AMHERST, Mass. – Xavier simply doesn’t look good, and the Musketeers certainly don’t look like the kind of team we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. For that matter, they aren’t the team we saw in November and early December. And after the Musketeers lost 80-73 at Umass on Tuesday night, they are below .500 since one fateful afternoon and don’t look like they will soar past that mark the rest of the way.
When they ran out to an 8-0 start this season, with wins at Vanderbilt and Butler along with wins over Purdue and Cincinnati, this team looked like one of the better teams they’ve had, and that’s saying something given the success they have had since joining the Atlantic 10. They were deeper thanks to a group of freshmen that gave them help, and looked like a team that would eventually work their way to a high seed in the NCAA Tournament. But ever since the fight against Cincinnati, this team hasn’t been the same.
Since that game, the Musketeers’ best win was probably in game prior to Tuesday, an overtime win over Dayton in Cincinnati. The next best one is probably a win over Saint Joseph’s last month, one that came with the Hawks missing their best player. Between that and the losses, Xavier is now in the once-unthinkable position of being on the bubble, something head coach Chris Mack alluded to after Tuesday’s game.
“I’m just disappointed because I felt like we had an opportunity to cement an at-large bid,” said the Xavier mentor.
In the early going on Tuesday, Xavier looked out-classed, although the scoreboard didn’t quite reflect it due to UMass starting slowly at the offensive end. But the Musketeers had 10 turnovers by the first media timeout and were 0-4 from the field, and it was the UMass frontcourt led by Sean Carter that looked a lot better than Xavier’s big men, even though they have better reputations. Xavier had topped their season average in turnovers about 13 minutes into the game and had 16 in the first half. UMass had succeeded in speeding them up.
Xavier would start to make some shots and even take a 21-16 lead, but it was short-lived. UMass scored the next 11 points and led the rest of the way. The only Musketeer who produced for much of the game was freshman Dezmine Wells until near the halfway point of the second half, when junior Brad Redford tried to spark a comeback with a couple of three-pointers. While they cut the lead to 12, the comeback never gained a lot of traction, even though the Musketeers would eventually get within six.
Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons had a bad night offensively, although Holloway did have six assists with just one turnover. But they combined to go 8-29 from the field, and the offense starts with them. When they struggle like that, it’s tough for this team to win games, as they have good players up front but not a lot of scoring punch there. Part of that is because Kenny Frease has regressed after many thought he would be the kind of player many thought he would be back when it was thought that Xavier got a steal when they landed him. He had a good junior season but hasn’t been a big factor this season.
“Those guys are our leading scorers,” Mack said of Holloway and Lyons. “They’re generally a lot more efficient than they were tonight shooting the ball.”
Wells scored 19 points, including 4-5 shooting from long range, but he led the turnover parade with six. The only Musketeer who got in the game and did not commit a turnover was Dee Davis, and he only played one minute. That, along with a lot of the body language, was indicative of a team not playing well together. They looked like a team that didn’t want to be out there.
“We’re just not playing well together on the offensive end,” said Mack. “From game to game, you can point out different players that need to step up the production, but I think as a general theme, we have to play better together on the offensive end.”
Mack took the responsibility for that, but at some point it also has to go to the players. Although the fight and its aftermath led to suspensions, the Musketeers have had their whole team together again since the Gonzaga game on New Year’s Eve. They’ve had plenty of time to gel again, and the longest suspension anyone served was the four games that Wells sat out. At this point, one has to think Mack has tried just about all he can, but he surely won’t quit now.
Xavier finishes the regular season with two of three at home before the Atlantic 10 Tournament. It’s a manageable slate, and if the Musketeers wind up on the bubble they have a couple of things working in their favor. They have the wins earlier, and they also have the bubble’s overall weakness. Among bubble teams, Xavier might have the best resume. But as of now, they’re in a position no one would have figured a couple of months ago as a bubble team, and their struggles to play together are not indicative of a team that will trend positively heading into the NCAA Tournament.
