Xavier fans pretty confident

[jfmu]

I don't know if we do or dont win but after reading their boards I want to burry this team. They are giving us no chance. Most of them just talk about Cuse. The ones who do talk about us talk about how we are a terrible match up. Yet, most of us feel its a great match up.

Idk if Butler guards Holloway at all but one of their last posts was how Holloway would have Xavier in the double bonus within 5 minutes. What an ignorant idiot. Does he not see what Jimmy has done on other players? Does he not see our Ft makes compared to oppenents attempted? How many games has Jimmy fouled out?

Its ok to believe your team will win, they have a great chance. But my god are those fans ignorant blockheads.

this may help you understand why they say that. From Rosiak:

How's this for a stat: Xavier's Tu Holloway is 233 for 268 at the FT line this year (86.9%). #MUBB's Jimmy Butler has ATTEMPTED 228 FTs.

[BrewCity83]

I'm really looking forward to a good Jesuit school matchup.  It's hard to hate X when we have so much in common.  Similar student body size and tuition. 

Are you saying you've seen Xavier's coeds?  And they are large?

[MUMac]

They've had a good year.   We have been inconsistent.   They have earned the right to be confident.   My heart says we win.   My brain is conflicted.   

While I agree with that thought, I do wonder how Xavier would have fared with our schedule and vice versa.

If I were Xavier, on the surface it looks like a good match-up for them.  An 11 seed with 14 losses.  Similar to how I felt about Washington on the Monday after Selection Sunday.  Reading posts from their fanbase about their strengths and weaknesses, going into our match-up with them, I was less confident. 

I suspect the same may happen in reverse, as we are their Washington.  Now, if we can take that to it's fullest ...   

[GGGG]

I LOVE this position for Marquette.  Dissed by the committee,

Yes I can hear it now:  "An 11 seed?!?!?!?!  WE SHOULD BE A 9!!!  WE'LL SHOW THEM!!!!"

[MUMac]

Yes I can hear it now:  "An 11 seed?!?!?!?!  WE SHOULD BE A 9!!!  WE'LL SHOW THEM!!!!"

If it works ... 

Washington was upset being the 11 seed last year.  They, though, felt they deserved our seed.  I think that is the minimum spread it would take to feel dissed and have it be impactful in any way.

[NickelDimer]

Yes I can hear it now:  "An 11 seed?!?!?!?!  WE SHOULD BE A 9!!!  WE'LL SHOW THEM!!!!"

I've seen teams cling to much less when playing the disrepected card.  And who's to say they felt like a 9?  Have you looked at the 6's, 7's and 8's?  My guess is they feel disrespected by the committee as they arguably should as an 11 playing in the opponent's home state.  

[mug644]

Maybe this is why?  They expect to win vs. looking under the rock to uncover something that points to MU losing even though we are in elite company in terms of appearances?  

• Xavier and Michigan State are the only teams in all of NCAA Division I that have
made the Sweet 16 in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments.

• Xavier is making its sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and its tenth in the
last 11 years, including the NCAA Sweet 16 last three seasons and NCAA Elite
Eight appearances in 2008 and 2004.

• Xavier is one of only 12 schools that have made six straight NCAA Tournament
appearances, including this year: Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Marquette, Michigan State,
Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Villanova, Wisconsin and Xavier.

Are we back to the entitlement argument? Xavier has definitely had success in recent years, but does that justify a presumption of continued success?

Go Warriors.

[Bling]

Let's try not to generalize.  Just because some message board posters say they have it easy against MU does not mean that all Xavier fans are ignorant fools.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I have never come across a bitchier set of fans about how their school name is pronounced. 









Except for the 'Scoop when it comes to our former coach.   

Go to the UWM (or UW-M or Milwaukee or is it UW M) board and you might find some competition

[El Duderino]

While I agree with that thought, I do wonder how Xavier would have fared with our schedule and vice versa.

If I were Xavier, on the surface it looks like a good match-up for them.  An 11 seed with 14 losses.  Similar to how I felt about Washington on the Monday after Selection Sunday.  Reading posts from their fanbase about their strengths and weaknesses, going into our match-up with them, I was less confident. 

I suspect the same may happen in reverse, as we are their Washington.  Now, if we can take that to it's fullest ...   

My guess is it will be a close game as was the Washington game was last year and we'll be forced to sit through yet another hard to breathe type of finish. Hopefully though one of these times, Marquette fans actually get to be elated over a very close NCAA Tournament game instead of heartbroken again.

[buckchuckler]

I wonder if the Xavier fans know how tested Marquette has been.  We have played 13 games (!) against teams seeded 1-5; and 6 more games against teams in the field.  We have as many wins against 1,2,3 seeds as they do against the entire field.

Xavier has played 1 team seeded in the top 5 (Florida at Xavier, Florida won) and 7 games against teams seeded below 5 (winning 3, Butler, Temple and Georgia).

They haven't played a tourney team since 2/8. 

They have some really good players, as good as Holloway is, is he better than Nolan Smith?  Kemba Walker? Jordan Taylor? Villanova's Coreys? Hansborough?  Even if he is better, is he that much better?

My point is we have seen super talented players all season long.  Xavier hasn't seen a team as athletic and talented as Marquette in quite some time.

But as I said, let them be confident.  They have every right.  But so do we.

[rocky_warrior]

Just to remind everybody, before we played them last year, one of their fans posted here confident about a 15 point victory for them.

http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=16259.0

That whole thread is an amusing look into the past - glad to see I was right about PGs

I don't blame them for being a confident bunch, but I do think they overstate their offensive prowess.  Oddly, I think MU fans understate our offense.  As for our D, well, we hope the "good MU" shows up.

[garekis]

I agree with those of you (us) that think Xavier should be confident.  They have had another very solid year, a very good coach in Chris Mack, at least one legit NBA 1st or early 2nd rounder, a good balance of inside and outside offensive firepower, a history of competing well in the NCAA tournament, and the composure to weather their opponents' best shots (most of the time - A10 tourney loss to their biggest and, at the time, desperate rival, Dayton, being the most obvious recent exception).

It is imminently fair to say we have been wildly inconsistent this year, some very solid wins and some head-scratcher losses.

I'd imagine this will be an intense game.  I'm hardly an expert on Xavier (I've seen them play 2x live and about 3x on TV this year).  With that caveat:  I think the key for them is controlling the boards; and, on the flip, I think the key for us is hitting outside shots.  When they're playing volleyball on the offensive glass, Xavier wins games.  When 2 out of 3 of DJO, Crowder, and Buycks are hitting from 3, we do.

[buckchuckler]

Just to remind everybody, before we played them last year, one of their fans posted here confident about a 15 point victory for them.

http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=16259.0

That whole thread is an amusing look into the past - glad to see I was right about PGs

I don't blame them for being a confident bunch, but I do think they overstate their offensive prowess.  Oddly, I think MU fans understate our offense. 

Absolutely.  We are ranked 32nd in pts per game, 19th in assists per game and 33rd in FG%.  All better than Xavier's 74, 139 and 48, respectively. 

Like you said, it really depends on which defense shows up...