SOUTH KINGSTON, R.I. – This year’s Xavier team isn’t quite like the ones of recent years. The depth isn’t the same, in part due to injuries, and they entered Atlantic 10 play with two straight losses that challenged them to to move on. They did exactly that, and showed that they still have plenty with which to win in the Atlantic 10, evidenced by their 72-45 thrashing of Rhode Island to open up conference play on Sunday.
As they always do, Xavier played a demanding non-conference schedule. They put forth a good record, and they didn’t just beat up on bad teams, but there isn’t an NCAA Tournament resume win in the mix. They had their chances, losing to Old Dominion in the final of the Paradise Jam, losing by 10 at Gonzaga and by just four against Florida on New Year’s Eve. But they didn’t break through, and while wins against the likes of Seton Hall and Butler aren’t bad, much like Iowa and Wofford (in triple overtime), none of them are sure bets to make the NCAA Tournament right now as Butler might need to win the Horizon League to get there.
The last non-conference game was the only clunker they have had all year, as arch-rival Cincinnati blew them out 66-46 on Thursday. The Musketeers played poorly at the offensive end, turning the ball over 15 times and shooting 39 percent from the field, with just four assists. The game wasn’t a blowout until the second half, but was certainly not the way they wanted to head into Atlantic 10 play.
“We really got it taken to us the other night against Cincinnati, and for us to be able to respond in a matter of a few days, I think there was a lot of soul-searching of our kids over the last 72 hours,” head coach Chris Mack said.
Mack was especially happy with the defense, and rightly so. The Musketeers held Rhode Island to 24.6 percent shooting, including 3-27 on three-pointers. They didn’t force a lot of turnovers, as the Rams had nine, but by stopping the Rams they never allowed them much opportunity to get the press going. Xavier had 14 turnovers, but could have had more if they had to face the Rams’ press more.
“I think we can defend for 40 minutes,” said Mack. “I’ve seen some of the best teams in the country from time to time play 6-7 guys. There’s no reason that if we’re playing hard for 40 minutes, that we can’t be in every game and win the majority of them.”
After the loss to Florida, Mack had a conversation about his team with Gator head coach Billy Donovan. Donovan noted that the Musketeers had a big front line, and Mack not only relayed that to his team but also knew he had something he needed to take advantage of. They did that against Rhode Island, as their 38-10 advantage in points in the paint came large from the work of the inside duo of Jamel McLean (19 points on 7-12 shooting, 12 rebounds) and Kenny Frease (nine points on 3-5 shooting).
McLean was supposed to miss a significant portion of the non-conference schedule with a serious eye injury suffered in an exhibition game. But he missed just one game and has played with goggles ever since, and leads the team in rebounding in addition to his inside scoring. For his part, Frease has turned more offensive opportunities into better numbers this season.
There is little depth in the backcourt, in part because of Brad Redford’s season-ending knee injury. That means the Musketeers can’t afford a lot of foul trouble with either Tu Holloway or Mark Lyons, the former of whom had two early fouls but couldn’t sit long on Sunday and finished with four fouls. Lyons is talented and athletic, but doesn’t always make the best decisions with the ball, something they’ll have to live with.
With their non-conference resume, Xavier will need to have a very good Atlantic 10 record. Even that might put them on the bubble come March, as the Atlantic 10 doesn’t look as strong as last season and thus quality win opportunities may not be there like they were last season. Temple and Richmond look strong, as does Dayton, but the Flyers lost their conference opener at UMass earlier in the day. After that, there’s a drop-off.
Xavier may not be very deep, but they have enough and are trying to develop more. And as they showed at Rhode Island, they can rebound from a loss and play better the next time out. That should be enough to contend in the Atlantic 10 once again.
