Shootout game thread

[X-lucidity]

How Sweeeeeeeeet it is!!!! 180 degree win vs the horrors had we lost. Fun game and I could ramble on about who played well and stepped up but will leave that for the rest. My unsung hero tonight is Gytis. His stat line will not impress whatsoever. However, look at the +\- pts differential from when he was in the gm versus out in the all important 2nd half. His help D and hedging penetration and fearless will to battle underneath was the difference in stopping UC from their run of easy baskets midway through the 2nd half.
Great team win. Now let’s build from here like in 2004!

[pdxmuskie]

Aside from the start of the 2nd half, Xavier played with excellent effort. The team is capable of winning games. McKnight and Olivari are legit players. They are capable of leading this team. Ciani and Ousmane are solid down low. Claude needs to scale back his outside shooting and he can be a real asset to the team.

Huge improvements from the line and on the turnover front. Much better effort and chemistry. Team even seemed to have fun at times. Hopefully X can build on this.

[muskieman]

Huge improvement from the line was based on who was shooting those foul shots. Quincy and Mckight gives me more confidence than Des and Gytis. I think Gytis played well on things the stat line does show but we still need him to help stretch the opponent's defense.

[Anti-Homer]

As I said before the game, UC has more experienced and developed talent at this point. However, great things happen when X follows the game plan, two guys have Bluiett and Dee-Davis like Shootout games, and your opponent plays a Cronin-like Non-Conf schedule before playing a struggling major. I also think this game showed what SM has been saying: X will be better weeks from now than they currently are.

SM was brilliant, minus two obvious decisions:

-Leaving Olivari in the end with 21 seconds in the half, when UC had the last shot, jeopardizing a potential third. Thankfully, he didn’t.
-Swain should have been subbed into the game for Gytis in the last 2 minutes of the game. UC was fouling and was pushing tempo as they needed to for a comeback. Swain is the best defender on the team along with Claude, can handle the ball, and gets open on the press more effectively relative to Gytis, with comparable length. Also, along with Green, Swain is the best FT shooter statistically on the team, though I think Olivari will be there at the end. Other than that, SM showed why he’s one of the best coaches in CBB.

Two things I do not want to see again:

-Claude taking anything but a step-in trey with five seconds to set. Horrific, horrific three-point shooter. His hero ball needs to be reined in by SM.
-Ousame shooting anything outside of the lane.

Game Balls:
-McKnight and Olivari. No commentary is needed.
-
Game balls not autographed by a Mod:
-Ousame: 10 points, Good D, few T.O.s, and 11 boards.
-Ciani: 7 points, 2 steals, and very solid D. He is going to be very good at X. Very good.
-Swain. His defense was exceptional. He had two blocks but challenged several more shots in the lane and at the rim. -Simon (Butler transfer) got into the lane a lot, but Swain made him alter many of his shots.

Key moments in the game:

-Green losing James for a trey in the first half, rightfully sticking him on the pine for the rest of the game. So talented offensively, so equally lost defensively. He needs to pick up it because X lacks playmakers.
-Ousame’s very improbable left-handed scoop lab with about ten minutes left, to put X up for good.
-Ciani picks James’ pocket a few minutes later to extend the lead back to double-digits.
-Gytis made a short jumper in the lane to put X up six with four to go.

There will be more games like Delaware, but I think there will be many more like UC, as the guys get used to playing together, and the freshmen get used to college speed. Djoko and Green need to pick it up for X to make a run in the B.E. I don’t see it happening this year, but with SM leading the team, anything can happen.

[longliveskip]

Where has this effort been all season? Well done Muskies.

it was there vs Houston. it was there vs. Purdue. those teams were just BETTER than us.

Defensive effort has to be a constant. gonna be games when Olivari doesn't have "it" and we can't hit the broad side of a barn. that's how college hoops works. our defense needs to be consistent night in and night out. McKnight hitting 3 late was the dagger and unexpected. i just hope he doesn't think he can do that all the time.

nice win, boys.