kyxu
03-22-2009, 06:32 PM
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj89/xhoops/2b28ba83-ff52-40d1-8e08-ad8f4823ba7.jpgMuskies refuse to be Badgered on way to Sweet Sixteen, 60-49
By Mike Damone
Don’t call #4 Xavier “one-dimensional.” Less than 48 hours after thumping an undersized, up-and-down team that loves filling it up from distance, Xavier was able to match the muscle and grit of a deliberate, defensive-minded team from the Big Ten on its way to a 60-49 win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and its second-consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearance.
The transition wasn’t seamless for Xavier. The Musketeers (27-7) were visibly uncomfortable with 12-seed Wisconsin’s tight man-to-man halfcourt defense for most of Sunday afternoon’s contest. Xavier didn’t score its first bucket until a layup from freshman Kenny Frease (7 pts, 4 reb) knotted the score, 2-2, 4:12 into the game. But Xavier was able to infuse some of its own brand of basketball in the form of sophomore Jamel McLean (6 pts, 4 reb), who provided instant energy off the bench on the defensive glass and in generating offense down low.
However, it was senior BJ Raymond (15 pts, 4 reb) who ultimately took control of the game for Xavier, allowing the Musketeers to pull away and hang on for its third trip to the second week of the Tournament in six years, as well as his school-record 103rd win as a Musketeer.
After a slugfest of a first half led to a two-point Wisconsin lead, 27-25, Xavier came out of the intermission completely out of sorts. Senior CJ Anderson (5 pts, 8 reb) missed an open layup to tie, Raymond missed a free throw and junior Jason Love missed a dunk. In the meantime, Wisconsin (20-13) built its largest lead of the game, 33-26, just 2:40 into the second half. Trevon Hughes (17 pts, 4 reb) cut through Xavier’s back-peddling defense for easy buckets and contact in opening up the Badger lead.
In such a defensive-heavy game, a seven-point deficit would seem insurmountable, especially as tentative as the Musketeers had come out in the second half. But Xavier’s seniors weren’t ready to call it a season. Raymond and Anderson each drove through the Wisconsin defense for a layup, and Raymond knocked down a long jumper while being double-teamed to bring Xavier to within one, 33-32.
Sophomore Dante Jackson (8 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast) gave Xavier the lead back with a three from the left wing, and Anderson added a free throw to cap a 10-0 Xavier run that put the Musketeers up three, 36-33, with 11:19 to go. Xavier was also active on the defensive end, holding the Badgers without a point for 6:32.
After an abundance of ties and lead changes, one of the most pivotal moments came with Xavier leading by a single point with less than nine minutes to go. Wisconsin star Marcus Landry (18 pts, 10 reb) went up for an easy layup that would have given the Badgers the lead back, but the shot was rejected by McLean and corralled by Xavier on the break. Freshman Terrell Holloway (7 pts, 3 ast) then found McLean left alone where he would jam it home to give Xavier back a three-point advantage.
Just minutes later, with Xavier still clinging to a three-point lead, McLean drove the lane and was fouled while sending in a thunderous dunk to give Xavier a five-point lead, 44-39, with 6:07 to go.
With Xavier holding a five-point lead, 46-41, Raymond put Wisconsin on the ropes for the first time all afternoon when he splashed a three from the left wing to give Xavier its largest lead at that point, 49-41, with 4:23 to go.
Wisconsin would answer with another three to bring Xavier’s lead back to within five, but Frease muscled through a bucket to extend the Musketeers’ lead, and the Badgers would get no closer.
Xavier’s sticky, but patient defense forced a number of one-and-dones that increased pressure on the Badgers. Forced into speeding up its game in order to cut into Xavier’s lead, Wisconsin went ice cold from the field, allowing Xavier to rebound, run the clock and wait for the Badgers to foul. Xavier would go 9-for-10 from the line down the stretch to ice the game, and advance to its fourth Sweet Sixteen in school history.
Xavier struggled to score early in the game, but junior Derrick Brown (10 pts, 4 reb) gave the Musketeers some breathing room with two straight triples in staking Xavier to a 16-11 lead with 8:21 left in the first half. But Xavier went on a four-minute scoring drought, allowing Wisconsin to tie and eventually take the lead. Wisconsin led by four with under 30 seconds to go, but Brown canned a mid-range jumper just before the horn to bring Xavier to within two at the break.
Xavier would turn the tables on Wisconsin late in the second half by forcing the Badgers into a miserable 28.6 percent shooting performance from the field. Jackson and the other Xavier guards were superb in guarding the perimeter and preventing the Badgers from getting back in the game. Xavier also out-rebounded Wisconsin, 34-28. Raymond led Xavier with 15 points, followed by Brown’s 10. Landry led all scorers with 18 points, followed by 17 from Hughes. Landry also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds, while Anderson led the Musketeers with eight boards.
The win gives Xavier coach Sean Miller the most NCAA Tournament wins of any other coach in school history. The Musketeers will now face Miller’s alma mater – the 1-seed Pittsburgh Panthers on Thursday evening at 7:27 p.m. in Boston. The Panthers (30-4) defeated the 8-seed Oklahoma State Cowboys Sunday afternoon.
By Mike Damone
Don’t call #4 Xavier “one-dimensional.” Less than 48 hours after thumping an undersized, up-and-down team that loves filling it up from distance, Xavier was able to match the muscle and grit of a deliberate, defensive-minded team from the Big Ten on its way to a 60-49 win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and its second-consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearance.
The transition wasn’t seamless for Xavier. The Musketeers (27-7) were visibly uncomfortable with 12-seed Wisconsin’s tight man-to-man halfcourt defense for most of Sunday afternoon’s contest. Xavier didn’t score its first bucket until a layup from freshman Kenny Frease (7 pts, 4 reb) knotted the score, 2-2, 4:12 into the game. But Xavier was able to infuse some of its own brand of basketball in the form of sophomore Jamel McLean (6 pts, 4 reb), who provided instant energy off the bench on the defensive glass and in generating offense down low.
However, it was senior BJ Raymond (15 pts, 4 reb) who ultimately took control of the game for Xavier, allowing the Musketeers to pull away and hang on for its third trip to the second week of the Tournament in six years, as well as his school-record 103rd win as a Musketeer.
After a slugfest of a first half led to a two-point Wisconsin lead, 27-25, Xavier came out of the intermission completely out of sorts. Senior CJ Anderson (5 pts, 8 reb) missed an open layup to tie, Raymond missed a free throw and junior Jason Love missed a dunk. In the meantime, Wisconsin (20-13) built its largest lead of the game, 33-26, just 2:40 into the second half. Trevon Hughes (17 pts, 4 reb) cut through Xavier’s back-peddling defense for easy buckets and contact in opening up the Badger lead.
In such a defensive-heavy game, a seven-point deficit would seem insurmountable, especially as tentative as the Musketeers had come out in the second half. But Xavier’s seniors weren’t ready to call it a season. Raymond and Anderson each drove through the Wisconsin defense for a layup, and Raymond knocked down a long jumper while being double-teamed to bring Xavier to within one, 33-32.
Sophomore Dante Jackson (8 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast) gave Xavier the lead back with a three from the left wing, and Anderson added a free throw to cap a 10-0 Xavier run that put the Musketeers up three, 36-33, with 11:19 to go. Xavier was also active on the defensive end, holding the Badgers without a point for 6:32.
After an abundance of ties and lead changes, one of the most pivotal moments came with Xavier leading by a single point with less than nine minutes to go. Wisconsin star Marcus Landry (18 pts, 10 reb) went up for an easy layup that would have given the Badgers the lead back, but the shot was rejected by McLean and corralled by Xavier on the break. Freshman Terrell Holloway (7 pts, 3 ast) then found McLean left alone where he would jam it home to give Xavier back a three-point advantage.
Just minutes later, with Xavier still clinging to a three-point lead, McLean drove the lane and was fouled while sending in a thunderous dunk to give Xavier a five-point lead, 44-39, with 6:07 to go.
With Xavier holding a five-point lead, 46-41, Raymond put Wisconsin on the ropes for the first time all afternoon when he splashed a three from the left wing to give Xavier its largest lead at that point, 49-41, with 4:23 to go.
Wisconsin would answer with another three to bring Xavier’s lead back to within five, but Frease muscled through a bucket to extend the Musketeers’ lead, and the Badgers would get no closer.
Xavier’s sticky, but patient defense forced a number of one-and-dones that increased pressure on the Badgers. Forced into speeding up its game in order to cut into Xavier’s lead, Wisconsin went ice cold from the field, allowing Xavier to rebound, run the clock and wait for the Badgers to foul. Xavier would go 9-for-10 from the line down the stretch to ice the game, and advance to its fourth Sweet Sixteen in school history.
Xavier struggled to score early in the game, but junior Derrick Brown (10 pts, 4 reb) gave the Musketeers some breathing room with two straight triples in staking Xavier to a 16-11 lead with 8:21 left in the first half. But Xavier went on a four-minute scoring drought, allowing Wisconsin to tie and eventually take the lead. Wisconsin led by four with under 30 seconds to go, but Brown canned a mid-range jumper just before the horn to bring Xavier to within two at the break.
Xavier would turn the tables on Wisconsin late in the second half by forcing the Badgers into a miserable 28.6 percent shooting performance from the field. Jackson and the other Xavier guards were superb in guarding the perimeter and preventing the Badgers from getting back in the game. Xavier also out-rebounded Wisconsin, 34-28. Raymond led Xavier with 15 points, followed by Brown’s 10. Landry led all scorers with 18 points, followed by 17 from Hughes. Landry also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds, while Anderson led the Musketeers with eight boards.
The win gives Xavier coach Sean Miller the most NCAA Tournament wins of any other coach in school history. The Musketeers will now face Miller’s alma mater – the 1-seed Pittsburgh Panthers on Thursday evening at 7:27 p.m. in Boston. The Panthers (30-4) defeated the 8-seed Oklahoma State Cowboys Sunday afternoon.