Game Thread: Xavier v. Green Bay (December 4, 2019) Non-Conference Game

[Xville]

I do think that sometimes the pieces in our starting lineup dont really fit together. It does seem that with this freshman class, and the 2020 class, steele is doing a good job of identifying players with skill sets that are going to compliment each other.

Q, naji and paul on the offensive side of the ball, sometimes seem to get in each others way.

[scoscox]

naji was awesome last night. if he plays like that the rest of the year, we're definitely gonna lose him. it was good to see his threes go down. maybe he's finally starting to adjust to the deeper line

[GoMuskies]

Hate to skip over this season to look ahead to next season....but with the mention of Q, Naji, etc. I would just note that the core 4 who are all likely to be gone next year combined to score 66 of our 84 points yesterday. Jason Carter got 4 more, so 70 of those 84 points will be missing. In fact, all 5 starters will need to be replaced. There's a (pretty convincing) argument to be made that we'll be more talented next year, but it might be a real slog at the beginning.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

Let's not go off the deep end. We had high expectations for this team, rightly so. But, does anybody think maybe a tad too high? Naji and Scruggs are unquestionably talented. Tyrique is a quality starter and Carter (I believe) will turn his shooting around and be an important contributor.

Q is just an enigma to me. I thought, following his sophomore year, that he had great things ahead of him---all he had to do was keep improving. But, he hasn't and it has occurred to me that perhaps he has been playing out of position his entire time at X. His slashing game is more natural at the two guard and his ballhandling + decision making don't fit tightly with the P.G. position. Now, teams are daring him to shoot the three. Still, he is a solid defensive player and he did hit some big shots last night. Freemantle and Tandy are going to be really good players and will contribute even more as the season progresses. I'm unsure about Bishop and James but think Moore probably has earned more floor time. So, we've got decent players.

The early season schedule is soft otherwise this is not an 8-1 team. Still, right now their record is 8-1 with plenty of room to improve play. The Big East is a tough conference and I see no path for X to win conference or tournament the way they are currently playing. I don't know if last year's late season run was a freak thing or not but I'm hoping that Steele's coaching mindset is focused on getting them to peak late again. Hell, I don't even know if coaches think that way or if its possible to run a team so they save their best play for end of season. But, this team needs a spark--not sure what will do that---maybe its Tandy. But, they are experienced with solid talent. So, nobody slit their wrists; let's see how it goes.

I think it could go either way but too soon to say.

I think the next thing to watch is which team shows up for the Crosstown. I can stomach a loss but if they come out flat, sloppy and out-of-focus, that signals a problem.

[Xville]

Hate to skip over this season to look ahead to next season....but with the mention of Q, Naji, etc. I would just note that the core 4 who are all likely to be gone next year combined to score 66 of our 84 points yesterday. Jason Carter got 4 more, so 70 of those 84 points will be missing. In fact, all 5 starters will need to be replaced. There's a (pretty convincing) argument to be made that we'll be more talented next year, but it might be a real slog at the beginning.

True...young as hell, but tons of talent. Next year will be fun but it may be like last year where it took until almost the end of the season for guys to find their roles.

Hopefully by kyky junior year, the roster is a bit more balanced and we begin to reload instead of rebuild. Essentially not having a sophomore recruiting class really hurts next year with naji and paul probably gone.

[Olsingledigit]

Hate to skip over this season to look ahead to next season....but with the mention of Q, Naji, etc. I would just note that the core 4 who are all likely to be gone next year combined to score 66 of our 84 points yesterday. Jason Carter got 4 more, so 70 of those 84 points will be missing. In fact, all 5 starters will need to be replaced. There's a (pretty convincing) argument to be made that we'll be more talented next year, but it might be a real slog at the beginning.

Carter has another year left next year.

[GoMuskies]

Carter has another year left next year.

Well there you go. I just assumed.

[SemajParlor]

I think this team will look better next year once Q graduated. Having a backcourt of Odom and Tandy will be refreshing. Havijg 2 guys that can drive or shoot will be great. Gonna miss Scruggs and Jones but I will not be upset if Naji leaves early too. Guy thinks hes a PG but cant dribble or pass to save his life.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Yeah... check back in a year.

[Lloyd Braun]

Don't include me as inching toward a "fire Steele" thread supporter. Nowhere close.

Was mostly quoting you for remarks of increasing disdain which in herd mentality can contribute to unrest in current coaching prowess.... also, “fire Steele!” is a joke that goes back a ways. See “fire Mack!” thread from years past.

[X-man]

Was mostly quoting you for remarks of increasing disdain which in herd mentality can contribute to unrest in current coaching prowess.... also, “fire Steele!” is a joke that goes back a ways. See “fire Mack!” thread from years past.

Sorry. Missed the irony in your post.