(PRE-GAME) Xavier, Thur. Feb. 28, 6:30pm, FS-1 / 970AM

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I agree with Jack. Tyrique Jones (6'9", 240 lbs.) can play like a beast. We have nobody to deal with him in the low post. Must deny him the ball close to the basket.

(2/20) vs. SH -18 points. 15 Rebounds
(2/16) vs. Prov -19 points 12 Rebounds

[attachment=743]Jones.jpg[/attachment] [attachment=744]jones2.jpg[/attachment]
 
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[quote="JohnnyFan" post=325535]I agree with Jack. Tyrique Jones (6'9", 240 lbs.) can play like a beast. We have nobody to deal with him in the low post. Must deny him the ball close to the basket.

(2/20) vs. SH -18 points. 15 Rebounds
(2/16) vs. Prov -19 points 12 Rebounds

[attachment=743]Jones.jpg[/attachment] [attachment=744]jones2.jpg[/attachment][/quote]

Which is why it's critical we hit a ton of 3 pointers this game like we do in most of our wins. Just like we have nobody to deal with him in the post, there is no way he can guard our shooters around the 3 point line. Give and take.
 
Marshall, Scruggs & Goodin all average around 3 turnovers per game (and more when they lose). Keys to game for us would seem to be hitting our shots and turn them over by speeding the game up to negate their size advantage
 
[quote="NCJohnnie" post=325544]Marshall, Scruggs & Goodin all average around 3 turnovers per game (and more when they lose). Keys to game for us would seem to be hitting our shots and turn them over by speeding the game up to negate their size advantage[/quote]

Nobody on their team shoots particularly well either. Will be interesting to see if they run a zone at us. I'm not sure how they defend. In any case same plan as Providence; control tempo and force turnovers.

They also appear to be similar to us in they are not deep and play 8 players mostly.
 
[quote="Room112" post=325543][quote="JohnnyFan" post=325535]I agree with Jack. Tyrique Jones (6'9", 240 lbs.) can play like a beast. We have nobody to deal with him in the low post. Must deny him the ball close to the basket.

(2/20) vs. SH -18 points. 15 Rebounds
(2/16) vs. Prov -19 points 12 Rebounds

[attachment=743]Jones.jpg[/attachment] [attachment=744]jones2.jpg[/attachment][/quote]

Which is why it's critical we hit a ton of 3 pointers this game like we do in most of our wins. Just like we have nobody to deal with him in the post, there is no way he can guard our shooters around the 3 point line. Give and take.[/quote]

Agreed. And we shoot well when we have good ball movement, and drive/kick. We also need to finish on the fast break.
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=325526][quote="Section9" post=325515][quote="Paultzman" post=325513]Xavier, as noted by many, has big interior guys, but looking at other side of ledger SJU thrives on pressuring guards and jumping passing lanes. The Xavier PG is very average and turns ball over a bit. Johnnies coming up with steals and turnovers fuels the scoring, so perhaps SJU advantage there. Like us at CA Thursday.[/quote]

That didn't work against the friars.[/quote]
Thus the word perhaps” :)[/quote]

Touche.;)
 
[quote="Room112" post=325546][quote="NCJohnnie" post=325544]Marshall, Scruggs & Goodin all average around 3 turnovers per game (and more when they lose). Keys to game for us would seem to be hitting our shots and turn them over by speeding the game up to negate their size advantage[/quote]

Nobody on their team shoots particularly well either. Will be interesting to see if they run a zone at us. I'm not sure how they defend. In any case same plan as Providence; control tempo and force turnovers.

They also appear to be similar to us in they are not deep and play 8 players mostly.[/quote]

Xavier likes to control the tempo. Slow the game down and "slug it out." They have the personnel or athletes to go up and down the floor, but they're overall skill level ( ie, shooting and ball handling) doesn't particularly translate well to that style of play. They have a propensity to turn the ball over, and tend to be "clank city" from deep as noted.

They'll mix it up defensively between man and zone (mainly, 2-3). If we start hitting it from deep, then expect Xavier to go zone. This should be an interesting contest. Hopefully, we get the Xavier from a few weeks ago then the one from the past two weeks.
 
[quote="MJDinkins" post=325562][quote="Room112" post=325546][quote="NCJohnnie" post=325544]Marshall, Scruggs & Goodin all average around 3 turnovers per game (and more when they lose). Keys to game for us would seem to be hitting our shots and turn them over by speeding the game up to negate their size advantage[/quote]

Nobody on their team shoots particularly well either. Will be interesting to see if they run a zone at us. I'm not sure how they defend. In any case same plan as Providence; control tempo and force turnovers.

They also appear to be similar to us in they are not deep and play 8 players mostly.[/quote]

Xavier likes to control the tempo. Slow the game down and "slug it out." They have the personnel or athletes to go up and down the floor, but they're overall skill level ( ie, shooting and ball handling) doesn't particularly translate well to that style of play. They have a propensity to turn the ball over, and tend to be "clank city" from deep as noted.

They'll mix it up defensively between man and zone (mainly, 2-3). If we start hitting it from deep, then expect Xavier to go zone. This should be an interesting contest. Hopefully, we get the Xavier from a few weeks ago then the one from the past two weeks.[/quote]

Based on your assessment I don't have a good feeling about this game. Big teams who play these style are a challenge for us. Especially if they go zone and try and muck up the tempo.
 
Yeah, it sucked seeing Xavier beat Nova yesterday, but regardless we'll be favored. We typically focus on our weaknesses, but as others noted we have advantages against them as well.
 
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On paper there's zero reason we should lose this game. At home in CA, fans will show up, and we have clear advantages in experience and talent. Xavier is rebuilding and they have a brand new head coach and lost a ton of talent which is mostly inexperienced. That being said, we will see if we get another patented sleepwalk game where we look lethargic and uninterested with another letdown game. Can't remember the last time we shot 40% or better from 3 all game. Ponds needs to start hitting his outside shots again consistently.
 
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=325577]On paper there's zero reason we should lose this game. At home in CA, fans will show up, and we have clear advantages in experience and talent. Xavier is rebuilding and they have a brand new head coach and lost a ton of talent which is mostly inexperienced. That being said, we will see if we get another patented sleepwalk game where we look lethargic and uninterested with another letdown game. Can't remember the last time we shot 40% or better from 3 all game. Ponds needs to start hitting his outside shots again consistently.[/quote]

I wouldn't dress up this game in that way. If we lose it will suck but this is not a game i expect SJU to be favored by more than 3. If people have watched X's last couple games, they are peaking, and you talk about talent, they are stacked with talent. Mack did not leave the cupboards empty. They have clear advantages in size and strength.

They can do all the things that Providence did to make us look like a D2 school. In fact they bullied Providence in the Dunk to begin this hot streak they are on.

St. John's could come out with a lot of energy and shoot the ball well and still lose. This is a tough game. Really hoping we win because it will be even tougher @X. But it will be a tough game.

I was super confident about the Seton Hall game and it worked out. But do not have the same confidence in this one. Something that I am hoping could carry us through Thursday, is that there is a good chance it is the final CA game for Ponds/Heron, and it is the final CA game for Marv. Hoping that helps us

But I feel like a lot of us forget how many weaknesses we have after a win. The problems this team had at PC did not just go away because we played well against a better matchup in SH. Im afraid those weaknesses will come out to play again this week
 
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What's funny is a few weeks ago when we were a couple games under .500, we all looked to the stretch we just completed as the tough portion of our remaining schedule.

After our home upset L to Georgetown, we had:
@ Creighton- expected L (W)
@ Duke- expected L (L)
@ Marquette- expected L (W)
Vs Providence- expected W (L)
Vs Butler- expected W (W)
Vs Villanova- expected L (W)
@ Providence- expected L (L)
Vs Seton Hall- expected W (W)

So, we were expected to go 3-5 but instead went 5-3. I think most here expected we'd go 4-4 and then sweep the final 3 games (or at worst, win 2/3).

Now, after seeing Xavier win 4 in a row, I'm not so sure. Glad we beat Hall because needing to win 2/3 may be tough.
 
Enjoying a solid season with some bumps, that beats an 11 game BE losing streak by a tad. :)
 
Jack, your post makes sense...they may be a rough matchup for us in terms of size and strength. But let's be real...if the tables were turned we would expect to lose to a Xavier team with tons of experience and talent while we were rebuilding even if we had a size advantage. Speed and passing is the equalizer for size and strength. There's a reason we have a 78% chance to win according to ESPN. We are supposed to win this game even in spite of matchup issues. Experience and talent should overcome that.
 
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=325583]Jack, your post makes sense...they may be a rough matchup for us in terms of size and strength. But let's be real...if the tables were turned we would expect to lose to a Xavier team with tons of experience and talent while we were rebuilding even if we had a size advantage. Speed and passing is the equalizer for size and strength. There's a reason we have a 78% chance to win according to ESPN. We are supposed to win this game even in spite of matchup issues. Experience and talent should overcome that.[/quote]

I'd love to know the ESPN win probability for our home game against Providence. I assume it was 75% or greater. I dont know man, hope you are right. I will be there to root for the team, but I am definitely gonna be sweating this one all week.
 
What concerns me is that Xavier can play foot loose and fancy free
They have nothing to lose, which makes them very dangerous
We, on the other hand, have a lot to play for and can't afford to be tight
Having said that, I think that we win this one at home
 
[quote="Adam" post=325576]Yeah, it sucked seeing Xavier beat Nova yesterday, but regardless we'll be favored. We typically focus on our weaknesses, but as others noted we have advantages against them as well.[/quote]

Thanks Adam -
Richard Carlson of "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" fame died much too early...he had so many great insights into life, coping, moods - one of his statements was (paraphrase)
"if you do twenty things in a day and nineteen work out well, what do you focus on when you get home at night?"

similar to your sentiments - why not focus on what SJU does bring to the table - a team who was good enough to garner 20 Ws. I think some of our ongoing success will be with matchups - hope in the NCAA we get a team that cannot handle our starting five and not a team with a major towering front line.

all the best
Gen. Sherman
 
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If you had told me that we were going to beat a desperate Seton Hall team without Heron in the lineup, I never would have believed it. Was also sure we'd beat Providence, so I am officially out of the game-to-game prediction business. But I think we are in a good place with respect to the NCAA tourney. Love this group of players.
 
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