Posted by
Tom Kummer on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 2:22:23 PM
Once again I’m taking a brief respite from political blogging to discuss college basketball by taking a look at Xavier’s upcoming trip to Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
So far, in Xavier’s first two games, they’ve shown promise, but have also shown some room for improvement. Freshman center Kenny Frease is looking to be as good as advertised. He is a solid defender near the basket, and is a force on offense. Sophomore Dante Jackson looks like he picked up some defensive pointers by watching Stanley Burrell last year. In addition to playing tight, aggressive defense, he is running a solid offense and is looking to be a strong 3 point threat. Seniors B.J. Raymond and C.J. Anderson, along with junior Derrick Brown, are playing just as expected. Among the other newcomers, Jamel McClean has displayed superb athletic ability, and almost looks like a Derrick Brown clone. Brad Redford is a shooting prodigy, and Terrell Holloway looks like he will develop into a top-flight point guard.
So far their weaknesses are too many unforced turnovers and poor free throw shooting. The unforced turnovers appear to be a problem of team chemistry more than anything else, because there are a lot of thrown away balls, as though offense just isn’t quite in sync. I think that will develop more with time together. I’m not sure what can be done about free throw shooting, other than to work on it in the gym during practice.
In the upcoming Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament, Xavier’s first game is against Missouri. They will be facing a more challenging opponent than in either of their first two games. Missouri is lead by seniors Leo Lyons and DeMarre Carroll, both of whom will present challenges to the Xavier interior defense. Senior guard Matt Lawrence also brings experience to their guard play, and presents a solid 3 point threat that will challenge the lesser experienced Xavier point guards.
In this first round matchup, Xavier will likely be a slight favorite, but to win they will need to cut down on their unforced turnovers and continue to play the solid defense they have displayed in their first two games. Xavier also struggled against any kind of full court press, even in their one exhibition game, and Missouri likes to play that kind of defense. A potential matchup against Memphis is looming later on in this tournament, but they can ill-afford to look past any team they might face along the way, let alone Missouri tomorrow.