Posts Tagged ‘xavier’
From the Wire: Friday Links
Today’s best from college newspapers around the country:
UConn‘s Craig Austrie came up big after slumping recently — Kevin Duffy, The Daily Campus
ALSO: A quick start helped the Huskies go from Sweet to Elite
Duke‘s big three — Gerald Henderson, Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer — had no answers for Villanova
– Sabreena Merchant, The Duke Chronicle
ALSO: Lapsing in all phases of the game, the Blue Devils went out with a thud
Missouri sure knows how to make things exciting
– Lenny Goldman, The Maneater
Memphis, like Kansas, did well to make it this far after so much offseason turnover — Kelly Breckunitch, The University Daily Kansan
Pitt‘s Levance Fields lived up to his “Mr. Big Shot” nickname
– Michael Gladysz, The Pitt News
Analysis: 1 Pitt def. 4 Xavier
1 Pitt 60
4 Xavier 55
East Region semifinals • TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
By Corey DeMoss
– Levance Fields was quiet most of the game, but he made the two biggest plays of the night in the final minute. First, he drained a long 3-pointer with a defender in his face to give Pitt a one-point lead. He then grabbed a steal on Xavier’s ensuing possession, and converted it into an easy layup to seal the win.
Better Know a Baller: B.J. Raymond, Xavier
With apologies to Stephen Colbert, we present another in our 2,117-part series, “Better Know a Baller.”
B.J. Raymond
Xavier University (bio — photos)
Senior guard/forward • 6-6, 226 • Toledo, Ohio
Season stats: 14.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, .421 3pt%, .804 FT%
– Entering Xavier after a star-studded career at St. John’s Jesuit High School, he had a tough time finding his way in his first two years but has since blossomed into a leader. He’s the epitome of a player who’s grown into adulthood over four years in college.
Reporter Interview: Doug Tifft on Xavier
Can you name a single player on this Xavier team? (No, David West is long gone.) Yet here they are, one step from a second straight Elite Eight appearance.
To learn a little more about Sean Miller and this anonymous bunch of Musketeers, we caught up with Doug Tifft, who has covered the team the past two seasons for the Xavier Newswire.
From the Wire: Tuesday Links
Today’s best from college newspapers around the country:
Jim Boeheim’s next win will be his 800th, all at Syracuse
– Michael Bonner, The Daily Orange
Looking good on the court is important for several Memphis players
– Megan Harris, The Daily Helmsman
Xavier has a long “to do” list to get Sean Miller a victory against Pitt, his alma mater
– Doug Tifft, The Xavier Newswire
Refs need to take a look at the pounding Oklahoma‘s Blake Griffin is receiving
– Jono Greco, The Oklahoma Daily
Breaking down the top mascots in the Sweet Sixteen — Marc Gauthier, The Daily Campus
Wrap: Sunday’s second round
The annual sporting bacchanalia that is the opening days of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament produced surprisingly few actual upsets. Our Sweet Sixteen includes all of the top 12 seeds and 14 of the top 16, plus No. 5 seed Purdue and No. 12 Arizona. See how Sunday’s winners got there or catch up on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Midwest Region
1 Louisville def. 9 Siena
Analysis: 4 Xavier def. 12 Wisconsin
4 Xavier 60
12 Wisconsin 49
East Region second round • Taco Bell Arena, Boise, Idaho
By Doug Tifft
– Xavier came up with an elite defensive effort to get a second round win. They held the Badgers to 29 percent shooting, and did an exceptional job of contesting the three point shot, forcing the Badgers to shoot 8-of-20 from downtown. The key for the Musketeers was their interior defense, where Jason Love, Kenny Frease and Jamel McLean played position defense, forcing the Wisconsin post players to shoot off-balance and fade-away shots rather than anything toward the rim.
Wrap: Friday’s first round
We’re down to 32 teams, which is as good a reason as any to check out our analysis of Friday’s 16 first-round games (or relive Thursday’s action):
East Region
1 Pitt def. 16 East Tennessee State
8 Oklahoma State def. 9 Tennessee
12 Wisconsin def. 5 Florida State
Analysis: 4 Xavier def. 13 Portland State
4 Xavier 77
13 Portland State 59
East Region first round • Taco Bell Arena, Boise, Idaho
By Doug Tifft & Jeff Greer
– Xavier was given a pretty easy 4-13 matchup. Portland State is good, but not 13-seed good. I think North Dakota State would’ve given the Musketeers a better game. Xavier rewarded the selection committee for having faith in the Musketeers as a top 16 team in the field.
– How is Sean Miller not coaching in a major conference? He’s taken Xavier to the NCAA second round three years in a row. If Jamie Dixon leaves Pitt for Arizona, Miller would be a shoo-in to replace Dixon. Virginia might go after him too.
