The Xavier men's basketball team had to swallow a heavy dose of its own medicine on Tuesday night in a 74-65 loss to Butler.
Xavier, who had been going to the free throw line 33.5 times per game to their opponents' 19.5 trips per game, saw the Bulldogs march to the free throw line 33 times in their victory.
The 26 points -- all in the second half -- that resulted from those free throws proved to be the difference in the game. The Bulldogs were able to overcome 30 percent shooting in the second half, by riding a strong performance at the line.
Meanwhile, Xavier could not find their stroke at the line, preventing them from consummating a constant comeback attempt. Xavier was only 12-22 from the line -- 10-17 in the second half.
The loss was Xavier's first in 15 games at Cintas Center, and second loss of the season after a 9-0 start. Xavier will be off until a home game against Robert Morris on Dec. 31.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Brown to be featured in SI
Sports Illustrated magazine is planning a feature on Xavier junior forward Derrick Brown. No word on when the story is scheduled to run, as of yet, just that it will be in one of the next few editions.
Tough start dooms Muskies against Duke
The Xavier University men’s basketball team came out stagnant, sluggish, and possibly awestruck in what had been dubbed by some as the biggest game in the history of the school’s regular season play, falling behind 18-1 in the first four minutes and falling to Duke University 82-64 on Saturday.
The Musketeers (9-1), allowed Duke to make eight of their first 10 shots –including three made three point field goals – to build what would prove to be an insurmountable lead before the first television timeout at 16:00 left in the first half.
“Clearly the start had a lot to do with today’s loss. Being down 18-1, it becomes hard no matter what you say because the fact is that you are down 20 points almost immediately,” Xavier had coach Sean Miller said. “Their start -- which they do to a lot of teams -- was the signature in today’s game.”
While Duke was lighting it up from the field early, Xavier could not get anything going offensively against Duke’s pressure defense, missing their first four attempts, turning the ball over four times and missing three of four free throws.
“Maybe in some aspects [we were a little bit scared],” junior forward Derrick Brown said. “That is not the team that we have seen through 46 practices and nine games. That is not the team that we are accustomed to being. It is disappointing because on a big stage like this we want to show everybody who we are. But you have to give credit to Duke. They came out and punched us in the mouth.”
The Musketeers would never be able to recover from the early hole, as Duke wings Gerald Henderson (19 points on the afternoon) and Jon Scheyer (23 points on 5-7 three point shooting) carved up Xavier’s signature pack-line defense with penetration and kick-out three point jump shots.
While Xavier would shoot 16-26 (61.2 percent) for the second half, it would not do much more than slim the final margain of victory against Duke’s second unit.
Falling flat in the much-anticipated matchup was the last thing on the minds of the Musketeer players as they made their journey to New Jersey, and proved to be a tough pill to swallow.
“I guess it has not sunk in yet. I am disappointed. No doubt that Duke is a better team, but not 18-1 better than us [to start the game]. I know that for a fact,” Brown said.
Xavier’s will have to prove that they truly are a better squad than they showed on Saturday as they move forward, something important with Butler (No. 2 in the RPI rankings) coming to Cintas Center on Tuesday, Dec. 23.
“It is important to move to the next game,” Miller said. “I don’t like the deficit that we lost by today, but we have a big picture. That means we have to be 10-1 after we play Butler. To have that record would be something to build on going in to our conference,” Miller said.
The Musketeers (9-1), allowed Duke to make eight of their first 10 shots –including three made three point field goals – to build what would prove to be an insurmountable lead before the first television timeout at 16:00 left in the first half.
“Clearly the start had a lot to do with today’s loss. Being down 18-1, it becomes hard no matter what you say because the fact is that you are down 20 points almost immediately,” Xavier had coach Sean Miller said. “Their start -- which they do to a lot of teams -- was the signature in today’s game.”
While Duke was lighting it up from the field early, Xavier could not get anything going offensively against Duke’s pressure defense, missing their first four attempts, turning the ball over four times and missing three of four free throws.
“Maybe in some aspects [we were a little bit scared],” junior forward Derrick Brown said. “That is not the team that we have seen through 46 practices and nine games. That is not the team that we are accustomed to being. It is disappointing because on a big stage like this we want to show everybody who we are. But you have to give credit to Duke. They came out and punched us in the mouth.”
The Musketeers would never be able to recover from the early hole, as Duke wings Gerald Henderson (19 points on the afternoon) and Jon Scheyer (23 points on 5-7 three point shooting) carved up Xavier’s signature pack-line defense with penetration and kick-out three point jump shots.
While Xavier would shoot 16-26 (61.2 percent) for the second half, it would not do much more than slim the final margain of victory against Duke’s second unit.
Falling flat in the much-anticipated matchup was the last thing on the minds of the Musketeer players as they made their journey to New Jersey, and proved to be a tough pill to swallow.
“I guess it has not sunk in yet. I am disappointed. No doubt that Duke is a better team, but not 18-1 better than us [to start the game]. I know that for a fact,” Brown said.
Xavier’s will have to prove that they truly are a better squad than they showed on Saturday as they move forward, something important with Butler (No. 2 in the RPI rankings) coming to Cintas Center on Tuesday, Dec. 23.
“It is important to move to the next game,” Miller said. “I don’t like the deficit that we lost by today, but we have a big picture. That means we have to be 10-1 after we play Butler. To have that record would be something to build on going in to our conference,” Miller said.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
YouTube Video of the Week: "Nobody's Perfect"
The Newswire would like to present the newest blog feature: The YouTube Video of the Week. The concept is fairly self-explanatory: Videos, either awesome or ridiculous, with some commentary from our end for good measure.
For the inaugural post, I'd like to introduce doglover199709.
I would post the video here, but unfortunately, Miss Doglover won't let other people embed her videos on their websites. You'll see why if you follow the link.
Nobody's Perfect
Nobody's perfect, maybe. But most people don't put their imperfections on YouTube.
And yes, that is a "miss."
From the first, determined look on her face--so exquisite in the flashing light--you know that you are about to view pure magic.
Observe: The move at 1:21.
There are no words. Well... there probably were, but comments have been disabled on her videos. Still, the "adoration" of her fans can still be seen in the video responses, where other YouTubers borrow her choreography.
Doglover, or Jordan, is 15 years old (uh huh.). But you better watch out, man. As her YouTube bio states: "I am just a nature girland I am also a tomboy. I can be a real good friend. If your not going to be nice to me, I wouldn't be around me at all because I can do some pretty mean things."
Mean things, man. Mean things.
I like to thank Miley Cyrus, Auburn Soccer Camp and McDonald's for making this video possible.
Be sure to check out her renditions of other favorites such as "So What" or "DISTURBIA!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Expect weekly updates with the newest internet fads (and some old favorites, as well).
For the inaugural post, I'd like to introduce doglover199709.
I would post the video here, but unfortunately, Miss Doglover won't let other people embed her videos on their websites. You'll see why if you follow the link.
Nobody's Perfect
Nobody's perfect, maybe. But most people don't put their imperfections on YouTube.
And yes, that is a "miss."
From the first, determined look on her face--so exquisite in the flashing light--you know that you are about to view pure magic.
Observe: The move at 1:21.
There are no words. Well... there probably were, but comments have been disabled on her videos. Still, the "adoration" of her fans can still be seen in the video responses, where other YouTubers borrow her choreography.
Doglover, or Jordan, is 15 years old (uh huh.). But you better watch out, man. As her YouTube bio states: "I am just a nature girland I am also a tomboy. I can be a real good friend. If your not going to be nice to me, I wouldn't be around me at all because I can do some pretty mean things."
Mean things, man. Mean things.
I like to thank Miley Cyrus, Auburn Soccer Camp and McDonald's for making this video possible.
Be sure to check out her renditions of other favorites such as "So What" or "DISTURBIA!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Expect weekly updates with the newest internet fads (and some old favorites, as well).
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Xavier beats Auburn, but Miller still upset with effort
The Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team escaped a late collapse against Auburn on Wednesday night to come away with an 81-74 victory over the Tigers.
The Musketeers jumped out to a 22 point lead with 11:36 left in the game before allowing the Tigers to close on a 37-25 run. Miller attributed the late Auburn run to problems by some of the Xavier players' lack of intensity.
"I was disappointed with our team's effort level. We have to address a couple of players. You are not going to start, you are not going to play unless you play hard," Miller said. "We gotta run back [on defense]."
The lack of defensive intensity down the stretch has become a common theme for the Musketeers. Xavier allowed a 23 point lead with 6:00 left be slimmed to 14 points in the final minutes against Toledo, and escaped with a three point win over Findlay in the exhibition game after holding a lead of greater than 20 points.
Miller noted the propensity to collapse late, and plans to cure the problem through added intensity in practice.
"The good news for me is that I have seven days before our next game, and around here it is going to be like we are 0-7," Miller said.
Miller cited Xavier's lack of strength with the ball, inability to accept fouls, or make the subsequent foul shots, lethargic effort in transition and offensive mistakes such as giving up the dribble in poor areas. Although he was apprehensive to name which players he was most displeased with, Miller did not seem to like the games that his upperclassmen leaders Derrick Brown and C.J. Anderson played, citing a poor game by Anderson and noting that the team needs Brown to "run hard."
While Anderson and Brown may not have put forth their best efforts, the team's other senior leader B.J. Raymond played his best game of his career, scoring a career high 32 points and grabbing six rebounds.
The 32 points was the highest total by a Xavier player since Stanley Burrell scored 32 against Duquesne in 2005, and was fueled by a hot night from long-range, as Raymond was 7-9 from three point range. Raymond, who had been shooting 28.6 percent from three point range on the year, attributed the success to a some changes in practice.
"I went back to the drawing board. My mechanics were good tonight: my balance, my follow-through. It had nothing to do with me lucking it in. [Once I found my shot], my teammates just found me, and I made some shots," Raymond said.
While Raymond was going off fro what Miller called "one of the best games that I have seen a Xavier player play in my eight years here," the rest of the Musketeers were struggling and failing to play at full intensity, something that did not escape Raymond.
"We are probably the worst 7-0 team in the country right now. We have to get better," Raymond said.
The Musketeers jumped out to a 22 point lead with 11:36 left in the game before allowing the Tigers to close on a 37-25 run. Miller attributed the late Auburn run to problems by some of the Xavier players' lack of intensity.
"I was disappointed with our team's effort level. We have to address a couple of players. You are not going to start, you are not going to play unless you play hard," Miller said. "We gotta run back [on defense]."
The lack of defensive intensity down the stretch has become a common theme for the Musketeers. Xavier allowed a 23 point lead with 6:00 left be slimmed to 14 points in the final minutes against Toledo, and escaped with a three point win over Findlay in the exhibition game after holding a lead of greater than 20 points.
Miller noted the propensity to collapse late, and plans to cure the problem through added intensity in practice.
"The good news for me is that I have seven days before our next game, and around here it is going to be like we are 0-7," Miller said.
Miller cited Xavier's lack of strength with the ball, inability to accept fouls, or make the subsequent foul shots, lethargic effort in transition and offensive mistakes such as giving up the dribble in poor areas. Although he was apprehensive to name which players he was most displeased with, Miller did not seem to like the games that his upperclassmen leaders Derrick Brown and C.J. Anderson played, citing a poor game by Anderson and noting that the team needs Brown to "run hard."
While Anderson and Brown may not have put forth their best efforts, the team's other senior leader B.J. Raymond played his best game of his career, scoring a career high 32 points and grabbing six rebounds.
The 32 points was the highest total by a Xavier player since Stanley Burrell scored 32 against Duquesne in 2005, and was fueled by a hot night from long-range, as Raymond was 7-9 from three point range. Raymond, who had been shooting 28.6 percent from three point range on the year, attributed the success to a some changes in practice.
"I went back to the drawing board. My mechanics were good tonight: my balance, my follow-through. It had nothing to do with me lucking it in. [Once I found my shot], my teammates just found me, and I made some shots," Raymond said.
While Raymond was going off fro what Miller called "one of the best games that I have seen a Xavier player play in my eight years here," the rest of the Musketeers were struggling and failing to play at full intensity, something that did not escape Raymond.
"We are probably the worst 7-0 team in the country right now. We have to get better," Raymond said.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Passing on the Inbox...
There seems to be a flood of pre-Thanksgiving Xavier men's basketball information coming out in the past few days, with the Musketeers winning the Puerto Rico Tipoff, cracking the top 25, losing their freshman point guard, listening closely to the news at Indiana University, announcing the official signing of Kevin Parrom and getting news of a new A-10 Tournament format.
I will tackle the last two before touching on some of the others.
Xavier announced the signing of Kevin Parrom on Tuesday after Parrom verbally commit ed to Xavier in September. The 6'6" senior forward will look to step in and take some minutes at the small forward spot as a freshman, much like Terrell Holloway has done with the point guard spot this season.
Here are a few of the things that being said about the Parrom, the No. 84 prospect in the class of 2009 according to Rivals.com:
“Kevin Parrom is a versatile wing player that can play a number of different positions in our program. With the impending departures of seniors C.J. Anderson and B.J. Raymond, finding this type of player was our top priority in the 2009 class. We are very excited about Kevin’s ability to contribute to our program on the basketball court. We are equally excited about his ability as a student and who he is as a person. He is a great fit into our University and our basketball program.” ~Sean Miller
“I love his competitiveness and how hard he works. His versatility sets him apart as a player. He handles the ball and shoots like a guard but he has the size to go inside and get a rebound or post up another player. When he grabs a rebound he also has the ability to start the break. He can do a lot of things well. Kevin is a high character kid. He’s mature. He takes criticism, learns from it and works hard to get better.” ~Kelvin Jefferson, Parrom's coach at South Kent Prep School in South Kent, Connecticut
“Xavier only signed one player in the fall but they struck gold with Kevin. He will make an immediate impact and that’s quite a statement about Kevin because he is entering a high-level, top-notch college basketball program. I just saw Kevin play again this past weekend. Kevin puts tremendous pressure on the defense with his driving ability. He has great body control when he gets to the rim and can adjust while in the air. He has improved his jump shot. Kevin plays the game with tremendous passion. He doesn’t take plays off. He has the potential to be an outstanding defender in the tough, gritty defense that Sean [Miller] likes to play. He is a high level player that brings a lot to the table.” ~Paul Biancardi, ESPN National Director of Recruiting for High School and College Basketball
When Parrom does join the Musketeers in 2009-10, he will have a chance to participate int he restructured Atlantic 10 Tournament in 2010. The Conference announced on Tuesday that the 2010 tournament will keep the 12 team format in which the top four teams get a bye in the first round of the tournament, but will have the first round game (No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed, No. 5 seed vs. No. 12 seed, No. 6 seed vs. No. 11 seed and No. 7 seed vs. No. 10 seed) play at the home venue of the higher seeded team. The rationale behind the move was to increase attendance to the opening round games by holding the meaningful games on the campus of the individual teams, and avoiding the traditionally sparse turnouts on the opening day of the tournament. These games will be played on Tuesday, March 9 2010, with the remaining three rounds being held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, allowing the tournament to finish on "Selection Sunday."
The restructuring of the tournament comes with a new television deal as well, as CBS Sports will air the championship game of the tournament on Sunday, March 14 2010 at 1 p.m.
All of this is a testament to the outstanding job that first year commissioner Bernadete McGlade has done in her short tenure on the job. McGlade has already increased television exposure for the league in the form of a deal with ESPN, and continues to think progressively with new topics such as the tournament.
As for Jordan Crawford, the NCAA appears to be have ruled that Indiana University will be not be sanctioned from postseason play at all, according to Andy Katz at ESPN.com. While the NCAA came down hard on IU coach Kelvin Sampson with a five year ban, they did not reprimand Indiana quite as hard. The NCAA can now make the argument that Crawford would have had every advantage that he will be able to enjoy at Xavier if he had stayed at Indiana, which when coupled with the recent precedence of toughening eligibility rulings makes for a very bleak outlook for Crawford's eligibility.
I will tackle the last two before touching on some of the others.
Xavier announced the signing of Kevin Parrom on Tuesday after Parrom verbally commit ed to Xavier in September. The 6'6" senior forward will look to step in and take some minutes at the small forward spot as a freshman, much like Terrell Holloway has done with the point guard spot this season.
Here are a few of the things that being said about the Parrom, the No. 84 prospect in the class of 2009 according to Rivals.com:
“Kevin Parrom is a versatile wing player that can play a number of different positions in our program. With the impending departures of seniors C.J. Anderson and B.J. Raymond, finding this type of player was our top priority in the 2009 class. We are very excited about Kevin’s ability to contribute to our program on the basketball court. We are equally excited about his ability as a student and who he is as a person. He is a great fit into our University and our basketball program.” ~Sean Miller
“I love his competitiveness and how hard he works. His versatility sets him apart as a player. He handles the ball and shoots like a guard but he has the size to go inside and get a rebound or post up another player. When he grabs a rebound he also has the ability to start the break. He can do a lot of things well. Kevin is a high character kid. He’s mature. He takes criticism, learns from it and works hard to get better.” ~Kelvin Jefferson, Parrom's coach at South Kent Prep School in South Kent, Connecticut
“Xavier only signed one player in the fall but they struck gold with Kevin. He will make an immediate impact and that’s quite a statement about Kevin because he is entering a high-level, top-notch college basketball program. I just saw Kevin play again this past weekend. Kevin puts tremendous pressure on the defense with his driving ability. He has great body control when he gets to the rim and can adjust while in the air. He has improved his jump shot. Kevin plays the game with tremendous passion. He doesn’t take plays off. He has the potential to be an outstanding defender in the tough, gritty defense that Sean [Miller] likes to play. He is a high level player that brings a lot to the table.” ~Paul Biancardi, ESPN National Director of Recruiting for High School and College Basketball
When Parrom does join the Musketeers in 2009-10, he will have a chance to participate int he restructured Atlantic 10 Tournament in 2010. The Conference announced on Tuesday that the 2010 tournament will keep the 12 team format in which the top four teams get a bye in the first round of the tournament, but will have the first round game (No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed, No. 5 seed vs. No. 12 seed, No. 6 seed vs. No. 11 seed and No. 7 seed vs. No. 10 seed) play at the home venue of the higher seeded team. The rationale behind the move was to increase attendance to the opening round games by holding the meaningful games on the campus of the individual teams, and avoiding the traditionally sparse turnouts on the opening day of the tournament. These games will be played on Tuesday, March 9 2010, with the remaining three rounds being held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, allowing the tournament to finish on "Selection Sunday."
The restructuring of the tournament comes with a new television deal as well, as CBS Sports will air the championship game of the tournament on Sunday, March 14 2010 at 1 p.m.
All of this is a testament to the outstanding job that first year commissioner Bernadete McGlade has done in her short tenure on the job. McGlade has already increased television exposure for the league in the form of a deal with ESPN, and continues to think progressively with new topics such as the tournament.
As for Jordan Crawford, the NCAA appears to be have ruled that Indiana University will be not be sanctioned from postseason play at all, according to Andy Katz at ESPN.com. While the NCAA came down hard on IU coach Kelvin Sampson with a five year ban, they did not reprimand Indiana quite as hard. The NCAA can now make the argument that Crawford would have had every advantage that he will be able to enjoy at Xavier if he had stayed at Indiana, which when coupled with the recent precedence of toughening eligibility rulings makes for a very bleak outlook for Crawford's eligibility.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Getting knocked off of the pedestol
The Xavier Musketeers came back across the Atlantic Ocean on Monday with a championship trophy from their 63-58 victory over the Memphis Tigers in the championship game of the Puerto Rico Season Tipoff.
While the win was a significant step forward for the program, and answered many questions about the team's toughness, ability to handle the ball and point guard play, the Musketeers will now have to face the reality of a college basketball season, and a new slew of questions.
One of the more harsh realities of a five month basketball season is injuries, something Xavier has already had to deal with this season with Derrick Brown's left ankle sprain. The Musketeers will have to deal with injuries once again with the news on Monday that freshman point guard Terrell Holloway could miss an extended period of time with a stress fracture in his right foot, aggravated in Sunday's win over Memphis.
Holloway, who had averaged 9.0 points, 2.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds and was 20-20 from the free throw line in three games in Puerto Rico, could be out for an extended period of time if the stress fracture proves to be problematic.
In his absence, Xavier will have a hole at the point guard position that the young freshman had recently proven to be a reliable option at. One possible candidate for the position is Jordan Crawford.
Crawford, the sophomore transfer from Indiana, will likely hear a decision on his eligibility from the NCAA in the next week.
The prospects for Crawford's case appear to be slim, however, as NCAA president Myles Brand has made good on his promise this season to toughen up on immediate eligibility cases. In the past week the NCAA has denied the eligibility of Crawford's former Indiana teammate Eli Holman, now at Detroit, and USC center Alex Stephenson, a transfer from North Carolina who was seeking immediate eligibility as a result of health issues in his Los Angeles based family that necessitated the transfer to Southern California.
With the bleak outlook of the Crawford case coupled with the uncertainty surrounding Holloway, Sean Miller may be in a more ambiguous position with regard to his point guard position than when he began the season.
In the short term, Miller will have to rely on sophomore Dante Jackson to log major minutes at the point guard spot, something Jackson has struggled at the season, turning the ball over 10 times this season, but also picking up 10 assists. While Xavier may not be in its best flow with Jackson running the show, he is long and athletic enough to supply Miller with perhaps his best defensive lineup, something that the Musketeers will have to rely on even more if they do not have the services of Holloway and Crawford.
The headaches for Miller may start to come in when he thinks about what happens when he has to sit Jackson on the bench for long periods of time -- a realistic possibility considering Jackson collected 12 fouls in three games in Puerto Rico. The two options for Miller off the bench -- freshmen Brad Redford and Brian Walsh -- have not been wildly ineffective in the first five games of the season.
Redford is still obviously adjusting to the speed of the college game, as evidenced by his performance against Memphis, where he got his only three point field goal attempt blocked, turned the ball over once and broke down multiple times on defense in only five minutes of action. Redford is slowly improving, though, and is always a threat with his deadly jump shot.
Walsh is really not a point guard, but my have to handle the ball if Xavier really gets into a pinch in the coming weeks. He has not seen much time yet this season, as he battled a lower back injury in the preseason and appears to still be rounding back into shape. He does give Xavier good defensive ability, and can knock down a jump shot if given a spot-up opportunity.
With all of the uncertainty surrounding the Musketeers it will surely be right back to the grindstone for Sean Miller and the Xavier staff. With games against MAC favorite Miami and SEC contender Auburn looming in the next 10 days the chance to test the suddenly new-look Musketeers will present itself quickly.
While the win was a significant step forward for the program, and answered many questions about the team's toughness, ability to handle the ball and point guard play, the Musketeers will now have to face the reality of a college basketball season, and a new slew of questions.
One of the more harsh realities of a five month basketball season is injuries, something Xavier has already had to deal with this season with Derrick Brown's left ankle sprain. The Musketeers will have to deal with injuries once again with the news on Monday that freshman point guard Terrell Holloway could miss an extended period of time with a stress fracture in his right foot, aggravated in Sunday's win over Memphis.
Holloway, who had averaged 9.0 points, 2.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds and was 20-20 from the free throw line in three games in Puerto Rico, could be out for an extended period of time if the stress fracture proves to be problematic.
In his absence, Xavier will have a hole at the point guard position that the young freshman had recently proven to be a reliable option at. One possible candidate for the position is Jordan Crawford.
Crawford, the sophomore transfer from Indiana, will likely hear a decision on his eligibility from the NCAA in the next week.
The prospects for Crawford's case appear to be slim, however, as NCAA president Myles Brand has made good on his promise this season to toughen up on immediate eligibility cases. In the past week the NCAA has denied the eligibility of Crawford's former Indiana teammate Eli Holman, now at Detroit, and USC center Alex Stephenson, a transfer from North Carolina who was seeking immediate eligibility as a result of health issues in his Los Angeles based family that necessitated the transfer to Southern California.
With the bleak outlook of the Crawford case coupled with the uncertainty surrounding Holloway, Sean Miller may be in a more ambiguous position with regard to his point guard position than when he began the season.
In the short term, Miller will have to rely on sophomore Dante Jackson to log major minutes at the point guard spot, something Jackson has struggled at the season, turning the ball over 10 times this season, but also picking up 10 assists. While Xavier may not be in its best flow with Jackson running the show, he is long and athletic enough to supply Miller with perhaps his best defensive lineup, something that the Musketeers will have to rely on even more if they do not have the services of Holloway and Crawford.
The headaches for Miller may start to come in when he thinks about what happens when he has to sit Jackson on the bench for long periods of time -- a realistic possibility considering Jackson collected 12 fouls in three games in Puerto Rico. The two options for Miller off the bench -- freshmen Brad Redford and Brian Walsh -- have not been wildly ineffective in the first five games of the season.
Redford is still obviously adjusting to the speed of the college game, as evidenced by his performance against Memphis, where he got his only three point field goal attempt blocked, turned the ball over once and broke down multiple times on defense in only five minutes of action. Redford is slowly improving, though, and is always a threat with his deadly jump shot.
Walsh is really not a point guard, but my have to handle the ball if Xavier really gets into a pinch in the coming weeks. He has not seen much time yet this season, as he battled a lower back injury in the preseason and appears to still be rounding back into shape. He does give Xavier good defensive ability, and can knock down a jump shot if given a spot-up opportunity.
With all of the uncertainty surrounding the Musketeers it will surely be right back to the grindstone for Sean Miller and the Xavier staff. With games against MAC favorite Miami and SEC contender Auburn looming in the next 10 days the chance to test the suddenly new-look Musketeers will present itself quickly.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Xavier 63 Memphis 58
With a great defensive effort, valuing the basketball and some timely free throw shooting the Xavier Musketeers won the Puerto Rico Season Tipoff. The Musketeers shot 25 of 37 from the free throw line, turned the ball over only 11 times and held the Tigers to 34 percent shooting (18 of 53).
Freshman point guard Terrell Holloway proved his merit again, knocking down all 10 of his free throws including two in the last minute of the game in leading his team with 13 points. Holloway also directed his team from the point guard spot as the Musketeers valued the ball against the ball-hawking Tigers to the tune of a season-low 11 turnovers.
The Musketeers did an excellent job of containing Memphis star freshman Tyreke Evans, who had 12 points, but had to put up 17 shots to get them. C.J. Anderson was the main man to shut down Evans, allowing him to shoot the perimeter jump shot, and only getting beaten off of the dribble a handful of times by the top freshman in the country. Anderson also added 10 points and six rebounds, as the senior leader was the most demonstrative Musketeer on the night after disappointing showings against Missouri and Virginia Tech in the first two games of the tournament.
While the Musketeers did not shoot the ball well themselves (37.5 percent, 18-48), they made up for it with perfect execution of the Musketeers' packline defense, the forced the Tigers to shoot perimeter shots. The Tigers struggled from deep, only hitting 7 of 21 of their three point field goals.
The Tigers' poor stroke extended to the free throw line, where they only made 15 of 30 charity shots. All of the shooting woes helped the Musketeers start 5-0 for the first time in fifth year head coach Sean Miller's tenure at Xavier.
The Musketeers were able to win the despite not getting much from preseason first team all-conference forward Derrick Brown. Brown only scored one point and had two rebounds against the athletic Tiger frontline.
The impact of Brown's off night was softened by sophomore Jamel McLean's 11 points and four rebounds.
The win was a big step forward for the Musketeers, who entered the season with questions surrounding many aspects of the team. Xavier now has a quality win over a top-20 team on a neutral court on its resume, and boatloads of confidence in the minds of their youngsters.
Freshman point guard Terrell Holloway proved his merit again, knocking down all 10 of his free throws including two in the last minute of the game in leading his team with 13 points. Holloway also directed his team from the point guard spot as the Musketeers valued the ball against the ball-hawking Tigers to the tune of a season-low 11 turnovers.
The Musketeers did an excellent job of containing Memphis star freshman Tyreke Evans, who had 12 points, but had to put up 17 shots to get them. C.J. Anderson was the main man to shut down Evans, allowing him to shoot the perimeter jump shot, and only getting beaten off of the dribble a handful of times by the top freshman in the country. Anderson also added 10 points and six rebounds, as the senior leader was the most demonstrative Musketeer on the night after disappointing showings against Missouri and Virginia Tech in the first two games of the tournament.
While the Musketeers did not shoot the ball well themselves (37.5 percent, 18-48), they made up for it with perfect execution of the Musketeers' packline defense, the forced the Tigers to shoot perimeter shots. The Tigers struggled from deep, only hitting 7 of 21 of their three point field goals.
The Tigers' poor stroke extended to the free throw line, where they only made 15 of 30 charity shots. All of the shooting woes helped the Musketeers start 5-0 for the first time in fifth year head coach Sean Miller's tenure at Xavier.
The Musketeers were able to win the despite not getting much from preseason first team all-conference forward Derrick Brown. Brown only scored one point and had two rebounds against the athletic Tiger frontline.
The impact of Brown's off night was softened by sophomore Jamel McLean's 11 points and four rebounds.
The win was a big step forward for the Musketeers, who entered the season with questions surrounding many aspects of the team. Xavier now has a quality win over a top-20 team on a neutral court on its resume, and boatloads of confidence in the minds of their youngsters.
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