MU 11 vs. Xavier 6 - Friday

[mu_hilltopper]

*** Game times will be announced later today/tomorrow.  ***

[MisterJaylenBrownMU]

22.8% from behind the arc on the season, good for #278 in the country.  Here's to hoping they don't go Mike Marra on us.  If they don't suddenly get hot from behind the arc, it's a great matchup for us.  

[muarmy81]

What's game time?

Might have to go guy's road trip...any good strip club's in Cleveland?

Anyone thinking of making the trip?

I think I may make the trip from VA.

[mwbauer7]

OSU will  be at 7 in primetime. We will almost undoubtedly play at Noon or 2:30.

[Da 'Lanche]

At first I was somewhat insulted with an 11 seed, but, upon further review:

1.  Given the last two games of the regular season, I thought we may not even get in the tournament and we sure did not look very good in going down in both those games.

2.  An 8/9 seed would have been much worse as if we win, we draw a #1.

3.  We have shown, when at our best, we can play anybody anywhere (see at Louisville and at UCONN).   Facing Xavier in round 1 just does not scare me.   Then, if we win, round two against Syracuse is far better than against and OSU, Kansas, etc.

4.  Other teams besides MU really really got screwed...including Colorado and VT (hell, even Harvard).

5.  It is the NCAAs...anything can happen.

6.  I will be in Vegas....it gets no better than that for March Madness.
  GOOOOOOO MU!!!!

[Da 'Lanche]

I can't complain. We didn't get the 8/9 game, which to me would've been the biggest disappointment of selection Sunday for me. Second, UW got Belmont in the 1st round and potentially a real dangerous KSU team if they advance to the 2nd round. Third, Xavier isn't that good folks I'm telling you right now. Jason Love put up 20/19 on us last year and they no longer have Jordan Crawford...those two are both gone.

+1

[Pakuni]

At first I was somewhat insulted with an 11 seed, but, upon further review:

1.  Given the last two games of the regular season, I thought we may not even get in the tournament and we sure did not look very good in going down in both those games.

2.  An 8/9 seed would have been much worse as if we win, we draw a #1.

3.  We have shown, when at our best, we can play anybody anywhere (see at Louisville and at UCONN).   Facing Xavier in round 1 just does not scare me.   Then, if we win, round two against Syracuse is far better than against and OSU, Kansas, etc.

4.  Other teams besides MU really really got screwed...including Colorado and VT (hell, even Harvard).

5.  It is the NCAAs...anything can happen.

6.  I will be in Vegas....it gets no better than that for March Madness.
  GOOOOOOO MU!!!!

I tend to agree. I'm  really not upset about MU's situation. Xavier is a very winnable game. Also lose-able, of course, but it's a good matchup. And we could do worse than a potential second-round game against a team we know we can beat.

I am bummed, however, for how badly this selection committee performed and some of the really deserving teams that got left out.

[Da 'Lanche]

agreed.....if MU does not advance, nobody to blame but themselves.  Round one and round two are winnable if we play well.

Colorado must be absolutely crushed...unbelievable.

[DomJamesToTheBasket]

So who should we have guard Holloway?  It seems like a tough assignment for Junior.  Perhaps some more PT for Blue?

[IAmMarquette]

So who should we have guard Holloway?  It seems like a tough assignment for Junior.  Perhaps some more PT for Blue?

JFB?

[jaygall31]

DO WE KNOW TIME YET?

[NersEllenson]

We should be elated with our draw..and particularily drawing Xavier..we are rated higher on Pomroy!

X lost to Cincy by 20..Gonzaga by 10..though they did beat Seton Hall in Nov by 5.  X as been winning a lot lately but in their last 11 games they have not played 1 team in the Top 50..closest was Georgia at 57.

We have a very good chance to win this game.

[El Duderino]

NOT A HOME GAME FOR XAVIER.

I'd rather play in Cleveland against XU than be out on the West coast somewhere.

I really like our draw. We play a 6 seed and then a familiar 3 seed in the midwest to get to the Sweet 16.

I'm fine with the draw also

1.We avoid being an 8/9 where a second round matchup would be vs a one seed.

2. Xavier is a quality team, but after playing a very tough Big East schedule, we've face multiple teams as good or better than Xavier. That doesn't mean were are a lock to win, but we are battle tested.

3. We aren't playing ridiculously far from home so it's not as tough for our fans to travel.

4. Regardless if we would have been an 8-9-10-11 seed, we were going to face a team that could beat us. The only teams who get an easy first round game is the 1/2 seeds.

So if we can beat Xavier, at least we aren't going to have to face a great one seed like say Kansas or Ohio St. if we had been an 8-9 seed instead.

[esotericmindguy]

What are the differences between this years XU team and last years that we beat?  Key losses? Additions?

Jordan Crawford, he's with the Washington Wizards. He was lights out in the tourney last year and their go to guy at end of games. Haven't seen them this year but that is a huge loss.

[AZWarrior]

#60 defense according to Pomeroy.  We can take 'em!

Ought to be a real pitcher's dual, then.

Can't wait!

[AZWarrior]

At first I was somewhat insulted with an 11 seed, but, upon further review:

1.  Given the last two games of the regular season, I thought we may not even get in the tournament and we sure did not look very good in going down in both those games.

2.  An 8/9 seed would have been much worse as if we win, we draw a #1.

3.  We have shown, when at our best, we can play anybody anywhere (see at Louisville and at UCONN).   Facing Xavier in round 1 just does not scare me.   Then, if we win, round two against Syracuse is far better than against and OSU, Kansas, etc.

4.  Other teams besides MU really really got screwed...including Colorado and VT (hell, even Harvard).

5.  It is the NCAAs...anything can happen.

6.  I will be in Vegas....it gets no better than that for March Madness.
  GOOOOOOO MU!!!!

Ah, perspective.  Very nice post.

Why is Vegas great for MM?

[Pakuni]

So who should we have guard Holloway?  It seems like a tough assignment for Junior.  Perhaps some more PT for Blue?

Holloway may be to quick for Jimmy, but I'd at least try to let him give him the Marshon Brooks treatment.
Just as importantly, I'd try to have Junior and Dwight make him work real hard on the other end defending the penetration and hopefully that slows him down.

[El Duderino]

Ah, perspective.  Very nice post.

Why is Vegas great for MM?

It's a wet dream time for gamblers

[Silkk the Shaka]

It's a wet dream time for gamblers

Even if you're not a gambler, just sitting in the pits with all of the games on projector screen tv's surrounding you listening to all the gamblers groan or celebrate on basically every play makes it really entertaining.

[DomJamesToTheBasket]

Holloway may be to quick for Jimmy, but I'd at least try to let him give him the Marshon Brooks treatment.
Just as importantly, I'd try to have Junior and Dwight make him work real hard on the other end defending the penetration and hopefully that slows him down.

A potential problem with JFB guarding Holloway is that we definitely don't want him getting into foul trouble,  but he is pretty good at staying out of trouble.

[Knight Commission]

We should be elated with our draw..and particularily drawing Xavier..we are rated higher on Pomroy!

X lost to Cincy by 20..Gonzaga by 10..though they did beat Seton Hall in Nov by 5.  X as been winning a lot lately but in their last 11 games they have not played 1 team in the Top 50..closest was Georgia at 57.

We have a very good chance to win this game.

They beat Seton Hall without Hazell. Their wins were at home and against weak A 10 competion. They barely escaped Butler at home...a very tough place to win for a visitor.

I predict Gardner and Otule will have big games. Athletic big men will do well. Force Holloway to jack three.

[Da 'Lanche]

Ah, perspective.  Very nice post.

Why is Vegas great for MM?

Vegas is always great, but, for March Madness it goes up just a notch for the sportsfan.   First of all, a lot of campuses are on spring break so you get a huge partier crowd from schools all around the country.  Second, instead of being at one site, you are basically catching all the games in sports book palaces with free drinks and lots of, um, eye candy.   Third, the diversity of the crowd is amazing.  Only in Vegas at March Madness can you watch  thousands of people go absolutely bonkers if some scrub from Dayton hits a 3 pointer at the buzzer to get the game within 27 points.    Alumni from all over are there cheering their respective schools and enjoying all that is the sinfulness of Vegas.   It is warm, it is sports mania...it is all night and all day frolic...it is Vegas.

[MUMac]

I want whoever is being guarded by Hollaway to drive, drive, drive and then drive again.  Try to get him into foul trouble. 

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I can't complain. We didn't get the 8/9 game, which to me would've been the biggest disappointment of selection Sunday for me. Second, UW got Belmont in the 1st round and potentially a real dangerous KSU team if they advance to the 2nd round. Third, Xavier isn't that good folks I'm telling you right now. Jason Love put up 20/19 on us last year and they no longer have Jordan Crawford...those two are both gone.

+1

Would we rather have Villanova's schedule?

[El Duderino]

+1

Would we rather have Villanova's schedule?

No kidding

George Mason is a quality team and could beat us just as likely as Xavier could and if Villanova manages to win that game, they are stuck playing OSU.

I'd gladly take our situation compared to what Villanova got.