I live for college hoops and have 2 girls at X. I have watched every game on fox sports since Xav v NC State play in and even went to Providence this weekend(live in Conn). I see about 5% more effort from other big east teams and it is mostly on defense and 50/50 balls. They need to remember that every team wants to win and has good players. A 6 point game will be a rout going forward. Sometimes extra hustle does not look good and can be embarrassing if no immediate results but in the long run helps in every sport
Mal Bernard quote
“We’re being selfish,” he said. “And I’m tired of it.
At the end of his speech, Malcolm made a promise and a request.
“I’m willing to sacrifice everything for this team,” he said.
“I’m going to dive for every loose ball, close out harder on every shot, block out for every rebound. I’m going to play harder than I’ve ever played. And I need you all to follow me.”
Here was a guy who hadn’t even been here for a year — and he was calling us out.
Results 1 to 10 of 24
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01-07-2018, 06:39 PM #1
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is it time to channel Malcolm Bernard?
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01-07-2018, 07:54 PM #2
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01-07-2018, 08:05 PM #3
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01-07-2018, 08:15 PM #4
I think some people are just worried since we got down 20 points to ETSU, and got down 16 points to DePaul. Both of these were home games where X was not sharp and lacked focus for the majority of the game. X also struggled to beat UNI, a team who is now 0-3 in the MVC.
X hasn't been playing up to their potential lately, and although a loss on the road at Providence is nothing to sound the alarm over, the recent trend of sloppy play and carelessness contributed to the loss.
Every BE game has the potential to be a nice win or a tough loss. St. John's is 0-4, but they're a team that could give Xavier fits and block a million shots doing it if Xavier doesn't come ready to play.
Trevon is shooting less than 40% from the field over the past 5-6 games.
None of us want to see these things continue to happen.
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01-07-2018, 08:46 PM #5
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01-08-2018, 09:06 AM #6
Yes, their record is impressive, and we all want it to stay that way.
It is going to take a more concerted effort to keep having a top 10 season. As we get deeper into the grind of conference play, the level of play needed is just going to increase. Xavier has not displayed a trend in that direction in recent games.I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I drink 2XS.
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01-08-2018, 09:42 AM #7
You see “about 5% more effort from other Big East teams”? What does that even look like?
Bernard was great down the stretch, but we have plenty of leaders and talent on this year’s team without digging up a speech from last year.
News Flash: X will likely lose a few more games this season. We don’t need speeches and inspiration after each one, it’s all part of a college basketball season. You think Duke or Mich State are seeking the right speech from former players to change course on their season?
Good grief. Take it down a notch young fella. The season is a lifetime....a marathon not a sprint...we lost the battle this weekend, but are still winning the war."All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz and I'm fine.--Jeff Spicoli"
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01-08-2018, 10:07 AM #8
I agree with both sentiments. We've had a great season so far. But I do have concerns that sometimes (for stretches) this team plays to the level of the other team on the floor. I've felt that since DePaul/Butler. When this team clockes 40 consistent minutes, they are a top 5 team. When they don't, they're the team we saw against ETSU and Providence. Against most teams that will still make us competitive (this team is that good talent wise) and result in a W. But that's not what we have become accustomed too. From my view, when Trevon and JP don't score we need a consistent third option (which is no secret to our opponents). As we sit in the second week of February, we don't have it.
"He's a little bit ball-dominant, he needs to have the ball in his hands, and he's not a good shooter." Ball-dominant … isn't that a nice way of calling someone a ball hog? Where is my Jay Bilas Thesaurus?
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01-08-2018, 10:30 AM #9
Undefeated seasons are rare for a reason. We are a top-10 team. We get every team's best shot every single game. This isn't 'every team wants to win'. This is every team wants to beat you specifically so they can get a resume win and get into the tournament. It's very different. We go on the road, the arena is sold out, every fan is amped up, the student section is nuts, and all of these aspects just feed one another and the home team.
You can split hairs, make a lazy argument about how the team needs to wake up, get into it, fight for 50/50 balls blah blah blah, etc etc etc. OR you can go look at last years record (remember our 6 game losing streak?), look at Nova's record the year they won the national championship (they lost 3 big east games) and take a deep breath. Prepare yourself for the likely event that we will lose another game that we're favored in, since you're clearly not ready for it. How we've gone from an A10 team who was excited to be ranked to having 'look yourself in the mirror' talk after snapping a 10-game win streak is beyond me. Remember that year we lost to Oral Roberts and made the Sweet 16?
Nuts says it every year and he is always right. A season is a lifetime.
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01-08-2018, 02:52 PM #10
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