Read on Twitter
Bizarre game. X shot 58.3% for the game, had 22 dimes on 35 made FGs, went 23-30 (77%) from the line, won rebounding 47-37, and mostly stayed out of foul trouble... but the relentless EKU Colonels won FGAs 91-60. 31 more chances to win the game, to put it one way.
Turnovers are obviously the main culprit for the disparity. Freshman game from Dwon (it happens), Scruggs was in foul trouble/wasn't an efficient playmaker when in the game, and then significant credit to EKU for earning their keep on the press/pressure D.
X is a relatively young team and those who aren't young are transfers, so cohesion will take time, but dropping 25 turnovers on the stat sheet is unacceptable. The stat is this season's first reminder of Xavier's lack of growth in ball control over the previous two seasons.
The FGA disparity was also caused by offensive REBs(an issue vs Bradley, too). First, X only had 8 off REBs, then nearly half(18/37) of EKU's boards were on offense & the Colonels regained ~1/3 of their misses overall. This preseason concern is now an area to watch moving forward
This game wasn't wholly bad. Along w/ the stats above, X took control for ~10 minutes in heart of the game, showed flashes of efficient ball movement/an ability to find the open man, and multiple players successfully attacked driving lanes when the game presented the option.
But the aggregate result vs EKU fully exposes a new side to X's 2020-21 identity, giving X 2 identities in the short season: the composed, efficient, deadly X seen vs Oakland.. & the identity we saw yesterday/have been trending towards for 3 games/have seen off-and-on for 2 years
Over the next week of games, this team must prove itself again. A composed, decisive win vs Tennessee Tech is a good first step, but X will have to wait until Sunday vs UC for their chance to make a statement about who they are & which identity they want to assume moving forward.
Takeaways:
1. X has an efficient offensive centerpiece in Freemantle, which is comforting to have when addressing a catalogue of mistakes. ZF operates well @ the FT line hub, already has ~4 go-to spots as a SOPH, & has the potential to move main defensive attention to a wide area
1. X has an efficient offensive centerpiece in Freemantle, which is comforting to have when addressing a catalogue of mistakes. ZF operates well @ the FT line hub, already has ~4 go-to spots as a SOPH, & has the potential to move main defensive attention to a wide area
Also, mature/composed response by Freemantle following his Corey Maggette game vs Toledo. 24pts/13reb, 11-12, smart shot selection, perfect from inside the arc, and only a few mistakes. I also liked how ZF stood w/ and protected his teammates during the brief scuffle.
2. Stone cold killers on this team. Need a big bucket? Let Odom drive, send KyKy to the line, hit Johnson in the corner, give Scruggs the midrange fade, or let Freemantle shoot from take your pick. These players are capable of composed play/trust among players will grow b/c of it
3. KyKy Tandy FTs. Not only is KyKy playing more downhill, getting to high % areas around the rim, & drawing fouls, but he's also reliable at the line/leading X in FTM. His 11/13 FT was vital vs EKU, & he's improved his 2019-20 FT% (65%) to 82% so far this year. Huge asset for X.
4. Last, cbball is filled w/ disruption this yr. Our last 3 wins weren't sparkling, but it's hard to pinpoint how concerned we should be about those narrow home wins when compared to a normal yr. Covid affected preseason prep/scheduling/player rotations/home court advantages/etc
All teams must deal w/ these issues, but covid also affects the fan perspective/assessment. How would X's top 10 home court adv/crowd have influenced EKU when X went up 12 w/ 13min left? Or, would a clearly mature/cohesive Richmond team have fared as well vs UK in a packed Rupp?
For X, one early way to explore the covid impact is through Jason Carter & the quarantine boys. Carter played phenomenal (20/11/4 stat line, 50% FGs, 7/8 FT) and made strong drives during the game's 1st 38min, then he unraveled btwn 2min left in the second half & 30sec left in OT
But Carter's turnovers, fouls, missed FGs, & flat play during that ~6min window appeared to be purely a symptom of fatigue. He was visibly hobbled, had played 4 games in 6 days, and ended w/ 38min logged (9 more than his avg this yr & last).
The fact that Wilcher's or Jones' minutes (Steele also only played Griffin 9min) could have alleviated Carter's court time/responsibilities cannot be ignored, & this exemplifies one way covid has disrupted X & how it can impact a fan's assessment of team or player performance.
Ultimately, whether the unique circumstances of the season are affecting load management or creating a season-long neutral site feel to home games, X must adapt, like every other team, to the new reality. And committing 25 TOs/giving up 12pt 2nd half leads is still unacceptable.
