Game Thread: Xavier v Purdue University (11/13/2023)

[paulxu]

https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/2a1f45a0-e1cc-4202-89d7-1b7b5c27f309_1.3c18d8e111cdcd7e8a271effb6000907.jp eg?odnHeight=612&odnWidth=612&odnBg=FFFFFFVS.https://w7.pngwing.com/pngs/429/357/png-transparent-purdue-university-pete-hd-logo-thumbnail.png


CINCINNATI --- The Xavier University Musketeers, 2-0, are headed to West Lafayette to take on the No. 3-ranked Purdue University Boilermakers, 2-0, in a Gavitt Tipoff Games matchup on Monday, Nov. 13.

Xavier has won 12 of its last 16 games against nine different teams from the Big Ten Conference since the 2007-08 season. XU has won five straight vs. Purdue dating back to the 2002-03 season.

THE MATCHUP

XAVIER UNIVERSITY MUSKETEERS (2-0, 0-0 BIG EAST)
NO. 3 PURDUE UNIVERSITY BOILERMAKERS (2-0, 0-0 BIG TEN)
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2023 AT 8:30 P.M. ET
AT MACKEY ARENA IN WEST LAFAYETTE, IND.

TV, RADIO & LIVE STATS

Television: FS1 with play by-play from Jason Benetti and analysis from Jim Jackson.
Xavier Radio: 700 WLW 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 on the Varsity Network and on SXM.

Live Stats: Media stats at Statbroadcast.com (http://Statbroadcast.com) and fan stats at GoXavier.com (http://GoXavier.com).

[xukeith]

Last year Indiana beat Purdue home and away.

Edey averaged 29 points.
Trayce Jackson-Davis averaged 17 points.

IU lost rebounding by 16 both times.

IU shot average of 44% from 3 vs PU.

Indiana averaged 9 TOs a game.

freethrows: IU 25/30 Purdue 32/50

[paulxu]

Let's make it 6 in a row :popcorn:

[Xville]

X +15.5

Wow no respect at all. I didn’t expect it to be 5 or 6 but geez. Maybe miller should show the kids that line as a bit of extra motivation. I’m hammering that.

[GoMuskies]

Which side are you hammering? I'm having a hard time imagining the scenario where we don't get blown out.

[JTG]

If Purdue lights it up from 3 we get smoked. If they're cold we only get beat by 8-10. Can't see a way we win, unless every 3 drops, and our bigs hold their own.

[Xville]

Which side are you hammering? I'm having a hard time imagining the scenario where we don't get blown out.

I don’t see a scenario where x gets blown out. It’s Purdue, not the ‘96 kentucky wildcats.

[Xville]

17.5 this morning. Wow

[fellahmuskie]

As long as green goes 8-8 from downtown, I think we've got them easy.

[American X]

I hope the "our transfers played a whole bunch of games somewhere else so we're good" theory comes together tonight, but I am not depending on it.

[IM4X]

This may be the first game I’ve ever picked X to lose (at least with Miller at the helm). Yet, in a strange way, I see evidence they could win. Several players shot rather poorly in the Jacksonville game and made a number of poor decisions. Still, the team found a way to win by 23.

Green is just 1 of 11 from behind the arc in his first two games, yet we know he is one of the best 3 point shooters coming out of high school and is likely to find his shot soon.

If he and Olivari can make it rain 3s, X will have a legit chance of winning.

I’m looking forward to an entertaining game where the highlight of the night is Edey getting posterized by Swain.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Up to +18 today on DK.

KenPom predicts a 13 point loss.

[HomerCecil]

I have no idea what to expect, but also have been noticing that most of the national media seems to only now be realizing Freemantle and Hunter aren't available. The FS1 guys in the studio on opening night acted like it was breaking news and also are still acting as if both of them could return to the court this year, which seems in opposition to what Xavier has been saying. I would not feel comfortable making a bet on this game in either direction, too many unknowns.

[UCGRAD4X]

I do know that Miller mentioned on a post-game show that he expects them to return, but he did not mention any timeline. He may have changed or clarified that since.

[OTRMUSKIE]

If this game was played without coaches then I would pick Purdue in a landslide. However, we have one of the best basketball coaches in the country and they have Painter. That alone should give us a chance. X may lose but they surely won’t be out coached.

[waggy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hmSkzIkt6A

[waggy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg_n7ZMtvlo

[JTG]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg_n7ZMtvlo

Glad I'm not a player. This guy scares the shit out of me just sitting in front of my laptop.

[Xavier]

I see two scenarios. We get completely blown out or we lose by 10 but it feels like 16+. (Never in doubt).

[Xville]

Geesh so much negativity here, and that’s coming from me!

F Purdue and their stupid mascot and f ogre edey too.

Screw’em. X by 100

[xu82]

Geesh so much negativity here, and that’s coming from me!

F Purdue and their stupid mascot and f ogre edey too.

Screw’em. X by 100

Are you the wagering type? :-)

[MHettel]

Abou Ousmane and North Texas knocked Edey and Purdue out of the big dance 3 years ago.

Ousmane owns Edey. write it down.

[GoMuskies]

Neither was exactly the main character in that particular drama. Ousmane 16 min, 4 points, 1 board. Edey 15 min, 0 points, 3 boards, 2 blocks

[MHettel]

Neither was exactly the main character in that particular drama. Ousmane 16 min, 4 points, 1 board. Edey 15 min, 0 points, 3 boards, 2 blocks

This is literally the only thing we have going for us. Just roll with it.

[GoMuskies]

The posted stats clearly demonstrate your point. Extrapolating to 40 minutes, Xavier should win by 10 points tonight.

[bobbiemcgee]

Making my first boilermaker.

[Three Point Pete]

Making my first boilermaker.Wild Turkey 101 and New Belgian Fat Tire!

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[Xville]

Let’s f this team up!

[Xville]

Edey already exhausted. Used to slow lumbering big 10 boredom. Not today ogre

[Blue Blooded-05]

Mike Bobinski is secretly pulling for X tonight, right?

[xukeith]

No complaints by me sofar. Waiting for refs to call bogus charge calls on the X men

[noteggs]

Not bad. Abou talking that many shots in first 4 minutes not good

[Xville]

Come on green… calm down big guy

[bobbiemcgee]

We're tied. Pull the fire alarm!

[Blue Blooded-05]

Gotta love Green’s confidence. He’s certainly not intimidated

[noteggs]

Doing well even with 3 freshmen on the court

[Xville]

Good start. X has an insane amount of talent, and I’m excited for what this team looks like in a month or two.

[American X]

Not so bad, save for a few ball hog shots, moving the ball pretty well, couple ugly turnovers. Grabbing rebounds and not giving up second chance points.

[KabeX]

Swain got some moves.

[Three Point Pete]

I like Swain's slick moves

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[Xville]

X is the more athletic team. That’s exciting

[GoMuskies]

Everyone but Claude looks good.

[xukeith]

Guys look good. Silly turnovers killing us but X gathered composure.
Swaine and Ciani out there have a smooth calming influence on this team.

Edey is now scaring Claude's shot. Little penetration is working. McKnight is doing better. Olivari so far shut out.

[paulxu]

Love the defensive intensity and turnovers we're creating.
But man...some of the last few shots have been been ill advised, including 2 that were flat out blocked.
We could be leading this baby easily.

[American X]

Trevor Bullet likes Swain's jump shot.

You knew no way Green was going to pass on that fast break. It will be nice when he figures out he has teammates.

[XfansinKy]

Claude needs to stop worrying about scoring and go make some big plays defensively or on the boards, then take a good shot while he’s in the groove. He just needs to get going

[Xville]

Wow that’s a bs call on ousmane

[GoMuskies]

Danger

[Xville]

Defense has not been great the last few minutes… giving up wide open shots

[KabeX]

Good shot but he did travel stepping into it (and they never call it)

[XfansinKy]

Yep getting his sht blocked will definitely teach him to look for help

[noteggs]

Everyone but Claude looks good.

Completely agree and don’t know why.

Edit: looks really bad

[Blue Blooded-05]

Wow that’s a bs call on ousmane

Agreed and it changed momentum. We had the ball going for the tie. Now Ousmane is on the bench with 2 and they got 5 quick points.

[Xville]

Ciani ends up on the floor from the ogre and no call.

[GoMuskies]

Claude is drunk.

[Xville]

Alright let’s win the final war here and feel good about ourselves going into the locker room

[XfansinKy]

Lol he needs to sit down a few minutes and watch

[Xville]

Claude is drunk.

Trying to figure out how to be the man without trying too much. He’s forcing things

[KabeX]

And #21 Nova goes down to the Quakers.

[XfansinKy]

X is the quicker more athletic team, but have started rushing

[xukeith]

X needs Lazar. Or a more experienced Swain

[XfansinKy]

Trying to figure out how to be the man without trying too much. He’s forcing things
He needs to make some plays on defense/rebound and get back in sync

[Xville]

I expect more from olivari and McKnight. These guys ah e played a ton of college basketball. Time to step up a bit

[Three Point Pete]

Attempting 3's too early in shot clock

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[Xville]

Hell yeah green!!

[American X]

I don't believe it. Trey Green discovered a teammate.

[KabeX]

Hummnn. I kinda like that Green kid

[GoMuskies]

Green is a stud.

[GoMuskies]

Extra drunk Claude

[Xville]

Geezus Claude. He may be high and drunk

[noteggs]

Good lord Des

[GoMuskies]

Tough finish to the half

[Xville]

Damn. Bad last minute there.

All in all though not a bad half… need more from our backcourt outside of green.

[Blue Blooded-05]

That end of half 3 hurts. Had a few chances to get it down to 3 at the half but poor shot selection and were down 8

[paulxu]

Coulda been 2; instead it's 8.

This Edey guy looks a lot like a Munster extra.

[GoMuskies]

Small sample size first impression of Olivari is very meh. But if this my first time seeing Des play high level competition I'd think he was terrible. So I'll withhold judgment. Need a lot better from Olivari, Des and McKnight. Those three are supposed to be the veteran core. Far from our best so far tonight.

[xukeith]

The Purdue "Claude and Olivari " defense is working sadly.

[KabeX]

Let's see how they respond. Not shooting well from 3 - that has to change to have a chance. Somewhat surprisingly only 6 TOs to their 7. I guess because they all seemed to come from Des. Ball has to move. Shots have to fall. I think they're doing about as good as you can against Eddy.

[American X]

Olivari and Claude look like the clueless freshmen, everyone else looks alright.

[XUBison]

This season is going to be one hell of a roller coaster.

[Blue Blooded-05]

Really hoped we’d be able to draw more than zero fouls on Edey in the first half

[Xville]

Small sample size first impression of Olivari is very meh. But if this my first time seeing Des play high level competition I'd think he was terrible. So I'll withhold judgment. Need a lot better from Olivari, Des and McKnight. Those three are supposed to be the veteran core. Far from our best so far tonight.

Agreed. I’m pretty disappointed with olivari and McKnight so far. It’s only three games so plenty of time, but I expect these guys to be much better when they have played this much college basketball. I’m sure they are still trying to figure out roles and how to play together but still.

[bobbiemcgee]

Gotta be there when he drops down with the ball b4 the hoop shot.

[MHettel]

We just have to be insane from 3 in the 2nd half.

It’s really hard to run offense in the halfcourt. We need some guys to hit contested buckets. We also need transition opportunities. Push on rebs and get open shots before the defense sets up. No issues on defense. Just play hard and box out. Push offensively and shoot the lights out

[Three Point Pete]

Coulda been 2; instead it's 8.

This Edey guy looks a lot like a Munster extra.He has more Lurch than Eddie Munster haircut!

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[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

Small sample size first impression of Olivari is very meh. But if this my first time seeing Des play high level competition I'd think he was terrible. So I'll withhold judgment. Need a lot better from Olivari, Des and McKnight. Those three are supposed to be the veteran core. Far from our best so far tonight.

Can make a case that Green is our best backcourt player now. Some issues, like maybe forcing things a tad too much but like the way he goes at Purdue without being intimidated. Claude looked bad in first half. Feels like he's trying to do too much. To use a cliche, he needs to allow the game to come to him.

On the plus side, like the team's aggressive defense. Our Bigs aren't as terrible as the CBS analyst, during the halftime of the Butler game, said they are. And, with a few reservations, I like the pace at which Miller has them playing. This early season schedule should help them once the conference schedule begins.

[xukeith]

X needs the road whistle to score a bunch fron line. That and foul Edey out.
Maybe Olivari can hit 5 threes this next half. He is our shooting guard?

[Xville]

I know it’s captain obvious but x has to make open shots. Backcourt Can’t keep missing wide open gimmies

[XUBison]

Claude’s gonna want to burn the tape for this one.

[GoMuskies]

Edey took 6 steps.

[Xville]

That’s not an effing foul ref.

[GoMuskies]

That’s not an effing foul ref.

It was a clear foul.

[Xville]

Olivari and Claude are absolutely killing us on both ends

[Xville]

It was a clear foul.

I disagree and so does ousmane :)

[GoMuskies]

I wouldn't mind not seeing Olivari again tonight. Try again next time.

[xukeith]

Miller seriously upset at Olivari for not boxing out.

[XfansinKy]

Olivari looks like a small college player trying to play at the elite level of college. I thought he was going to be much better than this. Maybe he will get going. Sit him for Trey

[Blue Blooded-05]

Claude and Olivari are a combined 1/10 for 4 points and 6 turnovers

[Xavgrad08]

Olivari and Claude are absolutely killing us on both ends

Need a lot more from Claude tonight. He will be the focal point of the other teams scouting report and needs to perform. McKnight and Olivari look like CUSA guards and not the Souley Boum type.

[Xville]

Edey does not need ref help

[Blue Blooded-05]

McKnight has been decent. He’s 3/5 with 6 points, 2 assists, 2 steals and 0 turnovers.

[paulxu]

He surely is getting some favorable calls.

[IM4X]

Really??? Can’t even touch Edey or the refs are ready with the whistle. Come on… let them play.

[GoMuskies]

McKnight was on the floor while his team got blown out by Louisville. Something about that is troubling.

Oh well. Hope we get a good run in and at least scare these guys.

[Boro Muskie]

I disagree and so does ousmane :)

Inconsistent refereeing is the bane of every coach. Eddy bangs from behind to gain position then a cheap touch fouls is called for him.

[noteggs]

We pretty knew a lot of this was going to happen with 10 new players. Not to mention Purdue is ranked 3

[paulxu]

Also, I feel it's deja vu. 20% from 3. Ugh.

Come on Muskies!

[Xville]

Green, gotta follow your shot man

[GoMuskies]

Des is back

[noteggs]

Honestly I think Des is too worried about Edey. Just commit and play

[Xville]

Can x stop giving up wide open shots off one screen? Come on d

[Xville]

Another wide open shot. Guys hello??? Come on

[Blue Blooded-05]

4/20 from three ain’t gonna cut it on the road against #3

[GoMuskies]

Way better from Des, Olivari and McKnight. Thank you.

[xukeith]

Love Ciani but he is not helping on defense two times in a row.

[GoMuskies]

This zone. Flashing back to Texas.

[paulxu]

11 minutes left and they're in the bonus? BS.

[Xville]

Claude is way too scared of edey. He’s in his head.

Danger time.

[GoMuskies]

Going night night

[KabeX]

Lots of teachable moments here

[Xville]

I know edey is freaking huge but x has been way too three happy tonight. That’s two games in a row and that’s a bit troubling. It’s way too Steele for me.

[GoMuskies]

Not a disaster. Try to keep it that way the last six minutes.

[Blue Blooded-05]

Purdue’s perimeter defense is much better than I expected

[xukeith]

Both teams have made 25 fgs.
Purdue has hit 2 more threes than X.
The killer line is free throws. 17 attempts vs 2 attempts.

[X-band '01]

They're playing slightly better than they were against Texas, but the way Purdue sets up their shooters I'm convinced IU fans sold their souls to Satan just to watch them stumble against FDU last year.

[GoMuskies]

FDU almost beat FAU, too.

[X-band '01]

Both teams have made 25 fgs.
Purdue has hit 2 more threes than X.
The killer line is free throws. 17 attempts vs 2 attempts.

Purdue's been constantly driving the lane - they're earning their FT attempts. And to their credit, they're cashing them in.

Xavier's trying to outshoot them. Not their game.

[noteggs]

Purdue hitting 3’s and X is not. Granted they have more uncontested

[X-band '01]

And unlike Texas, Xavier still has a remote shot to win this.

[X-band '01]

Had a remote shot.

I am confident that they will beat Washington on Friday. Not sure which team shows up after that on Sunday.

[Xville]

Alright. Let’s win the last 3 minutes. Played admirably. With lazar and a neutral site, I think x could beat them in March.

[Three Point Pete]

Purdue is really good, looks like FF material

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[xukeith]

Purdue's been constantly driving the lane - they're earning their FT attempts. And to their credit, they're cashing them in.

Xavier's trying to outshoot them. Not their game.

Maybe Miller does not know this. Or maybe X isn't listening.

[XUBison]

And unlike Texas, Xavier still has a remote shot to win this.

Yeah, this game does not remind me at all of the Texas game. This is respectable.

[IM4X]

I’d like to see X press here.

[XfansinKy]

A case can be made for Swain to start in front of Olivari. Maybe not a good case, but a case can be made. How good would Swain be at years end if he plays 25 minutes per game? Would he be a lot better or be worn down?

[paulxu]

37 minutes and we've had 2 FT's.
(vs 19)

[IM4X]

Foul by Edey. BS.

[XUBison]

Purdue is really good, looks like FF material

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They are certainly much more of a finished product… Gives me optimism.

[bjf123]

Foul by Edey. BS.

Yep.


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[GoMuskies]

Can we cover....

[paulxu]

Is there still a 3 second lane violation rule?

Just curious.

[Xville]

Is Purdue good? Sure. Are they #2 in the country? Meh. If they are, the tournament again will be wiiiddddeee open.

[KabeX]

I would like more Swain please.

[Xville]

Lots of brain farts by our guys this game which is acceptable this early in the season on the road with all our new guys.

Thank you swain! That was a cover shot:)

[GoMuskies]

Money shot from Swain. Literally

[Blue Blooded-05]

Is there still a 3 second lane violation rule?

Just curious.

Ha ha I have been thinking that all night

[IM4X]

Really surprised Sean waited so late in the game to get Swain in there. He was so high on him after the last game and I really believe if he had been in there earlier and more often the game would be closer. He is long and can cover their guards and could have even helped out with Edey.

[Xville]

Green and/or swain may be starting by mid season

[Xville]

That’s what we should have been doing too edey all game. X was way too cautious against him

[paulxu]

Same number of 3's, 1 more FG...but lost the battle at the foul line....18 versus 4.

[xukeith]

That first half really blew X away and they managed to be only down 8 at half.
Second half was better minus Abou getting 3 fouls in 6 minutes.

Add Lazar, get McKnight consistently making those Dwon Odom two's, and wake up Olivari for at least 3 threes a game. and we will be ok.

[XfansinKy]

That first half really blew X away and they managed to be only down 8 at half.
Second half was better minus Abou getting 3 fouls in 6 minutes.

Add Lazar, get McKnight consistently making those Dwon Odom two's, and wake up Olivari for at least 3 threes a game. and we will be ok.

I can see Swain stepping in and taking most of Olivari’s minutes

[GoMuskies]

Less Olivari might also be a plus. We'll see!

Enjoy Vegas!

[XUGRAD80]

Not disappointed in the effort. I do feel that they missed some fouls, especially some that Eday committed. But I don’t want to blame the loss on that. Purdue played good defense against a lot of the Xavier sets and there were some definite freshman mistakes. Some growing pains. It wouldn’t upset me to see X and Purdue matched up again in March. Swain is going to be a good one.

[XfansinKy]

I would like more Swain please.

Definitely. He’s gonna cause Miller to get him a bunch of minutes

[Xville]

I can see Swain stepping in and taking most of Olivari’s minutes

I could see that or green for sure.

[KabeX]

I'm somewhat encouraged actually. I think Purdue played well but prob not as well as they're capable of. However, our effort was consistent and I see some good potential in the youngins. Need Lazer obviously and need more consistency from deep but all in all not horrible against #2.

[XfansinKy]

Claude/Green/Swain/Abou/Nemo are our serious ballers right now. McKnight honorable mention and Olivari sitting mostly

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

Purdue’s perimeter defense is much better than I expected

Agree. Surprise no. 1 is guys other than Edey play pretty good D. Surprise No. 2 is how poorly our backcourt played. I expected us to be the far more athletic team, but the Boilermakers outplayed us. Our guards are experienced (other than Green) and if you listen to the media, the strength of our team. McKnight and Olivari disappointed. Although neither was absolutely worthless, neither played close to expectations. Before the season started, I had hopes that McKnight would be our Tyler Kolek but, so far, he has under whelmed. Olivari, as someone said earlier, looked very much like a Conference USA player tonight.

[JTG]

Nzeh in=surrender. Game over at that point. Hopefully he improves, but so far ugh!

[XfansinKy]

Uncoordinated bad hands. He’s got time to improve

[Olsingledigit]

Overall happy with the effort and performance. Warts, yes, but we will get better. this game will help us down the road. I like Swain a lot. FT discrepancy was unacceptable but we were on the road SOOOO! Mainly we stayed in the game against the #2 team in the country with a monster in the center. Great experience for the freshman in particular.

[Drew]

Fun game, and everybody playing for minutes. Swain and Green the biggest winners imo.

[IM4X]

I can see Swain stepping in and taking most of Olivari’s minutes

Agree. He is fast and long and he can hit threes too.

[IM4X]

Not disappointed in the effort. I do feel that they missed some fouls, especially some that Eday committed. But I don’t want to blame the loss on that. Purdue played good defense against a lot of the Xavier sets and there were some definite freshman mistakes. Some growing pains. It wouldn’t upset me to see X and Purdue matched up again in March. Swain is going to be a good one.

Good take. I was thinking the same thing about a rematch in the Tourny after Sean tweaks the line up, the team gets a little more chemistry and maybe even adds Lazar (and Free and Hunter). A guy can dream.

[Nigel Tufnel]

I feel pretty good after a loss. It’s obvious Sean is getting his pieces. Hate to complain about the refs…but X was on the other side of the whistles tonight. I don’t normally even notice that kind of stuff…wouldn’t have made a difference, but it was noticeable.

If X makes the tourney, would not be shocked if they make it farther than Purdue. They hit some shots on their home court…but #2? Trying not to shit on an opponent that just pretty much handled X, don’t know why, just not overly impressed.

[xukeith]

Agree. He is fast and long and he can hit threes too.

Swain's threes are not sling shots. He knows he has the confidence to shoot 2-3 attempts and makes most of his attempts.
I would prefer him off teh bench to give this X team a boost here and there.

[noteggs]

I did like what the announcer said about Green’s made 3. He was just shooting on instinct versus trying too hard to make it.

[IM4X]

Swain's threes are not sling shots. He knows he has the confidence to shoot 2-3 attempts and makes most of his attempts.
I would prefer him off teh bench to give this X team a boost here and there.

I would normally like him being that spark off the bench, but the problem is that really good teams will likely jump out to a lead if someone like Olivari is out there unable to hit his 3s (like we witnessed in this game).I think Swain is a better defender and he can be a threat on offense in multiple ways.

[drudy23]

My take - and was in the building:

- offense wasn’t great. We shot 2 free throws because we would make 1-2 passes and shoot a jumper. Virtually nothing at the rim.
- It’s early, but if Des wants to be the leader, then take reigns. He was very passive and honestly looked intimidated
- Green has no fear. Needs to get consistent
- we can’t shoot….again
- I honestly thought the bigs played decent D on Edey. But they can’t score
- Purdue is not the 3rd best team in the country

[OTRMUSKIE]

Purdue is actually ranked #2 and I thought X played pretty damn good. Shooting was a little out of control but that’s to be expected with a young team on the road Vs a very good team. X will be dancing and will be a tough out. Purdue unfortunately has painter as their head coach so I believe they will be upset early.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Most importantly we covered! And we hit the over 65.5.

Overall happy with the game. Des was miserable in the 1st half but better in the 2nd half.

Excited to see what Lazar can add to this team.

Miller will get this team gelling. There are some pieces there for sure. Shooting is a concern but if Green is as good as they say he will start to knock em down.

[XUGRAD80]

Something small, but perhaps significant, I noticed……the current Xavier bigs are absolutely no threat from the top of the arch, but are often out there while running the offense. Nunge was a definite threat from there, and that forced the opposing center to come away from the glass and play him. That opened up the offensive glass for follow ups by the wings and guards. Currently X doesn’t have that threat. Perhaps Lazar will provide that?

Also, I always love to listen to the post game radio show and specifically to listen to what Miller has to say immediately after the game. Sometimes the tone of his voice says more than what his words do. Last night he made the point that for about 1/2 the time that they were on defense, and a little more than 1/2 the time that they were on offense, the EFFORT of the players was at the level it needs to be and they performed well. He attributed that not to the players being lazy, but more to the players (especially the freshman) not understanding YET just how hard they need to play in order to be successful against the top teams in the country. However, he also SOUNDED as if he believes that this is just a matter of them learning through experience what it takes, not a “don’t want to”, more of a “we just didn’t know”. He sounded as upbeat as I’ve ever heard him after a loss.

[Xville]

Something small, but perhaps significant, I noticed……the current Xavier bigs are absolutely no threat from the top of the arch, but are often out there while running the offense. Nunge was a definite threat from there, and that forced the opposing center to come away from the glass and play him. That opened up the offensive glass for follow ups by the wings and guards. Currently X doesn’t have that threat. Perhaps Lazar will provide that?

Also, I always love to listen to the post game radio show and specifically to listen to what Miller has to say immediately after the game. Sometimes the tone of his voice says more than what his words do. Last night he made the point that for about 1/2 the time that they were on defense, and a little more than 1/2 the time that they were on offense, the EFFORT of the players was at the level it needs to be and they performed well. He attributed that not to the players being lazy, but more to the players (especially the freshman) not understanding YET just how hard they need to play in order to be successful against the top teams in the country. However, he also SOUNDED as if he believes that this is just a matter of them learning through experience what it takes, not a “don’t want to”, more of a “we just didn’t know”. He sounded as upbeat as I’ve ever heard him after a loss.

Thank you for the insight from miller. I think he knows what we know… there is a ton of talent on this team, it is just going to take some time and growing pains. X has three freshmen and a soph playing very significant minutes and will add another one here shortly. I don’t think that’s ever happened at x.

[BigMoeMusketeer]

I've never felt more optimistic about the big picture after a double-digit loss than I did last night. Purdue shot 46% from three and made a bunch of "big" ones, notably the one from the corner at the horn before halftime. They also shot 85% from the line and got there a TON. Plus, they only out-rebounded us by 5, with the best Big in college hoops, on the road.

I think there is a lot to be encouraged about and a lot for one of America's best coaches to build upon.

[GoMuskies]

Thank you for the insight from miller. I think he knows what we know… there is a ton of talent on this team, it is just going to take some time and growing pains. X has three freshmen and a soph playing very significant minutes and will add another one here shortly. I don’t think that’s ever happened at x.

Prosser's second year we were super young. Paid off the next two years.

[bjf123]

They also shot 85% from the line and got there a TON.

There was a big FT discrepancy. We were 4-6 and they were 18-21. I understand they’re one of the best teams at not fouling, at least one of the best at not getting them called. Still, that’s insane.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[A Fan]

Something small, but perhaps significant, I noticed……the current Xavier bigs are absolutely no threat from the top of the arch, but are often out there while running the offense. Nunge was a definite threat from there, and that forced the opposing center to come away from the glass and play him. That opened up the offensive glass for follow ups by the wings and guards. Currently X doesn’t have that threat. Perhaps Lazar will provide that?

Also, I always love to listen to the post game radio show and specifically to listen to what Miller has to say immediately after the game. Sometimes the tone of his voice says more than what his words do. Last night he made the point that for about 1/2 the time that they were on defense, and a little more than 1/2 the time that they were on offense, the EFFORT of the players was at the level it needs to be and they performed well. He attributed that not to the players being lazy, but more to the players (especially the freshman) not understanding YET just how hard they need to play in order to be successful against the top teams in the country. However, he also SOUNDED as if he believes that this is just a matter of them learning through experience what it takes, not a “don’t want to”, more of a “we just didn’t know”. He sounded as upbeat as I’ve ever heard him after a loss.

I loved the effort. But to me, if your bigs can’t shoot away from the glass they should not be playing away from the glass. And if they can’t receive the ball and score under the glass we will be very limited. Sean went out of his way pre- season to gush about Claude’s off season development. It must have put too much pressure on him because he was befuddled.

[BigMoeMusketeer]

I thought this framed the youth / "new" point rather well:

* We are 163rd in D-1 experience at 1.91 years on average. That is smack dab in the middle of tier D1 experience.
* However, we are 334th in terms of returning minutes (out of 362) at just a tick less than 10% of our minutes returning.

We aren't really "that" young, but we are really "that" new and largely unfamiliar (the trip this summer likely helped expedite that process).

Also worth noting, we are 207th in average height (77.0"), so a smidge below the average (which is 77.2"), but if there was an average bulk / strength ranking, we'd likely be down in the 300's.

[Xavier]

Hmm…. Didn’t Gytis make a couple? I’m actually getting comfortable with him shooting open ones. He was forced into one or two tough ones also. But he has range, a good pick and mid range pop. But ultimately the bigs play at the top to help create driving lanes, that’s the whole offense. Open space to drive etc,

As for the game, I came away more confident in this team than either of the previous two games.

[nuts4xu]

There was a big FT discrepancy. We were 4-6 and they were 18-21. I understand they’re one of the best teams at not fouling, at least one of the best at not getting them called. Still, that’s insane.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

X didn't work the ball into the paint last night because they had a 7'5" freak of a man blocking out the sun waiting to swat their shot into the 3rd row.

You won't draw many fouls if you stand at the arc and try to shoot your way into the game.

Purdue will walk off the floor most games this year shooting more free throws than their opponents take. That is one of the huge benefits to having a guy like Edey clogging up the lane.

[JTG]

X didn't work the ball into the paint last night because they had a 7'5" freak of a man blocking out the sun waiting to swat their shot into the 3rd row.

You won't draw many fouls if you stand at the arc and try to shoot your way into the game.

Purdue will walk off the floor most games this year shooting more free throws than their opponents take. That is one of the huge benefits to having a guy like Edey clogging up the lane.

That's true, but 18 of 21 to 6 isn't just making more than your opponent takes.

[American X]

I am with the consensus for more Swain, but do not get the love affair with Green.

Nemeiska and Ciana seem like a solid duo of big men. Nemeiska could be more selective in his three attempts, but that is a nice element to stretch the defense.

Not enough attacking and too many threes, but credit playing the Yeti in the middle.

[HomerCecil]

I am with the consensus for more Swain, but do not get the love affair with Green.

Nemeiska and Ciana seem like a solid duo of big men. Nemeiska could be more selective in his three attempts, but that is a nice element to stretch the defense.

Not enough attacking and too many threes, but credit playing the Yeti in the middle.

Agreed. I think Green will be a great player in time but most freshmen cannot come in and excel immediately at this level. At this point he is shooting 15% from three.

[MHettel]

Edey is a game changer. The way they use him on defense is stifling. every time the extra pass was made and Claude or Olivari were in a position to drive to the basket, Edey was just planted half way between our guy and the bucket. the whole drive was shut down before the ball was even put on the floor.

I'm always in favor of taking the ball to the rim and searching for contact is a huge part of an effective offense, but realistically we just had no chance with Edey in there.

Edey Played 33 minutes.

During the 7 minutes Edey was out:
XU outscored Purdue 15-12
rebounds 5 each.
Xu 3 assist, zero turnovers.
Purdue 2 assist, 3 Turnovers

XU made 6 of their 23 2-pt FGs with Edey out. Thats 26% of the 2-PT FGs in 18% of the minutes.

Xu was 6 for 8 from 2 with Edey out....75%. 50% with Edey in the game (17 of 34).

XU went 1-5 from 3 with Edey out. Per minute, they shot more 3's with Edey out, which probably was not the right plan...

Although we had a slight edge with Edey out of the game, it was never going to be enough to overcome his presence. Had we been unconscious and hit ALL the 3s we missed while he was out, we'd still only have mustered a tie.

Outscored 56-71 in 33 minutes with Edey out there.

Purdue will steamroll teams this year. UVA was teh first team ever to lose to a 16 seed. They won the title the next year....

[American X]

Agreed. I think Green will be a great player in time but most freshmen cannot come in and excel immediately at this level. At this point he is shooting 15% from three.

Then maybe he should not take the most shots on the team, including 9 three attempts. This is not open gym. These games count (a lot).

[drudy23]

Then maybe he should not take the most shots on the team, including 9 three attempts. This is not open gym. These games count (a lot).

He’s shooting with confidence, he’s just not making them. He will average out over the course of the season. He’s fully capable of making the shots he is taking.

And we didn’t shoot foul shots at a high clip because we shot a million jump shots. You don’t get to the line without attacking the rim. I will admit that’s pretty tough with Edey in there.

I didn’t think X played great. Honesty, if they would have played even pretty good, they would have been right there. The offense needs to get way more efficient.

There was a post earlier talking about how we do t have a big that can stretch and spread out the floor like Nunge. That was a huge advantage for us, as well as Boum attacking and getting the foul line. Our two starting guards have to start doing more of that.

[kane79]

Thank you for the insight from miller. I think he knows what we know… there is a ton of talent on this team, it is just going to take some time and growing pains. X has three freshmen and a soph playing very significant minutes and will add another one here shortly. I don’t think that’s ever happened at x.

1995-96, Xaviers first season in the atlantic 10 darnell williams, lenny brown, gary lumpkin and kevin carr were all freshman. TJ Johnson was a sophmore. Those were your 5 starters

[GoMuskies]

Kevin Carr was a JUCO transfer. So he was a junior.

[muskiefan82]

1995-96, Xaviers first season in the atlantic 10 darnell williams, lenny brown, gary lumpkin and kevin carr were all freshman. TJ Johnson was a sophmore. Those were your 5 starters

And then the NIT All Star game happened and that group was never what they could have been. Good, really good, but never as great as they had a chance to be. Still makes me sad.

[xukeith]

1995-96, Xaviers first season in the atlantic 10 darnell williams, lenny brown, gary lumpkin and kevin carr were all freshman. TJ Johnson was a sophmore. Those were your 5 starters

I always thought of Kevin Carr as a transfer.

[GoMuskies]

I always thought of Kevin Carr as a transfer.

You probably thought that way because he was a transfer.

[paulxu]

Although we had a slight edge with Edey out of the game, it was never going to be enough to overcome his presence. Had we been unconscious and hit ALL the 3s we missed while he was out, we'd still only have mustered a tie.

Outscored 56-71 in 33 minutes with Edey out there.

I don't completely buy this. We actually hit the same number of 3's as Purdue, and one more FG. The 14 point difference at the line was the 12 point difference in the game.

[Xville]

The only thing that somewhat bothered me last night is that x didn’t try to attack the rim enough. I know the big ogre is there, but I’d think that at least our senior guards would know how to attack the basket against him.

Someone did bring up a really good point though, about our bigs not forcing shrek a bit out on the perimeter. Nunge would have been a really interesting wrinkle last night.

[MHettel]

I don't completely buy this. We actually hit the same number of 3's as Purdue, and one more FG. The 14 point difference at the line was the 12 point difference in the game.

You dont think that Edey presence had anything to do with the fact that we didnt go to the line? Edey has committed 196 fouls in 102 career games. He's got 159 blocks.

I have stats on 67 recent XU Players. Edey would rank about 39th in foul frequency. Of our last 32 "Big men", he has the 7th lowest foul frequency.

of those same players he ranks 3rd in shot block frequency.

We didnt go to the line because we didnt drive the ball. We didnt drive the ball because Edey was looming.

We werent just going to magically get to the line 12 more times. That wasnt an option. Shooting the lights out was the only chance we had....but we didnt.

[MHettel]

The only thing that somewhat bothered me last night is that x didn’t try to attack the rim enough. I know the big ogre is there, but I’d think that at least our senior guards would know how to attack the basket against him.

Someone did bring up a really good point though, about our bigs not forcing shrek a bit out on the perimeter. Nunge would have been a really interesting wrinkle last night.

Could have played small ball. Gytis at the 5, and swain at the 4. We would have had to press and take defensive chances, cause if they set up in the halfcourt we'd get punished.

Its a high risk strategy, but up to that point nothing had really worked. Our defense wasnt bad when he had eth bigs i there, but we just couldnt get it going on offense.

[X-band '01]

1995-96, Xaviers first season in the atlantic 10 darnell williams, lenny brown, gary lumpkin and kevin carr were all freshman. TJ Johnson was a sophmore. Those were your 5 starters


Kevin Carr was a JUCO transfer. So he was a junior.

Leo Murray was a freshman on that team that ended up transferring, although he wasn't a starter at any point that I could remember.

[GoMuskies]

He was barely even in the rotation, but he had to play in OT against UMass when our big guys fouled out. It went exactly as well as you'd expect it to.

Terrance Payne may have technically been a redshirt freshman that year, too, since he got hurt his true freshman year.

[American X]

He’s shooting with confidence, he’s just not making them. He will average out over the course of the season. He’s fully capable of making the shots he is taking.

Snipe could be out there shooting with confidence, but just not making them. That does not imply that he should be shooting. I would have questions where you made statements. Will he average out over the course of the season? Is he fully capable of making the shots he is taking?

[GoMuskies]

Snipe could be out there shooting with confidence, but just not making them. That does not imply that he should be shooting. I would have questions where you made statements. Will he average out over the course of the season? Is he fully capable of making the shots he is taking?

I suspect he's quite capable of making them if Miller is allowing him to take them. He looks like a kid that's going to light it up to me.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

Snipe could be out there shooting with confidence, but just not making them. That does not imply that he should be shooting. I would have questions where you made statements. Will he average out over the course of the season? Is he fully capable of making the shots he is taking?

Clearly, Miller thinks he can make those shots or Green would be on the bench. I'm OK with Green continuing to take them because I think he will soon begin hitting them. I'd prefer that he attack the basket a bit more because he can and when he does, he will create opportunities for his teammates. And, if draws fouls, he can hit from the free throw line. Green (a freshman) was attacking last night at times when Olivari and McKnight (established players) hesitated.

Green is going, I think, to be a special player at X.

[xu82]

Snipe could be out there shooting with confidence, but just not making them. That does not imply that he should be shooting. I would have questions where you made statements. Will he average out over the course of the season? Is he fully capable of making the shots he is taking?

Personally, I would tune in to see Snipe out there launching some. That would be Must See TV!

[GoMuskies]

Only if he wears his snuggie.

[xu82]

If Rich Eisen can run the 40 at the combine in a suit and dress shoes, Snipe should absolutely were his Snuggie. Good call.

[drudy23]

Snipe could be out there shooting with confidence, but just not making them. That does not imply that he should be shooting. I would have questions where you made statements. Will he average out over the course of the season? Is he fully capable of making the shots he is taking?

Yes.

Yes.

Shooters shoot.

I will say that it would be nice to get him some open shots within the offense. Most of his attempts so far have been tough ones off of his own dribble. He is capable of creating his shot with his quickness, but the percentages will go up as the offense becomes more efficient.

This isn't a guy like KyKy where we will be waiting a couple years for him to turn into the shooter everyone says he was.

[X-band '01]

Yes.

Yes.

Shooters shoot.

I will say that it would be nice to get him some open shots within the offense. Most of his attempts so far have been tough ones off of his own dribble. He is capable of creating his shot with his quickness, but the percentages will go up as the offense becomes more efficient.

This isn't a guy like KyKy where we will be waiting a couple years for him to turn into the shooter everyone says he was.

I will not sit idly by and watch you badmouth Jacksonville State's leading scorer like that.

[drudy23]

I will not sit idly by and watch you badmouth Jacksonville State's leading scorer like that.

They did lose to Utah Tech.

Not Utah State.

Utah Tech.

[xukeith]

This may shine some percpective on a known good X shooter:

S. Boum during his fresman year went scoreless from three 8 seperate games as a frosh and only 1 for 5 three different times.

Souley ended up as a 35% 3point shooter for his frosh year.

[Xville]

Yeah I’m going to trust miller on this one. If he had an issue with green shooting, he wouldn’t be playing. Now if it were a few years ago and Steele was coaching him, I’d probably have a different view lol. Green seems to have a great stroke, probably just a few nerves and thinking a bit too much three games into his college career.

[MHettel]

Trey Green seems to shoot like he's Trey YOUNG. If they start going down, watch out!

[Olsingledigit]

Trey Green seems to shoot like he's Trey YOUNG. If they start going down, watch out!

Sean seems to believe he will start hitting

[X-band '01]

Yeah I’m going to trust miller on this one. If he had an issue with green shooting, he wouldn’t be playing. Now if it were a few years ago and Steele was coaching him, I’d probably have a different view lol. Green seems to have a great stroke, probably just a few nerves and thinking a bit too much three games into his college career.

If Steele were coaching him, we'd probably have that Woodward kid in the backcourt that another poster seemed to think was all-Universe a few years ago. Didn't he end up at NJIT?

[bobbiemcgee]

Wasn't it McMillan IV?

[X-band '01]

Yeah, that was it - Paul McMillan IV.

Just googled it - he's actually at Central Michigan now.

[UCGRAD4X]

Trey Green seems to shoot like he's Trey YOUNG. If they start going down, watch out!

So, you might say Trey is very green at this point.

[drudy23]

Yeah, that was it - Paul McMillan IV.

Just googled it - he's actually at Central Michigan now.

And I'm guessing it won't be his last stop.