NCAA Tournament S16 Game Thread: Xavier v Texas (3/24/2023)

[X-band '01]

It's also going to be two experienced teams - now some of the notable and familiar faces are Marcus Carr (transfer from Minnesota), Sir'Jabari Rice (transfer from New Mexico State) and Christian Bishop (spent 3 years at Creighton). I don't think anyone's left from their 2019 NIT "National Championship" team.

[Xavier]

Amusingly, the biggest thing Xavier is missing from Free being out at this point are his 5 fouls.

The team is forced to dial back the defensive energy because they can't afford to get guys in foul trouble -- the bench is too thin behind Des.

People underestimate the mismatch having both Free and Nunge being on the court caused. I admit the defense is better without free, and mostly the offense is clicking….but with Free- there was no defense that could shut us down.

[GIMMFD]

It's also going to be two experienced teams - now some of the notable and familiar faces are Marcus Carr (transfer from Minnesota), Sir'Jabari Rice (transfer from New Mexico State) and Christian Bishop (spent 3 years at Creighton). I don't think anyone's left from their 2019 NIT "National Championship" team.

I'd add Tyrese Hunter to that list, he was solid his Freshman year at Iowa State, dropped 22 in the first game of the NCAA Tournament, and was B12 Freshman of the Year.

[xavbball]

Texas is a really good basketball team. Rodney Terry has them playing some of the best ball they’ve played in a long time. We will need one of our best performances to beat them.

[XUWahoo]

Sean needs to consider using the the football based "Air Raid" play aka the "Mahomes" play (what Kansas State calls it) in the event of a close game at the end and Xavier is facing a press as they are taking the ball out. Have all five players line up behind the baseline with one "quarterback" and four "receivers." This confuses defenses as the players run "mesh like" routes, has been recently used very effectively, and is quite legal. Check Wednesday's (March 22) Wall Street Journal for complete coverage of this tactic.

[American X]

How every Sweet 16 underdog can pull off the upset, reach Elite Eight

(3) Xavier vs. (2) Texas

Line: Texas -4

Keys for Xavier: Use the 3-pointer, hit Nunge in the pick-and-roll game

This is a really fascinating matchup because Xavier -- for all its issues with depth and defense -- can overwhelm teams with its offense. In order to do so against Texas, the Musketeers need to dominate from beyond the arc and in the pick-and-roll game.

Of Texas' eight losses this season, seven of them came when the opponent shot a higher percentage from 3, and Xavier is the fifth-best 3-point shooting team (38.9%) in Division I. The Musketeers just need to get enough of those shots off; they're 320th in 3-point rate this season. Compare that to a team like Penn State, which just gave Texas trouble in the second round. The Nittany Lions shot just 41.7% from the field to Texas' 50.8% but nearly made up for it by hitting eight 3-pointers compared to Texas' one.

Xavier can also take advantage of Texas' inconsistent defense covering the pick-and-roll roller. The Musketeers ranks in the 96th percentile offensively on those plays; Texas ranks in the 17th percentile defending them. Jack Nunge should be able to use that to his advantage against the smaller Dylan Disu.

[Masterofreality]

Xavier is winning this game.
Karma for the Q missed free throw in the NIT.

[Caveat]

People underestimate the mismatch having both Free and Nunge being on the court caused. I admit the defense is better without free, and mostly the offense is clicking….but with Free- there was no defense that could shut us down.

I'n in no way downplaying how good the offense looked with Freemantle in it -- though, I think a lot of that has been mitigated by the stellar play of Hunter down the stretch -- but right now the biggest part of Freemantle being out is how comically short it makes the bench and the knock-on effects of that.

A healthy Freemantle would mean you could be less concerned about Nunge getting into foul trouble -- which would free everyone involved to play stronger defense and contest more shots. It would also give you the freedom to rest players for longer stretches of the game to keep them fresh deeper into games.

[94GRAD]

Just received my X tickets and they are through a company called AXS. You will have to download the app to receive and transfer tickets. Do it today so you're ahead of the game. Also, they aren't Google wallet compatible and only limited venues for Apple. THE APP IS A MUST!!!

[GoMuskies]

Why didn't I know until just now that Texas's coach was Boum's coach at UTEP? That's pretty wild.