Results 161 to 165 of 165
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11-07-2019, 10:55 AM #161
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11-07-2019, 10:58 AM #162
- Join Date
- Dec 2018
- Location
- Cincinnati
- Posts
- 626
It was pretty clear, early in the Jacksonville game, that X was going to pound inside. To Tyrique's credit, he showed a nice touch early. If only he can start to make free throws!
I remain concerned about the shooting little more today than yesterday. I watched parts of the Butler, Georgetown and St. John's games last night. None of them were playing tough games although Georgetown had to come from way behind in second half. And, don't want to put too much emphasis on those games anymore than on Xavier's early season. But all three teams looked better than I remember them last year. Butler and Georgetown shot pretty well from three range which I took note of given the Muskies struggles. SJU didn't spend much time setting up the offense. They ran the ball, let their athletic prowess dominate Mercer and looked way more enthusiastic under their new coach.
What I love about the Big East is how competitive and evenly matched it is. But, that's also what I hate about the B.E. when evaluating it from Xavier's point of view. There has been a lot made of our returning Core Four and the resumes of the new recruits particularly in early season rankings. But, the rest of the conference hasn't been standing still. I'm optimistic but must admit to being a little worried after the exhibition and the opening game and watching those games last night
Tomorrow night I'm hoping to see three things: better play from Q; better overall shooting (it doesn't need to be perfect, just better) and a continued high level of team defense. If shooting woes continue (not predicting that and praying for improvement) this team will need to be the best defensive team in X history to get through the Big East.
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11-07-2019, 11:01 AM #163
I am with you on all this but Steele’s philosophy is not sinking in (as he pretty much stated during the post press
conference).
I am excited about Kyky and his potentially solid 3 point shooting, but he is not likely going to be at the “Trevon good” level where he’s going to show up and drop 5 -10 3s a game and save the day.
The truth is Scruggs has a beautiful stroke and could be a legitimate 38-40% 3 point shooter this year. He has the potential to be that good. He was shooting over 40% for a long stretch last year- and it didn’t seem at all like a fluke.
If his teammates can feed him often and he sticks to shooting when he feels in rhythm and not when he feels rushed...and he picks spots on the court he likes shooting from then he will be pretty special. If he and Tandy take 50% of the 3s and shoot above 35% and everyone else can shoot a collective 30% (together with continued solid defense) then this team could go pretty far.
Oh, wait... hold that thought... and if they can improve their shooting from the line - very crucial. How they do at the line will decide at least a few games this regular season... and it will help decide how far they go in the NCAA tournament.
Turning into a lot of “ifs.”
Still very doable IMO... with serious focus and discipline.Last edited by IM4X; 11-07-2019 at 11:03 AM.
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11-07-2019, 11:25 AM #164
Better shooting is on its way.....CJ Wilcher can stroke it....Colby Jones is a big athletic SG too. Hopefully we add a JUCO or transfer shooter as well. I'm not expecting this team to shoot much better than last year. If we can get to that level (and I think we will), it'll be ok.
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11-07-2019, 01:42 PM #165
CJ is a legit 3 point specialist.
Adding Colby and Odom (to Kyky and Bishop) will give X one of the quickest and most athletic teams in the country, but Only CJ and Kyky are looking to be beyond average from 3. So yeah, I think you are spot on - X needs another 3 point shooter for next year.
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