Follow us on Twitter! @LetsGoMuskies

Showing Tag: "pictures" (Show all posts)

HERE COME THE MUSKIES!

Posted by Josh on Friday, March 1, 2019, In : Other News 
Never count out Xavier!  After losing 6 in a row, we've now won 5 in a row and climbed from last place to 3rd in the Big East.  Next in the cross hairs is Butler on the road.  This team has shown heart and it's been more evident than ever in their performance over the past couple weeks.  As excited as this run has been, the future is equally exciting with the great core we have coming back next year plus a great recruiting class coming in.  Let's Go Muskies!!!
Continue reading ...
 

#5 Xavier vs Butler tonight!

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, January 2, 2018, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Butler just took down #1 Villanova on Saturday and heads to Cintas Center tonight to play #5 Xavier. 

LET'S GO MUSKIES!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier heads to Northern Iowa for tough road contest

Posted by Josh on Thursday, December 21, 2017, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
With Macura, Gates, and Marshall all banged up and questionable to play, Xavier heads to a tough venue in Northern Iowa. Northern Iowa is 8-3 thus far and 6-0 at home.

Let's hope the Muskies get healthy quick and are ready for this challenging road game prior to Christmas. Tip-off is 9:30 on Friday.

Go Muskies!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier seeks revenge on Baylor!

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, November 28, 2017, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Xavier and Baylor are both in the top 25 rankings when they square off.  Last year, Xavier went to Baylor and played well in the first half but were outplayed in the 2nd half and lost to the Bears.

Let's get this win! GO X!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier headed to Las Vegas Invitational

Posted by Josh on Friday, November 24, 2017, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
GW down, Arizona State up next. Moving on to the title game! Let's go Muskies!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier Seeks Revenge at Wisconsin!

Posted by Josh on Thursday, November 16, 2017, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
We owe Wisconsin a loss after they knocked us out of the tourney 2 years ago.

Let's go get a "W"! Let's go Muskies!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier vs Rider - Monday 8:30PM

Posted by Josh on Monday, November 13, 2017, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Xavier goes for 2-0 vs the Rider Broncs at Cintas tonight!

Go Muskies!!!
Continue reading ...
 

X vs Gonzaga for a Final Four spot!

Posted by Josh on Saturday, March 25, 2017, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
HERE WE GO!!!

LET'S GO MUSKIES!!!
Continue reading ...
 

X vs Arizona Rematch for an Elite 8 spot!

Posted by Josh on Thursday, March 23, 2017, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
LET'S GO MUSKIES!!!
Continue reading ...
 

XAVIER vs FSU - Saturday 6:10 Tip-off in Round of 32

Posted by Josh on Saturday, March 18, 2017, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
A Sweet 16 spot is on the line as X takes on the 3 seed Florida State!

LET'S GO MUSKIES!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier vs Maryland - NCAA Tourney 3/16/17 - 6:50PM Tip-Off

Posted by Josh on Thursday, March 16, 2017, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Xavier's dance ticket is to Orlando.

Let's take down the Terrapins of Maryland!

LET'S GO MUSKIES!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier beats Butler, advancing to Big East Semis

Posted by Josh on Friday, March 10, 2017, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
NCAA Ticket punched! With a big load carried by Trevon Bleuitt last night, the Muskies pulled out the upset win over Butler! Butler has not won a Big East Tourney game since joining the league 4 years ago. Sorry Butler.

Next up - Creighton!  

LET'S GO MUSKIES!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier goes for 4 in a row vs DePaul!

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, February 8, 2017, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The highs and lows of college basketball, right???  No Sumner but we win at home vs Seton Hall and at ranked-Creighton!  Going for 4 in a row at Cintas Center tonight. Let's beat DePaul!

Let's Go Muskies!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier hosts Seton Hall in 1st game without Sumner

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, February 1, 2017, In : A10/Big East News 
Best of luck to Edmond Sumner as he rehabs his way back after the ACL injury this week.  Wishing him all the best in his future.

Down to one Point Guard now. Quentin Goodin has showed he can play ball even as a Freshmen this year and will be getting a BIG jump in minutes tonight. Let's see how they fare against Seton Hall! 9pm tipoff at Cintas Center and on FS1.


Go Muskies!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Crosstown Shootout tonight at UC

Posted by Josh on Thursday, January 26, 2017, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Xavier has won 3 Shootouts in a row and 7 of the last 9. Surely UC is due for a win this year....right?  UC is at home and favored by 4.5 points by Vegas.

Let's Go Muskies!!!
Continue reading ...
 

#7 Xavier (7-0) at #9 Baylor (6-0)

Posted by Josh on Saturday, December 3, 2016, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
In our first true road game of the year, it doesn't get much tougher than this! Baylor is 3-0 vs ranked teams in the early season so far. X and Baylor are 2 of the 15 undefeated teams left in the NCAA.

Let's go Muskies!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier lands highest seed ever; Let's March!

Posted by Josh on Thursday, March 17, 2016, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The Muskies did not end the Big East tournament the way they would've liked but that's behind us now as the field is set and the Big Dance is starting Thursday afternoon!

Xavier landed a #2 seed, the highest seed in school history. They're in the tough, but winnable East region. #2 Xavier plays #15 Weber State in St. Louis. Wisconsin, who played in the National Championship game last year, could be who X faces should they win Friday. UNC, UK, Indiana, and West Virginia are all potential oppone...
Continue reading ...
 

Senior Day and Revenge Day vs Creighton

Posted by Josh on Saturday, March 5, 2016, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Saturday is Senior Day. It's also time for REVENGE against the Creighton Bluejays!

Congrats to Remy Abel and James Farr on their upcoming graduation.  Remy transferred in from Indiana and has been a great defender and big part of the team the last 2 seasons. James has gone from a Freshman who sat on the bench 99% of the season to "BIG GAME JAMES" his Senior year this year. He's been ranked as the best statistical rebounder in ALL of college basketball when looking at rebounding efficiency stat...
Continue reading ...
 

#1 Nova at #5 Xavier - History will be Made!

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, February 24, 2016, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 

A lot of history will be made on Wednesday:

The 2 schools tied with each other with the best record in the country currently (24-3) will be playing each other.
- Xavier has not beaten Villanova since joining the Big East.
- Cintas Center has never hosted a game between top 5 teams and never hosted a game involving a #1 ranked team.
- In school history, Xavier has never played in a game where both teams were ranked in the top 5.
- Xavier has beaten the #1 team in the nation 3 times in program his...


Continue reading ...
 

Xavier exacts revenge on Georgetown on road

Posted by Josh on Monday, February 22, 2016, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Xavier made up for their onlyhome loss of the season with a solid win over Georgetown in Washington, D.C. on Saturday.

Next up, another Revenge game and the games don't get any bigger than this....#1 Villanova will be at Cintas Wednesday night!  Preview to come.
Continue reading ...
 

#7 Xavier hosts #20 Providence

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, February 17, 2016, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
(Couldn't stop myself from posting the pic above, an old favorite!)

Xavier looks to keep a stronghold on the 2nd spot in the Big East while Providence is trying to avoid another loss after a rough patch of late.

Can we slow down Bentil and Dunn?  Expect Xavier to run a lot of 1-3-1 zone defense as the Friars are not a great 3-point shooting team and this will eliminate having to guard Dunn 1 on 1.  I would also expect a fast pace of play by the Muskies as Xavier's bench is deeper and can handle...
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier tries to rebound on road at Butler Saturday

Posted by Josh on Friday, February 12, 2016, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
After what could have been one of the worst shooting nights in Xavier basketball history, Xavier's chance to recover is Saturday afternoon at Butler.

1 for 21 from 3-pt land at Creighton tells the story of Tuesday night's defeat at a sold-out, loud road game at Creighton. But Xavier is still firmly in the 2nd place spot of the Big East and in the hunt for a very good seed in the Big Dance.

Nothing would make me feel better than a win on the road against Butler so let's do it. Trevon Blueitt and...
Continue reading ...
 

Muskies head to tough venue to battle Creighton

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, February 9, 2016, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Xavier is rolling off the "W"'s but they haven't been pretty of late. The defense has been average, or worse, over the last few games (home games against St. John's and Marquette). Give them credit for getting the job done when it has counted and pulling off these wins but it will take a much more complete effort to win at Creighton tonight.  

You know how good Creighton is at home when Vegas sets the #4 ranked Musketeers as just a 1 point favorite against the Blue Jays. Creighton is in the to...
Continue reading ...
 

#5 Xavier (19-2) hosts last-place St. John's (7-15)

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, February 3, 2016, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
After Xavier's off-shooting night and loss to Georgetown, the Muskies have strung together a 3-game win streak and climbed back to #5 in the Coaches Poll and 2nd place in the Big East.  St. John's is still winless in the Big East but kept the game versus X very tight back in January at MSG. While they've been blown out by several Big East schools, they've kept it close in a handful of conference games. 

James Farr left the last game with a minor leg injury but did practice yesterday so expect ...
Continue reading ...
 

#6 Xavier keeps rolling, heads to Nova

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, December 29, 2015, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
In what will surely be one of the toughest games of the year, undefeated Xavier heads to Philly to play Villanova at NOON on New Year's Eve. Nova is 10-2 with their 2 losses coming at the hands of Top 10 schools, away from home.

Expect a battle!  LET'S GO MUSKIES!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Muskies Sweet 16 matchup vs Sean Miller & Arizona

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, March 25, 2015, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
In an effort to get more viewers from noctural creatures, the NCAA last game of the night Thursday will start sometime around 10:30PM, maybe later depending on how late the Wisconsin/UNC game goes.

But that's a great complaint to have as it means our Muskies are in the Sweet 16 once again! Only Michigan State (7) and Louisville (6) have made more Sweet 16's in the last 8 years than Xavier has (5).  Xavier heads to LA to play huge favorite (11 point spread) Arizona and former Xavier coach, Sean...
Continue reading ...
 

Muskies vs Ole Miss - HERE WE GO!

Posted by Josh on Thursday, March 19, 2015, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 

Continue reading ...
 

Xavier vs Butler in Big East Quarterfinals - Thurs 9:30PM

Posted by Josh on Thursday, March 12, 2015, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The stage is set and the Muskies meet Butler late Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. 

Xavier played awful at Butler in January, losing by 12. Then X blew out Butler at Cintas in February. They were up by more than 30 for a while and after clearing the bench, ending up winning by 17. That game at XU did not involve Butler's Andrew Chrabascz, who scored at will in the first matchup. He's back from injury so the Muskies will have to slow him down this time around.

It's March so anything can ...
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier heads to Creighton seeking revenge in season finale

Posted by Josh on Saturday, March 7, 2015, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Xavier is more than likely in the NCAA tourney but a loss at Creighton and a loss in game 1 of the Big East tournament next week would make Xavier Nation VERY nervous on Selection Sunday.

Let's get revenge on the Creighton Bluejays, who beat X at Cintas in February. Creighton started out 0-8 in Big East play but is a much more respectable 4-5 in the last 9 and they are playing the top teams in the league very tough. They fell by 4 to #4 Villanova and by 2 to #19 Butler in their last two home g...
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier hosts #6 Nova on Senior Day

Posted by Josh on Saturday, February 28, 2015, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Last year, Villanova was 6th in the country in the final week of the regular season and came to Cintas Center and spoiled Xavier's Senior Day.  Today, hopefully only some of history will repeat itself. Again 6th in the country, Nova comes to X to play the Muskies on Senior Day. The game is nationally televised on Fox.

Matt Stainbrook and Dee Davis will be suiting up for what will be their last game at Cintas Center (unless we really fall apart in the final week and BE Tourney and end up in the...
Continue reading ...
 

Muskies head to MSG to play St. John's

Posted by Josh on Monday, February 23, 2015, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
After two big wins last week, over UC and Butler, the Muskies have a quick turn-around and play in NYC tonight. St. John's hosts at Madison Square Garden, in a game that will help determine the final Big East tournament seeds. XU is in 5th place and St. John's is in 6th with just 3 games to go for the Muskies.

Let's go Muskies!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier hosts #19 Butler in snowy Cincinnati

Posted by Josh on Saturday, February 21, 2015, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Fresh off a win over the Bearcats in the Crosstown Shootout, the Muskies have an even bigger game Saturday! The 2nd place Butler Bulldogs will be here for a 2:00 tip-off. Let's hope we again see the same ice cold veins of our Senior point guard, Dee Davis,that he showed us in the Shootout. Dee stepped up BIG time, playing all 40 minutes, going 5 for 5 from 3-pt range, ending with 16 points, 8 assists and only 1 turnover! (That turnover was BS refs! They called a very questionable double-dribb...
Continue reading ...
 

Crosstown Shootout back to UC's Campus - Wed Night

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, February 18, 2015, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
After 2 years of idiocy, i.e. playing a game re-named the "Crosstown Classic" at an old dumpster arena downtown, the SHOOTOUT is back to where it should be...the college campuses. This year, it's at UC, and right in the middle of a war of a Big East season for the Muskies.  Gotta focus on this non-conference road game and take care of business before we get back to our brutal final stretch of Big East games.

UC is listed as a 1 point favorite at home. Both teams are coming off of disappointing...
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier vs St. John's on Valentine's Day

Posted by Josh on Saturday, February 14, 2015, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The Muskies are coming off of a 20 point win at Marquette and look to make it three in a row Saturday when St. John's comes to Cintas. Happy Valentine's Day folks! The game tips off at 12:30 and will be nationally televised on Fox.

The Muskies are sitting in 5th place in the Big East and right in the middle of the battle for a NCAA Tourney spot. Every game is HUGE now!

Let's go Muskies!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Sell Out Crowd for Saturday...Let's Beat Providence!

Posted by Josh on Saturday, February 7, 2015, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
After a horribly discouraging loss to Creighton at home (Xavier's only home loss of the season!), the Muskies have to recover Saturday against the 2nd place Providence Friars.

Gotta get this one guys! Let's GO MUSKIES!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Beat Creighton!

Posted by Josh on Thursday, February 5, 2015, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 


Continue reading ...
 

Muskies win at #21 Gtown, head to Seton Hall

Posted by Josh on Thursday, January 29, 2015, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The monkey is finally off their backs. After an 0-4 start on the road in the Big East, Xavier beat up #21 Georgetown Tuesday night. At 5-4 in the conference, the Muskies are back in the hunt of the Big East standings as the top 7 teams all have between 2 and 4 losses. No easy games, that's for sure, and the Muskies head to Jersey for a noon game against Seton Hall on Saturday. Seton Hall is a talented team that has struggled of late. After cracking the Top 25, they lost 4 of their next 6 game...
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier hosts 1st place DePaul on Saturday at Noon

Posted by Josh on Saturday, January 24, 2015, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
DePaul has been on a tear since starting Big East play. After a lackluster non-conference record of 6-7, DePaul has started 5-2 in the conference, good enough to be tied for first place. The Muskies fell apart at DePaul earlier this year after having a double-digit lead. X needs this one bad!  

Side note - is that really DePaul's mascot???? Good lord. Hopefully he's been replaced but there's pictures of that thing all over the internet and it's truly horrifying. 

Tip-off is at Noon Saturday. Fi...
Continue reading ...
 

Muskies road woes continue with OT heart breaker at Providence

Posted by Josh on Friday, January 23, 2015, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
SON OF A !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier heads to #5 Villanova for toughest game of the year as road woes continue

Posted by Josh on Thursday, January 15, 2015, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 

Continue reading ...
 

Xavier heads to The Barn to face Butler Saturday

Posted by Josh on Saturday, January 10, 2015, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The Muskies are flying high after another top-25 win. After sending #19 Seton Hall packing, Xavier goes to Indy to face Butler. Butler is 11-5 on the year and is always tough in The Barn due to malfunctioning clocks and loosely bolted water fountains. Butler is a 3 point favorite by Vegas odds so the Muskies will have to bring the same fight to the floor that they did on Wednesday night to shut down Seton Hall. Expect Remy Abell to be all over Butler's sharpshooter, Kellen Dunham. Abell has d...
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier hosts #19 Seton Hall Wednesday Night

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, January 7, 2015, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Well after an exciting win of #25 Georgetown, the Muskies had a huge lead against DePaul in Chicago over the weekend and then blew it. Very disappointing!

But the beauty of college hoops is you can make up for it quickly. The Muskies host #19 Seton Hall tonight. The Pirates beat #15 St John's and then #6 Villanova to put them at 2-0 and tied for first place in the Big East.

LET'S GO MUSKIES!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier hosts #25 Georgetown as we hit New Year

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, December 31, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Georgetown is rolling and fresh off a win over Indiana over the weekend, the 25th ranked Hoyas come to Cintas to play Xavier in the final game of the Big East kick-off day of games.

Going to be very difficult to lock these guys down but let's do it and throw away the key!

Go Muskies!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier hosts Florida Gulf Coast Sunday at 4:00

Posted by Josh on Sunday, December 28, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
After a tough, tough 2OT loss at Auburn last weekend, the Muskies look for revenge against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles tonight! FGCU is 7-3 but they've played just one game against a top-100 RPI team (a 14 point loss to Green Bay). 

Let's shoot down the Eagles and get back in the Win column!!!

Go Muskies!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier hits the road for Missouri and Auburn

Posted by Josh on Saturday, December 13, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
After a solid win over a SEC Alabama team last week, the Muskies go on the road to 2 more SEC schools, Missouri and Auburn. X doesn't mind facing the conference; they're going into Saturday with a 13-5 record vs the SEC since 2007. Let's hope for 15-5 after these next 2.

Xavier hasn't had any great resume-building wins this year and wins at Mizzou and Auburn wouldn't qualify for such either. But road wins looks good and with Missouri and Auburn looking like they'll have a tough year in the SEC...
Continue reading ...
 

Muskies host Bama Saturday night

Posted by Josh on Saturday, December 6, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The Muskies lost their last 2 in the tourney out in California, and predictably a small portion of Xavier Nation flipped out and overreacted.  We looked horrible in big stretches of those 2 games. But our team is made up of 9 freshmen+sophomores! They are young, inexperienced, and learning on the fly. They will learn from the sting of those losses and get better. The Muskies 3-pt defense has to get better, no doubt about it. And the wide open shots that weren't falling for X certainly were in...
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier hoops in Wooden Legacy for Thanksgiving weekend

Posted by Josh on Thursday, November 27, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Gobble gobble kids. Take your turkey to the couch on Thursday! The Muskies play San Diego at 4:30 on ESPN2. Round 2 is Friday and the final game is Sunday. These early season tourneys have bitten the Muskies of late. Let's hope the Muskies come home 3-0 from this one!  

Let's go X!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Muskies go for 4-0 vs Murray State tonight!

Posted by Josh on Monday, November 24, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The Murray State Racers come to town tonight and the 3-0 Muskies will be waiting. Let's go X!
Continue reading ...
 

Muskies go for 3 in a row versus Stephen F. Austin

Posted by Josh on Friday, November 21, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Xavier and their high-flying Freshmen go for 3 in a row to start the season as another axe-wielding monster comes to town. After beating the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks and the Long Beach State 49ers, X squares off against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. SFA went 32-3 last year and 18-0 in their conference; UCLA beat them in the Tourney in the Round of 32. Although they are expected to match that success this year, they are a solid team that will test the Muskies.

See you at Cintas! GO MUS...
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier tips off season tonight vs Northern Arizona

Posted by Josh on Friday, November 14, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
WOOHOO! We are here! Xavier vs Northern Arizona tonight! Time to chop down the Lumberjacks!

HERE WE GO MUSKIES!

Continue reading ...
 

Favorite Muskies of the last 10 seasons - Tu Holloway

Posted by Josh on Friday, November 14, 2014, In : Muskie Recognition 
Tu Holloway's last year at Xavier was 2012 so we all remember the greatness of #52.  When a guy is a part of 4 tournament appearances out of 4 years, that speaks for itself. Tu was A-10 Player of the Year his Junior year and got snubbed in earning the same reward his Senior year (Andrew Nicholson of St. Bonaventure won).

His stats were some of the best in school history; 6th all-time in scoring, 3rd in assists; best career FT% of all time at 85.2%, and most career FTs made.

Of course we all rem...
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier hosts Lauren Hill's first collegiate game

Posted by Josh Bobinger on Thursday, November 6, 2014, In : Other News 
Most everyone knows the story of Lauren Hill, the amazingly positive, strong teenager who has terminal brain cancer but is living every day to the fullest.  The game that Xavier hosted on Sunday was one of the coolest things I've ever been a part of. The awareness that Lauren is raising for pediatric cancer is nothing short of remarkable.

Coach Mack describes Lauren better than I can...please read his words here:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaw/2014/11/02/college-basketball-xavier-ch...
Continue reading ...
 

Favorite Muskies of the past 10 seasons - Brian Thornton

Posted by Josh on Friday, October 3, 2014, In : Muskie Recognition 
There have been a lot of smart, team-first players over the years at Xavier. One of the best examples has to be Brian Thornton. The big man transferred to Xavier after 2 years at Vanderbilt. He made a big impact as a Junior, averaging 10.7 pts and 5.8 rebs per game. He was a model of consistency his Senior year (2005-2006 season), going for 15.3 pts and 6.8 rebs per night (both led the team) before rupturing his ankle near the end of the season in an Atlantic 10 game against LaSalle. I rememb...
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier vs NC State in Dayton - NCAA Round 1

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, March 18, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
March Madness is finally upon us! Many are saying Xavier got screwed over having to play in a Round 1 play-in game but hey, you gotta play with the cards you're dealt. So, let's go up to UDump Arena and take out some frustration on NC State.

NC State is led by TJ Warren, a super scorer who was just named the ACC player of the year. Warren played AAU ball with Semaj Christon and Jalen Reynolds so they know how talented he is. NC State is a young team that is not great defensively but they've be...
Continue reading ...
 

XAVIER VS MARQUETTE - BIG EAST Quarterfinals!

Posted by Josh on Friday, March 14, 2014, In : A10/Big East News 
The Muskies face off with Marquette tonight without big man Matt Stainbrook. Vegas has set the Golden Eagles as a one point favorite.

Let's see how Xavier fares in their first Big East tournament game! Can Semaj and the boys rise to the occasion with Stainbrook off the court?

GO MUSKIES!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier faces #6 Nova without Stainbrook

Posted by Josh on Thursday, March 6, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
In what is likely the toughest test of the year, a battle with 6th ranked Villanova, the Muskies are without their best big man, Matt Stainbrook, who injured his knee early against Seton Hall on Monday.

It is Senior Night and we'll honor Isaiah Philmore, Landen Amos, Erik Stenger, and Tim Whelan tonight. Sadly it's spring break for the students but we will be close to or at a sell-out to support our Seniors.

We're against tough odds tonight but let's get loud for the Muskies!

GO X!!!
Continue reading ...
 

HUGE SHOWDOWN with Creighton this weekend!

Posted by Josh on Saturday, March 1, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Top 10 ranked Creighton takes on Xavier in Cincy on Saturday and it will be the biggest crowd in Cintas Center history! The game sold out and Xavier has sold standing room only tickets this week.

This will be a history-making day for Xavier fans as Doug McDermott comes to town. He is now in the top 10 of all time scorers in NCAA history. Within his sights are Danny Manning and Oscar Robertson.

It's going to take a near perfect gameplan and great game by our Muskies to defeat Creighton but guess...
Continue reading ...
 

Huge game at St. John's tonight!

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, February 25, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
St. John's started the Big East at 0-5 but are not at 8-7. Xavier, on the other hand, started out 5-1 in the conference but now sits at 8-6. Both teams are on the bubble for sure and could use a win tonight.

The Muskies MUST play better defense tonight. Less turnovers and a more consistent offense would be nice too. And I'll also ask for a victory while I'm making requests.

Go Muskies!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier heads to Georgetown

Posted by Josh on Saturday, February 22, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
With a few weeks left in the season, every game is big! Xavier heads to DC as a 2 point underdog today against Georgetown.

Let's beat the Hoyas and hold onto 3rd place in the Big East!

Go Muskies!!!
Continue reading ...
 

XU faces DePaul tonight

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, February 19, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 

Xavier hopes to beat DePaul again tonight. Let's slay the Blue Demons!

Go Muskies!!!


Continue reading ...
 

Xavier faces tough test at Marquette, 3rd place on line

Posted by Josh on Saturday, February 15, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Xavier's road games continue as they take on Marquette today, with 3rd place in the Big East standings at stake.

The Muskies got the best of Marquette earlier this year at home. Vegas has Buzz Lightyear's, umm I mean Buzz Williams' Golden Eagles as a 4 point favorite over XU as the host in round 2. It's on FOX today...actual Fox, which is interesting. Hopefully XU will look good on the national stage.

Let's go Muskies!!!


Continue reading ...
 

Another game at the barn...

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, February 11, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 

We're playing Butler for what seems like the millionth time in the past few years.

Road game at 9pm Tuesday, never easy. Vegas has X as a 2 point favorite.

Will there be a draft in the barn? Likely. Will there be clock malfunctions? Probably. Let's hope we can escape with a victory.

Go Muskies!!!


Continue reading ...
 

XU hosts Providence for 3rd place spot in Big East

Posted by Josh on Saturday, February 8, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Xavier is trying to snap a 3 game skid and could REALLY use a win tonight against the team who started that streak.

Let's Go Muskies!

(My apologies for the lack of posts, pics, and general fun on the site the last couple weeks. My wife and I welcomed our daughter into the world. Xavier Nation has added yet another big fan!)
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier hosts Seton Hall Saturday at Noon

Posted by Josh on Friday, January 31, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 

After a frustrating road loss to Providence, the Muskies can redeem themselves this weekend against Seton Hall. The Pirates are coming in with a losing conference record but, like any Big East foe, can't be taken lightly.

Let's get back in the win column tomorrow!

GO MUSKIES!


Continue reading ...
 

Xavier heads to Providence for Saturday noon game

Posted by Josh on Saturday, January 25, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The Muskies have another tough road test at Providence. Providence beat up the explosive Creighton Bluejays last week and look to defend their home court again tomorrow at noon.

Two of the best scorers around will square off in this one, Semaj Christon for XU (17ppg) and Bryce Cotton (20ppg) for the Providence Friars. Should be fun to watch.

Let's go Muskies!!!
Continue reading ...
 

MLK Day matchup - Xavier at DePaul

Posted by Josh on Monday, January 20, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 

The Muskies win over Georgetown puts them at 4-1 in the Big East. Creighton lost at Providence over the weekend putting them at 5-1. Villanova remains on top at 5-0.

X tips off at DePaul at 4pm on MLK Day. DePaul is 2-4 in the Big East but are a top-100 RPI team and this is a road game for the young Muskies so it is by no means a gimme victory. Vegas has X as a 5 point favorite on the road.

Let's go Muskies!


Continue reading ...
 

3-1 Xavier hosts 3-1 Georgetown

Posted by Josh Bobinger on Wednesday, January 15, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 

After a tough loss at Creighton (I'd be shocked if they lose more than 1 game all year in that arena!), the Muskies look to get back on track tonight against Georgetown.

Both teams are 3-1 in the Big East, with only Villanova and Creighton ahead of them in the standings.

Another big matchup of high-scoring Sophomores: Semaj Christon vs D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera. DSR once committed to Xavier and then decided to eventually go to Georgetown. But I think all XU fans out there would agree, we are VERY ...


Continue reading ...
 

Huge Road Test as X travels to Creighton!

Posted by Josh on Sunday, January 12, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Xavier plays in one of the toughest venues in college hoops today. Creighton packs more than 18,000 into their arena and will certainly doing that today as the 13-2 Bluejays (3-0 in Big East) host the 13-3 Musketeers (3-0 in Big East).

Two the most exciting players in basketball square off, Doug McDermott and Semaj Christon. This is XU's first look at McDermott this year. He's pouring in 24 pts/gm and shooting 48% from the field, 43% from 3, and 90% at the line!

This is what college basketball ...
Continue reading ...
 

Muskies host Marquette, going for 3-0 Big East start

Posted by Josh on Thursday, January 9, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Xavier has won 7 in a row and, while projected to finish in the bottom half of the Big East by the "experts", the Muskies are tied for first in the league with an early 2-0 record. They go for Big East win #3 tonight as Marquette comes to town; game is on Fox Sports 1 so don't miss it.

X is 11-0 at Cintas this year while Marquette is a disapointing 1-3 on the road thus far. Don't let that make you think that the Golden Eagles are a push-over. They were one of the favorites to win the Big East ...
Continue reading ...
 

XU hosts rival Butler Saturday afternoon

Posted by Josh on Saturday, January 4, 2014, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Fresh off a New Year's Eve win against St. John's, Xavier hosts Butler for it's 2nd conference game.  Butler comes in at 10-3 and with some close losses to some very good teams (Villanova & Oklahoma State). Xavier, now 11-3, carries a 6 game win streak into the game.

This rivalry game promises to be a good one, as usual. Both teams are playing stout defense, giving up just over 63 points a game. Both teams are led in scoring by Sophomores with Semaj Christon averaging 14.4 pts/gm and Kellen Du...
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier hosts first game to kick off Big East Marathon Day!

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, December 31, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
St. John's at Xavier - Noon on New Year's Eve - This is the FIRST game of the new Big East Conference. All 10 teams are playing on Fox Sports 1 tomorrow - 12 straight hours of Big East hoops on your TV.

Let's kick it off right with a Muskies victory! GO X!
Continue reading ...
 

Crosstown SHOOTOUT tonight!

Posted by Josh on Saturday, December 14, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
For the 81st time, Xavier and UC play tonight. It's the Crosstown Shootout, don't call it anything else! And hopefully for the LAST time, it's at US Bank Arena downtown. BRING IT BACK TO CAMPUS!!!

UC (7-1) lost their first game of the year last week at The Pitt in New Mexico. The Muskies, after a bad tourney in the Bahamas, have won their last 2 to get to 7-3.

The Bearcats come in as a 5 point favorite, with Sean Kilpatrick leading the team with 19.6 ppg. Semaj Christon was out of most of the g...
Continue reading ...
 

Muskies host Evansville tonight

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, December 10, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 

After a near-disaster game against Bowling Green, the 6-3 Muskies play against Evansville tonight. Evansville is also 6-3, having lost to Murray State, Indiana, and Ohio. Over the weekend the Purple Aces beat Miami OH by 13 (X beat them by 26 in Nov). XU Coach Chris Mack hooped at Evansville for 2 years before transferring to Xavier.
Let's see if the Muskies can get it together and play solid for a full 40 minutes tonight.

AND....Quick Change is performing at Halftime!

Go Muskies!


Continue reading ...
 

I never liked the Bahamas anyway...

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, December 4, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 

What a disaster of a tournament....after falling apart and coughing up what would've been a big win over #23 Iowa, X loses to Tennessee in a revenge game and then to USC on Day 3.

Free throws and turnovers continued to be a problem. Xavier came in 5-0, all wins at home, and leaves 5-3, with an 0-3 record in road/neutral games. NOT good for the resume come March! The good news is that there are a lot of young guys on the team and they will only learn from this. Hopefully it also lights a fire u...


Continue reading ...
 

3-0 Muskies host Miami tonight

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, November 20, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 

After a solid win over Morehead State Friday night, the 3-0 Muskies welcome Miami. The Redhawks are a long-time foe but this marks the last game scheduled between the two so it may be a while before we see another XU/Miami game.

While X is rolling, Miami is the polar opposite. After a 12 point loss to Notre Dame, Miami managed to lose to Arizona State by 36! Ouch.

Tip-off is 8pm on Fox Sports 1 if you can't make it to Cintas. Go Muskies!  


Continue reading ...
 

Xavier battles injures as Tennessee comes to town

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, November 12, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Dee Davis, Myles Davis, and Justin Martin are all questionable to play Tuesday night (and Landen Amos is out 4-6 weeks). Will the Muskies be able to handle a talented Tennessee team at home? 

Let's hope so! Check out the action on Fox Sports 1 if you can't make it to Cintas Center


Let's go Muskies!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier tip-off regular at home vs Gardner Webb tonight!!!

Posted by Josh on Friday, November 8, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 

A respectable Gardner Webb team comes to Cintas Center tonight to kick off the regular season for our Muskies. What's not respectable is they are one of seemingly dozens of teams with a Bulldog as a mascot. The call themselves the "Running Bulldogs" to be marginally creative so give them that, I guess.

GO MUSKIES!!!


Continue reading ...
 

Musketeer Madness is Friday!!!

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, October 22, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 

We've waited and waited and we're now almost there! Musketeer Madness is this Friday night at Cintas!

And then Saturday, Nov 2nd, Xavier plays an exhibition game against Quincy. Regular season kicks off the following weekend, on November 8th!

LET'S GO MUSKIES!!!


Continue reading ...
 

Offseasons suck! Lawsuits, Recruits, and the Latest

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, August 21, 2013, In : Other News 

If not for all the turmoil of each off-season, being a Xavier fan would be all good.

This week, news has broke that Dez Wells has filed a lawsuit against Xavier for smearing his character and wrongfully expelling him. It revolves around Xavier not giving him a fair chance during the expulsion and appealing process.

Just when we think we can put all the bad news behind us, this comes up. Who knows if Xavier will fight this or try to settle out with Wells outside of court. I hope this all ends v...


Continue reading ...
 

HELLO BULGARIA! Another new Musketeer is named

Posted by Josh on Friday, May 17, 2013, In : Recruiting/Roster Updates 

Chris Mack's quick trip to Europe between games a few months ago has paid off huge. Aleksander Vezenkov, a 6'8" forward from Bulgaria, committed to Xavier yesterday. AND he will be enrolling this fall and should be eligible immediately.

There has been some debate on his eligibility due to him playing on a pro team in Greece. He has never signed a pro contract or been paid to play for the team so he meets all NCAA guidelines regarding this issue.

Vez (much easier to write and say than his full n...


Continue reading ...
 

Xavier outplays St. Joe's but loses in final second

Posted by Josh Bobinger on Saturday, March 16, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
That game was just too painful for us Muskie faithful. I can't remember a game where that many good shots were in and out. Very hard to take that loss. As the A10 tourney continues, I can't even watch any of the games. I know that Xavier is capable of beating every team in the conference which is really frustrating.

The Muskies are not NCAA tourney bound for the first time since 2005! I forgot how crappy it feels to not be in the tourney. March Madness is not fun without our Muskies.

X will alm...
Continue reading ...
 

BEAT THE HAWKS!

Posted by Josh on Thursday, March 14, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
"I can guarantee you're going to have to cut our hearts out of our chest for us to go down." - Coach Chris Mack

GO MUSKIES! BEAT THE HAWKS!

Continue reading ...
 

Baby Bulldogs eek out a win against X

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, March 12, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
You can always count on not counting on any help from the refs at the old Hinkle barn. The Muskies played with heart and fight Saturday night but came up just short against Butler and their psuedo-child coach.

The narrow loss dropped X from a possible 4th place A10 finish down to the 7th seed and sets them up with an opening round matchup against St. Joe's on Thursday at 6:30. X lost on the road to the Hawks earlier this year. St. Joe's is a talented team that just haven't been able put it tog...
Continue reading ...
 

Last Home Game Tonight, Thanks Seniors!

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, In : Muskie Recognition 
The season is winding to an end this week. It's not been an ideal season but I still hate to see it come to an end. The last home game is tonight against St. Louis. As it turns out, it also looks like it will be our last ever Atlantic 10 game at home.

St. Louis is playing great basketball. The Billikens have won 11 in a row and are now 12-2 in conference and ranked #16 in the AP poll and #15 in the USA poll. They run deep, playing 9 guys at more than 12mins/gm and having a balanced scoring att...
Continue reading ...
 

Rams of the A10 - The Good

Posted by Josh on Friday, February 22, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
After beating the Bad and Ugly Rams of the A10, the Good remain. VCU has a solid team and has put together quite a program over the years as well. The Rams have made the NCAA tourney 5 times in the last 10 years, and 3 times in the last 4 years, including that Final Four run in 2011. 

Shaka Smart, who's been the head coach since '09, has put together another fine team this year. The Rams have been in the top 25 much of the year, and even after losing at SLU on Wednesday, boast a 9-3 conference...
Continue reading ...
 

Muskies head north on 75 for Dayton's Super Bowl

Posted by Josh on Friday, February 15, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
It has become so commonplace, it doesn't even seem odd anymore. Every year, Dayton has some talented players and high hopes to start the year. A handful of delusional fans claim that this is the year they win their first A10 regular season championship. Then the season starts. The great players only play good. The good players only play average. The team turns to garbage, save a few guys here and there. 

Then comes the home game against Xavier. Dayton's players and fans realize that they can s...
Continue reading ...
 

The Rams of the A10: 1st up - The Ugly

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, February 13, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Over the next 10 days, the Muskies play the 3 Rams of the Atlantic 10, VCU, Rhode Island, and Fordham. These 3 programs have had very different paths to where they stand today. First up are the Rams with the biggest problems, the Fordham Rams.

X fans, consider this. The Muskies lost all 5 starters from last year and we certainly didn't have extremely high hopes for this year. However, X is a game out of first place although not good enough right now to be in the tourney picture. Not a bad seas...
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier heads to Pittsburgh, needing a win vs last-place Duquesne

Posted by Josh on Saturday, February 9, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Xavier needs a road win to say the least. Losers of 3 straight A10 road games, X still sits just a game out of 1st place. I can't say I'm confident in the Muskies anywhere on the road but the most winnable place may be in Pittsburgh against Duquesne. The Dukes are currently on a brief 36 year hiatus from the NCAA tournament. This year they are 0-8 in the A10 and losers of 10 straight after starting the season at a respectable record of 7-5. They've played some tight games in conference, losin...
Continue reading ...
 

Muskies play at Richmond tonight

Posted by Josh on Saturday, February 2, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Which Muskies team will show up tonight? The one that played solid for 40 minutes against Dayton on Wednesday, or the one that struggled on the road last week at Charlotte and St. Joe's?

The bad news is, unlike their hideous mascots (new or old), their team looks good. At least at home. The Spiders are 11-1 at home, including a win over VCU last week. The Spiders are not a great defensive team though and don't really rebound well either. Even still, Vegas has Richmond as a 3 point favorite wit...
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier heads to St. Joe's Saturday

Posted by Josh on Saturday, January 26, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The Muskies couldn't have looked any worse on Wednesday at Charlotte, bringing their 4 game win streak to an end. 

Can they turn it around against St. Joe's? The Hawks are always tough at home and their mascot is always annoying. St. Joe's has a shot-blocking machine in C.J. Aiken. Aiken is blocking 3.1 shots/gm in addition to 11.9 pts/gm and 6 reb/gm. If you watched Wednesday's titanic struggle, you saw the Muskies get swatted 10 times. We better start trying some pump-fakes and stop taking i...
Continue reading ...
 

Muskies hit the road at Charlotte, go for 5th in a row

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, January 23, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The Muskies have not had a lot of success at Charlotte recently. Former XU coach and not Hair Club for Men member, Alan Major, and the 49ers have won 2 of their last 3 home games against Xavier. They are 9-0 at home this year and 15-3 overall. They come into tomorrow's game as a 3 point favorite over X.

Charlotte is heading to Conference USA next year so unless we meet them in the A10 tourney in March, this could be our last match-up for quite a while. The 49ers, like the Muskies, are a good r...
Continue reading ...
 

Muskies host LaSalle, try to keep momentum going

Posted by Josh on Saturday, January 19, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The Muskies are going for their 4th win in a row when LaSalle comes to Cintas on Saturday. LaSalle has not had a great basketball season in quite a while but this year they are legit. The Explorers are 12-4 but just 4-3 on the road. Ramon Galloway is a big-time scoring threat and a familiar faces in the A10. The Senior is averaging 17 pts/gm and shooting 43% from 3. Galloway might be the best player in the A10; he's definitely one of the most dangerous. Let's see if walk-on Landen Amos can sl...
Continue reading ...
 

XU's first A10 road game, at SBU tonight

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, January 16, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The Bonnies attempt twenty 3s a game and play a quick, guard-heavy offense. And while their road record is as hideous as their former mascot, Bona Fanatic, they are actually a good team at home. Their only 2 losses at home are to quality teams, Iona and VCU. Their weakness is their inside game and their lack of consistent defense. They have been out-rebounded by their opponents in 4 straight and while they are averaging 72 pts/game, they are also giving up a hefty 71 pts/game.

Dee Davis is exp...
Continue reading ...
 

Michigan town and Xavier honor Sandy Hook

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, January 9, 2013, In : Other News 
Instead of the usual basketball talk this time, I'd like to point you to a great story about the people of Frankenmuth, Michigan. They put their money together to purchase the Sandy Hook jersey that Frankenmuth native Brad Redford wore during a Xavier game last month. Xavier auctioned off all the jerseys to benefit the people of Newtown, Connecticut in the wake of the Dec 14th shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary.

Please check out the full story here:
http://www.tuscolatoday.com/index.php/2013/01/...
Continue reading ...
 

A Tale of Two Losers?

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, January 2, 2013, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Okay, I know that's too strong. But the Muskies are trying to avoid their 4th loss in a row tonight while Wake Forest is trying to avoid falling to a .500 record. Wake Forest is 4-2 at home but they have 0 decent wins. Here's how they've fared against "decent" teams...
 
@UConn - lost by 6
Iona (neutral) - lost by 26
Neb - lost by 16
@Richmond - lost by 2
Seton Hall - lost by 4

That's their 5 losses; their 6 wins were against some not-so-great teams to say the least....UNCG, Furman, High Pt, W&M, Me...
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier plays at Tennessee, hoping to end losing skid

Posted by Josh on Saturday, December 29, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The Muskies have depressed us to new levels in the last couple games. I forgot what it's like to lose. I don't like it!

XU plays at Tennessee at 6:00 today on ESPNU. Tenn is a 6 point favorite as they probably should be. They are 6-0 at home this year. One of the largest concerns in this one has to be rebounding yet again. While the Muskies have struggled on the boards, Tenn is out-rebounding their opponents by 7.4 rebs/gm. Neither team is an offensive powerhouse and both are good defensively....
Continue reading ...
 

Shootout Day!

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, December 19, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
We are just hours away from the Shootout. Here's some keys to the game:
Turnovers - UC thrives on playing tough defense and forcing turnovers. The Muskies have to take care of the ball and not give away free points.
Rebounding - UC is great on the glass. The Muskies, not so much. Gotta hold our own on the boards tonight.
Free Throws - The Muskies are making more FTs than their opponents are attempting. Tonight would be a great time to continue that trend.
Helping Semaj - We know that UC is going ...
Continue reading ...
 

Crosstown SHOOTOUT is almost here!

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, December 18, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The apocalypse is now just 2 days from now. No, not the day when Mayans predicted the end of the world. I'm talking about the Crosstown Shootout. As we learned from the media after last year's UC/XU game and endless times since, "the fight" (where 1 total punch was landed) was the most important, horrible, un-called-for, amazing, horrible-again thing to ever happen to college basketball, Cincinnati, and the human race.

Given all that, I don't need to remind you that the game is Wednesday at 7:...
Continue reading ...
 

Muskies take on Vandy at home tonight

Posted by Josh on Thursday, December 6, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
It's "White Out" night. Everyone gets a white Xavier shirt at the game tonight. If you can't make it, tune in to ESPNU for the 7:30 tip.

Vanderbilt, like Xavier, lost most of their top players after last season. The Commodores aren't handling their recovery quite as well as the Muskies have thus far. Their record is 2-4 without having played any great teams. Their bright spots are at guard, as Kedren Johnson (16.7 ppg) and Kyle Fuller (11.3 ppg) lead the team in scoring, although they also ave...
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier takes on Purdue in first true road test Saturday

Posted by Josh on Thursday, November 29, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
How will this young Muskies team handle their first road game? 

We will find out Saturday at 2:15 on Big Ten Network.

I think there are 3 big factors that will determine what we see on Saturday:
1 - Hostile Environment - How does the team handle their first true road game of the season? They have yet to play in a hostile environment and Purdue and their fans will be out for revenge after their loss at Xavier last year. (If you don't recall, they were stomping X before a crazy comeback led by Tu ...
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier takes on Pacific as 1st game in Anaheim Classic

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, November 20, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Forget football, the Muskies play at 2:00 on Thanksgiving Day! Pop on ESPNU and work up an appetite cheering for Xavier.

The Muskies take on the hapless Pacific Tigers, who are 1-2 this year and have yet to defeat a Division 1 team. Their win was against Holy Names. That's the actual name of team they played, according to ESPN.com (don't believe me? look http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/schedule/_/id/279/pacific-tigers)! 

Pacific has 3 guys with good size in the paint, one 6'10" ...
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier goes for 3-0 homestand vs Robert Morris on Saturday

Posted by Josh on Saturday, November 17, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The Muskies face Robert Morris tomorrow, a team who was blown out by Rider and Lehigh before beating Fordham by 16 to start the season 1-2. RoMo is a team that last year more or less lived and died with their top scorer, senior guard Velton Jones. That's good news for Xavier, at least it would seem, as Dee Davis shut down Butler's big-time scorer on Tuesday. Expect the Muskies to be playing tight man-to-man defense again to go for 3-0 in the season-opening homestand. It will also be exciting ...
Continue reading ...
 

Muskies defense crushes Butler!

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, November 14, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The Muskies shocked the Bulldogs today. Xavier, a 5 point underdog a home, looked like the experienced team and shut down Butler defensively.

It was a great effort all around by the whole team. Dee Davis did an amazing job slowing down Butler's star shooter, Rotnei Clark, and added 9 points. Semaj Christon hadn't been at practice for several days before yesterday and looked a little in his debut but still had an impressive 8 assists off the bench. Jeff Robinson 17 pts/8 reb and Travis Taylor h...
Continue reading ...
 

Butler at Xavier breakdown

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, November 13, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The word is that Semaj Christon will play against Butler tomorrow at 4:00. Expect Dee Davis to mostly be running the point with Christon playing at SG and occasionally spelling Davis at PG. We can expect solid minutes out of Redford after his hot shooting night Friday IF he can stay with one of the Butler guards on the defensive side. As for the forwards, no doubt all five guys (Stenger, Martin, Taylor, Robinson, Farr) will earn time and be asked to hit the boards hard again.
 
Butler has a sol...

Continue reading ...
 

Basketball is back this week!

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, October 30, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
WOOHOO! Saturday at 7pm, the Muskies play an exhibition game with Kentucky State.

Last week, in a closed-doors scrimmage with West Virginia, the word is that Semaj Christon and Dee Davis played well and that the Muskies led most of the game but lost by a few points in the end.

Expect a starting lineup looking something like this:
Guard - Davis
Guard - Christon

Forward - Martin
Forward - Robinson
Forward - Taylor

At guard, Brad Redford will play plenty as he, Davis, and Christon are the only scholarsh...
Continue reading ...
 

Crosstown Shootout will be at USBank with a new name

Posted by Josh on Thursday, June 14, 2012, In : Other News 
A press conference at the National Underground Freedom Center downtown just occurred and it's been announced that the Crosstown Shootout will be played at the US Bank Arena the next 2 years.  It's not the Crosstown Shootout anymore though.  It's now called the "Skyline Chili Crosstown Classic".  Yes, really.  A portion of the ticket sales will be shared with the Freedom Center.

The change of name certainly wipes away the past, doesn't it?  What a joke.  Now people will always see this new name...
Continue reading ...
 

Crosstown Shootout moves to USBank Arena for next 2 years

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, May 22, 2012, In : Other News 
We may never know exactly why this move has happened.  Was it entirely because the schools wanted to show the fans that they are trying to improve the atmosphere of this event?  Was it for safety reasons?  Was it for money?  It's probably some combination of those but it's a bad move regardless of the reasons.

This is a college rivalry.  It should be played on the college campuses!  Every year for 25 years in a row it has been done this way.  We know that the coaches, referees, and players wil...
Continue reading ...
 

2011-2012 Xavier Season Wrap-up

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, April 10, 2012, In : Muskie Recognition 
Well, I kept putting this off...I was trying to forget about the loss to Baylor and probably trying to avoid coming to the realization that the season is over. 

The season certainly was a rollercoaster. Seven games into the season, I didn't think the optimism could be any higher for Muskies fans....then as we watched Xavier build a huge lead against UC at Cintas, an 8-0 record and a 20 point win over our rival was undoubtedly going to be boost our confidence even moreā€¦

Then of course, the fig...

Continue reading ...
 

#3 Baylor vs #10 Xavier - Preview Part 2

Posted by Josh on Friday, March 23, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Well, the day is finally here.  As has been the case in many previous tournament games, the Muskies are the underdogs.  I didn't really think this could be possible, but apparently UC's win over Florida State to make the Sweet 16 was the first time in school history that they beat a higher seeded team.  That's pretty wild.  I'm curious how many times Xavier has done that.  I may have to check some numbers and post that next week.
On to the matchup... Baylor is unbelievably talented. They've lo...

Continue reading ...
 

A-10 Championship: Xavier v St. Bonaventure

Posted by Ron on Sunday, March 11, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 

Several weeks ago I would have called you crazy if you said Xavier would be in the A-10 Championship game. Josh would have called you a vondrook. Last night's epic win against a good St. Louis team should punch the Musketeers ticket to the big dance. Tonight, we should solidify a decent seed and continue the run. First about last night. In nerve racking fashion the Musketeers were led by Tu and Dez who put up 21 and 18 points respectively on a night where Xavier shot 53% from the field and a ...


Continue reading ...
 

Billikins v Musketeers Part Trios

Posted by Boardwalk Empire on Saturday, March 10, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Revenge is sweet, but pan seared Billikin is delicious. Xavier has not had much luck against SLU this year losing 2 of 2. Today Mack's Mighty Muskies get another chance for redemption. SLU is seen as a tournament lock having big wins in the early part of the season and closing out the conference 12-4. Obviously if XU wants to dance they have to knock out St Louis much like George McFly knocked out Biff Tannen in Back to the Future to get into the dance. Conklin and Mitchell are the two leadin...
Continue reading ...
 

Kenny and Tu lead the Muskies win and grab the #3 seed

Posted by Josh on Saturday, March 3, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Senior Day was appropriately led by Kenny Frease and Tu Holloway.  Frease had 18 points and 12 rebounds and Tu had 24 points.  The team had 8 blocks and 3 were by Mark Lyons.

It wasn't all that pretty.  XU was down by as much as 14 in the 1st half before cutting it to 7 for halftime.  Tu and Kenny's play in the 2nd half got us the lead and helped us pull away.

The win, combined with LaSalle's win over the Bonnies means that the Muskies have the 3rd seed in the A10 tourney and a bye.  They will ...
Continue reading ...
 

A10 Tourney seeds at stake tonight, XU at StL 9PM EST

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, February 28, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Eight teams are fighting for the top 4 seeds in the A10 tournament with just 2 games to go.  With a top 4 seed comes a bye from the first round and an automatic trip to the quarterfinal round in Atlantic City.

The winner of the Xavier/St. Louis game tonight is in great shape.  It would clinch a bye for St. Louis.  A Xavier win would not quite be a guarantee, but would put us in great shape with one home game to go.  Everyone else in the A10 plays Wednesday night and the A10 regular season wrap...
Continue reading ...
 

Frease leads Muskies to 8 point win over Richmond

Posted by Josh on Sunday, February 26, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
KENNY!  I said the seniors need to step up and Kenny Frease did just that.  Frease had 19 points, 14 reboards (7 were offensive) and he had some huge rebounds down the stretch to seal the game.

11 minutes into the game, it was 14-0 Xavier!  Well, that was a lot of fun to see, but then Richmond started getting serious.  They climbed back into the game and eventually took the lead in the 2nd half after the Muskies offense dissapeared.

Thankfully some big baskets by Holloway and Frease earned us ...
Continue reading ...
 

Another must-win home game, XU vs. Richmond

Posted by Josh on Friday, February 24, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
The Muskies loss to UMass Tuesday night gives them no breathing room in the fight for a spot in the tourney.  Thankfully, the teams on the bubble this year are much weaker than most years so the Muskies are still in the hunt.

Richmond comes to Cintas Center for an 8pm game Saturday.  They are 4-9 on the road and only 6-8 in the A10, but they've had some solid wins this year.  They beat Temple by 11 (albeit without Temple's big man), they beat LaSalle a few weeks ago, and they won at St. Joe's ...
Continue reading ...
 

XU goes to UMass as an underdog tonight

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, February 21, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
After that big win against Dayton, the tough games continue.  The Muskies play at UMass at 7pm tonight.  UMass was undefeated at home this season until last week.  They lost to LaSalle by 1 point after the referees changed their decision on what was a game-tying UMass buzzer-beater from a 3 point shot to a 2.

The Minutemen's great home record and Muskies recent road struggles equate to the Muskies being a 1 point underdog tonight.  UMass has a scary team.  They lead the A10 in scoring (76.3 pt...
Continue reading ...
 

For the love of Jimmy Carter, we have to win this game!

Posted by Josh on Thursday, February 16, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
It's been over 30 years since Dayton has beaten Xavier in Cincinnati.  I'll be honest, I'm nervous this year.  We've had some glimpses of greatness, but we've had many stretches where we have not looked close to good.  Who's going to step up and score some points to take the pressure off of Tu and Lyons?  How will we defend the screens and ball movement that allowed UD many 3-pointers last time?  We'll find out soon.

Dayton fell apart after beating us a month ago.  After losing 4 straight thou...
Continue reading ...
 

Muskies host Rhode Island tonight

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, February 8, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 

Rhode Island looks like a gimme game at first glance. The Rams are 5-19 overall. They started out 0-6 in the A10, but have won 2 out of their last 3 (the loss being to red hot Temple) and they have a couple nice wins. Their recent improvements were no doubt correlated with 2 mid-season transfers added to the team.

Andre Malone, who transferred in from Auburn, has scored in double-digits in 5 of the last 6 games. Jimmy Baron (yes, another son of RI coach Jim Baron) transferred in from Virginia,...


Continue reading ...
 

Muskies play at GW tonight

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, February 1, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Another road game for our Muskies tonight.  GW is 3-4 in A-10 play, all 3 wins coming at home.  But they have 0 quality wins this year. 

Here's the reason XU has to win this one: GW is 0-9 against teams in the RPI top 100 and all 9 of those losses are by double-digits.  We are more talented and average 10 more points per game than they do.  Let's go get the win!

How about GW's mascot, Little George?  He looks like George Washington got injected with steroids and hatred.

Go Muskies!...
Continue reading ...
 

Muskies pull out the win at Charlotte

Posted by Josh on Monday, January 30, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Well it wasn't pretty, but XU escaped Charlotte with a 4 point win.  They led by 4 to 8 points for most of the game but could never pull away.

Thankfully though, the 49ers defense receded more than Coach Alan Major's hairline.  The Muskies shot 49.2% in the win.  Holloway, Wells, and Frease scored in double-digits and Redford hit three 3s for XU.

Next up - road game at GW on Wednesday night.

Go Muskies!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier travels to Charlotte in need of win

Posted by Josh on Saturday, January 28, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
This is as close to a must-win game as possible if Xavier wants to stay in the A10 title race.

Overall, XU has an edge over Charlotte in just about all statistical categories, but the numbers go out the window in road games.  The Muskies have to right the ship tonight.

By the way, is Norm the Niner look like a creepy old man eyeing his next victim or what?

Let's go Muskies!!!
Continue reading ...
 

Xavier vs. St. Louis, What's a Billiken?

Posted by Josh on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 

XU takes on a very solid St. Louis team at Cintas Wednesday night.  They are 15-4 overall and 3-2 in the A10.  They are a not-so-good 2-3 on the road this year.  SLU is a very good shooting team (47.3% FG - 46th in nation, 39.1% 3pt FG - 29th in nation) so it will take a solid defensive effort.  On top of that, they only allow 55 pts a game!  That's 7th best in the country.  Expect a battle.

So, what the heck is a Billiken?  Some teacher in St. Louis invented the Billiken as a charm doll in 19...


Continue reading ...
 

Nothing good ever happens in Dayton...

Posted by Josh on Saturday, January 21, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 
Welp, 3 things went horribly wrong today....
1 - Hedging on picks KILLED us!  Normally this defensive strategy works out pretty well, but we were allowing so many wide open shots off these, it completely killed our chances.
2 - We just plain sucked at Free Throws.  Horrendous!
3 - We got outrebounded, and by a lot.  Really dissapointing.

I've dwelled enough over this crappy game.  It's hard to win games in the Dumpster and we didn't bring out "A" game.  We just need to regroup and focus on the ne...
Continue reading ...
 

Scouting St. Joe's and the Annoying Hawk

Posted by Josh on Wednesday, January 18, 2012, In : Game Recaps, Notes, Previews, etc. 

Before we get into the numbers, let's talk about how annoying the Hawk is... For those of you who may not know, St. Joe's mascot is a hawk who flaps his wings non-stop during every basketball game. He also does annoying figure eights on the court during timeouts. The Hawk flaps about 3,500 times during a game and has been at every game since the idea came about in 1956. That's annoying consistent.

The fans chant "The Hawk Never Dies" at games. Check out how the Temple students treated the Haw...


Continue reading ...
 
 

This site is independently run and is not affliated with Xavier University.

Tags

Check out a great band from the Cincy area, Sweet Ray Laurel!  See where they're playing next...

Make a free website with Yola