Banners On The Parkway - Xavier v. DuquesneYour only remaining free source for Xavier Musketeers newshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47177/banners-fave.png2013-02-10T09:00:04-05:00http://www.bannersontheparkway.com/rss/stream/37343252013-02-10T09:00:04-05:002013-02-10T09:00:04-05:00Xavier v. Duquesne: Recap and Highlights
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<img alt="Isaiah Philmore provided the spark for Xavier when they desperately needed it." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nvedybi66dtZKrkmFaUnuHOiHEM=/960x78:4000x2105/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/7924805/20130116_kkt_ai8_724.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Isaiah Philmore provided the spark for Xavier when they desperately needed it. | USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Xavier didn't bury Duquesne early, but a lot of Isaiah Philmore and (finally!) some made free throws late were enough to grab a conference road win.</p> <p><i><b>"- Bury it early:</b> There is really no reason for this to be a game or for Duquesne to think they can win it, but if Xavier lets them stay around who knows what can happen. Xavier has to start well and then avoid their surely patented eight minute second half scoring drought.</i><b><i>"</i> </b>That was one of our keys to this game and the Musketeers came out tonight apparently determined to do exactly that. After taking a bit to get their feet under them and trailing 14-7, Xavier tore off a 26-8 run that should have put the game to rest. Finally, after grinding battles with Charlotte, St. Joe's, Dayton, and Richmond, the Musketeers were on their way to destroying a lesser foe and enjoying a comparatively easy win. Semaj Christon (16/7/8) and Travis Taylor (13/12/2) each scored six, Justin Martin (15/8/0) scored seven, and even Isaiah Philmore was contributing a bit. Yes, this was the confidence builder Xavier needed.</p>
<p>With 12:33 to play in the game, Xavier had blown an 11 point first half lead and somehow trailed by 10. Semaj Christon was forcing shots, no one was feeding the post, and Xavier's offense had turned into watching someone dribble into a forced jumper. Compounding matters, a Duquesne team that should have been dispatched long ago now thought it had a chance. In conference, on the road, and facing a vastly inferior opponent, the Musketeers had failed to bury the game early and were on the precipice of paying a very dear price.</p>
<p>Elsewhere in the conference Charlotte had succumbed to VCU and George Washington had gone down to Butler. The five team pile for the final first round bye in the Atlantic 10 conference was thinning rapidly. A Xavier loss would have dumped them into four team tie at 5-4 with the top of league pulling ever so slightly farther away. This because a Duquesne team that rebounds as if allergic to leather and can only score by volume had grabbed 19 rebounds (six offensive) and put 26 points in a first half Xavier should have dominated. The four points the Dukes rattled off just before the half were only the beginning though.</p>
<p>After the Xavier high water mark of 33-22 with 1:22 to play in the first half, Duquesne went on a 25-4 run that the Musketeers seemed mostly apathetic about. In that stretch the Dukes grabbed 11 boards to Xavier's two, created four turnovers, forced Xavier into 2-10 from the floor, and dominated proceedings in every imaginable way. Xavier was, of course, mired in in a vintage 8:48 drought in which they managed only four points. Now, have blown their chance to bury the game early, the Musketeers were looking at getting run off the court by the worst team in the conference.</p>
<p>Thankfully, at least one Xavier player snapped out of it in time to save the game and possibly the season. After an Jeff Robinson dunk and a Semaj Christon runner pulled Xavier out of the swoon, Isaiah Philmore (16/6/0) decided to take the game over. He started things with a layup and then proceeded to score nine of Xaiver's next 14 points. More than that, Philmore ran the floor, crashed the boards, and played like a man who was not interested in losing the game. By the time he made two (!) free throws to cap his one man burst, Xavier had surge back to a 54-50 lead. The Dukes started to look for all the world like a very bad team that had run out of momentum. </p>
<p>Philmore's spree came in the midst, and was definitely the catalyst of, a 28-10 run that Xavier used to wrest back control of the game from Duquesne. As the Dukes faded down the stretch, Xaiver did something even more amazing than taking a nine minute break and still winning a game, they began to make free throws. Duquesne, evidently having watched some game tape, started send the Musketeers to the line with 1:58 to play in a 62-55 game. From that point on, Xavier went 11-14 from the stripe and salted the game away. Excepting two misses by walk on shot blocking sensation Landen Amos (0/1/0), the Musketeers were nearly perfect at the line when it mattered.</p>
<p>In all, this was not a game that Xavier fans will remember for ages. The Musketeers had an inferior team on the ropes and failed to put them away. More than that, they simply shut down for all basketball intents and purposes for nearly nine minutes. Despite that, the fire of Isaiah Philmore and the consistent excellence of Travis Taylor paid off in the end and Xavier went to 6-3 in conference play.</p>
<p><b><u>Three Answers:</u></b></p>
<p><b>- Can Xavier win on the road? </b>This will be a qualified yes. 1. This was hardly a road game. The Duquesne "faithful" failed to materialize and the game ended up being played in an atmosphere more befitting a game between two NAIA also-rans. 2. Xavier cannot play this game at any other venue in the conference and come away with a road victory. Duquesne is terrible at basketball, that's the only reason the Musketeers aren't 5-4 right now. Talk about heart and comebacks all you like, none of that matters if the other team is even halfway competent.</p>
<p><b>- Will someone make free throws? </b>Yes! Finally! Things got off to a rather ugly 11-20 start from the line but the team finished on an 11-14 tear. Most importantly, Semaj Christon was 5-6 and made all four when the Dukes hacked him late in the game.</p>
<p><b>- Will Brad Redford reappear? </b>No, not even close, so let's talk about Travis Taylor instead. Once again the big man was way too much for the opposition to handle in the paint and, once again, he didn't get nearly enough meaningful touches. Taylor went 5-7 from the floor and inexplicably didn't take a shot in the second half until only 6:13 to play. That means Xavier suffered through a nearly nine minute drought and didn't get their most consistent player even one shot. That's inexcusable. And Brad Redford was really bad.</p>
<p><b><u>Highlights:<br><br></u></b></p>
<p><iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_9upN_QnRBA" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p><b><u>Tweet of the game:</u></b></p>
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<p>@<a href="https://twitter.com/bannersparkway">bannersparkway</a> Good, making sure i wasn't hallucinating there.</p>
— golfitup (@muskiefan3) <a href="https://twitter.com/muskiefan3/status/300417870087733250">February 10, 2013</a>
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<p>In response to the Isaiah Philmore spin move.</p>
<p><b>Next Game: </b>vs. Fordham, Wednesday, Feb 13th @7pm</p>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2013/2/10/3972572/xavier-v-duquesne-recap-highlightsBrad D2013-02-09T21:53:52-05:002013-02-09T21:53:52-05:00Xavier v. Duquesne: Boxscore Breakdown
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<img alt=""THANK YOU FOR SHOWING UP TONIGHT, ISAIAH!"" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AX-l3g-VGokAS__SElkSu4qvT6s=/0x348:2795x2211/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/7921105/20121219_kkt_sv4_162.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>"THANK YOU FOR SHOWING UP TONIGHT, ISAIAH!" | USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Rejected titles: "Oh My, Isaiah Philmore" "Ugly" "FEED THE POST"</p> <p align="center"><b><br>What happened: Xavier 73 - Duquesne 65</b></p>
<p>This game almost came down to the first seven minutes of the second half. Leading by seven at the half, Xavier promptly came out and wet down their leg to start the second period. With 12:54 left in the game, Xavier had seen their lead not only disappear but turn into a ten-point deficit. In that span, Xavier's offense went 2-8/0-3/0-2 with 2 TO and looked to the post only once. Duquense went 7-9/3-5/4-5, and that one missed free throw turned into an offensive rebound and stickback. That all added up to a 21-4 run that got the literally dozens of fans at Duquense on their feet and threatened to completely end the game.</p>
<p>Fortunately, Xavier refused to fold. More fortunately, they were playing Duquense. Xavier flipped the switch back on and finished the game on a 36-18 run. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100305/isaiah-philmore">Isaiah Philmore</a> was a huge part of that for the Muskies. As Xavier clawed back into it, he went buck nasty on his way to 16/6/0 while showcasing the skills and fire that have often been missing from his career for the Muskies. Four of his boards were offensive, and his shooting line of 4-7/0-0/8-12 was efficient to say the least. More impressively, he grabbed a long defensive rebound and busted out a sprinting spin move on the dribble to make it into the lane with the man behind him forced into a flagrant foul to stop the big man's rumble to the tin.</p>
<p>Justin Martin had 11 and 5 in the first half on his way to 15/8/0 on 6-9/1-2/2-2 shooting. Martin scored Xavier's first seven points and definitely came out differently than he has in any game since his concussion. Though his second half numbers weren't impressive, he stayed present in the game, forced Duquesne to defend him, and played hard on the defensive end. This one was definitely a win for JMart, and he needs to keep it rolling for Xavier.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/53359/travis-taylor">Travis Taylor</a> was once again a monster on the boards, ending up with 13/12/2 on 5-7/0-0/3-8 shooting to show for his 35 minutes on the court. There are only two things that can stop Taylor from being effective right now. One his abysmal performance from the line. Today's 3-8 drops him to 58% on the year. The other is his teammates' unwillingness to continue to feed him on the post. As a senior, Taylor has demonstrated a great feel for when to kick out from the post and when to get his. Duquesne had no answer for Taylor on the post, but getting the ball to him did not seem to be a priority to the Musketeers, even during their slump at the beginning of the second half. For this team to move forward, they need to feed Trav on a consistent basis. Even when he doesn't attack, the offense is more effective working inside out.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/174689/semaj-christon">Semaj Christon</a> had 16/7/8 with a pair of steals, a block, and only one turnover. The problem with Christon's line was that it took him 5-14/1-2/5-6 shooting to get there. With Xavier's post players scoring at will, Christon would have been better served feeding the ball inside rather than trying to get it going on his own. His performance from the line is certainly encouraging; Coach Mack shared that Christon was 96-100 from the stripe during shootaround last night. All in all, this was another fairly valuable performance for Xavier's freshman PG.</p>
<p>This was, in the end, a game of runs. Duquesne came out 14-7. Xavier answered with a 26-8 run of their own. The Dukes straddled the half by going 25-4 while Xavier stood there and watched. Then Xavier woke up and ripped off a 28-10 stretch of their own. After that, the teams each scored eight points in the final 80 seconds. If Xavier had been playing a better team, that 25-4 into the beginning of the second half would have buried the game. This one will go down as a win for Xavier, which they desperately needed, but there are still some meaningful cracks showing in this team. I had hoped for more out of this game.</p>
<p>Odds and ends:<br>-Xavier's point guards combined for 11 assists and only 2 turnovers.</p>
<p>-Justin Martin picked up Xavier's 10th turnover with 15:58 left in the second half. That was Xavier's final turnover of the game.</p>
<p>-X had 9 assists on their first 11 buckets and 4 assists on their next 13.</p>
<p>-The Musketeers held Duquesne to just 8 fastbreak points; Xavier had 14 fastbreak points.</p>
<p>-The team was 22-34 from the line. Better, but not good.</p>
<p>Dad was on the road so his take consists of just the following:<br>-"Not pretty but still a win. It was nice to listen to Joe and Byron."<br>-"Crummy game against a crappy team."<br>-"We don't have enough scholarships to cover all of our needs."</p>
<p>That's it from me. Xavier is back in action against Fordham on Wednesday at Cintas. Stay tuned for Brad's narrative recap and the Sunday Conversation tomorrow.</p>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2013/2/9/3972366/xavier-v-duquesne-boxscore-breakdown-win-recap-73-65Joel D2013-02-09T18:30:03-05:002013-02-09T18:30:03-05:00Xavier v. Duquesne Live Chat
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<img alt="Kadeem Pantophlet is clearly terrified of the basketball." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/anLjhlvtvhtus2_QWQX3mSI15Ck=/0x10:2518x1689/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/7914039/20121211_ajl_al8_091.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kadeem Pantophlet is clearly terrified of the basketball. | Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p align="center"><b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/xavier-musketeers">Xavier Musketeers</a> (12-9, 5-3)</b></p>
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<p align="center"><b>v.</b></p>
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<p align="center"><b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/duquesne-dukes">Duquesne Dukes</a> (7-15, 0-8)</b></p>
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<p align="center"><a href="http://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2013/2/9/3967638/xavier-v-duquesne-preview">Preview</a> - TV (ROOT Sports/TWC Sports) - <a href="http://www.iheart.com/live/1709/">Radio</a> - <a href="http://www.goxavier.com/gametracker/launch/gt_mbaskbl.html?event=1194990&school=xavi&sport=mbaskbl&camefrom=&startschool=&">Gamecast</a></p>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2013/2/9/3971794/xavier-v-duquesne-live-chatJoel D2013-02-09T08:41:12-05:002013-02-09T08:41:12-05:00Xavier v. Duquesne: Preview
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<img alt="Weak hand clear, palm off the ball, eyes on the front of the rim. Free throws, kids." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/T6YyREzdtGP8xhlzbEiTqDLMBEQ=/0x0:490x327/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/7881337/gyi0062956250.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Weak hand clear, palm off the ball, eyes on the front of the rim. Free throws, kids. | Ethan Miller</figcaption>
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<p>Opportunities get no better than this one. Xavier desperately needs a win and travels to Pittsburgh to take on the worst team in the league for the chance to get it.</p> <p>One step forward, two steps back. Maybe it's a good thing that Xavier had a week off after Richmond, because the frustration levels after that game had to be reaching critical mass. Xavier has fallen from a possible at large berth early in the season to being absolutely desperate to secure a first round bye in the Atlantic 10 tournament. As things stand now, the Musketeers sit in seventh place, three out of one of those coveted sports for the bye.</p>
<p>Thankfully, at least on the surface, Xavier is travelling to Duquesne today. The Dukes beat West Virginia on December 11th then beat a decent Western Michigan team on Dec 19th. Since then, Duquesne has not won a single game. Losses to Louisiana-Lafyette, Penn St, and Fordham appear the worst based on computer metrics, but a 90-63 loss to VCU probably stings a bit as well. That leaves the Dukes riding a 10 game loser and 0-8 in the conference.</p>
<p><b><u>Team Fingerprint:</u></b></p>
<p>Teams that are 7-15 don't do a lot of things well, and Duquesne fits that billing. Offensively, the Dukes are bad from the floor (197th in effective field goal%), turn the ball over on 21.4% of their possessions, don't get to the line well 273rd in FT/FG ratio), get blocked on 12.2% of their shots, and are even worse than Xavier from the line. All of that ineptitude makes Duquesne 200th in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency, 102 spots behind a Xavier team that seems to really struggle at times. The highest offensive ranking the Dukes manage is 132nd in offensive rebounding percentage. In short, this team is really bad at offense.</p>
<p>Were you expecting a "but" here? There isn't one. As bad as Duquesne is on offense, they are somehow even worse on defense. Their adjusted defensive efficiency is 264th in the nation, the Robert Morris team Xavier held to 59 dropped 91 on the Dukes, they don't force turnovers (298th), block shots (201st), steal the ball (328th), defend the arc (322nd), or prevent offensive rebound (272nd). That adds up to a team that has been gashed for more than 80 six times and 79 twice.</p>
<p>Being that bad on both ends of the floor doesn't keep the Dukes from being in a hurry to get there. One of the fastest playing teams in the nation, they average 69 possessions a game, fully six and a half more than Xavier. Thanks to their remarkable inefficiency, they've turned those extra possessions into a grand total of three extra points per game.</p>
<p><b><u>Starters:</u></b></p>
<p><b>The player: </b>5-11, 175 pound freshman guard Derrick Colter.<br><b>The numbers: </b>13/2.6/.5.1 on .390/.311/.584 shooting.<br><b>More numbers: </b>36.2 assist rate (30th nationally).<br><b>The words: </b>Yikes. It's a good thing that Colter can pass so well, because he is an absolutely awful shooter. That inability to shoot doesn't keep Colter from leading the team in shots% or in usage rate. Colter does shoot 46% inside the arc but, for reasons best known to him, takes nearly half of his shots from deep, where he is hopeless.</p>
<p><b>The player: </b>6-1, 195 pound senior guard Sean Johnson.<br><b>The numbers: </b>12.7/3.4/1.9 on .373/.333/.783 shooting.<br><b>More numbers: </b>15.1 TO rate, 5.6 fouls drawn per 40 minutes.<br><b>The words: </b>Again, inability to shoot does not prevent a Duquesne guard from doing just that. Despite being terrible from the floor, Johnson is just behind Colter in shots% and usage. While Johnson doesn't rack of the assists like his younger backcourt partner, he does protect the ball extremely well.</p>
<p><b>The player: </b>6-7, 215 pound sophomore forward Kadeem Pantophlet.<br><b>The numbers: </b>4.9/5.1/1 on .364/.339/.652 shooting.<br><b>More numbers: </b>17 DR%.<br><b>The words: </b>Pantophlet actually gets on the defensive glass pretty well but, despite starting, plays only 56% of the available minutes. Kadeem is also not a good shooter, but at least has the good sense not to lift as much as his mates in the backcourt.</p>
<p><b><u>Reserves:</u></b></p>
<p>Yes, that was only three starters. Duquesne has not started the same lineup at any point in the last five games, so, after the three listed, it's a bit difficult to tell who will be on the court for the tip. One of the more unusual storylines of the Dukes season is 7-1 junior center Martins Abele. Abele jumps center frequently, but averages 9.4 minutes per game and hasn't seen double figures in minutes since the 23rd of January. 6-6 senior forward Andre Marhold has started 18 games for the Dukes and has a respectable 5.5/5.3/.6 line on .471/.000/.352 shooting in the 21 minutes he averages. Marhold also grabs 10.8% of the offensive rebounds available to him and is the only Dukes player above 7%. 6-4 swingman Jerry Jones has started eight times and averages 8.2/3.8/1.3 on .443/.350/.625 shooting.</p>
<p>Quevyn Winters is instant offense off the bench and averages 8.2 points mostly thanks to being a 35% three point shooter. Jeremiah Jones is another periodic starter and prolific misser at guard. Jones goes for 7.8/3.5/1 on .419/.339/.667 shooting and protects the ball extremely well when he is on the floor. Marvin Binney will also see minutes at the guard spots and averages 2.9/.9/.7 on .447/.346/.909 shooting. One is forced to assume that Binney would see more time if he learned to miss more shots.</p>
<p><b><u>Three questions:</u></b></p>
<p><b>- Can Xavier win on the road? </b>Duquesne is awful, but Xavier is only 2-5 in true road games. This is not the kind of game that the Musketeers can afford to lose if they want any hope of securing the A10 bye. This is a very winnable game, but so were Tennessee, Wake Forest, and Charlotte.</p>
<p><b>- Will someone make free throws? </b>Xavier as a team shoots 64.6% from the line, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Semaj Christon and Travis Taylor have taken nearly half of the team's attempts. Between the two of them they are making only 60.4%. Were the Musketeers making a barely acceptable 70% from the line, they would have scored just over 20 more points this season. With the season easing toward the knife edge, leaving points on the floor is becoming more and more costly.</p>
<p><b>- Will Brad Redford reappear? </b>As Joel has rather expansively broken down this week, there is a correlation between Xavier's three point shooting and wins. Contained in that is the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2013/2/5/3953126/brad-redford-and-xaviers-three-point-shooting">mercurial shooting</a> of Brad Redford. Redford is only 3-13 in Xavier's last four games, a stretch in which the team is 1-3 and has faded from the top of the conference. If there is a team for Brad to re-engage against, it is the Dukes, who guard worse than 321 other teams in the nation.</p>
<p><b><u>Three keys:</u></b></p>
<p><b>- Bury it early:</b> There is really no reason for this to be a game or for Duquesne to think they can win it, but if Xavier lets them stay around who knows what can happen. Xavier has to start well and then avoid their surely patented eight minute second half scoring drought. This is as good a time as any for Tim Whelan to get another chance to get out there and make it rain.</p>
<p><b>- Stop Derrick Colter: </b>It seems absurd to focus on stopping someone who shoots 39% from the floor, but there it is. If Xavier can lock Colter down, most likely with Dee Davis, Duquesne already anemic offense will wither and die. Colter leads the team in scoring, but he also facilitates very well. Making him ill at ease could keep the Dukes well under 60 points.</p>
<p><b>- Make free throws: </b>This is getting redundant simply because it has come to define Xavier's season. Last Saturday the Musketeers threw away a great chance to grab a bye spot by going 20-31 from the line. There's not a lot to say about this. Xavier will either start to make free throws or wave goodbye to any chance of the NCAAs.</p>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2013/2/9/3967638/xavier-v-duquesne-previewBrad D