Game Thread: Xavier v Providence College (2/23/2022)

[boozehound]

I think the most encouraging thing about last night’s is seeing Free playing his ass off, seeing our team not give up and seeing several different players step up and make big time plays at key moments.

Issues not being addressed:
-guarding better against the three
-best shooters are not often taking threes: Scruggs should be taking more. Hunter, Free and Colby and even Nunge less.
-better plays needing to be drawn up when X has the ball for the final shot.
-using the most effective bench players
-stupid turnovers because players are lazily calling for passes yet refusing to create enough separation to make it an easy pass.

I agree with all this. I also agree that this loss is not troubling, outside of our losing 5 of 6, which is very troubling. Even more so when you consider that losses to DePaul and St. John's are in there.

[Wheelhouse]

Been a few years since I've posted. A few thoughts:

1. Even though they lost, I thought last night was the best game X has played in a while, even better than UCONN last Friday. They battled right from the opening tip. Really could have used the W for the tourney resume. Hopefully they can win a few down the stretch.
2. I have always loved Scruggs and he made some huge plays last night (and some bad ones), but he's been a net negative for the last few months. Hopefully he can finish with a great run of postive play.
3. How Hunter is still getting minutes over Cesare and even Stanley is beyond me.
4. Last night was the best game Fremantle has played in a while. Hope it continues.
5. Four straight years of faltering down the stretch is on Steele. He's a great recruiter but I do not think he is a good in-game coach. That is something that can be learned with experience for sure, but I haven't seen any impovement in that area over the last four years. I'm not rooting for anyone to get fired and I hope Steele coaches them to a deep NCAA Tournament run this year, but no matter what, after this season the administration needs to take a long, hard look at where this program is headed.
6. Need to get Nunge more blows throughout the forst 30 minutes. He on fumes late in every game.
7. More Dwon, please.

Let's all hope they get things turned around and we get another classic Xavier tourney run.

[SemajParlor]

Been a few years since I've posted. A few thoughts:

1. Even though they lost, I thought last night was the best game X has played in a while, even better than UCONN last Friday. They battled right from the opening tip. Really could have used the W for the tourney resume. Hopefully they can win a few down the stretch.
2. I have always loved Scruggs and he made some huge plays last night (and some bad ones), but he's been a net negative for the last few months. Hopefully he can finish with a great run of postive play.
3. How Hunter is still getting minutes over Cesare and even Stanley is beyond me.
4. Last night was the best game Fremantle has played in a while. Hope it continues.
5. Four straight years of faltering down the stretch is on Steele. He's a great recruiter but I do not think he is a good in-game coach. That is something that can be learned with experience for sure, but I haven't seen any impovement in that area over the last four years. I'm not rooting for anyone to get fired and I hope Steele coaches them to a deep NCAA Tournament run this year, but no matter what, after this season the administration needs to take a long, hard look at where this program is headed.
6. Need to get Nunge more blows throughout the forst 30 minutes. He on fumes late in every game.
7. More Dwon, please.

Let's all hope they get things turned around and we get another classic Xavier tourney run.

Great post. I'm with you on all of these points.

[UCGRAD4X]

Great post. I'm with you on all of these points.

I also agree that I was impressed with the effort, focus and overall performance by the players.

There were some unfortunate plays at critical junctures that hurt. Colby Jones free throws and failure to hit the reverse lay-in (and the under the hoop play which was a HUGE foul - but that's a whole different direction) and lack of outside shooting. Scruggs defense was disappointing for a lot of the game especially when it mattered most. As good as Free looked for most of the game, he did not come through big in the big moments.

But...other than that...

[xudash]

Been a few years since I've posted. A few thoughts:

1. Even though they lost, I thought last night was the best game X has played in a while, even better than UCONN last Friday. They battled right from the opening tip. Really could have used the W for the tourney resume. Hopefully they can win a few down the stretch.
2. I have always loved Scruggs and he made some huge plays last night (and some bad ones), but he's been a net negative for the last few months. Hopefully he can finish with a great run of postive play.
3. How Hunter is still getting minutes over Cesare and even Stanley is beyond me.
4. Last night was the best game Fremantle has played in a while. Hope it continues.
5. Four straight years of faltering down the stretch is on Steele. He's a great recruiter but I do not think he is a good in-game coach. That is something that can be learned with experience for sure, but I haven't seen any impovement in that area over the last four years. I'm not rooting for anyone to get fired and I hope Steele coaches them to a deep NCAA Tournament run this year, but no matter what, after this season the administration needs to take a long, hard look at where this program is headed.
6. Need to get Nunge more blows throughout the forst 30 minutes. He on fumes late in every game.
7. More Dwon, please.

Let's all hope they get things turned around and we get another classic Xavier tourney run.

Excellent observations. Couldn't agree with you more about Hunter. Perhaps at some point, Steele will value his job over whatever commitment he made to Hunter in order to get him at Xavier.

[IM4X]

I agree with all this. I also agree that this loss is not troubling, outside of our losing 5 of 6, which is very troubling. Even more so when you consider that losses to DePaul and St. John's are in there.

Yes. This loss to a very good, top 15 Providence team in triple overtime would not be troubling, if X didn’t already have the two bad loses to DePaul and St. John’s. Though, getting that close to a big win and then losing the way they did makes it harder to swallow. X had the a several chances to come away victorious and either poor plays drawn up or bad lineups inserted at key moments ultimately kept this team from getting the win.

[IM4X]

5. Four straight years of faltering down the stretch is on Steele. He's a great recruiter but I do not think he is a good in-game coach. That is something that can be learned with experience for sure, but I haven't seen any impovement in that area over the last four years. I'm not rooting for anyone to get fired and I hope Steele coaches them to a deep NCAA Tournament run this year, but no matter what, after this season the administration needs to take a long, hard look at where this program is headed.

If he wasn’t so damn stubborn - like his old boss - maybe he would have grown a little more as a coach. When one’s approaches again and again just aren’t working, it’s usually a sign the approach needs to change… but damn if Steel doesn’t leave his blinders on and just keep banging his square pegs into round holes.

Like his three point shooting approach. “I want all my guys to keep shooting 3s. Eventually they will start falling.”
How’s that approach -still being used from the Goodin days- working out for you Travis.

Also - How about him continuously giving more playing time to those who are crippling the team and costing the team victories. Carter and Hunter might be great kids, but shit, you can’t keep taking a gamble with players who consistently hurt the team the more they play.