It looked like a checkmark in Q1 would be waiting for the victor of this match. After blowing a huge lead against Indiana, Xavier really wanted to bounce back with a strong win in their non-conference schedule. The opportunity to do so presented itself in Florida.
At 58 points apiece, Xavier’s cautious but steady takeover of the game ultimately led to the crucial victory that both institutions required. The Musketeers have already established a solid foundation for their at-large application.
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Xavier Can’t Stop Anyone
No one, really. Even without Kowacie Reeves, Florida scored 83 points on an impressive 1.08 PPP. Before the Gators went cold in their bid to claw their way back into the game, they were scoring at a high clip. Again, the Musketeers ran into trouble due to the inability of their guards to maintain a solid front.
However, despite his speed, Trey Bonham was only contributing an average of 3.5 points every contest. The 23 points he put up today were a career-high. Quickness is a trait shared by Souley Boum, Adam Kunkel, and Kyky Tandy. They are all susceptible to dribble penetration.
No One Can Stop Xavier
The number of goals scored today was extraordinary. The team as a whole shot 50% from beyond the arc, and all five starters scored in double figures. The Xavier Gators knew they couldn’t stop Florida in any way, so they settled for trying to outscore them. Just picture yourself reading that last year. Just putting it on paper seemed weird. The Musketeers kept piling on the points today.
Rebounding Remains an Issue
According to Joel’s analysis in our podcast, one of the main reasons Xavier has been struggling to get offensive rebounds this season is that their big men keep getting caught in the rotation when their guards are beaten off the dribble. In a slightly better performance today, the Musketeers “held” the Gators to 29% while also earning 29% themselves.
X’s annual percentage of allowed goals is 31.6%, ranking them 262nd in the nation. Still, even at 29%, it’s better than the average for the country this year. The Duke Blue Devils are, without giving too much away, excellent offensive rebounders.
Seriously Though, Xavier’s Offense is Elite
Among Division I teams, they ranked 18th in offensive efficiency, 6th in effective field goal percentage, 4th in 3-point percentage, 35th in offensive rebounding, 14th in turnovers other than steals, 48th in field goal percentage, and 49th in free throw percentage. If they would just stop throwing the ball away, that offense would be among the top ten in the country.
This Was a Big Step in the Resume
The only thing better than beating cupcakes is eating pie on Thanksgiving. It’s entertaining at the time, but it won’t provide adequate nutrition when it counts. Similarly, when Selection Sunday comes around, no one will give Xavier any credit for beating Morgan St. The victory over Florida is a meaty (okay, I’m done with the meat analogy) addition to the application. With West Virginia still in the mix, X now has a chance to take down Duke. The future appears bright.
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