Xavier 73-63 Oakland: Three Takeaways

With a week to go until the Crosstown Shootout, Xavier could have used a tune up that involved breaking a minimal sweat while working out the kinks that remain from their early season struggles. What they got instead, was a rolling rock fight that would not have looked out of place across town where offense is considered optional. And where Xavier will be in a week.

# Three point shooting is a concern

Without the services of Easy Money Eli Harden, Xavier shot a ghastly 4-15 from deep, with Ryan Welage accounting for a 3-6 mark personally. While this is not the most three happy performance we have seen from X, Musketeers other than Welage continue to be inconsistent at best from deep.

# Jones and Hankins are another brilliant post double act

Following the steps of Reynolds and Farr, and last year's three headed monster of O'Mara, Kanter, and Jones, Tyrique has picked up with Zach Hankins to provide Xavier with another pair of post monsters capable of battering any front line in the nation. They combined for 22 and 18 on 7-9 from the floor. While Oakland had plenty of production from down low in the first half, X's bigs were able to slow them down after halftime while contnuing to be Xavier's most consistent scoring threats.

# Q still doesn't look quite right

After a top shelf performance in his season debut against Evansville (other than the part where he got thrown out), Xavier's point guards has at various points looked like his old reliable self, while at times looking like a player not quite over his shoulder injury. Today, he went 1-10 and had a 3:2 A:TO which dropped his ORTG back below 100. Perhaps no one has had a bigger change in roles than Goodin since last season, and an injury that clearly was still bugging him at times in Maui can't be helping his adjustment, but sooner or later Xavier will need the steady hand that Q provided last year back. Namely next week at Fifth Third.