(PRE-GAME) Xavier, Tues., Feb. 16, 8:30p, FS-1 / 970AM WNYM
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Cinci perspective;
[URL]https://www.cincinnati.com/sto...-basketball-team-critical-matchup/4487553001/[/URL]
[URL]https://www.cincinnati.com/sto...-basketball-team-critical-matchup/4487553001/[/URL]
redstorm80
Well-known member
Worth noting that X has only played 3 of their 14 games on the road this year. Obviously things are different with no crowds and Xavier is solid but as a team they havent faced many tests away from Cintas. Like everyone else, i'm sick of losing to these guys (saw somewhere that we are something like 2-14 against them since they joined the big east). Got to be ready from the tip, no reason to come out flat
QueensBall
Member
Going into the 2 away games at Providence and Butler, I thought we'd learn alot. We're getting into the last handful of games now. If they went 2-0 they'd establish themselves as a likely at large team because it shows they're handling all the business they should be handling. If they went 1-1 it means they're truly a bubbly team and this will be a roller coaster where we have to depend on some other teams performing worse or a good showing in the BET. (Coin flip like Mullin's last season.) If 0-2 it's a team that went on a nice hotstreak but really isn't ready and will play itself out of things
I think that proved itself. A really good team locks up the Butler win so they're closer to not sweating out the BET. Right now this team has exceeded expectations but there's not a super clear indication that they're ready to step on the neck here and grab their spot. But teams continue to evolve through the season right up until the end and get opportunities to redeem themselves. So with that in mind I've split the remaining 5 games up like this:
The game @ Villanova is going to be a bear. They'll want revenge and before the last game Jay Wright said Villanova only had about a week to practice facing the press. We know they've been in the lab since then. As much as I'm rooting for a replay of Posh destroying Gillespie, that level of dominance is unlikely again. So I'm not counting our guys out but only aknowledging that it's an uphill battle. A sweep against Villanova would completely change the complexion of the tournament resume so I'm going to put that game aside. Play hard that night and see what happens.
This week is Xavier and DePaul at home.
After VIllanova we have a long break and then it's Providence and Seton Hall at home the first week of March.
They have to go 2-0 one of those weeks. They can't go 0-2 on either (unless the Nova game works out again). They can afford to drop 1 of those games but not 2. THIS is the easier week to sweep. Go 2-0 here and be back in a strong position. We won't get dinged for an away game at Nova. We can only get a massive victory there, no bad loss. Then you go into that Providence Seton Hall week and although both games are extremely important (nothing is guaranteed) but it won't feel like they're playing with their backs against the wall and no room for error.
They need to treat this Xavier game like an elimination game. It's not but winning it avoids setting up a potential elmination game in a couple of weeks. And if they're fortunate enough to win the tougher game they can't have the letdown in game two. Just get this done this week. Close with some strength and make the case.
I think that proved itself. A really good team locks up the Butler win so they're closer to not sweating out the BET. Right now this team has exceeded expectations but there's not a super clear indication that they're ready to step on the neck here and grab their spot. But teams continue to evolve through the season right up until the end and get opportunities to redeem themselves. So with that in mind I've split the remaining 5 games up like this:
The game @ Villanova is going to be a bear. They'll want revenge and before the last game Jay Wright said Villanova only had about a week to practice facing the press. We know they've been in the lab since then. As much as I'm rooting for a replay of Posh destroying Gillespie, that level of dominance is unlikely again. So I'm not counting our guys out but only aknowledging that it's an uphill battle. A sweep against Villanova would completely change the complexion of the tournament resume so I'm going to put that game aside. Play hard that night and see what happens.
This week is Xavier and DePaul at home.
After VIllanova we have a long break and then it's Providence and Seton Hall at home the first week of March.
They have to go 2-0 one of those weeks. They can't go 0-2 on either (unless the Nova game works out again). They can afford to drop 1 of those games but not 2. THIS is the easier week to sweep. Go 2-0 here and be back in a strong position. We won't get dinged for an away game at Nova. We can only get a massive victory there, no bad loss. Then you go into that Providence Seton Hall week and although both games are extremely important (nothing is guaranteed) but it won't feel like they're playing with their backs against the wall and no room for error.
They need to treat this Xavier game like an elimination game. It's not but winning it avoids setting up a potential elmination game in a couple of weeks. And if they're fortunate enough to win the tougher game they can't have the letdown in game two. Just get this done this week. Close with some strength and make the case.
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JackofVirginia
Active member
BrookJersey Redmen" post=419549 said:
Mullins Revenge
Well-known member
Man that was a long week. Gameday!!!! This is a huge game. At home against a team we havent beaten in 5/6 years.EliteBaller K" post=419661 said:
This would be a huge win for us. Lets get it done!!!!!!!!!!!
jerseyshorejohnny
Well-known member
From a much, much longer article in The Athletic:
Xavier at St. John’s (-2½), 8:30 p.m., FS1. Xavier has had three COVID-19 pauses and the hardest thing about coming back is finding your rhythm and conditioning. If the latter is an issue, that’s suboptimal against St. John’s. The Red Storm apply a lot of pressure and play fast. They were the hottest team in the Big East before their six-game winning streak ended last Tuesday at Butler. They’ve had a week to prepare for this one, and they’re 7-3 ATS at home. Xavier is 3-0 ATS on the road, but that perfect run ends here. The pick: St. John’s
Xavier at St. John’s (-2½), 8:30 p.m., FS1. Xavier has had three COVID-19 pauses and the hardest thing about coming back is finding your rhythm and conditioning. If the latter is an issue, that’s suboptimal against St. John’s. The Red Storm apply a lot of pressure and play fast. They were the hottest team in the Big East before their six-game winning streak ended last Tuesday at Butler. They’ve had a week to prepare for this one, and they’re 7-3 ATS at home. Xavier is 3-0 ATS on the road, but that perfect run ends here. The pick: St. John’s
not sure if others apply this method... but for those with access to a book, putting some $ on the opponent often helps me swallow an adverse result... and more recently, with us surprisingly building fairly large leads at the start, one can get good value on the opponent's ML with a Live bet.. (with us up 16 vs butler early- was able to grab a +450 Butler ML- dont mind at all paying for win, but helps handle that devestating loss)
i say this- cause even though everything should point to a SJU win tonight... Xavier has been our kryptonite, and just feel we match up poorly against them.
Having gotten that off my chest- Lets Go Johnnies!
i say this- cause even though everything should point to a SJU win tonight... Xavier has been our kryptonite, and just feel we match up poorly against them.
Having gotten that off my chest- Lets Go Johnnies!
Brian3" post=419671 said:
I’ve bought the “insurance” the last 4 big leads we had prior to butler. Went to put it in last Tuesday when we were up 16 and it didn’t go through. Lose lose
montyaloofah
Active member
No doubt a tough game. We gotta keep to basics in the blocks. Put a body on guys and rebound. No 2nd chances. They outrebounded us by 17 last game including 8 offensive boards. We were a different team back then. We can win.
Glad to hear Greg is looking good in practice as we will need him to play big minutes tonight. They start three guards (Scruggs, Kunkel & Johnson) and we will need Greg (or Dunn) to spend lots of time guarding the long, senior facilitator Scruggs if we don't want a repeat of the show Thompson put on against us last week as Scruggs is too tall for Posh. Whoever is covering Johnson can't give him any room to breathe; about 2/3 of his shots have beeen threes and shoots 53% from there.
Let's go Johnnies! Huge win if we can get it tonight.
Let's go Johnnies! Huge win if we can get it tonight.
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I really hope we can win tonight. It will be very hard to top our defensive performance against the three point shot, in our first matchup with Xavier, when they went 0 for 12 from beyond the arc. That said, I believe we will play better than we did against them last month. We continue to grow as a team and are sitting on the bubble of a tournament bid. With a good finish we can make it and that would be an amazing accomplishment in just year two of the Mike Anderson regime.
My greatest fear about tonight is around the busting of negative trends. We have lost twelve straight games to Xavier. This kind of streak is no accident and is very hard to reverse. However I have noticed that we are making inroads towards changing these type of trends under CMA. He has instilled a different culture and reversing these trends are starting to happen here.
Although we lost to Butler at Hinkle for the seventh straight time last Tuesday the game went to overtime and except for a blown inbounds play in the final seconds of regulation we would have won. That was a very different performance than the six straight drubbings we experienced at Hinkle prior to last Tuesday. Last year at MSG we lost a very close game to Xavier. In fact we held a five point lead with under two minutes to go and could have easily won that game. I felt that we let that one slip away as Zach Freemantle completed their comeback with the go ahead layup with just ten seconds left. Still that was our best opportunity to upend Xavier over the last twelve games against them.
I believe it is only a matter of time before we put these negative trends in the rearview mirror and then the Seton Halls, Villanovas, UCONNS and Xaviers of the world will hopefully see Coach Mike Anderson's St. John's teams as their worst nightmare.
My greatest fear about tonight is around the busting of negative trends. We have lost twelve straight games to Xavier. This kind of streak is no accident and is very hard to reverse. However I have noticed that we are making inroads towards changing these type of trends under CMA. He has instilled a different culture and reversing these trends are starting to happen here.
Although we lost to Butler at Hinkle for the seventh straight time last Tuesday the game went to overtime and except for a blown inbounds play in the final seconds of regulation we would have won. That was a very different performance than the six straight drubbings we experienced at Hinkle prior to last Tuesday. Last year at MSG we lost a very close game to Xavier. In fact we held a five point lead with under two minutes to go and could have easily won that game. I felt that we let that one slip away as Zach Freemantle completed their comeback with the go ahead layup with just ten seconds left. Still that was our best opportunity to upend Xavier over the last twelve games against them.
I believe it is only a matter of time before we put these negative trends in the rearview mirror and then the Seton Halls, Villanovas, UCONNS and Xaviers of the world will hopefully see Coach Mike Anderson's St. John's teams as their worst nightmare.
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Every game at this time of the season is important so it seems silly to refer to tonight's game as critical but because SJU will probably be a bubble team this opponent increases the games importance. A win would also end our losing streak vs Xavier which has become hard to take.
A win would also indicate SJU is making a move upward in the big east ladder for the rest of this season as well as for next season and hopefully years to come, This is a big game.
A win would also indicate SJU is making a move upward in the big east ladder for the rest of this season as well as for next season and hopefully years to come, This is a big game.
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