I checked up on where the three seniors from the 2007-08 team landed and here's what i found:
-Drew Lavender will be playing the 2008-09 season for Hyeres Toulon Var Basket of the A divison in France. Iowa senior Pierra Pierce is the other American fulfilling the team's two foreign player threshhold.
-Lavender is joined in the French A division by Josh Duncan, who will suit up for Elan Bearnais Pau-Orthez. Duncan joins former Oklahoma State standout JamesOn Curry on the Pau roster.
-Stanley Burrell's European venture will take him further west than the Lavender and Duncan. Burrell will be playing in Bosnia in for Bosna Asa Bh Telecom Sarajevo. Burrell is currently the only American listed on the roster.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Analyzing the 2008-09 Men's Basketball Schedule
The schedule is out, and on first glance appears to be easier than last year's schedule, the 24th hardest in the country according to RPI rankings. The schedule is notably lighter and significantly lined with home court games in the early part of the season (save the Puerto Rico season Tip-off), presumably Xavier's attempt to protect a young, inexperienced team, with a freshman point guard in Terrell Holloway.
Looking at the out of conference games:
vs. IPFW Friday, Nov. 14- The Mastadons only joined a division one conference, the Summit League, last year after years of independency. They return second leading scorer and rebounder in 6'7" swingman David Carson (11.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg), and point guard Ben Botts (10.1 ppg). I don't expect the Mastadons to make much noise in the Sumit League after losing three of thier top five scorers. This should be a good game for the Freshman to get their feet wet, and to give the Cintas crowd a taste of the 2008-09 squad.
vs. Toledo Monday, Nov. 17- The Rockets begin a set of three Mid-American Conference members fromt he state of Ohio that appear on the early part of Xavier's schedule. Toledo returns a senior backcourt triumvirate of 6'5" Tyrone Kent (16.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.1 apg), 6'4" Jonathan Amos (12.1 ppg, 5.0rpg, 2.3 apg), and 6'4" Ridley Johnson (8.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.9 apg). However, the Rockets are extremely inexperienced in the frontcourt with no upperclassmen on the roster in the forwards or center spots. The Rockets should supply a stiffer test than IPFW, but since Xavier strength, the frontcourt, matches up with a huge weak spot for the Rockets the Musketeers look to have an upper hand.
Puerto Rico Season Tip-Off Thursday Nov. 20 thru Sunday Nov. 23- see below
vs. Miami (OH.) Saturday, Nov. 29- The Musketeers return home to face another Mid-American team in the RedHawks. This is a game that the Musketeers will undoubetly be looking forward to after last year stunning 59-57 loss at Miami. The RedHawks will be ready, however, as they return 6'5" wing Michael Bramos (16.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg), 6'0" point guard Kenny Hayes (12.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.8 apg), 6'8" center Tyler Dierkers (6.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.5 apg) and 6'5" guard Eric Pollitz (5.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.5 apg) - all of whom are seniors. Miami is the most experienced team that the Muskies will have played in the Continental United States, and that experience gave Xavier problems last year when they were a year younger. I expect this to be a close game, with Xavier getting the home court boost that Miami got last year.
vs. Auburn Wednesday Dec. 3- Auburn fulfills the second half of a home and home agreement with Xavier this year after falling 80-57 at home last year. Cincinnati native and 6'3" guard Quantez Robertson (7.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.1 apg) returns, along with injury plauged post Korvotney Barber (13.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg in only 10 games due to injury), 6'5" senior guard Rasheem Barrett (13.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.1 apg) and 6'1" guard DeWayne Reed (8.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.7 apg). Auburn is, as usual, athletic, and will provide a solid major conference opponent for the resume early.
vs. Ohio Wednesday Dec. 10- The Bobcats are the third MAC team to come into Cintas Center, but are weakendd by a loss of three of their top for scorer from a year ago. They will lean heavily on MAC player of the year candinate Jerome Tillman (6'6" forward 13.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg) along with 6'0" point man Michael Allen (4.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 4.4 apg) lanky 6'6" wing Justin Orr (6.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg). The frontcourt is the Bobcats strength, which matches up with the Musketeers. However Xavier is deeper, namely on the wing where Ohio is going with sophoomore Tony Freeman and two freshman backups.
vs. Cincinnati Saturday Dec. 13- The Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout is at UC this year, and comes on the Saturday before finals for Xavier students. The Bearcats look to have a stronger team than a year ago, when they fell 64-59 to Xavier at Cintas Center. The key to the Bearcat offense is 6'1" junior shooting guard Deonta Vaughn. Vaughn, who averaged 17.3 points per game a season ago, will be a strong contender for the Big East Player of the Year in large part because of his three point shooting. Many Xavier players got to know the nature of that jump shot first hand this summer, as Vaughn and many other UC players attended open gyms at Cintas, in which Vaughn had a propensity to put on a three point exhibition. Vaughn will be joined by 6'5" sophomore forward Alvin Mitchell, who looks to step into a more major role after only averaging 2.8 points as a freshman a season ago, and looked to be doing so in a strong showing over the summer in the Deveroes Summer League. 6'6" Rashad Bishop is the second leading returning scorer for the Bearcats behind Vaughn at 5.4 points per game, and will likely start on the wing if Cincinnati goes with a three wing set. The key to the 2008-09 season for the Bearcats will be similar to that of Xavier's season in that they need a large batch of newcomers to play key roles on the team. There will be seven fresh faces on the roster for UC, including five from a recruiting class ranked No. 18 in the country by Rivals.com. Ohio High School Player of the Year Yancy Gates, a 6'8" 250 lb. power forward, leads the way as the 22nd ranked player nationally. The Bearcats also landed a late gem in John Riek, a 7'1" center who had declared for the NBA Draft, and was considered a potential lottery pick before pulling out with injury concerns. Cashmere Wright is another freshman who will factor heavily in the rotation, as he was the 12th rated point guard in the country according to Rivals.com. When you factor in Texas transfer Mike Williams, a big man who has not played since 2005-06 because of transfer rules and an injury, the group of newcomers looks to be stacked. This year's version of the Shootout looks to be one of the better matchup in recent memory.
vs Duke Saturday Dec. 20 at Izod Center in the Meadowlands- A week after the euphoria of the Crosstown, in which finals will be taken, comes the much anticipated CBS national TV matchup with the Blue Devils. All Duke does is return four starters and four key bench players from a No.2 seed in last year's NCAA Tournament. That includes Greg Paulus at the point (11.4 ppg, 3.2 apg), 2008 ACC Rookie of the Year Kyle Singler (6'8" forward, 13.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg), 6'4" wing Gerald Henderson (12.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg), 6'8" post man Lance Thomas (4.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg), 6'5" sharpshooter Jon Scheyer (11.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and 6'2" guard Nolan Smith (5.9 ppg, 1.5 rpg). Add that to the 27th best recruiting class in the country featuring Elliot Williams (No.3 shooting guard according to Rivals.com), Miles Plumbee (No. 29 PF) and Olek Czyz (No.31 PF). Needless to say the Musketeers will have their hands full. A lot of this game will come down to who is shooting the ball well from beyond the arc. If any of Sheyer, Paulus, Henderson and Singler get hot the Blue Devils could distance themselves from Xavier in a hurry. Duke obviously has the advantage on the perimeter, but the Musketeers might hold the upper hand over the Blue Devils in the paint. The Blue Devils figure to come out in a 'four out, one in' set-up on offense, and in that case you will have a defender like Singler or Scheyer guarding Derrick Brown, giving Brown a height and athleticsm advantage. This could be a statement game for Brown on a national stage, and unless Duke puts Thomas or 7'1" Brian Zoubek on him, Brown will have multiple advantages with which to work his greatly expanded offensive game. Aside from Brown Jason Love figures to be able to handle himself against the shorter defender in Thomas or he slower defender in Zoubek. If Xavier can defend the perimeter effectively, then they may be able to exploit a frontcourt advantage in this prime-time matchup.
vs. Butler Tuesday Dec. 23- The Musketeers return home for a matchup with Horizon League power Butler in the first part of a home-and-home series with the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs graduate five of the top six scorers from a second round NCAA squad from a year ago. The lone returning starter is 6'7" sophomore forward Matt Howard (12.3 ppg, 5.5 apg). Junior wing Willie Veasley is the only other returning Bulldog to see significant playing time a season ago, as he averaged 4.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. The Bulldogs always play stellar defense, and will undoubtedly do so against a Xavier team that will have just gotten off of an emotional roller coaster in the previous 10 days. However, the question remains to be answered as to where the scoring and leadership will come from on such a young, inexpereinced team.
vs. Robert Morris Wednesday Dec. 31- For the second straight year the Musketeers will be on the court as the calender turns to a new year. This time they will be playing host to Robert Morris. The Colonials return three starters from a team that lost 87-81 at Syracuse in the first round of the NIT a season ago. 6'3" shooting guard Jeremy Chappell (14.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.4 apg), 5'11" point Jimmy Langhurst (9.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.8 apg) and 6'1" French import Bateko Francisco (8.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.6 apg) are the returning starters. Although returning three starters the backcourt will still suffer from the loss of point guard Tony Lee, 6.4 assists per game a year ago. Again, Xavier's frontcourt strength should be a key factor in this contest, although the Colonials will try to assert control of the tempo with a senior backcourt.
at Virginia Saturday Jan. 3- In the first true road game of the season the Musketeers face off against another ACC opponent in the Cavaliers. High scoring guard Sean Singletary is gone, but the Cavs still have firepower on the wings in Diane Mamadi (11.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg), Jeff Jones (4.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg in 25 starts) and highly touted recruit Sylvan Landsberg out of New York City. 6'8" sophomore post man Mike Scott (5.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg) leads the frontcourt. The loss of Singletary leaves UVA without a definative frontman, which Landsberg certainly could develop into by early January. The frontcourt could be a question area for the Cavs, especially considering the loss of leading rebounder Adrian Joseph.
at LSU Saturday Jan. 24- After five A-10 games the Musketeers round out their out of conference slate with a trip to Baton Rouge. The Tigers welcome in new coach Trent Johnson, who came over from Stanford after the season. Johnson will look to 6'7" swingman Tasmin Mitchell, who missed all but three game due to injury a year ago. Mitchell joins 6'4" guard Marcus Thornton (19.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg), 6'11" Chris Johnson (11.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg), 6'6" wing Terry Martin (8.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and 6'6" guard Gerrett Temple (6.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.6 apg). The loss of first round pick Anthony Randolph hurts, but the Tigers will still be a stiff road test, and will likely contend for an SEC West title this season. Added with Duke, Cincinnati, and the potential opponents in Puerto Rico give the Musketeers a handfull of potential NCAA Tournament teams on the schedule. As opposed to most times out, the Musketeers don't start the game with a decided advantage in the frontcourt as Mitchell can matchup with Brown effectively and Johnson can nullify Love or Kenny Frease. Added with the tough environment in Baton Rouge, and this looks to be one of the toughest road tests of the season for Xavier.
Xavier's schedule was obviously designed to coddled the younger players until they are ready for the bright lights, and in full swing by conference play. Without a true road game until after the New Year, the strength of scheudle will hurt the Musketeers' RPI and likely will not allow them to grab anything close to a 3 seed like last year in the NCAA Tournament, especially if they drop a few of those games out of conference. All told it is an impressive job by Mike Bobinski, Sean Miller and the Xavier staff of boking a favorable but challenging schedule, that mixes in some great national exposure.
Looking at the out of conference games:
vs. IPFW Friday, Nov. 14- The Mastadons only joined a division one conference, the Summit League, last year after years of independency. They return second leading scorer and rebounder in 6'7" swingman David Carson (11.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg), and point guard Ben Botts (10.1 ppg). I don't expect the Mastadons to make much noise in the Sumit League after losing three of thier top five scorers. This should be a good game for the Freshman to get their feet wet, and to give the Cintas crowd a taste of the 2008-09 squad.
vs. Toledo Monday, Nov. 17- The Rockets begin a set of three Mid-American Conference members fromt he state of Ohio that appear on the early part of Xavier's schedule. Toledo returns a senior backcourt triumvirate of 6'5" Tyrone Kent (16.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.1 apg), 6'4" Jonathan Amos (12.1 ppg, 5.0rpg, 2.3 apg), and 6'4" Ridley Johnson (8.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.9 apg). However, the Rockets are extremely inexperienced in the frontcourt with no upperclassmen on the roster in the forwards or center spots. The Rockets should supply a stiffer test than IPFW, but since Xavier strength, the frontcourt, matches up with a huge weak spot for the Rockets the Musketeers look to have an upper hand.
Puerto Rico Season Tip-Off Thursday Nov. 20 thru Sunday Nov. 23- see below
vs. Miami (OH.) Saturday, Nov. 29- The Musketeers return home to face another Mid-American team in the RedHawks. This is a game that the Musketeers will undoubetly be looking forward to after last year stunning 59-57 loss at Miami. The RedHawks will be ready, however, as they return 6'5" wing Michael Bramos (16.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg), 6'0" point guard Kenny Hayes (12.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.8 apg), 6'8" center Tyler Dierkers (6.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.5 apg) and 6'5" guard Eric Pollitz (5.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.5 apg) - all of whom are seniors. Miami is the most experienced team that the Muskies will have played in the Continental United States, and that experience gave Xavier problems last year when they were a year younger. I expect this to be a close game, with Xavier getting the home court boost that Miami got last year.
vs. Auburn Wednesday Dec. 3- Auburn fulfills the second half of a home and home agreement with Xavier this year after falling 80-57 at home last year. Cincinnati native and 6'3" guard Quantez Robertson (7.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.1 apg) returns, along with injury plauged post Korvotney Barber (13.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg in only 10 games due to injury), 6'5" senior guard Rasheem Barrett (13.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.1 apg) and 6'1" guard DeWayne Reed (8.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.7 apg). Auburn is, as usual, athletic, and will provide a solid major conference opponent for the resume early.
vs. Ohio Wednesday Dec. 10- The Bobcats are the third MAC team to come into Cintas Center, but are weakendd by a loss of three of their top for scorer from a year ago. They will lean heavily on MAC player of the year candinate Jerome Tillman (6'6" forward 13.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg) along with 6'0" point man Michael Allen (4.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 4.4 apg) lanky 6'6" wing Justin Orr (6.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg). The frontcourt is the Bobcats strength, which matches up with the Musketeers. However Xavier is deeper, namely on the wing where Ohio is going with sophoomore Tony Freeman and two freshman backups.
vs. Cincinnati Saturday Dec. 13- The Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout is at UC this year, and comes on the Saturday before finals for Xavier students. The Bearcats look to have a stronger team than a year ago, when they fell 64-59 to Xavier at Cintas Center. The key to the Bearcat offense is 6'1" junior shooting guard Deonta Vaughn. Vaughn, who averaged 17.3 points per game a season ago, will be a strong contender for the Big East Player of the Year in large part because of his three point shooting. Many Xavier players got to know the nature of that jump shot first hand this summer, as Vaughn and many other UC players attended open gyms at Cintas, in which Vaughn had a propensity to put on a three point exhibition. Vaughn will be joined by 6'5" sophomore forward Alvin Mitchell, who looks to step into a more major role after only averaging 2.8 points as a freshman a season ago, and looked to be doing so in a strong showing over the summer in the Deveroes Summer League. 6'6" Rashad Bishop is the second leading returning scorer for the Bearcats behind Vaughn at 5.4 points per game, and will likely start on the wing if Cincinnati goes with a three wing set. The key to the 2008-09 season for the Bearcats will be similar to that of Xavier's season in that they need a large batch of newcomers to play key roles on the team. There will be seven fresh faces on the roster for UC, including five from a recruiting class ranked No. 18 in the country by Rivals.com. Ohio High School Player of the Year Yancy Gates, a 6'8" 250 lb. power forward, leads the way as the 22nd ranked player nationally. The Bearcats also landed a late gem in John Riek, a 7'1" center who had declared for the NBA Draft, and was considered a potential lottery pick before pulling out with injury concerns. Cashmere Wright is another freshman who will factor heavily in the rotation, as he was the 12th rated point guard in the country according to Rivals.com. When you factor in Texas transfer Mike Williams, a big man who has not played since 2005-06 because of transfer rules and an injury, the group of newcomers looks to be stacked. This year's version of the Shootout looks to be one of the better matchup in recent memory.
vs Duke Saturday Dec. 20 at Izod Center in the Meadowlands- A week after the euphoria of the Crosstown, in which finals will be taken, comes the much anticipated CBS national TV matchup with the Blue Devils. All Duke does is return four starters and four key bench players from a No.2 seed in last year's NCAA Tournament. That includes Greg Paulus at the point (11.4 ppg, 3.2 apg), 2008 ACC Rookie of the Year Kyle Singler (6'8" forward, 13.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg), 6'4" wing Gerald Henderson (12.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg), 6'8" post man Lance Thomas (4.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg), 6'5" sharpshooter Jon Scheyer (11.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and 6'2" guard Nolan Smith (5.9 ppg, 1.5 rpg). Add that to the 27th best recruiting class in the country featuring Elliot Williams (No.3 shooting guard according to Rivals.com), Miles Plumbee (No. 29 PF) and Olek Czyz (No.31 PF). Needless to say the Musketeers will have their hands full. A lot of this game will come down to who is shooting the ball well from beyond the arc. If any of Sheyer, Paulus, Henderson and Singler get hot the Blue Devils could distance themselves from Xavier in a hurry. Duke obviously has the advantage on the perimeter, but the Musketeers might hold the upper hand over the Blue Devils in the paint. The Blue Devils figure to come out in a 'four out, one in' set-up on offense, and in that case you will have a defender like Singler or Scheyer guarding Derrick Brown, giving Brown a height and athleticsm advantage. This could be a statement game for Brown on a national stage, and unless Duke puts Thomas or 7'1" Brian Zoubek on him, Brown will have multiple advantages with which to work his greatly expanded offensive game. Aside from Brown Jason Love figures to be able to handle himself against the shorter defender in Thomas or he slower defender in Zoubek. If Xavier can defend the perimeter effectively, then they may be able to exploit a frontcourt advantage in this prime-time matchup.
vs. Butler Tuesday Dec. 23- The Musketeers return home for a matchup with Horizon League power Butler in the first part of a home-and-home series with the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs graduate five of the top six scorers from a second round NCAA squad from a year ago. The lone returning starter is 6'7" sophomore forward Matt Howard (12.3 ppg, 5.5 apg). Junior wing Willie Veasley is the only other returning Bulldog to see significant playing time a season ago, as he averaged 4.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. The Bulldogs always play stellar defense, and will undoubtedly do so against a Xavier team that will have just gotten off of an emotional roller coaster in the previous 10 days. However, the question remains to be answered as to where the scoring and leadership will come from on such a young, inexpereinced team.
vs. Robert Morris Wednesday Dec. 31- For the second straight year the Musketeers will be on the court as the calender turns to a new year. This time they will be playing host to Robert Morris. The Colonials return three starters from a team that lost 87-81 at Syracuse in the first round of the NIT a season ago. 6'3" shooting guard Jeremy Chappell (14.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.4 apg), 5'11" point Jimmy Langhurst (9.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.8 apg) and 6'1" French import Bateko Francisco (8.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.6 apg) are the returning starters. Although returning three starters the backcourt will still suffer from the loss of point guard Tony Lee, 6.4 assists per game a year ago. Again, Xavier's frontcourt strength should be a key factor in this contest, although the Colonials will try to assert control of the tempo with a senior backcourt.
at Virginia Saturday Jan. 3- In the first true road game of the season the Musketeers face off against another ACC opponent in the Cavaliers. High scoring guard Sean Singletary is gone, but the Cavs still have firepower on the wings in Diane Mamadi (11.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg), Jeff Jones (4.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg in 25 starts) and highly touted recruit Sylvan Landsberg out of New York City. 6'8" sophomore post man Mike Scott (5.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg) leads the frontcourt. The loss of Singletary leaves UVA without a definative frontman, which Landsberg certainly could develop into by early January. The frontcourt could be a question area for the Cavs, especially considering the loss of leading rebounder Adrian Joseph.
at LSU Saturday Jan. 24- After five A-10 games the Musketeers round out their out of conference slate with a trip to Baton Rouge. The Tigers welcome in new coach Trent Johnson, who came over from Stanford after the season. Johnson will look to 6'7" swingman Tasmin Mitchell, who missed all but three game due to injury a year ago. Mitchell joins 6'4" guard Marcus Thornton (19.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg), 6'11" Chris Johnson (11.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg), 6'6" wing Terry Martin (8.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and 6'6" guard Gerrett Temple (6.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.6 apg). The loss of first round pick Anthony Randolph hurts, but the Tigers will still be a stiff road test, and will likely contend for an SEC West title this season. Added with Duke, Cincinnati, and the potential opponents in Puerto Rico give the Musketeers a handfull of potential NCAA Tournament teams on the schedule. As opposed to most times out, the Musketeers don't start the game with a decided advantage in the frontcourt as Mitchell can matchup with Brown effectively and Johnson can nullify Love or Kenny Frease. Added with the tough environment in Baton Rouge, and this looks to be one of the toughest road tests of the season for Xavier.
Xavier's schedule was obviously designed to coddled the younger players until they are ready for the bright lights, and in full swing by conference play. Without a true road game until after the New Year, the strength of scheudle will hurt the Musketeers' RPI and likely will not allow them to grab anything close to a 3 seed like last year in the NCAA Tournament, especially if they drop a few of those games out of conference. All told it is an impressive job by Mike Bobinski, Sean Miller and the Xavier staff of boking a favorable but challenging schedule, that mixes in some great national exposure.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
O'Rielly Auto Part Puerto Rico Tip-Off field announced
The eight team field for the O'Rielly Auto Part Puerto Rico Tip-Off has been announced, and Xavier looks to get three quality games out of the tournament. Xavier will play Missouri in the first round of the Tournament. Missouri finished 2007-08 at 16-16 (6-10), but will serve as an early test to the Xavier frontcourt. The Tigers are experienced and skilled in the post with returning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year DeMarre Carroll, a senior transfer from Vanderbilt that led the team in rebounding and was third in scoring a season ago, and Leo Lyons, a 6'9" senior big man who averaged 13.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Xavier will then play either the winner or loser of the game between Fairfield and Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech returns three starters in senior wing and leading scorer A.D. Vassallo, sophomore forward and leading rebounder Jeff Allen, and sophomore small forward J.T. Thompson.
The other side of the bracket contains UT-Chattanooga against defending national runner up (but highly depleted) Memphis, as well as USC (still extremely strong with DeVon Jefferson, Taj Gibson, Daniel Hackett and top shooting guard Demar DeRozan) against Seton Hall.
If nothing else Xavier looks to get three quality games from the tournament. Missouri, while losing a significant number of seniors from last season, offers a physical brand of basketball that Xavier likely will not face in their conference, save Ahmad Nivens and St. Joseph's. A win and a second round matchup with Virginia Tech brings another type of challenge, a group of three talented players who can shoot and get to the basket from the wing position. Wing defenders like Derrick Brown, Dante Jackson and possibly Jordan Crawford, if he is eligible, will be counted on to hold the Hokie wings in check. Virginia Tech looks to be a team contending for an NCAA berth and likely will be int eh RPI top 50, so a win over them would greatly boost Xavier's RPI and resume come Tournament time. Aside from the game with Duke at the Meadowlands, a possible championship matchup with either Memphis or USC looks to be the toughest test on the Xavier schedule. Memphis lost a great deal from a team that came a Mario Chalmers miracle away from a championship. But John Calipari knew that, and brings in the fourth best recruiting class in the country led by shooting guard Tyreke Evans. (An Evans vs. DeRozan matchup in the semifinals could be a matchup of the two best freshman in the country, and both would be guarding each other). DeRozan slips right into the vacated spot of O.J. Mayo and with Mayo's supporting cast, namely Jefferson and Gibson in the frontcourt, developing, USC is looking for a top seed in the West bracket of this year's NCAA Tournament.
Xavier's first two games will be on ESPNU, with the third round game on ESPN2.
Xavier will then play either the winner or loser of the game between Fairfield and Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech returns three starters in senior wing and leading scorer A.D. Vassallo, sophomore forward and leading rebounder Jeff Allen, and sophomore small forward J.T. Thompson.
The other side of the bracket contains UT-Chattanooga against defending national runner up (but highly depleted) Memphis, as well as USC (still extremely strong with DeVon Jefferson, Taj Gibson, Daniel Hackett and top shooting guard Demar DeRozan) against Seton Hall.
If nothing else Xavier looks to get three quality games from the tournament. Missouri, while losing a significant number of seniors from last season, offers a physical brand of basketball that Xavier likely will not face in their conference, save Ahmad Nivens and St. Joseph's. A win and a second round matchup with Virginia Tech brings another type of challenge, a group of three talented players who can shoot and get to the basket from the wing position. Wing defenders like Derrick Brown, Dante Jackson and possibly Jordan Crawford, if he is eligible, will be counted on to hold the Hokie wings in check. Virginia Tech looks to be a team contending for an NCAA berth and likely will be int eh RPI top 50, so a win over them would greatly boost Xavier's RPI and resume come Tournament time. Aside from the game with Duke at the Meadowlands, a possible championship matchup with either Memphis or USC looks to be the toughest test on the Xavier schedule. Memphis lost a great deal from a team that came a Mario Chalmers miracle away from a championship. But John Calipari knew that, and brings in the fourth best recruiting class in the country led by shooting guard Tyreke Evans. (An Evans vs. DeRozan matchup in the semifinals could be a matchup of the two best freshman in the country, and both would be guarding each other). DeRozan slips right into the vacated spot of O.J. Mayo and with Mayo's supporting cast, namely Jefferson and Gibson in the frontcourt, developing, USC is looking for a top seed in the West bracket of this year's NCAA Tournament.
Xavier's first two games will be on ESPNU, with the third round game on ESPN2.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)