Musketeer Madness

I think we need more scoring to take some pressure off Olivari and Claude. It's not realistic for Olivari to keep shooting the three at that rate. If I was defending Xavier I would play a lot of zone defense and when not playing zone I would trap and double team Olivari to keep the ball out of his hands. So where will the scoring come from. I believe like Connecticut72 says that Green is playing to fast and rushing his shot. If he would use the screens more and slow down a hair I think we would see the ball go in more. I think Green could easily average 4-5 points more a game if he slowed down. Another guy who I think could help more is Ciani. He is a very good position rebounder and has lost his confidence around the basket. He brings the ball down and gets the ball knocked away . Because he doesn't have the explosion or second bounce like a Brian Grant or Basketball Jones he hesitates under the basket . What he needs to do is create some space for himself with his shoulder and mix in some head fakes and ball fakes to create some fouls. I think he could easily get 3-4 more points a game. Matt Stainbrook and Murphy were not leapers but very effective around the basket. So I think more Green and Ciani and less Djokovic and Swain. I know Green can't cover anyone and we don't really have a a shot blocker but I think it would make life a lot easier on Claude and Olivari on the offensive end. If they could contribute another 8-10 points a game it would really help. I think Green an Ciani average about 15-16 minutes a game. They would probably need closer to 20 minutes a game to pick up their scoring. I would also like to see Nemeiksa get more time. He's pretty good at receiving the ball at the foul line when the other team plays a zone. Go X

I'm not overly concerned with scoring. The team needs to play aggressive defense on a consistent basis. Great defense creates opportunities on offense. They need to consistently limit the other teams 2nd and 3rd change opportunities. They also need to avoid unforced turnovers and limit shots outside players core competency.

I do worry about teams keying on Olivari as he has been our only consistent outside threat.

Green has everything he needs to be a good defender. He has to decide to consistently defend but he is one of the best on the team for generating steals. His shooting percentage is on the rise since the beginning of the year but he does rush/force shots from time to time. He will be needed so hopefully he can get increased playing time sooner than later.

I like Swain. He is mostly a situational player at this point but he consistently brings energy and effort. He plays within his skillset but is still learning that there are a lot of great athletes at the college level. Swain and Green will be huge for Xavier in the years ahead.

Until Xavier gets consistent outside shooting from someone other than Olivari, defense is a must for generating wins. Outscoring teams isn't going to work for this team. Different players will hopefully step up each game to knock down open 3s to improve spacing, generating better offensive flow and increased scoring but defense is still going to be key.