Some Final Shootout Thoughts

I've got Shootout on my mind still, so it's time for some rumination. Normally, I would leave this kind of material for a series of idle texts to Brad, but Xavier doesn't play until Saturday, so you all are the beneficiaries of that dead time. If you just came for the promised highlight video - and who can blame you? - please enjoy, courtesy of total_homer, one of my new favorite people.

That was fun, because it reminded me of all the other times we've beaten UC. For all their bluster, the last 20 years or so have really been less kind to the Bearcats than they have to the Muskies. Anyway...

• I don't know what you personally think of Coach Mack - his standing in the community seems to fluctuate on a game-by-game basis - but I think we can all agree that we're glad Mick Cronin doesn't lead the Xavier program. His post-Shootout pressers are always studies in self-serving, passive-aggressive rhetoric, and this year was no different. He pointed the finger at Kilpatrick in particular and the players in general, gave brusque answers to the media, then sat in petulant silence before leaving. Class act.
• Speaking of Cronin, he is an outspoken opponent of moving the game back to campus sites. That is as good a reason as any to want to move the game back where it belongs. Beyond that, this game belongs on campus, an idea that Coach Mack supports. It's too big a deal to mess around on the neutral site.
• UC fans like to pretend they command the arena in the neutral site, but they were conspicuous by their silence Saturday. Xavier's fans could be heard chanting "Let's go X" and even better, "Who's Kilpatrick?" Despite the fact that Cincinnati is a much larger school, it certainly looked like the Xavier were as dominant in the stands as their team was on the floor. They certainly outnumbered the remaining Bearcat fans when the final horn sounded.
• If you've liked what you have seen of Myles Davis so far - and how could you not? - keep reminding yourself that he's just a freshman. Due to the length of time he's already been out of high school, there is some doubt that he spends four years at X before moving on. In the meantime, enjoy his skills and panache while he's here.
• James Farr's EFG% (definition here) is twice that of Brandon Randolph. Imagine what a weapon a player of Randolph's speed and distribution skills who could shoot at all. I think he'll get there, and he'll be a terror when he does.
• Xavier recruits are pouring home buckets; JP Macura and Trevon Bleuitt each already have cracked the 50+ point mark in a single game this season. The future is extremely bright for Xavier.
• The Big East is fourth by a whisker in the Pomeroy rankings and third in the RPI. For comparison's sake, the American is sixth and seventh (respectively) and the A-10 is eighth and eighth. Drawn your own conclusions, but X is running with the big dogs now.