Game Thread: NCAA Xavier University v University of Illinois (3/21/2025)

[XUBob]

Talk before the game was which Illinois team will you get. Tonight X got the good version and couldn’t overcome them. XU fans are certainly disappointed but the seven wins in a row and the Texas game made the tail end of the season fun. Hoping Swain and Conwell are back, get some dudes and see what happens next year.

[GoMuskies]

They weren't star recruits...but would they have stayed in this era?

I guess Swain is a good test case!

[Caveat]

With traore, it’s probably more of a 6-7 seed. Lost our starting center and we just can’t absorb that. It’ll be a very interesting offseason. Keep our guys, and have to get some post players. Without it, it’ll be the same shit and I’ll just lower expectations for this program from that point on.

College ball has fundamentally changed. It’s no coincidence that the SEC and their endless base of TV dollars and booster cash is suddenly the best conference in college basketball with paying players legalized.

Until there’s some kind of spending limits put in place, it’s going to be very tough for any smaller schools to stay consistently good or compete with big programs. It’s why Jay Wright and Tony Bennett got out of the coaching profession.

Xavier has to identify the market inefficiency somehow and hope Miller is OK with the situation.

[American X]

If only we had Trey Green, everything would have been so different...

[D-West & PO-Z]

They weren't star recruits...but would they have stayed in this era?

Never know….i take solace in having a guy this year who stayed 5 years at X during the height of portal/NIL who clearly would be very highly pursued (even did so during a coaching change).

Assuming Sean stays and he gets Swain to stay (and Conwell) I’d say that’s a pretty good track record.

Big offseason ahead!

[LOLmickcronin]

Omaha/Creighton is a much better example for your case.

The others are much bigger state schools that yes have better campuses. In lots of different ways that appeal to young men who happen to be high level athletes.

[LOLmickcronin]

College ball has fundamentally changed. It’s no coincidence that the SEC and their endless base of TV dollars and booster cash is suddenly the best conference in college basketball with paying players legalized.

Until there’s some kind of spending limits put in place, it’s going to be very tough for any smaller schools to stay consistently good or compete with big programs. It’s why Jay Wright and Tony Bennett got out of the coaching profession.

Xavier has to identify the market inefficiency somehow and hope Miller is OK with the situation.

This is sadly correct. We’re in a new era that’s going to be difficult save for the occasional lucky run.

[Xavier]

Miller has brought in an all big east player every year. Do it again to pair with conwell and swain and we will be cooking.

[Xavier]

This is sadly correct. We’re in a new era that’s going to be difficult save for the occasional lucky run.

I think it’s easier to compete now, in the NIL era, than it was in the A-10.

[Caveat]

You’re correct they weren’t star recruits. The whole point is they developed year by year and stuck with the program and became stars. That’s not how it works anymore unfortunately.

Also Claude did very clearly leave for more money it’s very well known. I know it was to “play point” as well but it was for money be real.

This.

Pitino doesn’t even look for HS kids any longer because he knows you’re either paying a kid who isn’t worth it, who will leave for PT rather than wait and develop, or who will demand more money the second they perform.

The era of the 4-year player at one school is over for everyone but the walk ons.