Xavier Power Rankings: March 2nd

Xavier followed up their only 2-0 week of 2015 with an 0-2 week, because life is all about balance. Life certainly isn't about gaining momentum down the stretch, as Xavier lost two games they led well into the second half to avoid putting together a nice little run heading into tournament time. Now they face a must-win at Creighton before possibly needing at least one win in the conference tournament, depending on how the bubble plays out.

Exactly nobody had two good games this week.

13 and 12. Makinde London and Edmond Sumner
I'm very excited to see these guys play next year, particularly if either of them is capable of performing well in the second half of a game.

11. Brandon Randolph
I'd like to address Twitter. Not all of Twitter, really just @DMack_FixD, who tweeted at us that we "talk so bad about Brandon Randolph but he's literally the best guard there." Beginning with the preseason on through the present day, there has been a certain segment of the population accusing us of not liking Randolph. I want to once again reiterate that I like Brandon as a player and - along with @muskiefan3 - was one of the last holding out hope that he might turn into a useful part of the program. Surely we can all agree that Randolph - who has 40 minutes of playing time in 2015 - is no longer likely to be a big part of Coach Mack's plan going forward.

10. Sean O'Mara
Sean got one minute this week. Read last week's paragraph about him, but add one minute of playing time to your mental processes while doing it. I'd play him more, but I'm not the coach.

9. Larry Austin, Jr.
Every time it seems like a backup point guard is going to emerge for Xavier, he fades back into the shadows. Larry got 14 minutes against Butler, looked good in 5 minutes against St. John's, then was back to his role as human white flag against Villanova. #FreeLAJ

8. JP Macura
JP was invisible against St. John's, but he is now 5 of his last 9 and 9 of his last 18 from beyond the arc. Xavier's freshman class this season was heralded as a good group, and JP is a big reason why. If he keeps developing his game, I think the sky is the limit for him in four years at Xavier.

7. James Farr
Do you know why Jalen Reynolds doesn't foul out of every game? It's because James Farr can come on and give the refs a moment to relax. Farr is still rebounding like a monster and even sticking the occasional three for Xavier. He's back on the rise after several abysmal weeks in a row, though his minutes don't necessarily reflect that.

6. Myles Davis
Myles was not good this week, shooting 4-24 from the floor in Xavier's two losses. He has been one of the team's better players all year, but the last two games have fans (and by "fans" I mean "me") worrying about that disastrous tailspin he ended last year in. A 5-8/3-5/2-2 shooting line or something of that nature at Creighton this weekend would help "fans" breathe a lot easier heading into the tournaments.

5. Trevon Bluiett
Trevon had a heck of a second half against St. John's but moved the ball when given the opportunity to take the final shot. Then he started out hot against Nova before hitting just one of his final six shots on the day. As a very talented freshman, he continues to play like a very talented freshman.

4. Dee Davis
He was bad against St. John's and good against Villanova and continues to be the only true point guard getting consistent minutes. I'd like to see a few more minutes of LAJ, but until that point we're going to continue to ride the wave that is Dee Davis's id. For the most part, it serves us pretty well. Dee is also 8-13 from deep in the last four games.

3. Remy Abell
I'm still perplexed at Remy's usage, but his minutes have been in a steady climb all month. He did very well against Darrun Hilliard on Saturday until he had to leave him to guard Ryan Arcidiacono (who was picking X apart). His offensive numbers were solid on the week, and he's still the team's best perimeter defender. He excels in a high-pressure, man-to-man defense, but he's the only guy on the roster who does so.

2. Jalen Reynolds
Averaged 11.8/7.5/0.4 on 38-63/0-0/18-26 shooting during the month of February, quietly (and sometimes very loudly) becoming a reliable post presence for Xavier. Of course, he also picked up 31 fouls in 193 minutes, which is basically 6.5 fouls per 40 minutes of playing time. He has clearly made strides in almost every facet of his game, he just has to stop slapping the other guys so much.

1. Matt Stainbrook
Yes, Matt Stainbrook. For all the people who are saying that he has taken a step back this year, consider that he is playing more minutes than he did a season ago and has improved his 2P% from 55.8% to 61.0% and his FT% from 69.0% to 77.5%. He's drawing more fouls while committing fewer and has raised his assist rate while lowering his turnover rate. His rebounding percentages are slightly down from last year, but on the whole I'll take 2015 Stainbrook over 2014 Stainbrook. If he is less impressive this year, it could be because his usage rate is lower; maybe the team needs to feed him more, because he's still eating.