starting line up proposal

[26+6=1]

Nunge at 5, Jones at 4, Johnson at 3, Kunkel at 2, Scruggs at the point.

26+6=1

[gym from delhi]

That lineup might have trouble with consistent rebounding

[X-lucidity]

I like it against the likes of Nova and Marquette. Not so much Prov, DePaul and The Hall. But interesting. I for one always like it when Kunkel is involved.

[kyzrex]

I like Nunge with Freemantle starting.

[Jesseandrippers]

Jones at 3 is our best mismatch. We cant move him to the 4. That slot is our weakest by far. Free is gonna have to do.

[muskieman]

Top Five-Man Lineups in BE according to Evan Myia analytics.

1) Y. Anei / P. Gebrewhit / B. Johnson / D. Jones / J. Terry DePaul
2) T. Alexander / R. Andronikashvili / R. Hawkins / R. Kalkbrenner / R. Nembhard Creighton
3) Z. Freemantle / A. Kunkel / J. Nunge / D. Odom / P. Scruggs Xavier
4) G. Elliott / O. Ighodaro / T. Kolek / J. Lewis / D. Morsell Marquette
5) J. Hunter / C. Jones / A. Kunkel / J. Nunge / P. Scruggs Xavier
6) C. Daniels / E. Dixon / C. Gillespie / J. Moore / J. Samuels Villanova
7) K. Jones / T. Kolek / K. Kuath / J. Lewis / O. Prosper Marquette
8) B. Aiken / M. Cale / J. Rhoden / T. Samuel / A. Yetna Seton Hall
9) J. Hunter / N. Johnson / C. Jones / D. Miles / P. Scruggs Xavier

[AirJordan]

Top Five-Man Lineups in BE according to Evan Myia analytics.

1) Y. Anei / P. Gebrewhit / B. Johnson / D. Jones / J. Terry DePaul
2) T. Alexander / R. Andronikashvili / R. Hawkins / R. Kalkbrenner / R. Nembhard Creighton
3) Z. Freemantle / A. Kunkel / J. Nunge / D. Odom / P. Scruggs Xavier
4) G. Elliott / O. Ighodaro / T. Kolek / J. Lewis / D. Morsell Marquette
5) J. Hunter / C. Jones / A. Kunkel / J. Nunge / P. Scruggs Xavier
6) C. Daniels / E. Dixon / C. Gillespie / J. Moore / J. Samuels Villanova
7) K. Jones / T. Kolek / K. Kuath / J. Lewis / O. Prosper Marquette
8) B. Aiken / M. Cale / J. Rhoden / T. Samuel / A. Yetna Seton Hall
9) J. Hunter / N. Johnson / C. Jones / D. Miles / P. Scruggs Xavier

Interesting and none of the three Xavier alternatives mirrors our starting lineup for the last three games. Be interesting to see what we do against Marquette. They are on a tear and we cannot afford another slow start. The crowd will be a little more enthusiastic than what we saw last night in Chicago think?.

[longliveskip]

i'm not sure if the STARTING lineup is really the biggest issue, although some of you may point to the fact that we've struggled in the first half the last 3 games but we haven't necessarily struggled right from the start. heck, we got up 7-0 immediately on Creighton. DePaul took a little bit but it wasn't like we were down double digits in 5 minutes. Travis has a done a great job the last few games at figuring out what lineup combos were working well and stuck with them. Heck, Nate barely played in the 2nd half against Creighton. Kunkel and Odom weren't in very often in the 2nd half vs DePaul.

i don't think Nunge NEEDS to start as having him come off the bench has been more effective for him and then he won't get in "early" foul trouble.

Freemantle just needs to play better. his D vs Creighton improved, especially in the 2nd half but then he digressed vs DePaul. he is what he is. if he struggles on D then he needs to be able to bring more O to the table. for humor sake, i really need a GIF/meme made of him falling for that ball fake and getting dunked on. that was bad.

i'm fine with Hunter starting as well. i don't really like ANY lineup with Colby at the 4 except maybe: Scruggs, Kunkel, Nate, Colby, Nunge. maybe Odom for Kunkel there.

[Biggernlife]

That lineup might have trouble with consistent rebounding

Why would there be rebounding trouble here. Colby is our best rebounder and ytd. Freemantle has been a fraction of his last years rebounding strength. Nunge holds his own and Johnson and Scruggs are capable rebounders for guards. Kunkel always grabs a few. Sadly this year Free is a defensive liability. I’d love to see Miles get minutes with Nunge to see how that would work.
Somehow I don’t think it will ever happen. Lastly, does any one but me ever wonder why we haven’t looked as good ever since Free returned to the lineup? Check out how we did since his return and how we did as a team.

[pdxmuskie]

I have not wondered why X has not looked as good since Free returned. It is because he returned. The flow is worse on offense and he plays terrible defense. Free was never a great player. He is great offensively against teams without long athletic bigs but is very inefficient against those types of bigs. He is often out of position defensively and loves missing 3 pointers.

He has great moments and he can be an asset but playing him big minutes is generally detrimental.

I'm ok with Jones at 4 during stretches and against certain matchups. The team is capable of going small but also capable of playing well with 2 bigs. Freemantle is better when Nunge is on the floor with him. I haven't analyzed it but my guess is Nunge is around to offset some of his defensive lapses.

Hunter is a good player. His shot selection is questionable at times but he is long and athletic. His shot has been falling with more consistency recently, possibly a reversion to the mean if he is truly a 31% 3 point shooter.

I favor multiple starting lineups based on the competition. Combine that with flexibility to adjust if expectations are not realized and it is very hard for teams to game plan against X. Generally, I would start Nunge. It is easier to play him significant minutes without keeping him in too long. I would consider starting Miles to increase the odds of winning the tip and to see what to expect from him. I do not see any reason to ever start Free, other than due to injury or sickness. I have nothing against Freemantle as a person, I do not know him at all. I simply think he has not developed a complete game and does not put Xavier in the best position to win. He is useful in spurts and there will be games where he will deserve extended minutes as he has proven in various games last year.