SB Nation - Landen Amos

Keep Calm and Carry On

Joel D — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:02:45 -0000

I'm not going to sugarcoat it here; Xavier hasn't looked good over the past week or so. The Muskies' offense has looked good in fits and starts, but not for a whole game. Too often, the ball has stagnated as the shot clock's inexorable march has continued, forcing Xavier to look for bad shots late or rush bad shots early. Worse yet, the defensive intensity that is supposed to be a hallmark of the team has been almost totally absent. Xavier fans across the internet have been wondering if the bar was set a little too high for this season; some have even begun to question X's tournament status. Things haven't been good recently, but the team is still a work in progress at this point in the season. I don't think we're anywhere close to panic time just yet; below are the reasons.

1) We've been here before. Does anyone recall Xavier's record after 13 non-conference games last year? I do, without looking; it was 8-5. How do I know that offhand so easily? Partly because it's kind of my job here, but mostly because it's the same as Xavier's non-conference record was the year before after the same amount of games. In Coach Mack's first year, the team was staggering through the early portions of the season, perhaps still reeling from Miller's departure. The team's best player (Jordan Crawford) had been benched for disciplinary reasons, and X had just fought into double overtime to beat a mediocre UC team. Last year, X staggered into conference play barely five players deep and on the heels of a 20-point loss to UC. No matter what happens against Gonzaga this Saturday, Xavier is relatively well positioned this year.

2) Coach Mack teams tend to improve as the season goes on. Coach Mack takes a lot of guff for his tactical decisions, but the man's conference record should demonstrate that he is a capable leader for X. The team's 29-3 mark in Atlantic 10 play under Mack is no accident; by the time February is wrapping up, the Musketeers are hitting their best stride of the season. The argument could be made that the talent level of the competition falls off through that stretch, but in that span Xavier is 11-1 against teams that ended the season in Ken Pomeroy's top 100. As the season progresses and Xavier's confidence builds, the beatings that they dish out in conference play are more a credit to X than a shame to their A-10 opponents.

3) Xavier has unprecedented depth. Last year, nobody got fewer minutes off the bench than Xavier did. The year before that, Xavier was 217th in the nation in that department. This season, more than a third of the Muskies' minutes come from players who didn't start, a number that puts X in the top 100 in that nation. This is encouraging for a couple of reason. The first is that it gives Xavier the opportunity to tailor the team on the floor to game situations in way they haven't been able to in years past. The second is that there is a learning curve that comes with trying to integrate new players. Andre Walker, Dez Wells and Dee Davis are still trying to learn their teammates' tendencies; Travis Taylor and Justin Martin have time in the system but are still getting their feet wet in game-speed action. The more time these guys spend together on the court, the better they will become at working together. There's no substitute for that game experience.

4) We expected this. In our season preview, we asked how many non-conference games you all thought Xavier would win. More than half of you selected 9-11 wins for the Muskies. While Purdue and Memphis may have ranked higher on the anticipated losses scale than Hawai'i and LBSU, the fact remains the Xavier will end the season with a non-conference record somewhere between 11-3 and 9-5. Against a schedule that I suspect will look pretty good when all is done and dusted, that's a somewhere between respectable and very good showing.

5) The Muskies are undefeated at full strength. Dez Wells has never lost a game in a Xavier uniform; neither has Landen Amos, for what that's worth. Xavier had some hiccups in the first eight games, but all signs were pointing to the team coming together as a machine in that UC game. These past four games have undoubtedly broken up that momentum and added question marks where once there were only exclamation points, but there is still a lot of season left for X to get back on that same track. Xavier is a talented team with experienced on-court leaders; there's no reason to believe that they can't put together another solid season from this point forward.

There's no reason to get too carried away at this point. A team is never as good or as bad as it looks at any given time in the season. Depending on how far they go in the postseason tournaments, Xavier is barely a third of the way through the schedule at this point. All that really matters is making the tournament and then how you perform in those (up to) six games. The Muskies haven't jeopardized their tournament inclusion at this point, nor have they guaranteed. There's simply too much season left for anything to be set in stone right now; Xavier's fate is as much up in the air as that of every other team in the nation.

Was it worth it?

Brad D — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:32:27 -0000

On Sunday, Xavier got destroyed 64-42 by Oral Roberts University. The reasons for that during the game have been discussed at length, but it mostly boiled down to the suspensions of Tu Holloway, Mark Lyons, and Dezmine Wells. With the entire backcourt missing, Xavier had no real chance against the Golden Eagles. The undefeated season, top 10 ranking, and kenpom rating all disintegrated in a flash.

Watching and listening to the game, I couldn't help but wonder if it was worth it. Does suspending three of the best players on the team for a fight serve the intended purpose? Was it an effective way to manage the roster during the season? Will it pay any sort of dividends in the long run? There are really only two ways to look at it.

Not Worth It: Xavier isn't a team that is always in the top 10 of the national polls. Yes, they have begun to shake the mid-major label, but even their recent Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen success hasn't given them the cachet of Duke, Kansas, Ohio St, Florida, or the other consistently winning programs. For whatever reason, the Musketeers are still seen as an overachieving band from southern Ohio.

That was changing this year. Coming into the Crosstown Shootout, Xavier held it's second highest rank of all time and had just demolished nationally recognized programs in Purdue and Vanderbilt despite falling behind. The tenacity that XU had shown in coming back against those two teams was on display the entire game against Cincinnati, itself ranked only two spots behind Xavier to start the year. A 23 point demolition of the Bearcats had Xavier poised to ride the wave into the top five with a successful following week.

Unfortunately, there was no successful following week. When Xavier shortsightedly benched its three best players for a game against easily beatable Oral Roberts, they lost all momentum. Down to 14th now, Xavier only sent the message that appeasing the unwashed masses was worth more than playing winning basketball. The fight was an ugly scene, but in two weeks it would have been old news anyway. By overreacting, the Musketeers cost themselves a shot at something special.

Worth It: Yes, the Musketeers were highly ranked, and yes, they would have hammered ORU with the three suspended players (sorry, Landen Amos), but that isn't the point. The Crosstown Shootout is a nationally recognized game in which Xavier has always been the good guys. Since the days of Bob Huggins snubbing Pete Gillen and UC recruiting at correctional facilities, the Bearcats have been seen as a team of thugs, one step from the streets.

Xavier, however, has never been anything but spotless in reputation. Dedrick Finn and Lloyd Price didn't run afoul of the law until after they left, and neither of those stories was even a blip on the national radar screen. Coaches Mack and Miller compiled this team under the idea of "recruiting character" to go with transcendent talent. That would have gone down the drain had the program not taken some sort of stance on the brawl in last Saturday's game. Fighting just cannot be allowed in any circumstance.

Simply put, ignoring the part that Tu Holloway, Mark Lyons, and Dez Wells played in the fight would have been a public relations nightmare. With the despicable Mick Cronin bloviating and Yancy Gates crying, UC somehow committed the worst of the infractions and came out looking good. If Xavier hadn't responded with something, they would have been pariah, ridiculed on every show on ESPN and blog on the internet. That could not be allowed to happen for the program to move forward. The top five will come in time, a two month delay won't hurt.

Poll

Were the suspensions worth the loss in the polls and on the court?

Worth it, a message had to be sent

65 votes

Not worth it, basketball matters more

12 votes

Ask me at the end of the year

11 votes

88 votes | Poll has closed

The Fallout

Joel D — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 21:54:36 -0000

Mike Bobinski confirmed at a press conference today that Tu Holloway will be suspended for a game, Mark Lyons will be suspended for two games, and Dezmine Wells and Landen Amos will be suspended for four games each. He also stated that the schools will work together in the community to promote sportsmanship throughout the city. Bobinski seemed committed to making sure that the Xavier players learned from this as they moved forward, and I think Xavier got it about right with the suspensions. I don't think any of the players involved are bad guys, but they'll all take an extra to contemplate they'll react to high tension situations in the future.

Another interesting thing Bobinski touched on was the tenor that the Crosstown Shootout has acquired over the years. He said that, regrettably, the emotional nature of the game has been building for years and that this kind of thing could have been seen coming. The game, he said, "should be a celebration of the division one basketball tradition in this city, not the Hatfield and McCoy rivalry it has become." As much as I love a really heated rivalry, I believe Bobinski is bang-on with this. Clobbering UC in a colloquial, on the court way is fun; actually having clobbering happen at any point during the game is not what we're looking for.

Tu stepped up to the mic to take responsibility for what he said at the press conference yesterday afternoon. He said that he was trying to represent the University and did not do it well, and that he regretted his choice of words after the game. "We're good guys," he said, not gangsters. It's hard to be too harsh on Holloway; he was set before a microphone in an emotional state and answered questions asked to him as honestly as possible. It's probably regrettable that he was up there in the first place, to be honest.

In response to a question regarding what he meant by the term "gangsters" last night, Tu said he meant, "we're doing things on the court, hitting big shots, playing team defense. When I talked about Ray Lewis and Kevin Garnett earlier, I talked about the way they play hard and lead their teams. We're not out there doing stuff in the streets; we're not actually in any gangs. We're just tough." That he had to explain that is kind of ridiculous.

Coach Mack said he regretted not calling a timeout. He thought extended the game would just antagonize Cincinnati, which he obviously wanted to avoid doing. "I was hoping time would expire," he said. He also noted that "drama sells" when asked about what the media's influence was on the coverage of the Shootout and what happened at the end of the game. He also apologized - as did Tu Holloway - to the young fans and the parents who had to try to explain things to their kids after the game.

Other notables:
-Mike Bobinski said that the UC suspensions didn't have any bearing on the discipline Xavier handed down.

-Coach Mack reiterated that "this is not who we are, it's who we were for two minutes on Saturday, and now we're suffering the consequences of it."

-Tu: "So many guys before me made Xavier a great place, and we kind of messed that up yesterday... we all feel bad; none of us are excited about a fight."

-Tu: "I take blame for what I did."

-The Crosstown Shootout will go on, and there has been no talk of moving it off campus.

-Coach Mack: "We recruit character; it's not just about talent. It's about the whole package... people can make bad decisions, even good people."

-Tu, in re: Dez Wells' suspension: "I take full responsibility. If I had never talked to the bench, maybe Dez Wells doesn't get suspended four games. I brought him down, I brought Mark Lyons down, I brought the whole team down."

There you have it. What are your thoughts on the suspensions? Too much, too little? Just right? What about the future of the Crosstown Shootout?

Basketball: Vanderbilt vs. Xavier -- The Periscope

KingJamesIV — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:11:54 -0000

This is a monumental week for Vanderbilt as two ranked opponents loom large. Tonight, the #20 (AP) / #19 (Coaches) Vanderbilt Commodores square up against the #11 Xavier Musketeers at Memorial Gym. Friday evening, the Commodores will travel to the KFC Yum! Center to battle the #6 Louisville Cardinals in the SEC/Big East Invitational. Additionally, tonight's game will be a homecoming of sorts for former Commodore forward Andre Walker, who transferred to Xavier in order to pursue a graduate degree in Sports Administration.

Game Page /// TSN Preview /// Banners on the Parkway, SB Nation's Xavier Blog

Click through the jump for a breakdown of the team's opponents thus far and a closer look at their personnel.

Schedule Breakdown

To date, Vanderbilt has played 6 total games, 4 at home and 2 on neutral courts against an average KenPom rated opponent of 120.2. Xavier has played 4 total games, all at home, against an average rated opponent of 155.5. Based on their performances to date, Kenpom rates Vanderbilt to be the most efficient offensive team and the second most efficient defensive team that the Musketeers will have played. Xavier rates similarly for the Commodores.

Based on previous opponents, Xavier most closely resembles NC State offensively and Cleveland State defensively. While this will give many Commodore fans a bit of trepidation, hopefully the players see this as an opportunity to "right the ship" and prove that the way they handled the pressure that Cleveland State applied will be an aberration. Vanderbilt's offense is head-and-shoulders above that of any of the teams that Xavier has played so far. Defensively, the Commodores sit closer to Georgia than Miami of Ohio. Hopefully we can begin to better that mark, though I suspect that won't happen until after Festus Ezeli returns to the starting lineup and can get a few games under his belt.

Statistical Breakdown

Looking solely at the tempo free statistics, Vanderbilt has a slight edge at the starting positions. Xavier has the edge at the bench. Keep in mind that these statistics are not adjusted for the strength of the opponents. Vanderbilt has played the much tougher schedule thus far.

Four Factors: Vanderbilt owns a large edge on the offensive (and defensive glass). Xavier is doing a much better job of getting to the foul line than Vanderbilt (a side effect of Festus' absence). Xavier also holds slim edges in turnover rate and effective field goal percentage. Prediction: Vanderbilt wins OReb%, eFG% and FTRate. Xavier wins TO%.

Ken Pomeroy predicts a 74-70 Commodore victory in a game with a tempo of 69. He rates Vanderbilt's win percentage at 64 62%. [Note: my reading skills need improvement!] I will certainly take that. Keep in mind that home court advantage is traditionally considered to be about 4 points, so this game is essentially a statistical toss-up on a neutral court.

Xavier is a very good team and they will certainly be a great early season test for the Commodores. Hopefully we will see a Vanderbilt team that is mentally sharp tonight. Typically that is the case when the Commodores are playing a highly ranked team at home.

Traditional Statistics - Xavier Musketeers

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Mark Lyons	4	31.5	6.8	13.0	51.9	1.8	3.5	50.0	2.5	3.3	76.9	0.3	4.0	4.3	3.8	1.5	1.3	0.0	3.0	17.8
Terrell Holloway	3	32.7	4.0	8.7	46.2	0.7	2.0	33.3	6.3	7.7	82.6	0.7	2.3	3.0	5.7	1.7	2.0	0.0	2.3	15.0
Dezmine Wells	4	22.0	4.3	7.5	56.7	0.8	2.0	37.5	1.3	2.0	62.5	1.3	3.5	4.8	1.5	1.0	1.0	0.3	1.8	10.5
Kenny Frease	4	26.3	4.8	9.0	52.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.8	2.5	30.0	0.8	5.5	6.3	2.0	3.8	0.3	3.5	2.3	10.3
Travis Taylor	4	20.8	2.0	5.0	40.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.8	3.8	46.7	2.3	4.5	6.8	0.5	1.3	0.8	0.8	1.5	5.8
Andre Walker	4	26.3	1.8	4.0	43.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.3	1.8	71.4	1.8	2.3	4.0	1.8	1.3	0.0	1.0	2.3	4.8
Justin Martin	4	12.5	1.3	3.5	35.7	0.8	2.3	33.3	0.5	3.5	14.3	0.8	2.3	3.0	0.8	0.5	1.3	0.0	2.0	3.8
Brad Redford	4	7.3	1.0	2.3	44.4	1.0	2.3	44.4	0.8	1.0	75.0	0.0	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.3	0.0	0.3	3.8
Dee Davis	4	14.3	1.3	2.5	50.0	0.8	1.5	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.8	1.0	1.3	0.8	1.3	0.0	1.0	3.3
Jeff Robinson	4	11.3	1.5	2.0	75.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.8	0.0	1.3	1.0	2.3	0.3	1.3	0.0	0.3	2.3	3.0
Griffin McKenzie	3	2.7	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.7	1.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.0
Landen Amos	2	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
O`Neil Cooper	2	1.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Greg Dougan	2	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Game Previews

Banners on the Parkway is the SB Nation affiliate for the Xavier Musketeers. Check out their game preview.

Here is a video of former Commodore Andre Walker talking about his return to Memorial Gym. I hope that he gets the warm reception from Commodore fans that he deserves.

Tipoff is scheduled for 1800 CT and the game will be televised by ESPN2 (Comcast ch. 29 or 1606 HD), though the game will also be available on ESPN3.com. Our open gamethread will go live about an hour before tipoff. Also, don't forget to head over to Stat-King to submit your predictions for the game.