The Rubber is REALLY about to hit the Road

[Masterofreality]

As in rugged road games coming up.
Look, I’m as ecstatic about our team this year and over the moon that Sean is back. I was there again yesterday to witness another special game. And this is absolutely not to demean this team’s accomplishments….BUT
We are gonna find out a lot more about this team’s grit in the next few weeks, and I know that the earlier games included Sean and the team Finding out who they were, but Consider:
-We lost at home to an Indiana team that is proving to be not all that.
-Duke is mediocre and we lost to them on a neutral court.
-We barely beat Thuggins at home and they are 0-5 in the Big 12.
-We were able to “ease in” to the Big East schedule by not having to play any of the other “Big 5” teams on the road.
-We have “trap” games coming up, like Wednesday vs DePaul and monsters vs UConn, Creighton and very next, Providence at home. Then later Providence and Marquette roadies.

My point? We’re not going to go 20-0 in the Big East and despite the winning streak and ranking we aren’t “all that” yet. I fully expect us to lose at least 5 of these upcoming games, so my loins are girded, but this will not be the late season meltdown that continually happened under TFG. But if we go 7-6 in these last 13, that is still a 22-9 record going into the BE Tourney and comfortably in the Dance.
If we go, say, 9-4? Start dreaming of BIG THINGS!
Hang on for the Roller Coaster ride. I’m just glad Sean Miller is the Engineer.

[nuts4xu]

As in rugged road games coming up.
Look, I’m as ecstatic about our team this year and over the moon that Sean is back. I was there again yesterday to witness another special game. And this is absolutely not to demean this team’s accomplishments….BUT
We are gonna find out a lot more about this team’s grit in the next few weeks, and I know that the earlier games included Sean and the team Finding out who they were, but Consider:
-We lost at home to an Indiana team that is proving to be not all that.
-Duke is mediocre and we lost to them on a neutral court.
-We barely beat Thuggins at home and they are 0-5 in the Big 12.
-We were able to “ease in” to the Big East schedule by not having to play any of the other “Big 5” teams on the road.
-We have “trap” games coming up, like Wednesday vs DePaul and monsters vs UConn, Creighton and very next, Providence at home. Then later Providence and Marquette roadies.

My point? We’re not going to go 20-0 in the Big East and despite the winning streak and ranking we aren’t “all that” yet. I fully expect us to lose at least 5 of these upcoming games, so my loins are girded, but this will not be the late season meltdown that continually happened under TFG. But if we go 7-6 in these last 13, that is still a 22-9 record going into the BE Tourney and comfortably in the Dance.
If we go, say, 9-4? Start dreaming of BIG THINGS!
Hang on for the Roller Coaster ride. I’m just glad Sean Miller is the Engineer.

https://jillchristensenintl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Debbie-Downer-Negative-Nellies-Confront-them-isolate-them-or-cut-them-loose.jpg

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

As in rugged road games coming up.
Look, I’m as ecstatic about our team this year and over the moon that Sean is back. I was there again yesterday to witness another special game. And this is absolutely not to demean this team’s accomplishments….BUT
We are gonna find out a lot more about this team’s grit in the next few weeks, and I know that the earlier games included Sean and the team Finding out who they were, but Consider:
-We lost at home to an Indiana team that is proving to be not all that.
-Duke is mediocre and we lost to them on a neutral court.
-We barely beat Thuggins at home and they are 0-5 in the Big 12.
-We were able to “ease in” to the Big East schedule by not having to play any of the other “Big 5” teams on the road.
-We have “trap” games coming up, like Wednesday vs DePaul and monsters vs UConn, Creighton and very next, Providence at home. Then later Providence and Marquette roadies.

My point? We’re not going to go 20-0 in the Big East and despite the winning streak and ranking we aren’t “all that” yet. I fully expect us to lose at least 5 of these upcoming games, so my loins are girded, but this will not be the late season meltdown that continually happened under TFG. But if we go 7-6 in these last 13, that is still a 22-9 record going into the BE Tourney and comfortably in the Dance.
If we go, say, 9-4? Start dreaming of BIG THINGS!
Hang on for the Roller Coaster ride. I’m just glad Sean Miller is the Engineer.

100%. Really, any of remaining road games could wind up as losses and Providence and a healed up Nova could wack us at home. I'm totally in Miller's camp (who wouldn't be?) but his biggest challenging coaching challenges are ahead, not behind him. I remain concerned about depth as we move into the second half of the season. Many of the television commentators have noted the "tournament feel" to these Big East games. I'm hopeful that helps us in March.

It has been a great ride.

[Masterofreality]

https://jillchristensenintl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Debbie-Downer-Negative-Nellies-Confront-them-isolate-them-or-cut-them-loose.jpg

Hahaha!! #Reality

[nuts4xu]

Hahaha!! #Reality

Kidding aside, I thought the schedule makers did us a favor by letting us play UConn, Marquette, and Creighton at home so early in the conference part of our season. Holding serve at home is even more critical this year. The rest of the schedule is filled with land mines and the grind of the season will start to show. We have developed our depth and can now feel comfortable playing 8 deep.

The margin is still pretty thin, and we can't afford to lose any of our starters due to injury. But Miller has done a hell of a job getting us to point, and I am actually looking forward to see how he navigates the rest of the season.

[X Factor]

BOOOO!!!

What a giant wet blanket of a post.

Have a feeling Xavier is going to steal a couple of unexpected road wins...why? Souly Boom.

[XU 87]

BOOOO!!!

What a giant wet blanket of a post.

Have a feeling Xavier is going to steal a couple of unexpected road wins...why? Souly Boom.

Agreed.

By the way, X is ranked 8th in the latest poll. I'm going to enjoy that.

[Masterofreality]

BOOOO!!!

What a giant wet blanket of a post.

Have a feeling Xavier is going to steal a couple of unexpected road wins...why? Souly Boom.


Agreed.

By the way, X is ranked 8th in the latest poll. I'm going to enjoy that.

Ha!
Look. I’m hopeful! The defense in the 2nd half yesterday is what I hope has developed now and will be there going forward.
I’m sure that Sean is taking NOTHING for granted. I mean 11 ranked teams lost over the weekend so there are pitfalls lurking.
I just don’t wanna hear this board melt down when an inevitable occurrence happens.
I’m back in the building next Saturday.
GO X!!

[xavierj]

If anyone knows anything about Sean Miller coached teams is that they get better as the year goes on. Every game I feel good in conference because the best coach between the two teams is always sitting on Xavier’s bench. I think Sean and team will pull out a couple of tough road games and win the games they should. Team will be ready come March.

[XUBison]

Ha!
Look. I’m hopeful! The defense in the 2nd half yesterday is what I hope has developed now and will be there going forward.
I’m sure that Sean is taking NOTHING for granted. I mean 11 ranked teams lost over the weekend so there are pitfalls lurking.
I just don’t wanna hear this board melt down when an inevitable occurrence happens.
I’m back in the building next Saturday.
GO X!!

Yep, that’s what I thought. Sure, there are plenty of tough hurdles ahead, but why are we baking in excuses for Sean that we weren’t willing to extend to aluminum? Winning… Isn’t that why we brought back Sean? I’m sure we’ll lose our share down the stretch, but this thread is hilarious.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Yep, that’s what I thought. Sure, there are plenty of tough hurdles ahead, but why are we baking in excuses for Sean that we weren’t willing to extend to aluminum? Winning… Isn’t that why we brought back Sean? I’m sure we’ll lose our share down the stretch, but this thread is hilarious.

Big difference between not allowing "excuses" for Steele in year 4 of his tenure vs Miller in year 1. Huge difference.

Miller took like one month to undo all Steele's incompetency.

We have 13 BE games remaining. Going 8-5 would be great imo. We have some tough road games ahead hopefully we can steal a couple.

[OTRMUSKIE]

15-3 7-0 8th in the nation. Our defense is porous but our offense is incredible. I’m not sure if you expected us to destroy the ranked teams at home but last time I checked we still won and we have won every road game. Yes we are def going to lose 4 more games and it’s not because we arnt all that it’s because this is a very good conference. FYI X is all that and I’ll tell you why. We beat a very good Marquette team and our best player played like crap (Boum) That to me tells me this team is definitely very very very very good .

[JTG]

15-3 7-0 8th in the nation. Our defense is porous but our offense is incredible. I’m not sure if you expected us to destroy the ranked teams at home but last time I checked we still won and we have won every road game. Yes we are def going to lose 4 more games and it’s not because we arnt all that it’s because this is a very good conference. FYI X is all that and I’ll tell you why. We beat a very good Marquette team and our best player played like crap (Boum) That to me tells me this team is definitely very very very very good .

Played like crap, Really??? Had the ball in his hands at crunch time and hit 4 FTs in the last minute.

[XU 87]

I certainly wouldn't say Boum "played like crap", or anywhere close to that. But he did have an off night shooting- he was 5-15 from the field and 2-8 from the three. For the first time all year, I thought at time he was forcing things a bit on offense. And then of course he comes back and hits the two to take the lead and goes 4-4 from the line on two one-and-ones.

[WCWIII]

I think along the same lines as MOR, but I think of it that our BE schedule has been near ideal. Early tests in the OOC with beatable teams ... some we won, some we lost but end up with confidence going into conference play with W's over UC and WV. Then we start BE with facing top 5 teams (UConn, Creighton, Marquette) at home and beating bottom 5 teams home or away. What this has done is enabled the team to develop and learn lessons while getting conference W's. Those W's are locked in. If we have really developed and/or continue to develop, then we'll get our share of W's and maybe steal an away W or two from a top 5 team.

[xudash]

Kidding aside, I thought the schedule makers did us a favor by letting us play UConn, Marquette, and Creighton at home so early in the conference part of our season. Holding serve at home is even more critical this year. The rest of the schedule is filled with land mines and the grind of the season will start to show. We have developed our depth and can now feel comfortable playing 8 deep.

The margin is still pretty thin, and we can't afford to lose any of our starters due to injury. But Miller has done a hell of a job getting us to point, and I am actually looking forward to see how he navigates the rest of the season.

That.

And this: If anyone knows anything about Sean Miller coached teams is that they get better as the year goes on. Every game I feel good in conference because the best coach between the two teams is always sitting on Xavier’s bench.

Summation: we did lose some OOC games that perhaps we could have won, but "OOC" means early in the season, which obviously translates to Sean not having had the time yet to work his magic with this group.

I absolutely agree with the comment about getting the top teams at home early. Beating them has produced wonderful results for the team and program. Being back in the Top 10 is beyond nice.

The rest of the schedule is filled with landmines. Perhaps we'll steal another one from one of the top teams, perhaps not. Continuing to hold serve at home and beating the weaker teams on the road is key.

Absent injuries, and with Sean Miller at the helm, imagine where we might be in March and April, given where we've come from since the beginning of the season till now.

[X-band '01]

That.

And this: If anyone knows anything about Sean Miller coached teams is that they get better as the year goes on. Every game I feel good in conference because the best coach between the two teams is always sitting on Xavier’s bench.

Summation: we did lose some OOC games that perhaps we could have won, but "OOC" means early in the season, which obviously translates to Sean not having had the time yet to work his magic with this group.

I absolutely agree with the comment about getting the top teams at home early. Beating them has produced wonderful results for the team and program. Being back in the Top 10 is beyond nice.

The rest of the schedule is filled with landmines. Perhaps we'll steal another one from one of the top teams, perhaps not. Continuing to hold serve at home and beating the weaker teams on the road is key.

Absent injuries, and with Sean Miller at the helm, imagine where we might be in March and April, given where we've come from since the beginning of the season till now.

Not having Nate Johnson healthy for critical stretches last season was a killer.

[A Fan]

Ha!
Look. I’m hopeful! The defense in the 2nd half yesterday is what I hope has developed now and will be there going forward.
I’m sure that Sean is taking NOTHING for granted. I mean 11 ranked teams lost over the weekend so there are pitfalls lurking.
I just don’t wanna hear this board melt down when an inevitable occurrence happens.
I’m back in the building next Saturday.
GO X!!

I can’t imagine that Sean Miller is saying anything to the team other than what MOR has posited. You can see from our wins that the home court is a 4 to 6 point advantage.

[xukeith]

I think along the same lines as MOR, but I think of it that our BE schedule has been near ideal. Early tests in the OOC with beatable teams ... some we won, some we lost but end up with confidence going into conference play with W's over UC and WV. Then we start BE with facing top 5 teams (UConn, Creighton, Marquette) at home and beating bottom 5 teams home or away. What this has done is enabled the team to develop and learn lessons while getting conference W's. Those W's are locked in. If we have really developed and/or continue to develop, then we'll get our share of W's and maybe steal an away W or two from a top 5 team.

Definitely true. The BE schedule has been dreamy this year. Padded with home games vs top BE teams to inflate our record to 7-0. It will be a lot more difficult but the press coverage and being a media cool team is nice. Call those 4/5 stars recruits Adam, Dante, and David!

[XUGRAD80]

One of the keys to this seasons success has been the ability of the team to not look beyond the next game. I’m going to take that approach too. I don’t disagree with anything that OP says, but I’m not going to worry about anyone but DePaul until after Wednesday.

[MHettel]

There are a few things that I have no doubt about...

1. The BE schedule from here on out will be more challenging. We've been largely benefiting from home games. Thats the luck of the draw, and I'll take it. But, we need to return those games to Creighton, UConn and Marquette. Thats the way the ball bounces for us.

2. The confidence we gained from this 11 (or is it 12) game streak is immeasurable. Much better than going, say, 14-3 over 17 games. Just mentally, the confidence that you CAN win, turns into a belief that you WILL win.

3. The IU, Duke and GU games were legit challenges, and we will be looking to exact revenge, if the opportunity comes. I think we have improved from those games. And even if those opponents have as well (questionable) , i'm confident that the tablkes may be turned at this point.

4. i dont expect to go undefeated in the BE. But, at 7-0 if we JUST went 7-6 down the stretch, we be at 14-6 overall. Who would've guessed that? i thinking in the 15-16 win range, and finish in the top 15 ranking. 4-5 seed and dangerous as hell

[Xville]

I’m with most here. Conference schedule has been favorable so far, and I think x is about to have a few losses. However, I don’t think it will be more than 5, so I’ll take the 15-5, 23-8 record and a 4 seed in the Louisville or Columbus regional.

Although I wish the defense was better, It’s great to be back!

[Xavier]

I have gotten caught up in the same idea. “Duke doesn’t look great. Indiana sucks. Zags are ok”. But it isn’t that simple. I think if we played them today we would beat all three (Gonzaga would be most difficult). Indiana has had big injury issues since, it’s not the same team. we played a lot of the Duke and all of Gonzaga without Kunkel. With our lack of depth, those results turned out pretty good and if heathy I think both could have been wins.

Overall though- we look like a much better version than the the team we had in November. I’m with Ville, I could see 5 losses. But I think losing 4 is more likely than losing 6.

[Blue Blooded-05]

I have gotten caught up in the same idea. “Duke doesn’t look great. Indiana sucks. Zags are ok”. But it isn’t that simple. I think if we played them today we would beat all three (Gonzaga would be most difficult). Indiana has had big injury issues since, it’s not the same team. we played a lot of the Duke and all of Gonzaga without Kunkel. With our lack of depth, those results turned out pretty good and if heathy I think both could have been wins

I agree. The biggest cliche in college basketball is the 'ol "a season is a lifetime." It is cliche for a good reason.

To me, this is the best example of this in recent memory...

- On 12/7/15, Oklahoma beat Villanova 78-55 on a neutral floor.

- On 4/2/16, the same Villanova team beat the same Oklahoma team 95-51. This game was also on a neutral floor, but this time it was in the Final Four.

Having been through numerous boom and bust cycles in my Xavier rooting life, I am trying to enjoy the ride more this time around. If we do fall back down to earth over the back stretch of the conference slate and our NCAA seed drops from a 3 to a 5... oh well. Imagine if that was our biggest gripe over the prior 4 years?

Our program is in good hands. Our favorite son has come home and the administration took the necessary risk to make it happen. If Xavier was a stock, I'd be buying on margin right now.

[Masterofreality]

I agree. The biggest cliche in college basketball is the 'ol "a season is a lifetime." It is cliche for a good reason.

To me, this is the best example of this in recent memory...

- On 12/7/15, Oklahoma beat Villanova 78-55 on a neutral floor.

- On 4/2/16, the same Villanova team beat the same Oklahoma team 95-51. This game was also on a neutral floor, but this time it was in the Final Four.

Having been through numerous boom and bust cycles in my Xavier rooting life, I am trying to enjoy the ride more this time around. If we do fall back down to earth over the back stretch of the conference slate and our NCAA seed drops from a 3 to a 5... oh well. Imagine if that was our biggest gripe over the prior 4 years?

Our program is in good hands. Our favorite son has come home and the administration took the necessary risk to make it happen. If Xavier was a stock, I'd be buying on margin right now.

Great post and all truth!
Enjoy the ride, whether Roller Coaster, or preferably, not!

[xudash]

I agree. The biggest cliche in college basketball is the 'ol "a season is a lifetime." It is cliche for a good reason.

To me, this is the best example of this in recent memory...

- On 12/7/15, Oklahoma beat Villanova 78-55 on a neutral floor.

- On 4/2/16, the same Villanova team beat the same Oklahoma team 95-51. This game was also on a neutral floor, but this time it was in the Final Four.

Having been through numerous boom and bust cycles in my Xavier rooting life, I am trying to enjoy the ride more this time around. If we do fall back down to earth over the back stretch of the conference slate and our NCAA seed drops from a 3 to a 5... oh well. Imagine if that was our biggest gripe over the prior 4 years?

Our program is in good hands. Our favorite son has come home and the administration took the necessary risk to make it happen. If Xavier was a stock, I'd be buying on margin right now.

Please allow me to second that: great post.

[OTRMUSKIE]

Check the players phones for betting apps. This game was clearly thrown. And poor DePaul had nobody in the stands to even rush the court. It’s a shame that program is as bad as they are. So much talent in that area. That clearly need a new coach bc even though they won they looked like a team with no coach. Just caught us on a bad shooting night.

[blueblob06]

Obviously it was a bad loss and hopefully we'll never shoot that badly again this year. I think DePaul will be better the rest of the year than they were so far. Not saying they'll be great but Wednesday was Caleb Murphy's first game and you could tell he's a good player. They looked much better with him on the floor. They will win some more games this year and while it will still be a bad loss for us, I'm thinking (and hoping) it won't be THAT bad.

If Moore comes back, obviously Nova will be much tougher as well. No game easy in this conference!

[X-band '01]

Villanova's at a point of no return now; there's little reason for Moore to do anything besides take a medical redshirt this season if he's truly intent on finishing up his Villanova degree.

[xukeith]

oops!

[Masterofreality]

The Gauntlet begins.
We’re gonna learn a lot more about how far this group can go in the next 10 days.
Buckle up!!!

[muskiefan82]

They can win both. They can lose both. Here's hoping we get at least one.

[D-West & PO-Z]

They can win both. They can lose both. Here's hoping we get at least one.

Yep.

I would sign up for a 1-1 week right now.

2-0 is possible, but 0-2 equally so.

[noteggs]

They can win both. They can lose both. Here's hoping we get at least one.

Check the last one off the list!

[Masterofreality]

I am still on Cloud 9 after last night!
What a freaking win!
This one will be highly placed in the Xavier Game Historical Video archives!
We’re playing with house money in Omaha. I’m sure Xavier will do better than I did in the Council Bluffs Casinos!

[Masterofreality]

Apparently , a month later in this thread, we are now down to
“A Season on the Brink”!!!!!

[Masterofreality]

100%. Really, any of remaining road games could wind up as losses and Providence and a healed up Nova could wack us at home. I'm totally in Miller's camp (who wouldn't be?) but his biggest challenging coaching challenges are ahead, not behind him. I remain concerned about depth as we move into the second half of the season. Many of the television commentators have noted the "tournament feel" to these Big East games. I'm hopeful that helps us in March.

It has been a great ride.

Clairvoyant.

[American X]

Always smart to use the rubber on the road in New Jersey. Hopefully that toughness provides protection up Providence way.

[boozehound]

It's nice to be pretty solidly 'in' the tournament in February and worrying about seeding with 2 games left. Obviously we lost a couple of games that we probably would have won with a healthy team, but I'm happy with the regular season so far. I've seen lots of projections lately with X as the last 4 seed. It would probably take a hell of a run to get us to a 3 seed at this point, but even if we drop to a 5 seed that is not a terrible place to be in the tournament.

[Masterofreality]

Did anybody have “Xavier loses at DePaul and Butler AND Xavier wins at UConn and Providence” on their Dance Card since this thread started??
Methinks not.
Crazy

[D-West & PO-Z]

Did anybody have “Xavier loses at DePaul and Butler AND Xavier wins at UConn and Providence” on their Dance Card since this thread started??
Methinks not.
Crazy

Yeah, pretty nuts. Big time wins in big time spots by X on the road after shitting the bed to some lesser teams.

[xukeith]

X has a strong resume BUT will X not get a really good seed because of those 2 bad losses? Road record strong, though. 6 Q1 wins. 2 Q3 losses might sting a little.

[Xville]

X has a strong resume BUT will not get a really good seed because of those 2 bad losses? Road record strong, though. 6 Q1 wins. 2 Q3 losses might sting a little.

They were a 4 in the release a few weeks ago and balanced a “bad“loss at home with a great road win last night on top of another road win at hall. I think if the bracket were announced today, they are solidly a 4. I think if they beat butler and get to at least the finals of the be, they could get a 3. More interested in region and matchups than seed line at this point tbh.

[nuts4xu]

X has a strong resume BUT will not get a really good seed because of those 2 bad losses? Road record strong, though. 6 Q1 wins. 2 Q3 losses might sting a little.

Joe Lunardi has them as the 3rd best #4 seed (or ranked 15 out of the top 16 seeds).

We will be fine.

[drudy23]

Probably could play ourselves into a 3. As of right now, we're a solid 4 - not a ton of difference in 4 or 5 as they end up playing each other in Round 2. We're not a 6 with our resume.

Honestly should be given geo preference as well. We have a very good resume.

[Xville]

Probably could play ourselves into a 3. As of right now, we're a solid 4 - not a ton of difference in 4 or 5 as they end up playing each other in Round 2. We're not a 6 with our resume.

Honestly should be given geo preference as well. We have a very good resume.

May come down to iu and x for that 4 seed in Louisville regional.. one goes there, the other to kc.

The first/second rounds I’d be pretty shocked if they end up anywhere other than Orlando at this point. Maybe Albany

[xukeith]

May come down to iu and x for that 4 seed in Louisville regional.. one goes there, the other to kc.

The first/second rounds I’d be pretty shocked if they end up anywhere other than Orlando at this point. Maybe Albany

Lu?

[drudy23]

May come down to iu and x for that 4 seed in Louisville regional.. one goes there, the other to kc.

The first/second rounds I’d be pretty shocked if they end up anywhere other than Orlando at this point. Maybe Albany

No chance for Columbus?

[Xville]

No chance for Columbus?

Always a chance. I could be completely wrong on this but I think x will be in the south or Midwest regional and those games are Friday/Sunday the second weekend. I thought that means x would have Thursday/Saturday the first weekend. Like I said, maybe I’m completely wrong and it doesn’t work like that.

[Xville]

Lu?

Indiana.

[94GRAD]

No chance for Columbus?

Very little, Marquette would have to just K-State to go to DesMoines or X would have to jump Marquette on the S-Curve

[Wheelhouse]

Big picture I think the South region with Alabama as the 1-seed is our best draw. We probably don't want the 1-seed grinders (Houston, UCLA).

[atljar]

Big picture I think the South region with Alabama as the 1-seed is our best draw. We probably don't want the 1-seed grinders (Houston, UCLA).
I know their record and metrics says otherwise, but Houston doesnt scare me

[Xavier]

I think I’d want Purdue. I was scared of Alabama and still am but do agree it would be an uptempo game where we could match anyone point for point in that style. I’ve heard rumors Colby was going to transfer to Bama after last season. Coaching change kept him around

[bleedXblue]

I thought .500 would have been a tall task without Free. Lets close this out with a W on Saturday and then get Free back for the BET

[boozehound]

I thought .500 would have been a tall task without Free. Lets close this out with a W on Saturday and then get Free back for the BET

Amen. If Freemantle isn't back for the Big East tournament I would think it's highly unlikely he contributes significantly during the NCAA tournament, even if he is cleared to play.

[Xville]

Amen. If Freemantle isn't back for the Big East tournament I would think it's highly unlikely he contributes significantly during the NCAA tournament, even if he is cleared to play.

Heard it third person, so take that for what it is worth, but rumor is that he is going to play a few minutes tomorrow night. Again, just rumor but hopefully it turns out to be correct.