Banners On The Parkway - Xavier v. WKUYour only remaining free source for Xavier Musketeers newshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47177/banners-fave.png2015-12-06T00:02:44-05:00http://www.bannersontheparkway.com/rss/stream/96163852015-12-06T00:02:44-05:002015-12-06T00:02:44-05:00Xavier v. WKU: video highlights<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pbKq0pB9RP8" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
<div class="source source-img"><p><p>Video credit to GoXavier.com and/or Cliff Jenkins/Xavier.</p></p></div>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2015/12/6/9856094/xavier-v-wku-video-highlightsJoel D2015-12-05T23:53:57-05:002015-12-05T23:53:57-05:00Xavier 95-64 Western Kentucky: Recap
<figure>
<img alt="Despite what this picture may indicate, these guys were both stars tonight." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dnkpKuS0uIBkqEus2KMbOWATzH0=/0x1138:3270x3318/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47810195/usa-today-8977400.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Despite what this picture may indicate, these guys were both stars tonight. | Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>After almost a week off, Xavier faced another mid-major and got pretty much the same result as Sunday.</p> <p>A common fear after a big win or a series of wins in which a team plays exceptionally well is that it could lead to a let down. Coming off throttling three potential NCAA tournament programs at the Advocare Invitational, Xavier avoided doing just that by hammering a clearly over-matched Western Kentucky squad in basically every aspect of the game. On the heels of a meteoric rise up the polls, Xavier finally looked the part of a top 15 team against a pedestrian opponent tonight in a game that was only briefly a contest.</p>
<p>The opening exchanges showcased Xavier's identity thus far this season, with the Musketeers jumping out to an 8-4 lead by the first media timeout on 2-2 free throw shooting and 4 second chance points. Western had very little answer for James Farr and Jalen Reynolds down low, as the pair combined for 30 points and 6 offensive rebounds in just 34 minutes of playing time. Xavier's toughness in the post has been a trademark this season with Farr and Reynolds leading the way, and it was on display early on tonight.</p>
<p>WKU's only hope was to rely on their prolific three point shooting prowess and hope Xavier had an off night from outside, which was displayed when Nigel Snipes and Chris Harrison-Docks both hit from deep during the mid part of the first half, but Xavier's dominance down low and Trevon Bluiett's answer had the Muskies pulling away by a score of 17-12 the next time TV rules arbitrarily dictated the game stop. We probably should get some quarter breaks in there too... really anything to break up the monotony of actually watching basketball more. In a theme that would carry the night for the Musketeers, Farr and Bluiett led the way with 6 and 5 respectively.</p>
<p>When Xavier's bigs are getting the job done like they were tonight, chances are going to be good for things to open up a bit for the perimeter players to make it happen as well. With Bluiett already hitting WKU was facing an uphill battle, but when Myles Davis canned a three with 10 minutes left in the first half, it was essentially game over for the Hilltoppers. Xavier is the type of team that can pile up points in a hurry this season, and with the misses piling up on offense and Xavier bringing (some of) their big guns to bear, Western was quickly getting buried in a way Xavier hadn't been doing before the holiday tournament. Even a WKU timeout couldn't stem the flow as Xavier took control with a 15-5 run, touched off by the Davis three.</p>
<p>Even with a 15 point lead, strange things can happen, and Western was going to try and keep Xavier withing striking distance going into the locker room for halftime. 5 points from Aaron Cosby helped WKU do just that as James Farr hit 4-4 from the line in the final minute of the first half to keep Xavier's lead at 14 at the break with Farr having 8 points and Bluiett with 13. Still, even with a lot having gone right in the first half, Xavier needed to focus and finish off a weaker opponent at home, something which had eluded them thus far this season.</p>
<p>It looked like a rehash of so many of Xavier's early wins this season early in the second half, with Western Kentucky cutting the lead to 10 almost instantly, before Jalen Reynolds rallied Xavier with 4 points of his own in quick succession. While Reynolds would again struggle with foul trouble, Farr continued to have his way down low, but Xavier struggled to add to their lead, leading by 16 at the under-12 timeout in the second half. A run either way could either make the game very interesting or the blowout one might expect from this matchup.</p>
<p>With 9:36 left, it looked like Aaron Cosby may have had Western on the road to an interesting finale when he nailed a three to cut the lead back to 14, but Xavier would need just 3:29 to kill the game with a 15-2 run, once again sparked by a Myles Davis three. WKU had fought the good fight for the first 10 minutes of the half, but Jalen Reynolds dunk at the 6 minute mark removed all doubt as to the outcome in this one as Xavier once again showed their versatility in piling up points at a ridiculous rate to put a game out of reach.</p>
<h3>Three Answers:</h3>
<p><b>-Can Coach Mack motivate the team?</b> Xavier looked the best they have against a sub-100 opponent this season, indicating that the purging of the thanksgiving demons might be the turning point where this team finally got it all clicking. Farr and Bluiett in particular were getting after boards and Myles continues to be a good vocal leader on the floor.</p>
<p><b>- Will JP get involved early? </b>JP didn't shoot in the first half but showed his knack for impacting the game without scoring by picking up 5 assists and 4 boards. There are a lot of guys on this team who can and will shoot, so it is nice to see JP's skillset develop into other areas.</p>
<p><b>- What can be gained from this game? </b>Well, Xavier has shaken off the rust of a 5 day layoff between games, but beyond that they just held the 7th best three point shooting team in the nation to 22% (5-22) and assisted 21 of 32 made baskets on the offensive end tonight. It was a night to remember for James Farr and Trevon Bluiett as well as Farr's 18 was a new career high and Bluiett's 21 matched his career high and went with 10 boards for a double-double.</p>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2015/12/5/9855926/xavier-95-64-western-kentucky-recapBryan D2015-12-05T23:43:40-05:002015-12-05T23:43:40-05:00Xavier v. WKU postgame presser with James and Trevon<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mOXD-CW0LCo" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
<div class="source source-img"><p><p>-James and Trevon were both more happy this performance than the one against NKU.
<br />-The trainers were instrumental in keeping the team healthy this week.
<br />-As long as the team focuses on execution, the opponent will take care of itself.
<br />-Ed Sumner's progression isn't a surprise to these guys.
<br />-James is never frustrated with a win.
<br />-Video credit to GoXavier.com and/or Cliff Jenkins/Xavier.</p></p></div>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2015/12/5/9856046/xavier-v-wku-postgame-presser-with-james-and-trevonJoel D2015-12-05T23:38:10-05:002015-12-05T23:38:10-05:00Xavier v. WKU: Coach Mack's postgame presser<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-NhAAXGdikw" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
<div class="source source-img"><p><p>-Coach Mack is pleased with the defensive effort on the arc.
<br />-Xavier earned this win in practice this week.
<br />-Coach Mack didn't feel comfortable zoning a team that shoots like that.
<br />-Xavier handled success better tonight than against NKU.
<br />-Interior defense and giving up second-chance points are points to work on going forward.
<br />-Video credit to GoXavier.com and/or Cliff Jenkins/Xavier.</p></p></div>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2015/12/5/9856026/xavier-v-wku-coach-macks-postgame-presserJoel D2015-12-05T22:55:50-05:002015-12-05T22:55:50-05:00Xavier v. WKU: Three Takeaways
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<img alt="This game, in one picture." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SW3s2rVFZIQRemqAUqfSVo1CWPQ=/0x0:3934x2623/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47809999/usa-today-8977376.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>This game, in one picture. | Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Xavier destroyed a lesser opponent in an absolute rout tonight. This was the Musketeers team that took the court against Dayton showing out against the lower levels.</p> <p>This particular game against a directional from Kentucky went nothing like the last one did. Where Xavier made a meal out of eventually dispatching NKU, WKU barely put up a fight and went down in the way that you'd expect a team so low in Ken Pomeroy's rankings to do when coming to the Cintas. There is a big game looming down the road and the Musketeers could have looked past this one to that. They didn't though, and they'll roll into another weekend undefeated and on the rise.</p>
<h3>Xavier ended this one early</h3>
<p>The Musketeers took a few minutes to get rolling but once they did, they buried the Hilltoppers rather than let them feel like a part of the game. It was 14 at the half, but Xavier led by double digits from the seven minute mark on. None of the faffing about that plagued the game against the Norse was was evident here, just Xavier playing the flat track bully.</p>
<h3>Point guard isn't as settled as we thought</h3>
<p>Coming into today LAJ's turnover rate was 32.1%. He coughed it up three more times today and he looked tentative doing it. Edmond Sumner was excellent, racking up five assists without turning the ball over and also pouring in 12 points on only five shots, but he can't play every minute. As Xavier was throttling the game late, it was Myles Davis who was doing the ball handling. He has six assists to go with only one turnover. LAJ needs to figure it out soon, or he's not going to see much time.</p>
<h3>The shooting is back</h3>
<p>Tonight Xavier put up a cool .571/.438/.727 shooting line. No, WKU isn't a good defensive team, but Xavier hadn't been a good shooting team either. The last couple games are now starting to show some shooters getting hot for the Musketeers. Myles Davis was 3-5 from deep, Trevon Bluiett was 3-6, and JP somehow managed to get nine points without lifting from behind the arc once. Inside the arc Jalen Reynolds and James Farr shot 20 times and made 13 of them. This, finally, is progress.</p>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2015/12/5/9855896/xavier-v-wku-three-takeawaysBrad D2015-12-05T12:13:04-05:002015-12-05T12:13:04-05:00Xavier v. WKU: Preview, matchups, keys to the game
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<img alt="Justin Johnson, effort scorer." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/S2Phx0P0zZ7miFTcaCb143UbBvc=/0x0:2335x1557/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47807439/usa-today-8967491.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Justin Johnson, effort scorer. | Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It's another Kentucky directional and another team Xavier should beat. The Musketeers have struggled to bury lesser competition this year, will they turn the corner tonight?</p> <p>Xavier, if you hadn't noticed, is as hot a ticket as they've been in quite some time. It's not that the team has never been ranked higher (they have) or gone on longer winning streaks (they've done that, too), but they've come out of the gates so impressively this year that even ESPN has had to acknowledge what's going on. Sitting at 7-0 and looking for all the world like a contender for the Big East, the Muskies have outpaced all but the most optimistic projections for their season so far.</p>
<p>Western Kentucky is off to a more checkered start. They opened the season by winning point with the Banners staff with a beat down of NAIA Campbellsville University, the scourge of the Mid-South. The Hilltoppers hung with Belmont and beat Stony Brook, both top-100 opponents, but they've also lost to a bad Drake team and beaten an even worse Eastern Kentucky by two at home. It has been hit or miss with Western.</p>
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="1" width="100%">
<tbody>
<tr bgcolor="#EDF1F3">
<th align="center">The essentials</th> <th align="center"></th>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">Game time:</td>
<td align="center">8:30 PM</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">Location:</td>
<td align="center">Cintas Center</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">TV:</td>
<td align="center">FS1</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center"><i>TWC</i></td>
<td align="center"><i>317</i></td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center"><i>DirecTV</i></td>
<td align="center"><i>219</i></td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center"><i>DISH</i></td>
<td align="center"><i>150</i></td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center"><i>Cinci Bell Fioptics</i></td>
<td align="center"><i>525</i></td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">Radio:</td>
<td align="center"><a href="http://www.iheart.com/live/55krc-1709/">55KRC</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3>Team fingerprint:</h3>
<p>WKU is the 7th-best three-point shooting team in the nation. That 44.4% from deep as a team really jumps off the page at you. They don't rely on it, shooting them at just above an average rate, but maybe they should. They're a solid shooting team from inside the arc, and they avoid turning the ball over pretty well. Offensive rebounding and getting to the line are definite weaknesses.</p>
<p>There are 351 D1 teams. WKU is 351st in defensive steal% and 343rd in defensive TO%. They also defend the arc really poorly. In fact, they have the defensive numbers of a team that stands all five guys within 12 feet of the bucket, except that they're barely above average at two-point field goal percentage defense and profoundly poor at defensive rebounding. I'm starting to think these guys may not be great at defense.</p>
<h3>Starters:</h3>
<table width="100%" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody>
<tr bgcolor="#EDF1F3">
<th align="center">Chris McNeal</th> <th align="center">POINT GUARD</th> <th align="center">EDMOND SUMNER</th>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF" onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center">Freshman</td>
<td align="center">Class</td>
<td align="center">Freshman</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center">6'0", 195</td>
<td align="center">Measurements</td>
<td align="center">6'6", 185</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center">5.1/3.9/4.7</td>
<td align="center">Game Line</td>
<td align="center">11.4/2.7/2.9</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center">.306/.348/.857</td>
<td align="center">Shooting Line</td>
<td align="center">.468/.438/.659</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF" onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center"></td>
<td align="center">McNeal is the straw that stirs the drink. He can shoot it a little bit but rarely does. Mostly he's on the court to facilitate the offense and not turn the ball over, and he does both pretty well.</td>
<td align="center"></td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF" onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center">Aaron Cosby</td>
<td align="center">SHOOTING GUARD</td>
<td align="center">MYLES DAVIS</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF" onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center">Senior</td>
<td align="center">Class</td>
<td align="center">Junior</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF" onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center">6'3", 200</td>
<td align="center">Measurements</td>
<td align="center">6'2", 188</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF" onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center">12.1/3.4/1.6</td>
<td align="center">Game Line</td>
<td align="center">10.1/3.9/2.4</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF" onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center">.359/.444/.900</td>
<td align="center">Shooting Line</td>
<td align="center">.382/.333/.905</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF" onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center"></td>
<td align="center">Cosby has hit 20 threes and 8 buckets from inside the arc, just to give you some idea of what we're working with here. He pretty much plays catch-and-shoot from wherever he gets the ball. He doesn't rebound much, assists even less, and rarely turns the ball over.</td>
<td align="center"></td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF" onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center">Fredrick Edmond</td>
<td align="center">SMALL FORWARD</td>
<td align="center">REMY ABELL</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF" onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center">Junior</td>
<td align="center">Class</td>
<td align="center">Senior</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center">6'5", 205</td>
<td align="center">Measurements</td>
<td align="center">6'4", 185</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center">13.0/5.6/2.6</td>
<td align="center">Game Line</td>
<td align="center">7.6/1.6/2.0</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center">.578/.333/.625</td>
<td align="center">Shooting Line</td>
<td align="center">.364/.278/.842</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF" onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center"></td>
<td align="center">Edmond lives to attack off the dribble. He has been really efficient this year whether going all the way to the rim or working the pull-up game. Despite that, he's not much for getting to the line. Like Snipes, he's much better on the defensive glass than the offensive.</td>
<td align="center"></td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF" onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center">Nigel Snipes</td>
<td align="center">POWER FORWARD</td>
<td align="center">TREVON BLUIETT</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF" onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'">
<td align="center">Senior</td>
<td align="center">Class</td>
<td align="center">Sophomore</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">6'6", 220</td>
<td align="center">Measurements</td>
<td align="center">6'6", 215</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">13.3/4.6/1.9</td>
<td align="center">Game Line</td>
<td align="center">14.3/7.4/2.4</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">.548/.462/.700</td>
<td align="center">Shooting Line</td>
<td align="center">.429/.436/.579</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center"></td>
<td align="center">A guy named Snipes better be able to shoot, and this one can. He has hit more threes than twos this year and he shoots them both really well. He's not a great offensive rebounder and he doesn't put the ball on the deck much, but he can really lift.</td>
<td align="center"></td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">Justin Johnson</td>
<td align="center">CENTER</td>
<td align="center">JALEN REYNOLDS</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">Sophomore</td>
<td align="center">Class</td>
<td align="center">Junior</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">6'7", 235</td>
<td align="center">Measurements</td>
<td align="center">6'10", 238</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">16.9/8.6/1.6</td>
<td align="center">Game Line</td>
<td align="center">10.1/7.6/1.3</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">.671/1.000/.577</td>
<td align="center">Shooting Line</td>
<td align="center">.462/.500/.733</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center"></td>
<td align="center">Johnson is undersized for a center, but he flies to the glass, especially on the offensive end. That 3P% comes on 1-1, so he's not a concern from deep. He does draw a lot of fouls, which is concerning for obvious reasons.</td>
<td align="center"></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3>Reserves:</h3>
<p>Six-foot guard Chris Harrison-Docks is the one to look out for here. He's shooting .377/.410/.700 and scoring 9 a game. He comes off the bench looking to get shots up and has hit 16 threes this year. Beyond him, Marlon Hunter is a freshman guard not doing much in his 12 minutes per game, and Ben Lawson is a 7'1", 230-pound junior who rebounds pretty well but is not a focal point of the offense. Bench depth is not a strength for this team.</p>
<h3>Three Keys:</h3>
<p><b>- Control the game: </b>WKU doesn't turn anyone over and Xavier takes care of the ball relatively well. There's no reason for the Musketeers to get involved in a game being played differently than they'd like it to be. The Hilltoppers shouldn't be able to do anything defensively that keeps X from running the sets they'd like in the time they'd like.</p>
<p><b>- Clamp down on Justin Johnson: </b>Johnson has WKU's second highest offensive efficiency and their highest usage rate by nearly three percent. He generates a lot of that on his own with effort on the offensive glass, so he theoretically plays right in Xavier's hands. Keep Johnson from hammering the offensive glass and WKU loses a large portion of their offense.</p>
<p><b>- Don't repeat NKU: </b>Xavier's conquest of the Kentucky directionals comes to close today. (EKU was apparently busy this year). Against Northern Kentucky Xavier came out flat, was flat through the middle, and finished flat. It was a demonstration in barely effective apathy. Western isn't a great team, but they are significantly better than the Norse. Xavier can't just sleepwalk through another game.</p>
<h3>Three Questions:</h3>
<p><b>- Can Coach Mack motivate the team? </b>You may recognize this as following off the same idea as the final of the three keys. Coach Mack has no issue getting his guys ready for big games; Xavier has dominated quality opponents this year. Against Miami, Missouri, and NKU, though, the Musketeers have only won by an average of 11 points. Yes, that's still a healthy margin, but it reflects the relative lack of focus that the team has brought to those contests when compared to the 18 point average margin against top 50 teams.</p>
<p><b>- Will JP get involved early? </b>Part of the reason that Xavier didn't destroy NKU was that their spark plug/master antagonist JP Macura could hardly have looked less enthusiastic about being there. JP's teammates clear love his all-out effort style of play and it serves to occasionally snap the team out of a funk. When JP can't be bothered to do his thing, that's reflected in the team.</p>
<p><b>- What can be gained in this game? </b>Not an RPI or SOS boost, that's for sure. There's a win on the table if Xavier can take it, but the Musketeers need to get more than that from this game. Demonstrate that they can dominate inside on offense, knock down some three pointers, suffocate a mediocre offense, get Jalen really rolling, get Makinde, Kaiser, and Sean O'Mara more comfortable on the floor. All of that can happen in a game like this, but only if the Musketeers commit themselves to actually playing.</p>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2015/12/5/9853550/xavier-v-wku-preview-matchups-keys-to-the-gameJoel DBrad D2015-12-04T20:56:27-05:002015-12-04T20:56:27-05:00Xavier v. WKU players' pregame presser<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BXfXWskUxxs" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
<div class="source source-img"><p><p>-Sean's performance in Orlando was a confidence booster for him.
<br />-Sean believes all he needs is an opportunity.
<br />-Sean has always known he can score, but going against James in practice has helped him get better as a rebounder.
<br />-James wasn't surprised that Sean played well in Orlando.
<br />-Some sickness went around the team this week. Shannon Russell asks Dr. O'Mara for his diagnosis; he doesn't think it's anything to worry about going forward.
<br />-Being ranked puts a target on X.
<br />-Rebounding out of the 1-3-1 has been a strength because of team effort.</p>
<p>Video credit to GoXavier.com and/or Cliff Jenkins/Xavier.</p></p></div>
https://www.bannersontheparkway.com/2015/12/4/9852486/xavier-v-wku-players-pregame-presserJoel D