Game Thread: Xavier v Morehead State University (12/15/2021)

[paulxu]

https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/2a1f45a0-e1cc-4202-89d7-1b7b5c27f309_1.3c18d8e111cdcd7e8a271effb6000907.jp eg?odnHeight=612&odnWidth=612&odnBg=FFFFFFVS.https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f4/04/35/f404358df1f72e442896efb2b3fc5466.jpg

THE MATCHUP

No. 22/25 XAVIER UNIVERSITY MUSKETEERS (9-1, 0-0 BIG EAST)
MOREHEAD STATE UNIVERSITY EAGLES (6-4, 0-0 OVC)
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 15, 2021 AT 8:30 P.M. ET
CINTAS CENTER (10,224) IN CINCINNATI, OHIO

TV, RADIO & LIVE STATS

Television: FS1 with play by-play from Matt Schumacker and analysis from Donny Marshall.
Radio: 700 WLW-AM with play-by-play from Xavier Hall of Famer Joe Sunderman ('79) and analysis from XU all-time leading scorer and Hall of Famer Byron Larkin ('88). XU broadcast is also available on Sirius XM (381) and the SXM App. (971).
Live Stats: Media stats at Statbroadcast.com and fan stats at GoXavier.com.

[X Factor]

Betting line X -15.5

[GoMuskies]

Very tempting to throw the entire account balance at Xavier -1300 tonight, but I'll avoid doing that for everyone's sake. I took a much smaller position on Xavier -8.5 for the first half.

[xu82]

This is very sad……I have the minimal DTV package to get Sunday Ticket. Just checked. No Fox Sports, and no cable in the new house until tomorrow. I’m not much of a streamer/APP guy with things like this, as in….if there is a way it’s probably going to just make me angry trying to make it work!

Enjoy everybody!


Go X!

[Blue Blooded-05]

Has Morehead State ever played Oral Roberts? Asking for a friend

[noteggs]

Has Morehead State ever played Oral Roberts? Asking for a friend

Think so…ended in a blow out

[KabeX]

Think so…ended in a blow out

But both teams really sucked.

[KabeX]

But both teams really sucked.

And it didn't take long to cum to that conclusion.

OK I'm done. I'll show myself out.

[noteggs]

I blame blue blood for this juvenile talk. Ha

[Xville]

Didn't see the first couple of minutes....is Miles not playing? Was Free starting w/ Hunter?

[KabeX]

Didn't see the first couple of minutes....is Miles not playing? Was Free starting w/ Hunter?
Miles not available tonight. Didn't catch why.

[noteggs]

Hunter’s pretty good if he stays in his lane

[IM4X]

That rebound over 5 defenders in the paint and put back was the most impressive play I’ve seen from Hunter. Very impressive.

[Xville]

Hunter’s pretty good if he stays in his lane

True, and for the most part he has since the first few games. I don't really want to see him and Free on the court together...rather see him spelling Free but when you are up by 26, ill let it slide lol

Wonder if Miles got that flu bug

[KabeX]

Bottle that up Kunk. Need more of it starting Saturday.

[X Factor]

Let's save some of those for Nova on the 21st! Haha.

This team is fun to watch. Love the defense!

[Xville]

Bottle that up Kunk. Need more of it starting Saturday.

Something i have noticed with him at times that he isn't doing tonight is swaying to the left or right. Tonight, he is going straight up and back down....obviously makes the shot much more consistent.

[noteggs]

Starters were same except for Zach in for Miles who has the flu. So does Edwards

[Xville]

I'd like to see some ky jelly roll tonight....i think X is ready for big east play

[IM4X]

Was starting to think Donny Marshall was losing it and out of touch with reality when he said the UC /X game was not really big like Michigan and OSU, but then he later mentioned this X team is a final 4 level team. Okay Donny. Apparently you’ve still got it.

[GoMuskies]

Very tempting to throw the entire account balance at Xavier -1300 tonight, but I'll avoid doing that for everyone's sake. I took a much smaller position on Xavier -8.5 for the first half.

Well, that was pretty low stress.

[XUBison]

Was starting to think Donny Marshall was losing it and out of touch with reality when he said the UC /X game was not really big like Michigan and OSU, but then he later mentioned this X team is a final 4 level team. Okay Donny. Apparently you’ve still got it.

Yes, same here. I always liked Donny, then I didn’t like Donny, and now I really like Donny again.

[Dblue]

Was starting to think Donny Marshall was losing it and out of touch with reality when he said the UC /X game was not really big like Michigan and OSU, but then he later mentioned this X team is a final 4 level team. Okay Donny. Apparently you’ve still got it.

Pretty sure he said something about beat Michigan and your good. Maybe he read this message board and realized that beating UC isn't the one and only expectation for X!

[IM4X]

Freemantle not playing so well. Just saying.

[noteggs]

Know we’re turnover prone but what the heck

[xudash]

I like that time out. And I like Travis‘s expression after Odom just turned the ball over.

I think the turnover situation will settle down from here. Travis has control of this team.

[Xville]

There’s the Kunkel that drives me nuts sometimes..the one who thinks he’s steph curry and can make threes off balance

[Xville]

And back to good Kunkel:)

[IM4X]

Holy Crap are we playing sloppy.

[noteggs]

Not a good second half so far

[Xville]

Holy Crap are we playing sloppy.

Certainly let up on the gas and got complacent.

[xudash]

I like that time out. And I like Travis‘s expression after Odom just turned the ball over.

I think the turnover situation will settle down from here. Travis has control of this team.

Never mind.

[bjf123]

Emotional letdown after the UC win and up almost 30 at halftime tonight?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[IM4X]

I like that time out. And I like Travis‘s expression after Odom just turned the ball over.

I think the turnover situation will settle down from here. Travis has control of this team.

Nope.

[X Factor]

Need to calm down and play some defense. Make the simple play.

Paul with 3 or 4 turnovers.

[SM#24]

7 1/2 minutes. Outscored 20-9, 6 TOs. WTF !

[IM4X]

That’s more like it guys!

[Xville]

Well hello mr Scruggs!!

[IM4X]

This is a very big lineup with Nunge, Free and Hunter in together. Interesting.

[IM4X]

Always love those shots from under the backboard that show that big “X” on the bottom of the center scoreboard.

Just a thing of brand beauty.

[Lloyd Braun]

They look a bit disinterested. Perhaps some end of the bench guys would play a bit harder? Just a thought. Playing some of these guys 28+ minutes in a blowout is not good IMO.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Refs have done a pretty solid job at calling the block instead of the charge on both ends. That is a great thing for college basketball. Usually the ref show takes over and they go with charge. #banthecharge

[IM4X]

They look a bit disinterested. Perhaps some end of the bench guys would play a bit harder? Just a thought. Playing some of these guys 28+ minutes in a blowout is not good IMO.

Agreed get them some rest. Start subbing in a bit of Stanley and Edwards and Kyky.

[xavierj]

Love Zach’s passing the ball. That is going to make him so much more of a complete player. He seems to look for it. Awesome to see

[xudash]

We do have free throw shooters this year.

[xavierj]

Agreed get them some rest. Start subbing in a bit of Stanley and Edwards and Kyky.

Is Edwards even dressed tonight? I thought he was sick. Any way the way the numbers work Travis wants those rankings to move up in the Net and Kempom.

[Xville]

Alright kyky get jelly with it.

[IM4X]

Kyky. Come on guys get him a bucket .

[Xville]

Doing things we are supposed to do against teams like this. Great to see..excited for big East play and the step up in competition.

[IM4X]

Watching Kyky in just those few minutes, I have to say he sure didn’t show the same kind of hustle to get separation on offense as the starters ahead of him did tonight. If I got only a few minutes, I would be flying around, trying to show the coach why I deserve more time.

[IM4X]

Is Edwards even dressed tonight? I thought he was sick. Any way the way the numbers work Travis wants those rankings to move up in the Net and Kempom.

I didn’t see Edwards.

Makes sense why Steele waited until later to go deeper in the bench.

[XUGRAD80]

Edwards and Miles both out with flu. It’s hard for players to remain focused when up by 25+ at half, so I’m not surprised that they came out flat to start the 2nd half. But they got it back together and won easily so no real complaints. Free throw shooting has been outstanding. If they had shot this well the last couple of seasons I wonder how many more games they would have won? It might be the overall team’s biggest area of improvement this year.

[xavierj]

Edwards and Miles both out with flu. It’s hard for players to remain focused when up by 25+ at half, so I’m not surprised that they came out flat to start the 2nd half. But they got it back together and won easily so no real complaints. Free throw shooting has been outstanding. If they had shot this well the last couple of seasons I wonder how many more games they would have won? It might be the overall team’s biggest area of improvement this year.

So far it’s defense and rebounding. Letting up 60 points a game and out rebounding opponents by 10 a game. You will win a lot doing that. And yes three point shooting and free throw shooting much improved as well.

[XUGRAD80]

So far it’s defense and rebounding. Letting up 60 points a game and out rebounding opponents by 10 a game. You will win a lot doing that. And yes three point shooting and free throw shooting much improved as well.

Not just their % of makes, but also the number they take per game. Last season the ranked in the 220-225 range among all schools. They are top 40 this year. Their % for the season isn’t that much higher this year than last, but they are getting 6-7 more chances per game this year and that is a big improvement. It alone is worth 4-5 more points scored per game. But it also means that they are going to get other teams in foul trouble more often, and that’s where the teams quality depth can really come into play.

[noteggs]

Watched again and last 7 minutes of first was fantastic and something I haven’t seen in a while! Everything was working and fluid!

[muskiefan82]

Watched again and last 7 minutes of first was fantastic and something I haven’t seen in a while! Everything was working and fluid!

Maybe I need to rewatch this too. I think I saw a different game. Xavier had better (and more) athletes than Morehead State. X was always going to win, but I still don't see a coherent offense. I see a lot of standing and 1 on 1 basketball and FAR TOO MANY experienced players trying to dribble through double teams and picking up their dribble under pressure. And I'm not going to start on inbounding the basketball. This team wins big when our athleticism and depth is a factor. Like I said in another post, we will know if this team can actually execute an offense after the next 3 games instead of dribbling and passing around the perimeter and jacking a 3 as their "go-to" offense. I am still not completely sold.

[XUGRAD80]

25 assists on 29 made baskets shows that it wasn’t just 1 on 1 basketball.

Totally agree that the next 3 games are very important and how they do in them will possibly show us a lot as far how the season will ultimately play out. X has been in this position each of the last few years, where they go into the conference season with a gaudy record and ranking, and have not done well. This appears to be the best and deepest roster that we have seen in awhile, but at this point it is just potential. The real season starts Saturday.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Maybe I need to rewatch this too. I think I saw a different game. Xavier had better (and more) athletes than Morehead State. X was always going to win, but I still don't see a coherent offense. I see a lot of standing and 1 on 1 basketball and FAR TOO MANY experienced players trying to dribble through double teams and picking up their dribble under pressure. And I'm not going to start on inbounding the basketball. This team wins big when our athleticism and depth is a factor. Like I said in another post, we will know if this team can actually execute an offense after the next 3 games instead of dribbling and passing around the perimeter and jacking a 3 as their "go-to" offense. I am still not completely sold.

Huh? I don't understand much of this, but especially not the out of bounds plays.

Steele has been awesome with the out of bounds plays under the basket. Donny Marshall even commented on it. Maybe you are talking about something else though?

[muskiefan82]

25 assists on 29 made baskets shows that it wasn’t just 1 on 1 basketball.

Totally agree that the next 3 games are very important and how they do in them will possibly show us a lot as far how the season will ultimately play out. X has been in this position each of the last few years, where they go into the conference season with a gaudy record and ranking, and have not done well. This appears to be the best and deepest roster that we have seen in awhile, but at this point it is just potential. The real season starts Saturday.

there are moments, but a lot of those 15 turnovers are balls lost from dribbling through doubleteams and just carelessness. I just don't see a sound offense in the halfcourt. If there is one, great, but I am concerned.

[muskiefan82]

Huh? I don't understand much of this, but especially not the out of bounds plays.

Steele has been awesome with the out of bounds plays under the basket. Donny Marshall even commented on it. Maybe you are talking about something else though?

Nope. We have the occasional really good play, but i saw a lot of last second throws in before a five second call. I can't understand why it is so hard to get open for an easy inbounds pass. I guess I am watching a different game. Maybe I am just overly concerned that the BIg East will reveal this team isn't any better than the last 3 years. I do think we have really good talent and depth. Just hoping I am way off and wrong.

[Xville]

It’s not the most complicated offensive scheme that’s for sure, but it has been effective. we will see how it is handled by the big East coaches. It’s very much a dribble drive/pick and pop/ read and react type which honestly most college teams seem to employ nowadays. The roster is much better equipped for this type of o than the past couple of years. Just swapping out Carter for nunge, hunter et all has obviously been a major upgrade.

[xukeith]

I am well below average in my basketball iq but I hear and read that X defends exceptionally well because Miles, Nunge, and big guys can now not switch or do not rotate when offense sets a screen.

Is it because of X's length and quickness in the packline defense or is simply because Nunge and Miles are not defending the top of the key like past 4-7 years of X basketball defense?

[XUGRAD80]

there are moments, but a lot of those 15 turnovers are balls lost from dribbling through doubleteams and just carelessness. I just don't see a sound offense in the halfcourt. If there is one, great, but I am concerned.

I agree that the dribbling (or attempting to) through double teams is a problem. Those type of turnovers lead to the opposition making easy baskets. However, how many of the turnovers can be attributed to lazy passes into the post? I’m more concerned about those.

There was a great article on the Cincinnati.com site yesterday that was all about Steele and the offensive concepts and system he uses. Very detailed and very complex. So much depends on who they are playing, what the matchups among players are, their strengths and weaknesses, and how well the players are executing the plan. Subscription only article, but if anyone can read it, I highly recommend they do so.

[XUGRAD80]

From the article…

“Most of the time, Xavier's head coach wants his team to run a flow offense, which is predicated on a few concepts, but mostly it's a matter of moving the basketball, cutting and driving, and teammates playing off each other to find a good shot. It's specific to each matchup. Steele will give his team ideas of how to attack a defense by simply flowing and finding a rhythm that leads to good shots.

I'd like to play that way as much as we can," said Steele, but if he doesn't like a possession or how his flow offense is running, he'll go to his set plays.”


There’s a lot more like that, but after reading the article I can see that what they are doing is very simple and very complex at the same time. Simple because it’s based on one thing….find a good shot for each player. Complex because there are so many variations to that….who does what best, how does the opposition guard it, what are each players strengths and how do they take advantage of that? Etc. etc. etc.

[Xville]

From the article…

“Most of the time, Xavier's head coach wants his team to run a flow offense, which is predicated on a few concepts, but mostly it's a matter of moving the basketball, cutting and driving, and teammates playing off each other to find a good shot. It's specific to each matchup. Steele will give his team ideas of how to attack a defense by simply flowing and finding a rhythm that leads to good shots.

I'd like to play that way as much as we can," said Steele, but if he doesn't like a possession or how his flow offense is running, he'll go to his set plays.”

That to me sounds like a fancy way of saying the dribble drive offense which isn’t very complex at all. It’s a read and react based on how the defense is playing. And look I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, it’s working and basketball really isn’t that complicated of a game—-nothing like football schemes. I’m just glad this looks so far like a very different team than the previous three years, and Steele has seemed to grow a ton this year in regards to lineup management, use of timeouts, inbound plays etc.

[muskiefan82]

I am optimistic, just concerned. There are new players with VERY REAL skills. Johnson back healthy, Nunge, and Hunter are solid. The defense is also solid. I want to believe. I'm just holding back because I've seen the Non-con go well before, but the Big East KNOWS what Steele does so we shall see. I am not a basketball expert by any stretch. I only see that some things have changed, but others feel eerily similar to last year. Optimistic, but concerned. I hope I look like an idiot for being concerned at all. I would welcome that.

[XUGRAD80]

That to me sounds like a fancy way of saying the dribble drive offense which isn’t very complex at all. It’s a read and react based on how the defense is playing. And look I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, it’s working and basketball really isn’t that complicated of a game—-nothing like football schemes. I’m just glad this looks so far like a very different team than the previous three years, and Steele has seemed to grow a ton this year in regards to lineup management, use of timeouts, inbound plays etc.

THAT part isn’t very complex….but I wish I could post up the rest of the article to show how detailed and complex the thought process is when it comes to running plays. Not just regular plays, but all the others too. How it changes depending on lineups, out of bounds (and where that is taking place), score, time, defensive characteristics and abilities of the opposition, etc. The key is to take the complex and simplify it so that the players just do it automatically without having to stop and think. But the coaching staff has to be thinking and reacting in real time, before, during, and after the game. I think that this is possibly where Steele is showing his growth as a coach, in the thinking part. Especially on defense, where we have seen multiple defensive strategies in the same game.

Like others, I’m also cautious here. I’m not saying that X will dominate the BE or even continue to play like they have in OOC part of the season. But I’m encouraged by what I’ve read in this article, and even more by what I’ve seen from the games. There’s still a lot of season left and a lot left to prove, but I do beleive more now than I did 2 months ago that X is moving in the right direction.

[XU_Lou]

Gee, I guess I'm a "glass half full" guy:

* #8 RPI, #16 SOS and #13 NET (with 3 Quad 1 wins).

* Freemantle coming off an injury hasn't yet come close to reaching his potential

* Ditto Nunge

* Nunge and Hunter yet to be fully integrated into the system/playing with new teammates

* Looks like we have had some flu issues, which may have caused our only loss

To me, this team hasn't fully tapped into its potential yet. They're going to be awesome this year. They are much better than I anticipated. The Big East is also much better than anticipated. I don't see many easy outs.

[atljar]

Teams with 3 Quad 1 wins:


Rank Prev School Conf Record Road Neutral Home Quad1 Quad2 Quad3 Quad4
12 12 Michigan St. Big Ten 9-2 2-0 2-2 5-0 3-2 2-0 2-0 2-0
13 15 Xavier Big East 10-1 1-0 1-1 8-0 3-1 1-0 3-0 3-0
18 19 Ohio St. Big Ten 8-2 1-1 1-1 6-0 3-1 1-1 2-0 2-0
1 1 Arizona Pac-12 10-0 2-0 2-0 6-0 3-0 1-0 1-0 5-0
41 39 Providence Big East 10-1 1-0 1-1 8-0 3-0 0-1 3-0 4-0

[xudash]

Nope. We have the occasional really good play, but i saw a lot of last second throws in before a five second call. I can't understand why it is so hard to get open for an easy inbounds pass. I guess I am watching a different game. Maybe I am just overly concerned that the BIg East will reveal this team isn't any better than the last 3 years. I do think we have really good talent and depth. Just hoping I am way off and wrong.

Let's consider another way to look at this: first and foremost, we're talking about FIVE SECONDS. I think you're looking at it as something that should take a couple of seconds.

However, they seem to be running "mini-plays" within 5 seconds wherein the first option is a cutter to under the basket for a quick score - very much like they have been able to execute from time to time - and then, failing that, an outlet action to Nunge who can receive a high pass inbounds. And all this is happening with the defense attempting to clog things up where there is a lot of traffic around the rim.

I believe Colby is counting down and when he reaches 3 seconds he locates Nunge or someone open enough to release to, after the first option has been shown to be unavailable.

[muskiefan82]

Let's consider another way to look at this: first and foremost, we're talking about FIVE SECONDS. I think you're looking at it as something that should take a couple of seconds.

However, they seem to be running "mini-plays" within 5 seconds wherein the first option is a cutter to under the basket for a quick score - very much like they have been able to execute from time to time - and then, failing that, an outlet action to Nunge who can receive a high pass inbounds. And all this is happening with the defense attempting to clog things up where there is a lot of traffic around the rim.

I believe Colby is counting down and when he reaches 3 seconds he locates Nunge or someone open enough to release to, after the first option has been shown to be unavailable.

Maybe I'm just old and this stresses me out more than it should. LOL

[XUBison]

Maybe I'm just old and this stresses me out more than it should. LOL

Ya know, we supposedly perceive that time passes more quickly as we get older, so this might very well make sense.