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Muskies Have Ingredients to Make NCAA Impact!!
By
Andy Mac Williams,
3/16/2010
Xavier's used to being overlooked and undervalued heading into the NCAA Tournament. In 2007 both Jay Bilas and Dick Vitale questioned XU's very inclusion in the field of 65. The Muskies nipped a decent BYU team in Round One at Rupp Arena then almost shocked the world losing to #1 Ohio State in overtime. 2008 Vitale picked a Cinderella SEC Champ Georgia to upset XU in Round One. Xavier flattened the Bulldogs, ripped Purdue, clipped West Virginia in OT then lost to UCLA and their NBA draft picks in the Elite 8. 2009 X didn't garner much support from the pundits again. They blitzed Portland State then beat Wisconsin at their own Big Ten halfcourt game and came within 60 seconds of eliminating #1 seed Pitt at Boston. That's a pretty consistent four year record of productivity! But again in 2010 national expectations for X seem muted.
The Wall Street Journal's computer model has the Muskies one and done. Most betting lines have 6 seed Xavier-11 seed Minnesota even or they're favoring the Gophers slightly. The talking heads like Tubby Smith and the Big Ten. Chris Mack is a first year coach. Derrick Brown is in the NBA etc etc. Nuts,I say!
The Muskies had some growing pains early (6-4 in the first 10 games) as players learned their roles and Mack adjusted to the first chair. Since Wake Forest, this team has grown steadily.
Jamel McLean now posts double-doubles to compliment Jason Love inside. Kenny Frease plays better against bigger bodies. That's what's ahead in the NCAA. X seldom loses ground when Andrew Taylor is on the floor. He knows where to be and what to do when the ball comes his way.
Jordan Crawford has evolved into a strong all-court player. He takes the big difficult shots but he sets up teammates and rebounds and defends also. JC lost to Minnesota as an Indiana Hoosier two years ago in the Big Ten Tournament. The Gophers will see a much more complete player Friday in Milwaukee (12;25 EDT-CBS).
Few teams have two lead guards as quick and as effective as Terrell Holloway and Mark Lyons. Holloway has closed out a bunch of close wins with is fearless drives and dead eye foul shooting. Lyons is relentless taking the ball to the rim. He and Holloway are playing a lot of minutes together.
Dante Jackson enters his third NCAA Tournament with a track record of productivity. He shines against UC, Dayton and in the Big Dance. Expect him to take and make big shots and make key defensive stops. Brad Redford got back on the floor against Richmond. He could be an NCAA wild card.
X got a decent seed. Milwaukee is about as close as they could land geographically. The Friday-Sunday bracket works from a rest and preparation stand point. The Muskies are a rested experienced confident team with plenty of momentum.
Minnesota is no slouch. The Gophers are no juggernaut either. They expended a ton of energy playing 4 games in 4 days at Indy in the Big Ten Tourney. They needed the 3 wins over Penn State, Michigan State and Purdue to even make the NCAA Field. Sunday's 29 point loss to Ohio State was a bit of an abberation. MU won 7 of its last 10, but overall finished just 9-9 in the Big Ten.
They lost starting PG Al Nolen to academics and adjusted decently going 9-7 without him. Soph Devoe Joseph moved into the line-up at PG. He made the Big Ten All-Tournament team hitting 12 of 12 FTs over 4 games.
Minn starts two more guards. Sr Lawrence Westbrook is a slasher and top scorer (12.6PPG). Jr Blake Hoffarber is a deadly 3pt shooter (10PPG-47% from 3). 6-7 Sr Damion Johnson starts (10PPG-2 blocks-4 rebs) as does 6-11 Ralph Sampson. He's a Soph (8P-6R). 6-7 Paul Carter had a good Big Ten tourney on the boards. 6-10 Colton Iverson averaged 10PPG and shot 75% from the floor at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Minnesota shoots it decently across the board. They are plus 3 in rebounding and have some depth. They score 73 PPG and give up 64.
Minnesota will have trouble with Xavier's speed at PG and they have no one to guard Crawford consistently. X needs to run the offense inside-out with post-ups to Love and McLean and Frease and dribble-drives from Holloway and Lyons.
The 3 pointer needs to re-emerge too. Maybe Dante is the man there. The Gophers do not have a hard driving small forward type that's given XU problems all season.
I like XU's chances to advance. Pitt may be waiting in Round 2. The Panthers aren't as talented as last season without Dujuan Blair, Lavon Fields and Sam Young. It would be a war.
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