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  1. #1
    Junior
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    Andy Katz 2021 NCAA Field of 68

    Katz does not even consider X to be play in worthy. 2 of the play in teams are St Johns and UC. I know we're young, but I think we have a decent shot of making the field. A team with everyone on the same page, better shooting,lots of new talent, some veteran leadership. I think we have a good chance. What say the rest of you ?

  2. #2
    Junior
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    I wouldn't say we have a good chance. I guess 50/50 right on the bubble. Honestly just hope to see some sings of good coaching, better offense, etc. Need to find and see something in Coach Steele this year to get me believing he can take X places.

  3. #3
    Supporting Member XUGRAD80's Avatar
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    Just to many unknowns at this point and no real absolutes, can’t call it. There is really nothing you can point to and know for sure that X will be good in that area. I can absolutely see why few, of any, of the prognosticators are putting X in the field at this point. But as I’ve said in the past when X was highly rated, preseason rankings mean almost nothing. They will have 23 opportunities (at least) to prove their worth.

  4. #4
    Junior IM4X's Avatar
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    More than any other season over the past decade, this season might be the hardest for an X fan (at least for me) to be offended for not being included in someone’s preseason list of top teams. We lost two crucial players who were top scorers AND rebounders form a team that was only on the bubble for the NCAA tournament and we don’t have proven BE level players coming in to replace them.

    That’s not to say the bigs coming back this year together with the incoming transfers can’t prove to be special as a group. We just don’t know what we’ve got yet until these guys play together against competition.

    I’ll admit, I was having serious trouble seeing how our front court could possibly be as good as last year’s without our two best defensive stoppers. Let’s remember that Freemantle and Carter struggled quite a bit at times trying to guard opponents in the paint). I do see real potential though (with all of the extra bodies), but that’s all it is at this point. Let’s hope we get a few of the big fellas - whether it’s the transfers or those who didn’t play last year - stepping up big time this season.
    Last edited by IM4X; 09-30-2020 at 08:51 PM.

  5. #5
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    I don't know. Its easy to understand the above posts. There ARE a bunch of unknowns, And, even though it seems like there is a great deal of new talent (which we all are excited to see) it takes time for that talent to become a team---maybe most of the season.

    Still, to use a cliché, basketball is a team game. Most of us who come to this board appreciate that. I'm interested in more than wins and losses. Quality of play is important to me. At times last year, I absolutely wanted to puke watching this team play. The horribly stupid shots launched by our P.G., Naji forcing up low percentage efforts, the lack of ball movement, etc.

    I predict (and really, really hope) the returning players will jell quickly with the many new additions and we will see a better team effort. Watching the transfers try to integrate over the last couple of seasons, its clear that it takes time for newcomers to blend in, Still, I'll be disappointed in both the returnees and especially in Steele if we don't see better ball sharing, more discipline and a more spirited defensive effort (not that our defense really sucked last year) If this group plays as a team, without the selfishness and blockheadedness of last year, I will still be pretty interested. And, they may surprise us---I choose to believe they will.

    If X is going to return to the elite ranks of the Big East, we should signs of it soon---newcomers not withstanding. In that sense, I view this season as critical. Not win or or place in the top three of the conference but surprise us with the type of play described above, win some clutch games (which maybe they weren't supposed to win) play strong opponents tough on the road, even it the result is an "L"----demonstrate their potential and restore enthusiasm to this fan base. But, if we see too much of the play we saw last year, that, I think, falls on Steele.
    Last edited by Jumpin_Jamal_Forever; 10-01-2020 at 07:42 AM.

  6. #6
    C'mon now, we have 4 proven starters, and I would be shocked if any of the 4 digress this year stat wise. In fact, I'm thinking that all 4 make a considerable jump in numbers. This is Scruggy's team now and IMO he will be the best player on the floor most days....around 16/17 ppg with the added LOCK DOWN D ALWAYS. All we need is at least 3 of the other 8 to make significant contributions and we will be very competitive with a legitimate shot at 10 BE wins.

    This is a good start.
    https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/...ier-basketball
    (They spelled his name wrong. )
    President of the Eddie Johnson Fan Club

  7. #7
    Supporting Member XUGRAD80's Avatar
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    Other than Scruggs, who has proven what? Not saying that there is not potential, and I feel that at least a couple of the young returners will turn out to be VERY good players before it’s all said and done. But really at this point, what have they actually proven? All of the returning players were inconsistent at best last year, all of them have many areas they need to improve upon, and we still don’t know if they are going to have anyone that is a consistent outside threat, let alone 2-3 of them. Inexperienced and youth is certainly another obstacle that they will need to overcome. Maybe the transfers and freshman will make a huge difference, maybe. But there no way of knowing at this point, is there? I love your optimism, but iMO it needs to be tempered with reality and some caution.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by XUGRAD80 View Post
    Other than Scruggs, who has proven what?
    So you don't think that Tandy, Freemantle and Carter PROVED they can produce in this league? I think a Senior Carter will be vastly improved in all areas. Obviously Coach Steele loves the guy based on his usage, and in support, Wilcher was quoted as saying he had no idea "that Carter guy was THAT good". Also, KyKy/Free both have a chance to score 10+ simply based on more PT.

    Of course Scruggs MUST take it to the next level and keep pace with Gillespie/Z statistically AND provide their level of leadership, or all bets are off. Paired with Carter the experience box is checked and we have 2 of the best underclassmen in the league to provide a strong nucleus.

    If these four can stay healthy (big if), and 1 of the other 8 can emerge as an effective 5th starter, that's enough talent to get multiple wins against DU, GU, BU, SJU, MU, UConn. IMO enough to sweep a few of them and good enough to take care of business at home vs some of the top tier, so there is a very doable path to 10 wins.
    Last edited by Xuperman; 10-03-2020 at 09:06 AM.
    President of the Eddie Johnson Fan Club

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Xuperman View Post
    So you don't think that Tandy, Freemantle and Carter PROVED they can produce in this league? I think a Senior Carter will be vastly improved in all areas. Obviously Coach Steele loves the guy based on his usage, and in support, Wilcher was quoted as saying he had no idea "that Carter guy was THAT good". Also, KyKy/Free both have a chance to score 10+ simply based on more PT.

    Of course Scruggs MUST take it to the next level and keep pace with Gillespie/Z statistically AND provide their level of leadership, or all bets are off. Paired with Carter the experience box is checked and we have 2 of the best underclassmen in the league to provide a strong nucleus.

    If these four can stay healthy (big if), and 1 of the other 8 can emerge as an effective 5th starter, that's enough talent to get multiple wins against DU, GU, BU, SJU, MU, UConn. IMO enough to sweep a few of them and good enough to take care of business at home vs some of the top tier, so there is a very doable path to 10 wins.
    I didnt see anything from carter last year that showed he could produce in the big east...he was garbage last year. Dont care what wilcher said about a guy in practice...anthony Coleman looked like a world beater in practice. Carter needs to make a big jump to prove he isnt anything but a mac player.

  10. #10
    Supporting Member XUGRAD80's Avatar
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    The underclass man have proved they CAN...they haven’t proven they WILL. Until they actually do CONSISTENTLY, it’s just potential and wishful thinking. I don’t think that Carter has even proven that he can. Doesn’t mean he won’t, and I certainly hope he does. There have been way to many times over the last few years where an X player disappeared for a half, an entire game, or even for a week at a time. They also haven’t had a very good bench, have they? What happens when a starting player comes up sick, or hurt, or gets into foul trouble? All of those things are bound to happen at some time. Right now there is nobody that we can point to and KNOW that they can fill in adequately for any of the players mentioned in the above post. I’m not trying to be negative, I’m only saying that we should temper our optimism with a dose of reality.

    I many times feel that the dissatisfaction some feel with the coaching is based upon unrealistic judgment of the abilities of the players, especially the judgment of those players based solely upon their possible potential. Further driving this is when that judgment of their abilities is based upon how high they were ranked in the recruiting rankings, how many stars they were given, or what highlight reels from their HS years, someone has seen, or how well they did in 1-2 games the prior year.

    Potential don’t feed the bulldog!

    X won 19 games last year and lost what % of its scoring and rebounding from that group? It’s got one player that averaged 12 points a game coming back, and 3 players that averaged 7 points a game coming back. That’s only 33 points a game coming back. Unless those players have big jumps AND X finds another 30+ points a game from the newcomers, they are going to continue to struggle to score points. Now you might say that they only need those players to score 3-4 points more per game, but that is a 25-45% increase in production per players, and that’s a lot of increase for one year. IMO they need at least 4 players that can be counted on to give 10 points a game, consistently. Right now they only have 1...Scruggs.....that has proven that they can do that. The rest is only potential at this point.

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