MUST take it to the next level and keep pace with Gillespie/Z statistically AND provide their level of leadership, or all bets are off. Paired with Carter the experience box is checked and we have 2 of the best underclassmen in the league to provide a strong nucleus.

If these four can stay healthy (big if), and 1 of the other 8 can emerge as an effective 5th starter, that's enough talent to get multiple wins against DU, GU, BU, SJU, MU, UConn. IMO enough to sweep a few of them and good enough to take care of business at home vs some of the top tier, so there is a very doable path to 10 wins.

[Xville]

So you don't think that Tandy, Freemantle and Carter PROVED they can produce in this league? I think a Senior Carter will be vastly improved in all areas. Obviously Coach Steele loves the guy based on his usage, and in support, Wilcher was quoted as saying he had no idea "that Carter guy was THAT good". Also, KyKy/Free both have a chance to score 10+ simply based on more PT.

Of course Scruggs MUST take it to the next level and keep pace with Gillespie/Z statistically AND provide their level of leadership, or all bets are off. Paired with Carter the experience box is checked and we have 2 of the best underclassmen in the league to provide a strong nucleus.

If these four can stay healthy (big if), and 1 of the other 8 can emerge as an effective 5th starter, that's enough talent to get multiple wins against DU, GU, BU, SJU, MU, UConn. IMO enough to sweep a few of them and good enough to take care of business at home vs some of the top tier, so there is a very doable path to 10 wins.

I didnt see anything from carter last year that showed he could produce in the big east...he was garbage last year. Dont care what wilcher said about a guy in practice...anthony Coleman looked like a world beater in practice. Carter needs to make a big jump to prove he isnt anything but a mac player.

[XUGRAD80]

The underclass man have proved they CAN...they haven’t proven they WILL. Until they actually do CONSISTENTLY, it’s just potential and wishful thinking. I don’t think that Carter has even proven that he can. Doesn’t mean he won’t, and I certainly hope he does. There have been way to many times over the last few years where an X player disappeared for a half, an entire game, or even for a week at a time. They also haven’t had a very good bench, have they? What happens when a starting player comes up sick, or hurt, or gets into foul trouble? All of those things are bound to happen at some time. Right now there is nobody that we can point to and KNOW that they can fill in adequately for any of the players mentioned in the above post. I’m not trying to be negative, I’m only saying that we should temper our optimism with a dose of reality.

I many times feel that the dissatisfaction some feel with the coaching is based upon unrealistic judgment of the abilities of the players, especially the judgment of those players based solely upon their possible potential. Further driving this is when that judgment of their abilities is based upon how high they were ranked in the recruiting rankings, how many stars they were given, or what highlight reels from their HS years, someone has seen, or how well they did in 1-2 games the prior year.

Potential don’t feed the bulldog!

X won 19 games last year and lost what % of its scoring and rebounding from that group? It’s got one player that averaged 12 points a game coming back, and 3 players that averaged 7 points a game coming back. That’s only 33 points a game coming back. Unless those players have big jumps AND X finds another 30+ points a game from the newcomers, they are going to continue to struggle to score points. Now you might say that they only need those players to score 3-4 points more per game, but that is a 25-45% increase in production per players, and that’s a lot of increase for one year. IMO they need at least 4 players that can be counted on to give 10 points a game, consistently. Right now they only have 1...Scruggs.....that has proven that they can do that. The rest is only potential at this point.

[MHettel]

I think I'll weigh in on Jason Carter.

He had a productive Freshman year at Ohio U. Part time starter playing 20 minutes and getting 10 & 6.5. Nothing notable about his assist, blocks and steals (.6 each). Turnovers and fouls were fine (1.2 & 2.3). He did shoot 58% from 2. 3 pt shooting was 21% on 1.4 attempts per game.

Had a Redshirt injury year, and then came back improved. 31 mpg and notched 16.5 & 6.7. His rebounds didn't quite reflect the increased minutes. Blocks, Steals and Assist were still negligible. TOs and Fouls were not a problem still. Increased his 3PT% to .343 on 2.2 APG, and saw a dip in 2PT% to .511. But overall. No doubt that he posted solid number his second year, characterized as "Efficient Production."

None of that translated to XU as a Junior. Essentially the same minutes played as his second year, and his PPG dropped by almost 10 (56% drop in PPM)!. Rebounds dropped by almost 2. 2PT% dropped to .436, and 3PT% dropped to .317. But the real observation is the drop in his shot attempts. His 2PT attempts dropped to 4.4 per game from 9.9. His 3 attempts stayed pretty consistent (2.0 vs. 2.2). Therefore his ratio of 3PT attempts was higher, and it dragged his overall FG% down to .399. FT attempts also suffered badly. Down to 1.7PG vs. 5.7 the prior year. Easy to conclude that last year was a disappointment. He was neither efficient or productive.

But why??? I have to believe his status as the "new guy" trying to earn some productive minutes was really hampered by the so called "Core 4." Carter's stats at OU suggested he was fed the ball down low and converted well or got to the line. He spent time down low. That was Tyrique's spot on this team, ands there wasn't a lot of space or a bunch of extra rebounds to be had when he was in the game. Naji was a ballhog, and Goodin couldn't run an offense that had enough ball movement to free up a player for an easy bucket. In my mind, Scruggs was even deprived of his fair share of offensive touches, settling for 3rd option on the perimeter. So Carter settles in as the 4th option on the perimeter, and the 2nd option down low. The crappy 3Pt Shooting overall meant that Carter had the green light whereas on another team, he'd be a guy that CAN make a 3, but largely rationed the attempts to end-of-shot-clock or wide open opportunities. Carter was jacking up threes at times because he simply WANTED to get some action offensively.

So, I don't think Carter played well, but I do think he was largely hindered by the players around him. I think the mix of guys this year will result in a much more balanced stat sheet. I don't think anyone gets more than 12-13 points per game. Scruggs, Free, Carter and Tandy will all play prominent roles. Miles may play some minutes for defensive purposes. Early hype on the 3 Freshman suggest that it's gonna be hard to keep them off the floor. Then Ramsey. And what, 2 or 3 transfers that can play? I see deep rotations.

I don't expect Carter to play 30 minutes again. And I don't even expect 10 PPG. But I do expect his 2PT attempts per minute to increase, as well as his 2PT%. I kind of expect his 3PTA to drop a little as well, just due to the new shooters on the team. Overall expectations is a return to "efficient production" for Carter.

[whopper]

good analysis..he is working on his body. I saw real pain on his face last year with his play and (hard to say but true) a white US born player coming in as a transfer is a target for the other team to see if he can defend and rebound so there is extra pressure and it may have been too much. Sad thing is his BEST game was the last game against Butler where he has 17 pts, zero turnovers and outplayed McDermott significantly (who i liked a lot) only Baldwins shot killed it. If we win game Carter best game gets us in tournament w/20 win and .500 BE(which never happened anyway). Also had good game against Seton Hall and beat the big shot blocker a couple of time so it can be done

[Xuperman]

I didnt see anything from carter last year that showed he could produce in the big east...he was garbage last year.

Man, you are harsh! The jump in competition alone gives the guy a pass. He is well acclimated now and physically able to excel in this league.

Do you not trust the confidence that Coach has already displayed?

[Xuperman]

I think I'll weigh in on Jason Carter.

He had a productive Freshman year at Ohio U. Part time starter playing 20 minutes and getting 10 & 6.5. Nothing notable about his assist, blocks and steals (.6 each). Turnovers and fouls were fine (1.2 & 2.3). He did shoot 58% from 2. 3 pt shooting was 21% on 1.4 attempts per game.

Had a Redshirt injury year, and then came back improved. 31 mpg and notched 16.5 & 6.7. His rebounds didn't quite reflect the increased minutes. Blocks, Steals and Assist were still negligible. TOs and Fouls were not a problem still. Increased his 3PT% to .343 on 2.2 APG, and saw a dip in 2PT% to .511. But overall. No doubt that he posted solid number his second year, characterized as "Efficient Production."

None of that translated to XU as a Junior. Essentially the same minutes played as his second year, and his PPG dropped by almost 10 (56% drop in PPM)!. Rebounds dropped by almost 2. 2PT% dropped to .436, and 3PT% dropped to .317. But the real observation is the drop in his shot attempts. His 2PT attempts dropped to 4.4 per game from 9.9. His 3 attempts stayed pretty consistent (2.0 vs. 2.2). Therefore his ratio of 3PT attempts was higher, and it dragged his overall FG% down to .399. FT attempts also suffered badly. Down to 1.7PG vs. 5.7 the prior year. Easy to conclude that last year was a disappointment. He was neither efficient or productive.

But why??? I have to believe his status as the "new guy" trying to earn some productive minutes was really hampered by the so called "Core 4." Carter's stats at OU suggested he was fed the ball down low and converted well or got to the line. He spent time down low. That was Tyrique's spot on this team, ands there wasn't a lot of space or a bunch of extra rebounds to be had when he was in the game. Naji was a ballhog, and Goodin couldn't run an offense that had enough ball movement to free up a player for an easy bucket. In my mind, Scruggs was even deprived of his fair share of offensive touches, settling for 3rd option on the perimeter. So Carter settles in as the 4th option on the perimeter, and the 2nd option down low. The crappy 3Pt Shooting overall meant that Carter had the green light whereas on another team, he'd be a guy that CAN make a 3, but largely rationed the attempts to end-of-shot-clock or wide open opportunities. Carter was jacking up threes at times because he simply WANTED to get some action offensively.

So, I don't think Carter played well, but I do think he was largely hindered by the players around him. I think the mix of guys this year will result in a much more balanced stat sheet. I don't think anyone gets more than 12-13 points per game. Scruggs, Free, Carter and Tandy will all play prominent roles. Miles may play some minutes for defensive purposes. Early hype on the 3 Freshman suggest that it's gonna be hard to keep them off the floor. Then Ramsey. And what, 2 or 3 transfers that can play? I see deep rotations.

I don't expect Carter to play 30 minutes again. And I don't even expect 10 PPG. But I do expect his 2PT attempts per minute to increase, as well as his 2PT%. I kind of expect his 3PTA to drop a little as well, just due to the new shooters on the team. Overall expectations is a return to "efficient production" for Carter.

This is spot on.....I am quickly becoming a fan of your posts!

[94GRAD]

I didn't see anything from carter last year that showed he could produce in the big east...he was garbage last year. Don't care what Wilcher said about a guy in practice.Anthony Coleman looked like a world-beater in practice. Carter needs to make a big jump to prove he isn't anything but a mac player.

Fixed that for you.

This is a MAC-level post! I'm positive you've never been to a single practice to comment who world-beaters are. Jason was asked to play his role and did to perfection. He was the fourth scoring option and play great defense against who he was guarding. He will be asked to do more this year and will. Your assessent of his game is garbage!

[Xville]

Fixed that for you.

This is a MAC-level post! I'm positive you've never been to a single practice to comment who world-beaters are. Jason was asked to play his role and did to perfection. He was the fourth scoring option and play great defense against who he was guarding. He will be asked to do more this year and will. Your assessent of his game is garbage!

Lol keep slurping. Sorry to say mean things about your boy, Ms. Carter.

[Xville]

Man, you are harsh! The jump in competition alone gives the guy a pass. He is well acclimated now and physically able to excel in this league.

Do you not trust the confidence that Coach has already displayed?

I probably am being too harsh on him, but can only go by the game tape. Hopefully he will make the jump in the second year that we have seen from so many transfers in the past. However, he hasnt proven anything yet.

[XUGRAD80]

If being realistic about expectations based on what has been shown so far in games is being harsh, then I guess you can put me in the harsh camp too. The original post was all about how Katz doesn’t have X PROJECTED to be in the field for the tourney at the END of the season. RIGHT NOW, based on what the players returning accomplished LAST year, I don’t see how anyone could think anything else. We’ve fallen victim time and time again to the idea that players will make a quantum leap from one year to the next, only to be disappointed (Goodin anyone?),or that the freshman coming in will make an immediate impact (Bishop?). Then when those things don’t happen people look for someone to blame. My advice is to stop reading the press clippings. So Odom can jump to the moon, this isn’t a high jump contest, is it? So Carter averaged 16 points for OU, this ain’t MAC competition either. There is reason for optimism, but there is no reason IMO to be certain or to take others to task because they don’t share that same optimism.

[Xuperman]

Not knocking anyone's opinion, just trying to lend some realistic perspective....the board is kinda dead at the moment.

If anyone here thinks that Scruggs, Carter, ZFree, Tandy + fill in the blank, can not best the bottom half of this league, hasn't really considered what THEY have returning. After all, it is those teams that we are competing against for the desired outcome....10+ conference wins and an at large tourney invite.

[X-band '01]

Did you also not notice that Xavier completely fell off the cliff once Scruggs was injured and missing games last year? This team has to be completely healthy all season for there to be a reasonable chance at an NCAA bid. That's asking a lot most years, much less a pandemic year.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

Not knocking anyone's opinion, just trying to lend some realistic perspective....the board is kinda dead at the moment.

If anyone here thinks that Scruggs, Carter, ZFree, Tandy + fill in the blank, can not best the bottom half of this league, hasn't really considered what THEY have returning. After all, it is those teams that we are competing against for the desired outcome....10+ conference wins and an at large tourney invite.

Just don't forget the rest of the B.E. isn't sleeping. Depaul, UConn, etc. have also posted strong recruiting results----keeping in mind XU 80's comments about "immediate impact freshman". Ours is one of the toughest and best coached conferences in the nation (which is one of the reasons we love it that X.U. belongs).

I just don't think you can reasonably expect the "bottom half of the B.E." to remain static. The conference is too good for that.

[Xuperman]

I, and most should, disagree. X has the best incoming frosh in conference AND a impressive transfer group. We will have an unusual quality of depth by any resonable measure.
If anyone here thinks that GU, DU, BU, SJU, or MU can floor a better team, you are not well informed. ��

[xukeith]

Not knocking anyone's opinion, just trying to lend some realistic perspective....the board is kinda dead at the moment.

If anyone here thinks that Scruggs, Carter, ZFree, Tandy + fill in the blank, can not best the bottom half of this league, hasn't really considered what THEY have returning. After all, it is those teams that we are competing against for the desired outcome....10+ conference wins and an at large tourney invite.
Many X fans have been seriously disappointed the past 2 years. The roster on, PAPER, looks amazing, but we are not jumping for joy as we have been given the shaft on no NCAA playing and looking like crap with low performances. Steele has the ability to coach better but we hve not seen it.
Hope chemistry and understanding comes faster to frosh and transfers. I am not holding my breath.

I am very excited for 2021-22 season. X should be stacked with more talent.

[xukeith]

I, and most should, disagree. X has the best incoming frosh in conference AND a impressive transfer group. We willed. ��

Close or near top 3 among BE teams. X hasn't had best frosh since Bluiett and Macura and Sumner.

[X-band '01]

And we wonder why folks at Holy Land of Hoops laugh at these type of predictions.

[whopper]

It should be about playing time management this year. Assuming Stanley can play(not a given), you have Scruggs, Tandy, Odom,Wilcher, Jones, Carter, Freemantle, Stanley, Miles, Griffin, Ramsey. The practices should incredibly intense and they should be able to push each other to the limit(you may have had Schrand and walk ons last year at times). There is no need to play anyone more than 25 min a game, foul trouble should not be an issue as was last year when Naj or Tyrique were out we were hurting. Should have more deflections and steals (and maybe fouls) but i will be interested. I am just praying for a season that gives us some enjoyable basketball.

[JTG]

I would much rather have stupid arguments about this than read any more about politics or Covid from self appointed government experts and infectious disease savants. BTW, I think we surprise people.

[Xuperman]

It should be about playing time management this year. Assuming Stanley can play(not a given), you have Scruggs, Tandy, Odom,Wilcher, Jones, Carter, Freemantle, Stanley, Miles, Griffin, Ramsey. The practices should incredibly intense and they should be able to push each other to the limit(you may have had Schrand and walk ons last year at times). There is no need to play anyone more than 25 min a game, foul trouble should not be an issue as was last year when Naj or Tyrique were out we were hurting. Should have more deflections and steals (and maybe fouls) but i will be interested. I am just praying for a season that gives us some enjoyable basketball.

You left out Nate Johnson. He could end up being the 5th starter if Coach goes the 3 guard route. I'm banking on Stanley there but either way Johnson will be a significant piece in the scheme of things. Quality depth appears to be a big time asset for team 99.

[Xuperman]

And we wonder why folks at Holy Land of Hoops laugh at these type of predictions.

Strange post....Are you laughing? If so, briefly make the case for any of the predicted bottom half of the conference having a better roster than X. Start with UConn.

[XUGRAD80]

I really feel that this team could finish anywhere from 3rd to 9th in the BE this year. Probably a 3-5 place finish will get them into the tourney. A 6-9 place finish probably won’t. I do think that they will struggle in the non-conference part of the schedule because there are no real gimme games there and because of so many new pieces that they will be trying to work into the mix. They could well have a losing record going into BE play. Most preseason previews have them being somewhere around .500 in league play. An overall losing record is certainly not out of the question for the year. On the other hand, IF everything falls into place they could end up being one of the real surprise teams of the year. However, these same things could be said about most of the BE teams and a lot of other teams around the country. Personally, I think they are still a year or two away from being a title contender and am only hoping for improvement in shooting and team play over the last year.

[Xville]

Strange post....Are you laughing? If so, briefly make the case for any of the predicted bottom half of the conference having a better roster than X. Start with UConn.

Uconn is probably the wrong team to pick. On paper, they have top 3 big east talent in my opinion . Bouknight is an absolute stud, cole is a proven pg who averaged 23 at howard, martin their swing guy averaged 12 at Rhode island, other swing guy is a top 50 recruit, and their front court is deep with akok, carlton, whaley, and polley. Oh and a top75 center in Sanogo. Those five are all 6'9 and taller.

Now, doesnt mean all that talent will translate, but on paper, their roster is better.

[xukeith]

You left out Nate Johnson. He could end up being the 5th starter if Coach goes the 3 guard route. I'm banking on Stanley there but either way Johnson will be a significant piece in the scheme of things. Quality depth appears to be a big time asset for team 99.

I agree . 2 of the 3 frosh might not be happy 2 months into the season if Stanley, Johnson, Griffin get the minutes. Odom likely will be groomed to take over the pg positive his sophomore year . We shall see.

[XUGRAD80]

Pretty sure that if we go back and reread the posts about the transfers, when they first committed to X, virtually all of them were seen as "depth". Stanley hasn't even been given a waiver to play yet. They may all end up being quality parts of the team, but I don't see any of them being automatic starters, and certainly don't expect any of them to become stars. Only time will tell, but I would expect that as always the players that play the best in practice will earn game minutes. Hopefully there is a reason that the frosh were ranked so high in the recruiting rankings and they can perform up to those rankings. But as we have seen so frequently over the last couple of years, those rankings shouldn't be relied upon to heavily.

[Xuperman]

Uconn is probably the wrong team to pick. On paper, they have top 3 big east talent in my opinion . Bouknight is an absolute stud, cole is a proven pg who averaged 23 at howard, martin their swing guy averaged 12 at Rhode island, other swing guy is a top 50 recruit, and their front court is deep with akok, carlton, whaley, and polley. Oh and a top75 center in Sanogo. Those five are all 6'9 and taller.

Now, doesnt mean all that talent will translate, but on paper, their roster is better.

As a Xavier fan, you would think that your same points would be made describing X. TOP THREE TALENT on paper? What paper? An AAC stat sheet? Certainly a MEAC PG doesn't tilt the scale. They have three 4 STARS, we have three 4 STARS....it's a push. I know your take is a wildly popular one and you're just following the pack, but let's break it down.

The Huskies are banking on Bouknight to be their center piece, X is banking on Scruggs. While one was turning heads as a freshman vs the likes of East Carolina/South Florida, the other was running the BE gauntlet as a junior. Big difference IMO.

Now both teams appear to have a deep talented bench, so here's a likely look at the other 4 starters.

X- Tandy, Carter, Freemantle and say, Stanley.
UConn- Cole, Martin, Carlton, Polley

I would think that most on THIS board would prefer X "on paper". I really like Polley but I don't see how Cole could start for us and Stanley is too much of a man to have any problems with a URI youngster. Granted, 1 or 2 of the freshman could blow up but it is just as likely for us as them.

Does this seem reasonable to anyone else?

[drudy23]

I wouldn't say we have a good chance. I guess 50/50 right on the bubble. Honestly just hope to see some sings of good coaching, better offense, etc. Need to find and see something in Coach Steele this year to get me believing he can take X places.

This thread is crazy. If you as a fan don't have expectations for the tournament this year, well, I just don't understand that. We have plenty coming back, and a great class coming in.

If they don't make the tournament again, Steele is without a doubt a huge question mark moving forward. It would be the worst 3 year run in the last 35-40 years.

[paulxu]

It's a good thing you didn't refer back to the 60's and 70's.
The virus has taken its toll. Our Wikipedia page hasn't been updated with last season's results.

[XUGRAD80]

This thread is crazy. If you as a fan don't have expectations for the tournament this year, well, I just don't understand that. We have plenty coming back, and a great class coming in.

If they don't make the tournament again, Steele is without a doubt a huge question mark moving forward. It would be the worst 3 year run in the last 35-40 years.

Being a “fan” doesn’t mean I overlook reality and only have rose colored glasses to look through. I haven’t found a preview yet that has X projected as better than 5th in the BE, and virtually all of them say that 4-9 is a tossup. All of the ones that I’ve read say X is full of question marks. The best I’ve seen is Scruggs making 2nd tram all BE, and no other players from the squad making any of the teams. I’m keeping my expectations low and hope that I will be presently surprised.

[Xuperman]

Being a “fan” doesn’t mean I overlook reality and only have rose colored glasses to look through. I haven’t found a preview yet that has X projected as better than 5th in the BE, and virtually all of them say that 4-9 is a tossup. All of the ones that I’ve read say X is full of question marks. The best I’ve seen is Scruggs making 2nd tram all BE, and no other players from the squad making any of the teams. I’m keeping my expectations low and hope that I will be presently surprised.

Makes being an X fan not as much fun as it used to be....sad.

[XUGRAD80]

Makes being an X fan not as much fun as it used to be....sad.

Actually I enjoy it more when a team that isn’t expected to do much performs surprisingly well. I’d much rather have that then to see a team not reach its potential and lose early in the tourney as a 1 seed. Don’t know about everyone else but when X joined the BE I figured the days of dominating a conference were over. Figured that with the other teams included in the conference that it wasn’t going to be a cakewalk and that X would take its lumps from time to time. The last couple of years have been one of those times. I expect this year to be more of the same because of the youth and inexperience of this roster. So I don’t have high expectations as far as the record goes. But I think it is going to be fun to watch the players develop and grow....provided they have the opportunity to do so and aren’t shut down by Covid. I think one of the few fun things about LAST year was watching Freemantle develop. I expect to see more of his development this year, I expect to see Tandy take a big jump forward in his development, and am really looking forward to seeing Miles get on the floor. So, even if they don’t win a ton of games, it can still be fun.

[Xuperman]

Ok, well said.
I'm known for always being overly optimistic and as usual I will remain so until proven otherwise. The fact of the matter is that this unique season is heavily weighted on conference record. Get to 10 and get in. The bottom half of the League has bigger question marks than what is happening on Victory Parkway. If you look at it that way, we are in a cooly position to smile come March.
��

[drudy23]

Being a “fan” doesn’t mean I overlook reality and only have rose colored glasses to look through. I haven’t found a preview yet that has X projected as better than 5th in the BE, and virtually all of them say that 4-9 is a tossup. All of the ones that I’ve read say X is full of question marks. The best I’ve seen is Scruggs making 2nd tram all BE, and no other players from the squad making any of the teams. I’m keeping my expectations low and hope that I will be presently surprised.

If Steele can't get these guys playing at least at a tournament level after 3 years, then we've got bigger problems. No more excuses, he's had more than his share of the learning curve. 3 years in a row not making the tourney in the modern era is unheard of.

And there are plenty of guys to make Big East first, second or rookie teams (Scruggs, Free, Tandy, Odom, Wilcher, Stanley). To imply we're young and bare just isn't true anymore. No more excuses.

[XUGRAD80]

If Steele can't get these guys playing at least at a tournament level after 3 years, then we've got bigger problems. No more excuses, he's had more than his share of the learning curve. 3 years in a row not making the tourney in the modern era is unheard of.

And there are plenty of guys to make Big East first, second or rookie teams (Scruggs, Free, Tandy, Odom, Wilcher, Stanley). To imply we're young and bare just isn't true anymore. No more excuses.

Or perhaps the prior administration left the program with bigger problems and less of a talent pool, than we realized? Steele really wasn’t left with much in the way of overall talent, and it certainly doesn’t help when freshman don’t stay, upperclassman leave before their senior year, and transfers don’t perform as well as you’d hope they would.

His 3rd year or not, that doesn’t change the fact that X will be most likely starting one senior 4-year starter, a 2nd year transfer that by all accounts didn’t live up to hype last year, 2 sophomores and ?. Backed up by transfers that have never played at this level and freshman who haven’t either. Combined that is 1 player with 4 years experience in the BE, 3 players with 1 year of BE experience each, and a host of other players with 0 years of experience in the BE. Tell me again that they aren’t young and inexperienced. I can tell you from personal experience that there is a heck of a difference between competing at a small college or HS level and competition at the upper levels of college sports. It’s a huge step up in terms of how hard it is. A pretty decent athlete can do really well at the lower levels just based on their athletic talents, but when they start competing with other players that are just as strong, just as quick, and just at athletically talented, it can be a whole new ball game. Some players can make that adjustment, some can’t. The jury is still out on the transfers and freshman. I’m not confident that the 4 returning players can carry this team by themselves. I think they are going to need help from some of the newcomers. Let’s see how those newcomers do against BE competition before we start counting on X playing in the post season. There’s plenty of “guys”, but are there plenty of “talented players”? Only time will tell.

Not to mention that there might not even be any post season for anyone!

[drudy23]

Still doesn’t change the fact that it’s Steele’s job to get this program back to the tournament on an annual basis. There’s plenty of talent to make it happen.

There’s also a valid argument that both teams the past two years were on the verge of the dance, and head scratching personnel and coaching decisions derailed their chances. And frankly, they weren’t very good the last 2 years and still had a chance to go.

[bobbiemcgee]

We're #2 in street names:

https://thebrokenanchor.com/big-east-power-rankings-school-street-names/

[X-band '01]

Still doesn’t change the fact that it’s Steele’s job to get this program back to the tournament on an annual basis. There’s plenty of talent to make it happen.

There’s also a valid argument that both teams the past two years were on the verge of the dance, and head scratching personnel and coaching decisions derailed their chances. And frankly, they weren’t very good the last 2 years and still had a chance to go.

Nobody disputes the first sentence, but it's going to be asking a lot to rely on a team that will be largely underclassmen. Especially in a guard-heavy conference where the returning guys were among the worst outside shooters in the conference. The notion that some of our fans have that other teams will pee their pants at the name of Xavier and recruiting class simply is not going to happen.

[drudy23]

Apparently the name on the front of our jerseys says Marquette. I don't like the low expectations vibes in this thread.

[Xville]

Apparently the name on the front of our jerseys says Marquette. I don't like the low expectations vibes in this thread.

I just think it is difficult this year because there are a ton of unknowns....I've pointed to next season for a while when we can "get back to nornal" it could happen a year early but my expectations are tempered. Frankly, mack left the program with a lot of rebuilding to be done which has been repeated ad nauseam here.

[XUGRAD80]

Apparently the name on the front of our jerseys says Marquette. I don't like the low expectations vibes in this thread.

It’s not that I’m pessimistic about the future of Xavier Basketball, it’s just that I don’t think that 2020-2021 is going to be the year that is super successful record wise. I’m just a believer that they are still a year away. I sincerely wish that wasn’t the case, but I fear it is. Yes, they have some talent returning, and they have some talent coming in. But just how much the talent returning has developed and just how fast the talent coming in will develop, is impossible to say. The last couple of years I bought into the idea that the retuning talent would shoot better than they had in the past, and that the incoming talent would contribute a lot. Neither of those things happened. So I’m not willing to be sucked into being over optimistic about this next season until I actually SEE that they have legitimate and consistent outside shooters and inside rebounders. If the last couple of years have shown anything, they have shown that just having one player that can score and one player that can rebound, at high levels, is not enough to be a top level BE team. You need several players that can do either of those things and I’m not sure at this time that Xavier has them....yet. But I’m optimistic that Xavier WILL have them by the end of this season or by next season. I’m confident that the last 2 recruiting classes will develop several players that can rebound and score. I’m optimistic that better days are ahead. I’m just not sure how soon they arrive.

[drudy23]

While I don't think the last 2 teams were very good, I do think both of those teams make the tourney with a more experienced coach. Definitely last year.

At some point, the coach has to elevate too.

[XUGRAD80]

I don’t think anyone disagrees about that. But like many of the players, how well the coaching staff will perform is an unknown at this point. Optimism says that they will be better and that game management will be better. Skepticism would say, show me first.

[Masterofreality]

Katz does not even consider X to be play in worthy. 2 of the play in teams are St Johns and UC. I know we're young, but I think we have a decent shot of making the field. A team with everyone on the same page, better shooting,lots of new talent, some veteran leadership. I think we have a good chance. What say the rest of you ?

Sorry, but Travis Steele hasn't earned enough cred yet to be given the benefit of the doubt. Last year was very telling. Lots of misssteps.
He's got work to do.

[JTG]

Sorry, but Travis Steele hasn't earned enough cred yet to be given the benefit of the doubt. Last year was very telling. Lots of misssteps.
He's got work to do.
I still say the loss of Goodin and Marshall is addition by subtraction. They were two dummies, as far as bball IQ. Plus Steele had to play them, but neither of them were on the same page with the other 3 players on the floor. Marshall was talented enough to get away with it. I don't understand why he didn't just sit Goodin from Jan on, and let the chips fall where they may.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

I still say the loss of Goodin and Marshall is addition by subtraction. They were two dummies, as far as bball IQ. Plus Steele had to play them, but neither of them were on the same page with the other 3 players on the floor. Marshall was talented enough to get away with it. I don't understand why he didn't just sit Goodin from Jan on, and let the chips fall where they may.

Thought the same thing a number of times last season. But, Tandy began season injured (and he was a freshman) so, I guess, that would have left Scruggs and Schrand. Steele has enough players today to not be a hostage to one or two bad apples. And, it is reasonable to assume he has learned a bunch about leading this team----at least I hope so.

Whether one's expectations are aggressive (like Xuperman) or more modest (like XU80) its clear that Steele is expected to demonstrate improvement in his third year. I do not want to watch another team play in the manner of last year's squad. That was a horrible effort and so different than what X has historically achieved.

In any case, I'm tired of talking about it. I want the season to start....like tomorrow.

Plus, now the MOR has appeared on this board and spoken, what more can be said?

[bobbiemcgee]

Shooting, shooting, shooting. We need a couple of Jamal Murray's.

[UCGRAD4X]

I like Travis. He seems like a nice guy, an honorable man. It looks like he might have some pretty good recruiting chops (personally and/or his staff). I'm just not really sure I've seen a whole lot more. I'm not saying he can't or he won't. I pray to God and the intersession of St Francis and St. Jude that he will. I just haven't seen it. What I have seen is a coach who lets boneheaded players take the team down a perilous path. I've seen a coach who seemed to be outcoached in games he should win. The Big East means the Big Boys. Travis needs to put on his Big Boy Pants and coach the hell out of this team. This league won't wait for coaches or teams to 'get up to speed'. By the time they get there, other teams have already reloaded and moved on.

I won't accept mediocrity. Not now, not ever. Not last year, not this year.

And neither should you.

[Xuperman]

I agree, Steele has created some palpable "high anxiety" among the fan base but there will be no heat to his seat until after Z and KyKy are gone. If he doesn't pile up a considerable number of post season wins in the next 3 seasons, one would think a change has to be made.

[X-band '01]

I agree, Steele has created some palpable "high anxiety" among the fan base but there will be no heat to his seat until he returns to the NCAA Tournament and wins a postseason game or two.

I had to fix that for you. He's not going to get a pass when he missed the NCAAs in 2018-19 and was 50/50 to miss it last year under a non-pandemic year. I know he inherited a mess from Chris Mack, but frankly Year 3 is when most coaches begin to get judged on their own merits.

[Xuperman]

I had to fix that for you. He's not going to get a pass when he missed the NCAAs in 2018-19 and was 50/50 to miss it last year under a non-pandemic year. I know he inherited a mess from Chris Mack, but frankly Year 3 is when most coaches begin to get judged on their own merits.

I disagree. Full Stop....POST SEASON wins include the Big East Tournament. If Coach Steele can raise a ruckus there, especially if he can cut the nets, he will be well received by the X AD and all of us here. Big Dance success would not trigger a coaching change IMO.

[X-band '01]

That's a fair counterargument when you consider Xavier last won a conference tournament in 2006.

[Xuperman]

That's a fair counterargument when you consider Xavier last won a conference tournament in 2006.

Just get in 1 or 2 Big East Championship games and Coach Steele is safe as kittens.....anything less makes his trajectory a bit iffy. Its all about conference success IMO.