Game and other thoughts from the Verizon Center

[XU Fan in DC]

Hi, everyone,

I had the great privilege of watching XU rise to the challenge of beating a pumped-up Georgia team. I thought X would dominate early when it jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but it seems jitters took over for the first half. The missed bunnies were excruciating, and Sean should've told Drew to skip the teardrop shot, which just wasn't falling. UGA was very pumped and running on adrenaline; X wasn't matching them in emotional intensity, and it showed up in their play.

The second half began as badly as the first. At one point I was so upset that I was catatonic - it was all I could do not to retort to my UM friend's helpful observation, "X needs to step it up!" with an outraged DUH!!!!!! Bro noted that if X could cut the lead to six by the 10-minute mark (it was 7), they would win.

It did seem at that point that something clicked for X in terms of desire and determination. Pressing the inside game helped, not only in getting UGA to foul but to tire them out. Dante's bucket was huge in getting the dispirited X fans back into it. I was yelling for all I was worth, as much as to spite the two Arizona guys behind us who were pronouncing X dead in the water early in the 2nd half. I couldn't exactly respond that Arizona State should have been in, not them, given how poorly X was playing at that time, but it made Huggy's win over them just a tad sweeter.

Josh Duncan has been and will continue to be my favorite X player this year. He and Stanley showed leadership when it counted, and Josh made his FTs down the stretch. I will so miss those guys and Drew next year.

UGA's fans were very visible and loud. I think having a dark color like blue works against X a bit, which is why I plan to wear a white X shirt on Saturday if I'm lucky enough to get tix. UGA fans were cool. A female Dawg fan sitting near me came over and congratulated us on the win. I told her I hoped I wasn't obnoxiously loud, and she said, "You should be - it's the tournament!" I congratulated her on UGA's great run in the SEC and said I wished X hadn't drawn them, as I hated to pull against them after rooting for them in the SEC tournament. Kudos to the Dawgs on their year.

We went to the X gathering afterward at Penn Quarter - nice to see such a big Xavier representation in DC, though it was also packed (Purdue folks showed up in large numbers). I wish X - and my alma mater, Georgetown for that matter - didn't have to play in such a large corporate facility like Verizon. I miss the close-in feel of Cintas, but then again, if it weren't for the size of Verizon, tix would be impossible.

For those going Saturday (I hope I'm one), be LOUD!!!! I had the sorrow of seeing X lose to a highly ranked Purdue team by 6, if I remember right, at the Hoosier Dome a few years ago. Speaking as a Muskie and ND fb fan, I badly want to see us kick some Purdue butt on Saturday.

GO MUSKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (And go Hoyas, of course).

PS Anyone know why the Blob wasn't there?

[Mr. Neutral]

<<Sean should've told Drew to skip the teardrop shot, which just wasn't falling. >>>

Absolutely. I know Drew got one to fall in the 2nd half, but that shot hasn't been working for months, and he had one in the 1st half that was so far off I thought it must have been tipped or slipped out of his hands.

[xuhuh!]

Hi, everyone,

I had the great privilege of watching XU rise to the challenge of beating a pumped-up Georgia team. I thought X would dominate early when it jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but it seems jitters took over for the first half. The missed bunnies were excruciating, and Sean should've told Drew to skip the teardrop shot, which just wasn't falling. UGA was very pumped and running on adrenaline; X wasn't matching them in emotional intensity, and it showed up in their play.

The second half began as badly as the first. At one point I was so upset that I was catatonic - it was all I could do not to retort to my UM friend's helpful observation, "X needs to step it up!" with an outraged DUH!!!!!! Bro noted that if X could cut the lead to six by the 10-minute mark (it was 7), they would win.

It did seem at that point that something clicked for X in terms of desire and determination. Pressing the inside game helped, not only in getting UGA to foul but to tire them out. Dante's bucket was huge in getting the dispirited X fans back into it. I was yelling for all I was worth, as much as to spite the two Arizona guys behind us who were pronouncing X dead in the water early in the 2nd half. I couldn't exactly respond that Arizona State should have been in, not them, given how poorly X was playing at that time, but it made Huggy's win over them just a tad sweeter.

Josh Duncan has been and will continue to be my favorite X player this year. He and Stanley showed leadership when it counted, and Josh made his FTs down the stretch. I will so miss those guys and Drew next year.

UGA's fans were very visible and loud. I think having a dark color like blue works against X a bit, which is why I plan to wear a white X shirt on Saturday if I'm lucky enough to get tix. UGA fans were cool. A female Dawg fan sitting near me came over and congratulated us on the win. I told her I hoped I wasn't obnoxiously loud, and she said, "You should be - it's the tournament!" I congratulated her on UGA's great run in the SEC and said I wished X hadn't drawn them, as I hated to pull against them after rooting for them in the SEC tournament. Kudos to the Dawgs on their year.

We went to the X gathering afterward at Penn Quarter - nice to see such a big Xavier representation in DC, though it was also packed (Purdue folks showed up in large numbers). I wish X - and my alma mater, Georgetown for that matter - didn't have to play in such a large corporate facility like Verizon. I miss the close-in feel of Cintas, but then again, if it weren't for the size of Verizon, tix would be impossible.

For those going Saturday (I hope I'm one), be LOUD!!!! I had the sorrow of seeing X lose to a highly ranked Purdue game by 6, if I remember right, at the Hoosier Dome a few years ago. Speaking as a Muskie and ND fb fan, I badly want to see us kick some Purdue butt on Saturday.

GO MUSKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (And go Hoyas, of course).

PS Anyone know why the Blob wasn't there?

1 MASCOT PER TEAM....BLOB HAS TO BUY A TICKET

[confusedbulldog]

I thought the blob was at the women's tourney

[muskieman]

1 MASCOT PER TEAM....BLOB HAS TO BUY A TICKET

But the BLOB is a social icon...he has commercials on ESPN. The BLOB should be comped.

[wkrq59]

"Mr. Neutral"]<<Sean should've told Drew to skip the teardrop shot, which just wasn't falling. >>>

Absolutely. I know Drew got one to fall in the 2nd half, but that shot hasn't been working for months, and he had one in the 1st half that was so far off I thought it must have been tipped or slipped out of his hands.[/quote]

One of the essentials in making the tear drop shot is it must be practiced over and over. Drew, if I not mistaken has not been able to practice on a rgular basis. Also the shot must be times so that it's released as the shooter is ascending while the defender is descending. Georgia's players were (sometimes not too gently) bumping the shooter to ever so slightly effect his aim. Result, clang or miss altogether.

[xuhuh!]

I thought the blob was at the women's tourney

i think the blob is escorting the chicks

[confusedbulldog]

Escorting, like Spitzer?