Banners On The Parkway - Xavier v. MarquetteYour only remaining free source for Xavier Musketeers newshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47177/banners-fave.png2015-01-18T16:39:47-05:00http://www.bannersontheparkway.com/rss/stream/73209262015-01-18T16:39:47-05:002015-01-18T16:39:47-05:00Myles Davis and Remy Abell Combine For 8 Threes In Xavier Win<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6IyXoacHP1E" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
<div class="source source-img"><p><p>Highlights courtesy of the Big East.</p></p></div>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2015/1/18/7761369/myles-davis-and-remy-abell-combine-for-8-threes-in-xavier-winJoel D2015-01-17T22:48:57-05:002015-01-17T22:48:57-05:00Xavier 62-58 Marquette: Recap
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fkDdhZxhIHmLRsEwIPlKMoVcsRI=/0x253:4137x3011/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45328844/usa-today-8334666.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It was again a tale of two halves for Xavier, only this time they dominated the second and got the win</p> <p>In a game that was hard not to see as a must win for Xavier, if they were to maintain even a reasonable hope of setting themselves up for an at-large bid, it seemed like they were doing anything in their power to lose the game at times. With <span>Remy Abell</span> continuing his exile on the bench, Xavier staggered out of the gate and, when <span>Matt Carlino</span> scored his first three of the game at the 15:21 mark in the first half, the Muskies found themselves already staring down a 10-2 deficit.</p>
<p>Xavier fought out of their early hole, but turnovers hamstrung the offense in the first half as Marquette's variety of zones kept the Musketeer ball handlers off balance and notably tentative for the first 20 minutes. A surge near the 9 minute mark brought it back within four points, but once again the Golden Eagles ratcheted up the pressure and Xavier rather obligingly turned it over three of the next four trips as Marquette enjoyed leads as large as 11 in the closing stages of the first half. Marquette was playing looks that Xavier had not played against a lot this year, and Xavier looked completely unprepared in the first half, turning the ball over 12 times and shooting just 37% from the field. Things looked bleak at the half, with Xavier having turned the ball over just shy of half of their possessions in the first half, and looking to be barely in the game while only trailing by 9.</p>
<p>Much has been made about the need for Xavier to adjust more quickly in games, and with Xavier enjoying a healthy +8 rebounding margin at the half, Chris Mack decided to bank on the fact that a smaller lineup could keep <span>Luke Fischer</span> and <span>Juan Anderson</span> at bay while affording Xavier more shooters with which to stretch Marquette's zone. The risk being run was that if Fischer gets going he can be a tough offensive player, having shot a perfect 6-6 at Georgetown on his way to 13 points against Josh Smith. However, with Stainbrook and Reynolds (!) not in foul trouble, Mack put his faith in the ability of his guards to handle Anderson and hoped X could bomb their way back into it. He also decided Remy Abell could start the second half.</p>
<p>The switch paid almost immediate dividends as Remy Abell splashing a fast break three sent Xavier into the under-16 media timeout having slashed the lead to 5. With Anderson already on three fouls, things continued to go Xavier's way when Fischer picked up his third foul as well, meaning 6'7" Steve Taylor would have to shoulder the load for Marquette underneath. This played further into Xavier's plan of speeding the game up and extending Marquette's zone and two scoreless minutes later, <span>Myles Davis</span> got in on the act by sinking three free throws and setting up 14 minutes of big shots and big answers.</p>
<p><span>Matt Carlino</span> came into the game with the profile of a scorer who got his points mostly by taking tons of shots. His best three point percentage for a season at BYU, where he had spent the past three seasons, was a fairly pedestrian 35. However, in a match-up against former Bloomington South teammate <span>Dee Davis</span>, Carlino was a nightmare for Xavier in the second half, and answered Xavier's run to cut it to two with a three of his own.</p>
<p>After a layup by <span>Duane Wilson</span>, first Myles then Abell salvoed back for the Muskies to cut it to one again. Once again Carlino drained a three on the ensuing possession to push the lead back to two possessions with just under 9 minutes remaining. After another pair of Wilson free throws, <span>James Farr</span> made his presence felt with a baseline cut and slam off the feed from Stainbrook. With the momentum firmly shifting Xavier's way, the final 8 minutes would be a test of if they could get over the hump and lead a game they had trailed by double digits as recently as the 17:41 mark in the second half.</p>
<p>All comebacks are built on stops, and Xavier seemed intent on locking everyone but Carlino out of the game for Marquette. If the senior could make every shot he attempted in the second half, the gameplan was in trouble, but with 7:44 left in the game, Carlino finally missed his first three of the second half. Speaking of people who were on fire for those 12 minutes, Remy Abell caught Stainbrook's kickout on the other end and drained his fourth three pointer of the second half, giving Xavier their first lead of the game with 7:20 to play. Xavier pushed it to as many as four, but were unable to get stops as Fischer was able to keep Marquette close until Carlino hauled them back off the mat again with back-to-back threes to tie the game again with only 3:32 to play.</p>
<p>From there, Xavier just needed a few more big shots to make the comeback complete and <span>Myles Davis</span>, held scoreless in the first half, stepped up to show he was the man for the job. First, he nailed a three to restore the lead, which Carlino answered by hitting three free throws. Not to be denied on what he apparently decided was going to be his moment, Myles knocked down his third three of the second half and gave Xavier a lead they would not relinquish for the last 1:46 of the contest. A pair of clutch Bluiett free throws and a heave in traffic from Carlino which Bluiett rebounded spelled victory for the Musketeers on a say when it came through much frustration for the Musketeers.</p>
<p><b><u>Three Answers:</u></b></p>
<p><b><u></u>Who will start for Xavier? </b>JP Macura got the call again today, but was largely ineffective, going 1-2 with two turnovers in nine first half minutes before not appearing in the second half. Meanwhile, <span>Jalen Reynolds</span> mad his first start of the year and was probably the lone Musketeer to acquit himself well in the first half, getting 4/6/0 and not fouling anyone in 14 minutes. However, he only saw four second half minutes, as Xavier ratcheted up the pace.</p>
<p><b>Who controls the tempo? </b>Ultimately, this one played out at a tempo much closer to what Marquette like than Xavier, but in the second half, Xavier did get eight fast break points and were able to adjust in the half-court to cut the turnovers down to just four. Overall, X got to run a bit more, but also solved Marquette's zone a bit, too.</p>
<p><b>Where is this game being played? </b>It was indeed in the Cintas Center, but for the first half Xavier played like one of their now infamous road performances. Once they got re-acclimated and began making their run, the Xavier faithful roared on their comeback, and definitely made their presence felt on the second half of the game. Would this have happened on the road? Hard to say, but Xavier is looking pretty tough to beat at home right now.</p>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2015/1/17/7652493/xavier-62-58-marquette-recapBryan D2015-01-17T16:18:47-05:002015-01-17T16:18:47-05:00Coach Mack's postgame from Marquette<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/MvrSlh4H2hw" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
<div class="source source-img"><p><p>If this is your kind of thing...</p></p></div>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2015/1/17/7631163/coach-macks-postgame-from-marquetteJoel D2015-01-17T16:15:52-05:002015-01-17T16:15:52-05:00Xavier v. Marquette: video highlights<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rsqlMedU6Lo" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
<div class="source source-img"><p><p>Exactly what it says it is.</p></p></div>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2015/1/17/7630787/xavier-v-marquette-video-highlightsJoel D2015-01-17T15:00:35-05:002015-01-17T15:00:35-05:00Xavier v. Marquette: boxscore breakdown
<figure>
<img alt="This guy might be worthy of a starting position." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Tm-KOG8Wyv4esE2bwNUW1BHFrz0=/0x0:3264x2176/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45299320/usa-today-8334645.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>This guy might be worthy of a starting position. | Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A win is a win, except in the RPI and the Pomeroy rankings and the Massey composite and all those other ranking systems.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><b>What happened: Xavier 62 - Marquette 58</b></p>
<p>Xavier dug an enormous hole with poor play in the first half, but the Muskies did what they needed to do to get back into the game and ultimately win it. After the half, Xavier shot 13-25/8-16/6-10 and only turned the ball over 4 times after a dozen in the first half. X averaged 1.25 points per possession in the second half and held Marquette to .844. Xavier scored 11 points off of the 11 turnovers they forced in the second half, and that made the difference down the stretch.</p>
<p>One of the best ways to get the most out of your team is to have your best players on the floor for as long as possible. Many teams do that by starting their best five, but the Muskies haven't done that the last couple of games. Remy Abell came off the bench again today, and he was the best player on the floor. He went for 15/1/0 on 5-10/5-9/0-0 shooting. In his 20 minutes in the second half, he hit 4 threes and almost single-handedly dragged Xavier back into a game they were apparently intent on giving away.</p>
<p>His partner in not crime was Myles Davis. Myles was 0-3/0-3/0-1 in the first half (though he did have two assists) but he shot 4-6/3-4/3-3 for all 14 of his points in the second half. He finished the game with 14/0/3; you can do the math for yourself on the shooting line. He's still not what you would confuse with a valuable player on the defensive end, but he makes up for it with his shooting when he's locked in.</p>
<p><span>Jalen Reynolds</span> and <span>James Farr</span> combined for 8/15/1 on 4-7/0-1/0-2 shooting. Coach Mack explained postgame that Xavier needed four quicker players on the court to speard Marquette's zone, so he didn't have two big men together too often. Reynolds and Farr had 36 minutes between them and helped Xavier hold their advantage on the board and keep the pressure on Marquette's shot making.</p>
<p><span>Matt Stainbrook</span> didn't get a whole lot of touches in positions to score, but he was effective in collapsing the defense from the post and kicking to open shooters and cutters. He didn't have an assist in the first half since shooters weren't making shots, but he rallied for 8/4/4 on 3-6/0-0/2-2 shooting. He didn't have any blocks, but he held Marquette's Luke Fischer to 7/5/1 and without a made basket in the last half hour of the game.</p>
<p>Marquette's leading scorer is guard <span>Matt Carlino</span>. I don't know how much of it can be directly attributed to <span>Remy Abell's</span> exile to the bench, but he went off for 27/2/0 on 8-15/6-9/5-5 shooting and almost did enough to keep the Golden Eagles on top as Xavier surged in the second half. The Musketeers did force him into 5 turnovers though, and his final shot attempt was a wild stab at tying the game with a deep three in a crowd.</p>
<p>I could use some better decisions out of Dee Davis. Coach Mack said Dee's ability to actually recognize what defense Marquette was playing and direct traffic accordingly. Dee did have 5 assists in the second half, but he still shot 2-7/1-5/0-0 and his full game line of 7/2/6 with 5 turnovers on 3-9/1-6/0-0 shooting doesn't flatter him. Sometimes you need to realize you don't have it and move the ball to some other guys. Dee did have 3 steals and draw two charges, but his play in the first half was a big reason this game was tight down the stretch.</p>
<p><b><u>Odds and ends:</u></b><br>-JP Macura started but only played 9 minutes; he had 3 points on 1-2/1-2/0-0 shooting.</p>
<p>-<span>Trevon Bluiett</span> shot 2-6/0-3/3-6 on his way to 7/6/2.</p>
<p>-<span>Brandon Randolph</span> picked up a four minute trillion.</p>
<p>-Xavier turned the ball over on 25.4% of their possessions today, which is horrible.</p>
<p><b><u>Dad's take:</u></b><br>-"They do have practice, right? Why do we look so lost on offense?"<br>-"Again Myles drops to double and his man drills a 3. Let Stain Train handle that!"<br>-"We would have to improve to be awful. 10 shots, 7 turnovers."<br>-"Remy must have just quit going to practice."<br>-"That was pathetic - the whole first half."</p>
<p><i>Second half:</i><br>-"Unreal, why do we keep launching?"<br>-"Wow, that Remy guy is pretty good. Maybe we should play him."<br>-"Your usual defense [of Dee], while loyal, has been unmerited today."<br>-"3/4 of the game and we are still lost against the zone. That is on the coach."<br>-"Why is Dee anywhere but glued to [Carlino]?"<br>-"That was embarrassing. They should not be praised for coming back - they should be practicing against a zone."</p>
<p>My dad's a real barrel of laughs, isn't he? Anywho, that's it from me. We'll have the Sunday Conversation tomorrow, then roll it right back into next week's coverage starting Monday. Enjoy your Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Xavier fans.</p>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2015/1/17/7629613/xavier-v-marquette-boxscore-breakdownJoel D2015-01-17T14:39:17-05:002015-01-17T14:39:17-05:00Trevon Bluiett gets his own rebound to seal the win for Xavier!<iframe class="vine-embed" src="https://vine.co/v/OjrbtLI1Kir/embed/simple" width="600" height="600"></iframe>
<div class="source source-img"><p><p>A microcosm of the game: bad but just effective enough.</p></p></div>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2015/1/17/7629537/trevon-bluiett-gets-his-own-rebound-to-seal-the-win-for-xavierJoel D2015-01-17T14:01:17-05:002015-01-17T14:01:17-05:00Xavier v. Marquette: Three things we learned
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yZ-80PvvBZg0wgBBc1WI4Tb5XnM=/0x149:3331x2370/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45299032/usa-today-8334544.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It wasn't pretty, but Xavier is still in the fight in the Big East.</p> <h3>There's a difference between mixing it up and being mixed up</h3>
<p>Coach Mack once again shuffled the deck today, starting Dee, JP, Bluiett, Reynolds, and Stainbrook. The team proceeded to look horrible in the first half, turning the ball over on nearly 40% of their possessions and shooting 9-24/2-12/2-4. <span>Jalen Reynolds</span> had 4/6/0 and nobody else looked good. Sometimes the obvious answer is obvious because it's right; I hope Xavier stops being so clever and just puts the five best players on the floor to start the game.</p>
<h3>I don't give a crap how hard <span>Remy Abell</span> practices</h3>
<p>I honestly don't. He's the team's best player. If he wants to sit on the scorer's table and eat boneless wings while the team runs suicides, that's fine with me. He's Xavier's best perimeter player on both ends of the court and basically the best player on the team depending on what you think of <span>Matt Stainbrook</span>. He has to be on the floor; he just makes Xavier that much better. This team is not going anywhere without him.</p>
<p><iframe width="480" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/eGDBR2L5kzI" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>
<h3>This team's strength is still in the paint</h3>
<p>Xavier outdid Marquette on the glass at both ends and outscored them in the paint to the tune of 24-16. Xavier has gotten behind deep early in both games this week and it has seemed to make Xavier press a little bit on offense. Long jump shots aren't necessarily the best offense for this team. Matt Stainbrook is a very good passer from the post, and running the offense through him will lead to plenty of more open looks from deep.</p>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2015/1/17/7629387/xavier-v-marquette-three-things-we-learnedJoel D2015-01-17T13:40:15-05:002015-01-17T13:40:15-05:00REMY ABELL<iframe class="vine-embed" src="https://vine.co/v/Ojruv65n0Fj/embed/simple" width="600" height="600"></iframe>
<div class="source source-img"><p><p>REMY ABELL</p></p></div>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2015/1/17/7629351/remy-abellJoel D