Game Thread: Xavier v Houston (12/1/2023)

[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/736x/66/07/4b/66074bef7593173b9c686b1be1841bd4.jpg


CINCINNATI --- The Xavier University Musketeers, 4-3, host the No. 6 University of Houston Cougars, 7-0, on Friday night at Cintas Center. The two teams have not met since the 1977-78 season.

Friday's game is part of the annual BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle series. XU is 4-0 in past games as part of the series with wins over West Virginia, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and TCU.

THE MATCHUP

XAVIER UNIVERSITY MUSKETEERS (4-3, 0-0 BIG EAST)
NO. 6/5 UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON COUGARS (7-0, 0-0 BIG 12)
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023 AT 6:30 P.M. ET
AT CINTAS CENTER IN CINCINNATI, OHIO

TV, RADIO AND LIVE STATS

Television: FS1 with play-by-play from Matt Schumacker and analysis from Donny Marshall.
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).

[drudy23]

Just win baby. We need it.

[Xville]

X +7.5 . I think Houston covers pretty easily. more athletic and tougher than Purdue. On the other hand, maybe Oakland woke them up a bit.

[bleedXblue]

Cintas will be buzzing. Can we defend these guys and prevent second chance(s)? I think we will be ready and play better than the other night. I think X covers but loses by 5

[X-band '01]

I will go out on a limb and guess that fewer Xavier fans will be selling tickets to Houston fans (back when about 20% of Cintas was filled with IU fans last year).

[American X]

Houston is #1 in KenPom. Can we trade them a case of Skyline to move this to another year?

[GoMuskies]

Coming into the week I definitely would have traded a loss to Oakland for a win against Houston. Hoping against hope that's how it turns out!

[drudy23]

Houston is #1 in KenPom. Can we trade them a case of Skyline to move this to another year?

Why? Don't we want to play highly ranked teams?

[American X]

Why? Don't we want to play highly ranked teams?

Yes, but I would rather have a much better chance to beat them than our current situation. I would love to be shocked later tonight.

[drudy23]

We're like 7 point dogs. We can win this game.

We hung with Purdue just fine on the road. We're not as bad as this board is projecting, and Houston isn't as good. We're not playing 90s Duke or UNLV.

[bleedXblue]

I "think" they have pretty athletic guards and post players. I wish they had slow and stodgy interior players. Their athleticism might not be a good match. We shall see

[Xville]

I "think" they have pretty athletic guards and post players. I wish they had slow and stodgy interior players. Their athleticism might not be a good match. We shall see

Yeah that’s where I’m at. Houston is extremely athletic, aggressive and tough. I felt better against Purdue because they are not very athletic, slow deliberate big ten basketball.

My head says x gets rolled, but heart and my bet says x covers. It sounds very captain obvious but really it just comes down to how x shoots from the outside.

[American X]

Ousmane is already on the bench with two fouls.

[GoMuskies]

Ousmane is already on the bench with two fouls.

At least he hasn't head butted anyone....yet.

[bleedXblue]

Ousmane is already on the bench with two fouls.

So true although the last 2-3 games he's been better...... We need 20 + minutes out of him tonight.

And why not some zone? Isn't that what you do when you cant guard 1 v 1? When you get into foul trouble......or want to avoid that......

[Xavier]

We got bullied around by Oakland. And didn’t grab key defensive rebounds when it mattered most. Is houston known to be physical and pound the offensive glass?

Hoping it was a wake up call. Think it’s similar to Purdue where it never quite feels like we have a shot but the final score won’t be as bad as expected.

[MHettel]

I did a little internet scouting of Houston....

Long story short, they return 5 of 9 key players from last years team. New backcourt (transfers) seems to adequately replace last years backcourt which was very strong.

They get to the line, they block shots. They average more steals per game (11!) than their own turnovers (8.1!). They dont shoot particularly well, but they do rebound offensively VERY well. They average FIFTEEN Orebs a game, with 4 guys around 2.0 per game each.

We need to force tough shots and BOX OUT.

J'Wan Roberts in particular is a rebounding machine at 7.7 per game in 22 minutes. He's not big (6'7" 235) but hes a load and he never shoots 3's. Hes in the game to clean the boards, and with a 70% FG percentage, it's clear that he's a putback machine. he doesnt foul much (6 of 7 games with 1 or less). We're just gonna have to deal with this guy. Had a 20 Rebound game last year...

They play small, with 5 guys listed as guards that play 20 minutes or more per game. the "main" backcourt is in the 6'1" range. The 2 wing guys are 6'5"-6'6". We better be stout on the perimeter.

As far as other size, they have two other rotation guys; one at 6'8" 240 and their 3rd big is a freshman that is 6'7" 230.

So not a tall front line, but definitely some beef up front. Our Euro guys are gonna get a taste of old school USA Basketball. Their 3 bigs have taken ONE 3 point attempt this year. These guys combine for only 55 minutes a game, so they will go stretches playing 4 guards.

Not loving this matchup. We need to do the following....

1. Play intense perimeter defense, forcing tough shots and lots of misses....

2. Rebound those misses like our life depended on it. CANNOT let the O-Rebounding determine teh outcome of this game.

3. Protect the ball. Limit turnovers, and absolutely NO STUPID ONES.

Ousmane will have a really nice opportunity tonight to change my opinion of him. I'd like to see him out there for 28-30 minutes and keep out of foul trouble. This could be a 15 reound night if he can do that.....

[drudy23]

Need a "we shoot well" and "they suck from 3" type of game. Seems to happen to us all of the time on the road, maybe it's our turn.

[Xavier]

Looking like Green might be out do to the flu. Just some rumors on Twitter though, no sources.

[bleedXblue]

jeezuz

[D-West & PO-Z]

Ousmane is already on the bench with two fouls.

Ha, reps!

[D-West & PO-Z]

Looking like Green might be out do to the flu. Just some rumors on Twitter though, no sources.

Not great, Bob!

[D-West & PO-Z]

We need Des Claude to have a best player on the court game tonight. Can he find that dog in him and just take over? Now would be a great time to do so.

[American X]

Well, Kelvin Sampson gave us two of our greatest players, so maybe he will continue the generosity in giving us our signature win of the season. We used to have Kelvin Sampson Appreciation Day (http://www.xavierhoops.com/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=134&day=2010-10-5&c=1) on this board. Let's bring back the tradition.

[xu82]

I predict they will miss some, too. Eventually, and after it is too late.

[GoMuskies]

Houston seems way better than us.

[noteggs]

Thought refs were cleaning up the charge call? Guess not

[Xville]

Yeah, this is how I thought this would go. Houston is a horrible matchup for us

[American X]

Generous of Xavier to let Houston continue their shoot-around to start the actual game.

[xu82]

I must say, they are starting to put up a better fight and are only down by 8. It feels worse.

[bjf123]

I must say, they are starting to put up a better fight and are only down by 8. It feels worse.

Yes, it does. Them starting 4 for 4 from 3 didn’t help.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Xville]

Only scored 8 points and only down 8, so that’s something kinda positive I guess

[Blue Blooded-05]

The difference in athleticism is staggering.

[Xavgrad08]

Houston’s half court defense is really good.

[Xville]

The difference in athleticism is staggering.

That’s why Purdue doesn’t impress me at all. When they face an athletic team in the tourney, they’ll get smoked again. I think x was more athletic than them

[American X]

Got punched right in the f'in face, but still very much on our feet fighting. Plenty of game left (at home).

[xu82]

Ousmane didn’t foul when challenged on D, so that’s a plus. I REALLY want to see more of him!

[KabeX]

more freakin like it!

[Blue Blooded-05]

Give that 4-minute war to the men in gray!

(I know there’s still 32 seconds left)

[Three Point Pete]

X looking better in low post. Keep driving inside.

Sent from my SM-A326U using Tapatalk

[Xville]

That’s more like it!

[American X]

Olivari just needed to hit the side of the backboard to then hit all the shots, what a strange warm up.

[Three Point Pete]

Gotta hit those FT

Sent from my SM-A326U using Tapatalk

[GIMMFD]

Loved the fight and effort in the first half, especially with Houston starting out so strong and making sure we stayed in it, didn't like the turnovers, though Houston's defense is definitely that damn good. Quincy really sparked things there for our run, hope to run some more open looks for him in the second half. Hopefully we can also hit free throws in the second half. Still in this thing, let's get it done.

[Xavier]

Multiple missed front end of 1&1s. Just feel like we missed some opportunities there to finish half but great way to stay tough and be in it after being down 16-6

[Xuperman]

Gotta hit those FT

Sent from my SM-A326U using Tapatalk

You think?
The Euro guys are terrible.

[Xavgrad08]

X down five at the half. It could be a lot worse. Need to limit the turnovers, make foul shots and box out in the second half. Houston had some offensive rebounds that have led to Houston points. That is deflating.

[Xville]

I’ll take being down five at half against what I think is a top 3 team all day long

[paulxu]

Good fight back from the 4 3's off the bat.
Would have liked to have been tied at the half, but TO's and missed layups in the last 2 minutes did that in.

One thing we don't seem to do is have off-ball screens to free up a shooter. Lot of attempted screen/roll, weaving, pass around the key....but not much screening for people without the ball.

But great to watch them claw back in it. Let's keep it up in the second half.

[Xuperman]

Claude is no where near a next level guy at this point. He just simply is a non-threat from 3.....really light years from where it needs to be.

[KabeX]

That D is prob the best in the country - when they sustain it (and they do for the most part). Takes a lot of energy to play that way - need our best cliche offense now - take care of the ball and make the extra pass. And for Almighty's sake can we do some more pump fakes!

[American X]

Respect the fighting, clawing, and scrapping back to make it a close game. Can Xavier limit its mistakes and leverage the home crowd energy to overcome a top flight team?

[paulxu]

Maybe they could organize a phone call for that Cryer guy and get him to leave the building.

[Xville]

I like the second half strategy of giving up wide open threes. So frustrating

[KabeX]

Prob a good idea to start making the easy ones and may a 3 here and there

[Xavier]

Why do we always suck out of half? We were horrible last year in first war out of half. It will cost us the game tonight. I don’t get it

[paulxu]

It wouldn't hurt if we could hit more than 25 % of ours.

[Xuperman]

Not just what we are seeing now.....this "team" is simply not more than average. They do nothing that generates any post season aspiration excitement.

[Xville]

Not just what we are seeing now.....this "team" is simply not more than average. They do nothing that generates any post season aspiration excitement.

I mean, I get it, but we are playing a 1 seed right now. I agree x is average but it will get better in a month or so. Miller needs to refill the pipeline and it’s not going to take a bit.

[Xville]

I will say the free throws are extremely frustrating

[KabeX]

Keep attacking. You never know. But make a damn FT already!

[xu82]

Not just what we are seeing now.....this "team" is simply not more than average. They do nothing that generates any post season aspiration excitement.

Yet.

We all knew this would be a season of growth. Time will tell, that’s why we watch.

[KabeX]

WOw. Look like we caught a break there. Didn't see that foul.

[Three Point Pete]

Was Ousmane groin punched?

Sent from my SM-A326U using Tapatalk

[KabeX]

WOw. Look like we caught a break there. Didn't see that foul.
OK, upon further review ... I see it.

[bjf123]

Was Ousmane groin punched?

Sent from my SM-A326U using Tapatalk

Yep. Ouch!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Xville]

Hanging around hanging around. Come on!

[KabeX]

Zebras taking over for both sides. Not pretty

[Three Point Pete]

"Boo -boo" Ousmane

Sent from my SM-A326U using Tapatalk

[KabeX]

Well we know who to foul at the end if we need to. And so do they - anyone in gray.

[paulxu]

Send a note to Ousmane that you can't make a free throw on a straight line.

[KabeX]

Well we know who to foul at the end if we need to. And so do they - anyone in gray.
Except Swain. Kid's gonna be good (already is).

[Xville]

Let’s effing goooooo

[Blue Blooded-05]

Did Ciani even touch him?

[KabeX]

27 moving screens in this game and they finally call one

[KabeX]

27 moving screens in this game and they finally call one
And another - finally.

[Xville]

Only 3 Tos this half. Thats phenomenal

[Blue Blooded-05]

Everyone look at the refs!

[paulxu]

We made a 3!!!
(OK, there was a foul and it didn't count...but still....)

[GoMuskies]

This is painful.

[Tim]

Claude is painful to watch.

[KabeX]

Well if you would have told me we'd be with 3 at the under 4 TO I would ... F THAT - GO WIN THE F'IN GAME!

[Three Point Pete]

Claude is painful to watch.Not the "go to guy" we need.

Sent from my SM-A326U using Tapatalk

[Xville]

Claude has grown a lot since last year but he has a lot more growing to do.

[Blue Blooded-05]

An alpha dog needs to step up

[Xville]

Not going to win but a good moral victory if there is one. Should make a lot of games a lot easier

[KabeX]

An alpha dog needs to step up
i think he has. Unfortunately he's #4 in red.

[GoMuskies]

We're going to cover!

[KabeX]

Foul them. All of them. Put walkons in if you have to . Just foul them.

[Xville]

We're going to cover!

Yep! And the under :)

[Three Point Pete]

Lost because of turnovers and missed free throws, that's tough to take.

Sent from my SM-A326U using Tapatalk

[GoMuskies]

Yay, moral victory.

[Xville]

Lost because of turnovers and missed free throws, that's tough to take.

Sent from my SM-A326U using Tapatalk

That’s kind of been their thing so far this year unfortunately

[Blue Blooded-05]

Is there a reason why Green didn’t play? Apologize if it was discussed on tv or on here.

These 6:30 tips aren’t ideal in the middle of a bedtime routine with a 5 & 3 year old.

[noteggs]

Flu

[Xville]

Is there a reason why Green didn’t play? Apologize if it was discussed on tv or on here.

These 6:30 tips aren’t ideal in the middle of a bedtime routine with a 5 & 3 year old.

Had the flu is what I heard. Could have used his shooting

[XUGRAD80]

I would never have predicted that X would out rebound Houston. I expected that loss, but I also thought that it would be a much larger spread. I feel much better about this loss than I did the last one.

[IM4X]

Had the flu is what I heard. Could have used his shooting

Absolutely. Olivari taking 4 more 3s and Dez taking 4 less could have been the difference in the game too.

[MHettel]

Not going to win but a good moral victory if there is one. Should make a lot of games a lot easier

I heard the NCAA selection committee was told to start taking moral victories into their process. So, all good.

[Xavier]

Xavier was the better team for 32 minutes. Started first half 16-6. Started 2nd half turning a 3 point deficit into a 13 point deficit. Houston didn’t look like a top 10 team. Oh well. Making the tournament is going to be tough at this point.

[Xville]

I don’t understand the thought process of making the tournament is going to be tough now. It’s barely December. We aren’t in the a10 anymore. There are plenty of opportunities available. They have played 8 games ffs and two of the losses are to probable 1 or at worst 2 seeds. X is going to beat uc by 10 plus and probably win 12-13 be games. X isn’t cutting down any nets this year, but I firmly believe they’ll be fine.

[IM4X]

Claude was 3-13 from the field and 0-5 from three.

McNight was 3-12 from the field and 0-3 from three.

Kind of brutal.

Olivari was a bright spot.

He was 5-10 from the field. 4-7 from three.

[Xavier]

I don’t understand the thought process of making the tournament is going to be tough now. It’s barely December. We aren’t in the a10 anymore. There are plenty of opportunities available. They have played 8 games ffs and two of the losses are to probable 1 or at worst 2 seeds. X is going to beat uc by 10 plus and probably win 12-13 be games. X isn’t cutting down any nets this year, but I firmly believe they’ll be fine.

If they win 12-13 in the big East, probably . I’d say best case they are 2-4 vs top 3 teams. More likely 1-5, so they can only lose 3 other conference games. The rest of the big East is pretty average, which I think hurts. Maybe looking at 19-12 if they win 12 games in conference. (If my quick math is right) I think it’s a tall task.

[Xville]

If they win 12-13 in the big East, probably . I’d say best case they are 2-4 vs top 3 teams. More likely 1-5, so they can only lose 3 other conference games. The rest of the big East is pretty average, which I think hurts. Maybe looking at 19-12 if they win 12 games in conference. (If my quick math is right) I think it’s a tall task.

I think 13 is a real possibility


2 St. John’s
2 Georgetown
2 DePaul
1 Providence
2 seton hall
1 creighton
2 butler
1 nova

Of course, there are some toss ups there but this I believe is the path.

[drudy23]

Wait, people think this team is winning 13 games in arguably the best conference in the land?

They're not winning 13 BE games. Not a chance.

[drudy23]

Thoughts:

1) Ignore the score disparity. The talent gap was pretty big. You see first-hand what type of talent it takes. Houston has it, we're nowhere close, unfortunately
2) We still can't shoot - after 5 years, we still can't shoot
3) Des isn't even close on his jumpshot - mental at this point
4) We play hard, but the talent gap was significant
5) Free throws - for the love of god, get better

When you play teams that obviously have better talent, it brings me back to my main concern about our recruiting profile. NIL has changed the game, and I worry about X's ability to keep up.

We are currently, no doubt, on the outside looking in. We will need a top 4-5 BE finish to get back into the conversation, and that will be immensely hard with the talent in the league.

[Xville]

Wait, people think this team is winning 13 games in arguably the best conference in the land?

They're not winning 13 BE games. Not a chance.

There are maybe 2 teams better than Houston in the big East and x was right there on December 1st. Of course x can win 13 games

[GoMuskies]

We have 20 Big East games scheduled, so it is definitely theoretically possible for us to win 13 of then.

[KabeX]

Thoughts:

1) Ignore the score disparity. The talent gap was pretty big. You see first-hand what type of talent it takes. Houston has it, we're nowhere close, unfortunately
2) We still can't shoot - after 5 years, we still can't shoot
3) Des isn't even close on his jumpshot - mental at this point
4) We play hard, but the talent gap was significant
5) Free throws - for the love of god, get better

When you play teams that obviously have better talent, it brings me back to my main concern about our recruiting profile. NIL has changed the game, and I worry about X's ability to keep up.

We are currently, no doubt, on the outside looking in. We will need a top 4-5 BE finish to get back into the conversation, and that will be immensely hard with the talent in the league.

Agree with most all this except the talent gap except for Cryer, while still there, is not the grand canyon. The ATHLETIC gap, however is. Not even close.

[Xavier]

You can argue talent all day long. Just remember, 2 of the key pieces (two of top 3 expected players on team) got lost over summer. Freemantle and hunter would really make a difference. Most teams in X position would struggle (talent wise) losing top pieces before season started.

[KabeX]

We have 20 Big East games scheduled, so it is definitely theoretically possible for us to win 13 of then.
It's possible. Will all home games and steal 3 on the road. I mean, I'm sayin there's a chance...

[XUBob]

I agree about the talent gap and I realize we can play what if all day long. This would be a different team with either Hunter or Freemantle but alas that’s not going to happen. I do think with sustained high level effort we might surprise in league play. We shall see and as you stated the age of NIL makes me nervous as to what X can do to secure talent in the future.

[drudy23]

There are maybe 2 teams better than Houston in the big East and x was right there on December 1st. Of course x can win 13 games

I respectfully disagree.

Our bigs can't score, and our guards can't shoot. We do play hard, and honestly, the defense was pretty good.

We need more shooters and more scoring. Where does it come from?

Does Des finally wake up?

I'm not mad because Houston just has better players, but from a realistic perspective, we're not winning all 10 BE homes games. No chance.

[A Fan]

Thoughts:

1) Ignore the score disparity. The talent gap was pretty big. You see first-hand what type of talent it takes. Houston has it, we're nowhere close, unfortunately
2) We still can't shoot - after 5 years, we still can't shoot
3) Des isn't even close on his jumpshot - mental at this point
4) We play hard, but the talent gap was significant
5) Free throws - for the love of god, get better

When you play teams that obviously have better talent, it brings me back to my main concern about our recruiting profile. NIL has changed the game, and I worry about X's ability to keep up.

We are currently, no doubt, on the outside looking in. We will need a top 4-5 BE finish to get back into the conversation, and that will be immensely hard with the talent in the league.

Excellent points. I have to feel sorry for Sean. He has NEVER had such little talent . And he was counting on Claude to be the leader. And Claude is overwhelmed shouldering that expectation.

[drudy23]

I agree about the talent gap and I realize we can play what if all day long. This would be a different team with either Hunter or Freemantle but alas that’s not going to happen. I do think with sustained high level effort we might surprise in league play. We shall see and as you stated the age of NIL makes me nervous as to what X can do to secure talent in the future.

If this team had Hunter and Freemantle, we'd be 7-1. HUGE losses.

[drudy23]

Agree with most all this except the talent gap except for Cryer, while still there, is not the grand canyon. The ATHLETIC gap, however is. Not even close.

Fair point. Their athleticism is off the charts.

[Xville]

I think x has the talent, it’s just very young and not McDonald all American level. Green, swain, djokovic, Claude, ciani are all very very talented, but 4 are freshmen and the other was a backseat driver last year.

[waggy]

I agree with what Sean said postgame.. Don't judge the team right now.

[drudy23]

I think x has the talent, it’s just very young and not McDonald all American level. Green, swain, djokovic, Claude, ciani are all very very talented, but 4 are freshmen and the other was a backseat driver last year.

It's tough when you lose good players to injury, it's really tough when those players are upperclassmen and 1st and 2nd team conference caliber.

It just feels like X has had a run of bad luck that you'd think would even out at some point.

I'm currently watching UConn, and we're nowhere close. That's the level we need to be to get to a Final Four.

I hate Steele for completely destroying the trajectory we were on. It's only going to get harder with NIL.

[Xville]

I agree with what Sean said postgame.. Don't judge the team right now.

Agree. I think January a lot of people are going to be singing a different tune on here

[Xavier]

It's tough when you lose good players to injury, it's really tough when those players are upperclassmen and 1st and 2nd team conference caliber.

It just feels like X has had a run of bad luck that you'd think would even out at some point.

I'm currently watching UConn, and we're nowhere close. That's the level we need to be to get to a Final Four.

I hate Steele for completely destroying the trajectory we were on. It's only going to get harder with NIL.

I mean. Xavier did beat them twice last year. A team that was built by Steele. But he did kill the trajectory Mack had X on for sure. I couldn’t be happier steele didn’t accidentally sneak in the tournament one year though.

When Miller gets us to the F4 (I firmly believe he will) I’ll be forever grateful Steele brought him back lol

[drudy23]

Just worried about recruiting. Sean hasn't really brought in a difference maker yet, and we have one signed for next year who should be pretty good, but will take time.

Is the talent now really better than the Chalmers led elite 8 team 20 years ago? Better than the Josh Duncans? The Stanley Burrells? The Jalen Reynolds? The Tu Holloways? The Jordan Crawfords? The David Wests? Are we really getting better players now? Not sure I see it even if the rankings say so.

[Xavier]

Jones just left early and signed an NBA contract. Mack had sumner. A ton of people have said Claude will end up leaving early to the NBA. I think Swain has the ability to do the same.

I think our team last year would compete with any of our great teams. But to your point, maybe it shows the ceiling we hit. But I think any of our 3-4 top teams could’ve made the final four, so even if that’s our ceiling talent wise/ it’s enough.

[waggy]

If this first class is any indication recruiting is just fine. Yeah they're not the fab five. C'mon.

[CP05XU08CU13]

Even with NIL, there is no reason why Xavier should not be a top 5 Big East team every season. UCONN, Villanova and Georgetown have the deep pockets and boosters. No reason why Xavier should be a bottom feeder in the Big East. Need consistency every year. Adapt or die!

[American X]

Honorary Steel Ballz Award, obviously, to Abou Ousmane. His 'defense' did not quite lead to the win, but it did spark a 10-0 run.

Showing grit, despite the lack of offense, defense, passing, foul shooting, experience, chemistry, athleticism, leadership and basketball acumen, gives me some hope for the Shootout and Big East season.

[IM4X]

If this team had Hunter and Freemantle, we'd be 7-1. HUGE losses.

No question. Add in the other eligible players who didn’t come back and we could very well be 8-0.

Having a deep bench this year has kept us from doing a nose dive, but with the drop off in skill level we are going to continue to have trouble competing against the better teams- the ones we need to beat to get into the tournament.

Are the current bigs capable of scoring more in the paint and are our guards capable of shooting better from the perimeter? Can the players collectively get better at shooting free throws? Are we going to start seeing smarter passes and less turnovers? Let’s hope so.

[IM4X]

I will add that it’s really encouraging to see Olivari starting to show more confidence, tenacity and growing into the sort of knock down shooter Sean was hoping he’d be.

[xavierj]

Just worried about recruiting. Sean hasn't really brought in a difference maker yet, and we have one signed for next year who should be pretty good, but will take time.

Is the talent now really better than the Chalmers led elite 8 team 20 years ago? Better than the Josh Duncans? The Stanley Burrells? The Jalen Reynolds? The Tu Holloways? The Jordan Crawfords? The David Wests? Are we really getting better players now? Not sure I see it even if the rankings say so.

The current Xavier freshman class is probably one of the best ever signed at Xavier. Xavier hasn’t had freshmen play this many minutes since I think the 1996 class Skip brought in. If that continues Xavier will be really good for years to come. I only expect one or two to come in for next year since they just brought in 10 new guys and Zach and Jerome will be back next season. I would expect a couple of transfers to come in though and a couple of guys to transfer out.

[IM4X]

I hate Steele for completely destroying the trajectory we were on. It's only going to get harder with NIL.

I look at it this way: If it weren’t for Steele screwing everything up, we’d never have gotten Sean back. So there is that.

Plus, Steele does deserve credit for bringing in Freemantle, Hunter. Nunge, Jones and Kunkel. How can we not be happy about having those guys playing for X? Steele may have been in over his head as a HC, but he was a good recruiter. Sean took Steele’s pieces, added one more key ingredient and molded them it into one heck of a dangerous team.

[XUGRAD80]

The current Xavier freshman class is probably one of the best ever signed at Xavier. Xavier hasn’t had freshmen play this many minutes since I think the 1996 class Skip brought in. If that continues Xavier will be really good for years to come. I only expect one or two to come in for next year since they just brought in 10 new guys and Zach and Jerome will be back next season. I would expect a couple of transfers to come in though and a couple of guys to transfer out.

I’m not counting on Zach and Jerome coming back next year. Would be great if they do, but I doubt they will. Not at their ages. I won’t be surprised if there are a few transfers out and a few transfers in, as that seems to be what the norm will be from here on out. I don’t expect X to have more than one more recruit for next year, and that could well be another European player. It’s going to be a few years before the classes get all evened out and changing out 3-4 players every year is normal once again. Meanwhile, if X can hang onto the current top 9 players they are going to be really good over the next couple of years.

[bleedXblue]

We have a coupe of guys who we brought in to be shooters and they aren't even sniffing the floor. They will almost assuredly not return. Not sure about Nzeh either. We will have plenty of oppty to bring in a few key missing pieces for next year. Yes, Hunter and Free are huge question marks. Keep the core of Green, Claude, Swain, Ciani, Lazar and add more talent to that via transfer portal.

[paulxu]

I agree with what Sean said postgame.. Don't judge the team right now.

That makes sense....except for one thing
OK, they need time to gel, to learn his system, etc. That's all well and good.

But...these kids have been playing basketball for a LONG time. When 4 of your 5 starters are 0-9 from three...that's a damn problem.
That and missed one and one opportunities cost us this game; their athleticism was offset by some damn good D from the Muskies.

Not to mention the sloppy passes and 17 TO's. Many of those were just downright lazy. (OK, that was 3 things.)

[XUGRAD80]

How much of the shooting woes last night were because of poor shooting? Or because of great defense? I can only remember a few really open shots that X took from deep. The rest of the time there was a defender close to them and pushing them out further than they wanted to be shooting from.

[waggy]

Three of these guys have been in country for about 3 mos? Lots of room for improvement for sure, but isn’t that a good thing? What I’m seeing is positive despite the losses.

[Xavier]

How much of the shooting woes last night were because of poor shooting? Or because of great defense? I can only remember a few really open shots that X took from deep. The rest of the time there was a defender close to them and pushing them out further than they wanted to be shooting from.

It isn’t really last night being the issue with shooting. We haven’t had great success all year, and it seems like we will have to win on defense and attacking the rim.

Now, last night we had at least three wide open 3s that were missed. (Claude with 2, McKnight with 1). They came in big moments where it just one of them drops it could’ve changed momentum for good. Houston has one of the best defenses in the country and I don’t expert to make every open 3. If you want to beat top teams, you need some of those to drop.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

I respectfully disagree.

Our bigs can't score, and our guards can't shoot. We do play hard, and honestly, the defense was pretty good.

We need more shooters and more scoring. Where does it come from?

Does Des finally wake up?

I'm not mad because Houston just has better players, but from a realistic perspective, we're not winning all 10 BE homes games. No chance.


I agree with what Sean said postgame.. Don't judge the team right now.


Agree with Drudy's observations. Defensive intensity, on both sides, was great last night. Our crowd was fantastic. Students were great-some showed up in the early, early hours Friday A.M. Loved the Pope costumes. Great experience but Houston was clearly the better team.

I'm tempted to blame our poor shooting on Houston's great defense, but I think that minimizes a real and on-going problem. We can't shoot. I expected more scoring from McKnight and Des is offensively one dimensional.

Miller has told us this team will get better. I expect it will. Will it improve substantially (which is the level needed) RELATIVE to the rest of B.E. yet this season? I doubt it. The other teams, most anyway, will improve as well. Still, I'm not that disappointed in this team but granted, it is a bit of a letdown from last year. We need to be able to rely on the transfers and Des, while the frosh get up to speed. So, far our upperclassmen have not distinguished themselves.

Also agree with XGrad80 that X can expect roster changes every single year into the future. But Miller and staff will manage those. Its a brave new world in college basketball.

[Masterofreality]

Agree with Drudy's observations. Defensive intensity, on both sides, was great last night. Our crowd was fantastic. Students were great-some showed up in the early, early hours Friday A.M. Loved the Pope costumes. Great experience but Houston was clearly the better team.

I'm tempted to blame our poor shooting on Houston's great defense, but I think that minimizes a real and on-going problem. We can't shoot. I expected more scoring from McKnight and Des is offensively one dimensional.

This is all true, plus:
Dailyn is gonna be great.
Dez still can't shoot worth a shit.
I still love Quincy. He’s’ the only upperclassman doing good work.
We missed Trey
Davion is a huge disappointment. He seems to be out of his league up here.
We must have the only Euros in the world who can’t make Free Throws.

My post game hot takes

[Xavier]

Miller has told us this team will get better. I expect it will. Will it improve substantially (which is the level needed) RELATIVE to the rest of B.E. yet this season? I doubt it. The other teams, most anyway, will improve as well. Still, I'm not that disappointed in this team but granted, it is a bit of a letdown from last year. We need to be able to rely on the transfers and Des, while the frosh get up to speed. So, far our upperclassmen have not distinguished themselves.


Meh. I think they are as good as everyone but the top 3. I haven’t been too impressed with the rest of the Big East. We won’t improve to consistently hang with the big three this year, though. They were each top 10 with final four aspirations this year, that was never the case for us anyways. The rest of the group isn’t much better than X to where we can’t reach there level.

[paulxu]

How much of the shooting woes last night were because of poor shooting? Or because of great defense? I can only remember a few really open shots that X took from deep. The rest of the time there was a defender close to them and pushing them out further than they wanted to be shooting from.



One thing we don't seem to do is have off-ball screens to free up a shooter. Lot of attempted screen/roll, weaving, pass around the key....but not much screening for people without the ball.

But great to watch them claw back in it. Let's keep it up in the second half.

See above in game post.

[X-band '01]

This is all true, plus:
Dailyn is gonna be great.
Dez still can't shoot worth a shit.
I still love Quincy. He’s’ the only upperclassman doing good work.
We missed Trey
Davion is a huge disappointment. He seems to be out of his league up here.
We must have the only Euros in the world who can’t make Free Throws.

My post game hot takes

Yup - with the guards not shooting last night, Houston eventually adjusted and packed everything in the post. You look at the middle 10 minutes of each half and that's when Xavier made their runs. The last 5 minutes of each half, Xavier had nothing left in the tank. The only thing we'll never know is if Green would have hit a good percentage from the field or if he would have shot as poorly as everyone else.

[IM4X]

Three of these guys have been in country for about 3 mos? Lots of room for improvement for sure, but isn’t that a good thing? What I’m seeing is positive despite the losses.

Agree that these players will build better chemistry and the freshmen from the states and even the new players from over seas will gain more confidence. That all will help down the road.

The concern now is whether the veteran players can improve their shooting and be able to do it consistently. Had Claude just made one of the five 3s he missed last night and one other shot inside the arc or had McKnight made 1 of his three 3s and one other shot he took plus one more free throw, wouldn’t have had to foul them late and maybe we’d all be celebrating a huge victory.

The team is playing tough and giving great effort. Can they shoot better and do it consistently? Can they also turn the ball over a little less and shoot from the free throw a little better? We shall see.

[American X]

I will no longer recognize Kelvin Sampson Appreciation Day, not that I have in years. Let's hope that is the hardest defense we face all year.

What is the point of Europeans if they do not hit free throws? When they come through Customs don't they have to declare that they will hit 100% of their free throws?