Tag: xavier basketball

Texas sends Xavier packing, advances to Elite Eight with 83-71 win

Texas will face the Miami Hurricanes Sunday with a chance to reach its first Final Four since 2003.

For the first time since 2008, the Texas Longhorns are headed to the Elite Eight. Interim head coach Rodney Terry and company won in dominant fashion.

The Longhorns never trailed in the game after a fast 8-2 start. Texas point guard Marcus Carr led the scoring charge early with 18 points on the game. While the Texas offense was scorching hot, the effort on the defensive end may have won the game for the Longhorns.

Xavier shot 43.8% from the field. It didn’t feel like the percentage was that high. Musketeer post player Jack Nunge shot a woeful 6-for-19 on field goal attempts, many of which were layups or in close range. The strong defensive performance by Texas occurred for the most part without Dylan Disu, who suffered a lower body injury early.

Tyrese Hunter finished with the highest mark totaling 19 points for the game. Christian Bishop followed with 18 of his own, with Sir’Jabari Rice adding 16 points for the team.

Texas will face the Miami Hurricanes Sunday with a chance to reach its first Final Four since 2003.

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How to watch No. 2 Texas vs. No. 3 Xavier in the Sweet 16

Don’t miss Texas in the Sweet 16 on Friday night for the first time since 2008.

Two of the best teams in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament will face off in the Sweet 16 this week. Continue reading “How to watch No. 2 Texas vs. No. 3 Xavier in the Sweet 16”

Texas head coach Rodney Terry simply gets it done in March

Rodney Terry ain’t it? Nah, he’s “it.”

Texas head coach Rodney Terry did more over the last week than he did in his time prior as the Longhorns’ leader. Terry won two NCAA Tournament games.

I have marveled at the notion some have put forth, that NCAA Tournament results don’t matter. Some assert it would be irresponsible to make a decision based on one or two random results in the tournament. In reality, coaches have significant impact over tournament results because of long TV timeouts and halftimes in which they can strategize.

Frankly, it would be far more unpredictable to hire Terry before getting it done in March. Until this season, he had made one NCAA Tournament appearance in ten seasons as a head coach. Like it or not, he had to prove he could win in the tournament. That’s exactly what Terry did on Saturday.

The Longhorns are going to the Sweet 16 and Rodney Terry is a huge reason for their success. The questions over whether or not he can win in the NCAA Tournament are gone. Now, he sets out to prove how far he can take the team in March.

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Perspective on No. 2 Texas’ huge win over No. 10 Penn State

We look at what a trip to the Sweet 16 means for the program and Rodney Terry.

The Texas Longhorns advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2008. On the surface, Texas defeated a bad basketball program historically and a mere No. 10 seed. In reality, the win gives the program a monumental boost in perception and internal confidence.

The Penn State Nittany Lions entered the game as one of the better three-point shooting teams in the country. The team shot especially well against the Texas A&M Aggies two days earlier. Thanks to some luck and what was at times an excellent defensive performance by the Longhorns, Penn State went cold from the three-point line.

On average, Penn State connected on just over 10 three-point baskets per game. Against Texas, the Nittany Lions made just 8 of 28 from long range. Albeit, the Longhorns shot a much worse 1-for-13 from behind the arc.

Let’s look at what Texas accomplished by pulling out an improbable win.

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Kennesaw State coach Amir Abdur-Rahim tearfully reflected about his program’s progress after Xavier loss

This was awesome from Kennesaw State coach Amir Abdur-Rahim.

After making school history and coming close to a major March Madness upset, Kennesaw State head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim didn’t hide how much the moment meant to him in a postgame interview.

As he sat with a host of his players, Abdur-Rahim became visibly emotional talking about how far the program had come to get to the 2023 NCAA men’s tournament.

A teary Abdur-Rahim said he was crying “tears of joy” at all his team had accomplished in going from rebuilding years to winning the Atlantic Sun Conference for the first time and making the Big Dance.

“We made a commitment to this university,” Abdur-Rahim said. “We made a commitment to these guys sitting next to me, man, that we were going to show up every day for, and when you get to a place like this…again, these are tears of joy because it takes a special group of people to commit to something and stay, to see that vision through.”

That is just awesome perspective from Abdur-Rahim after such a tough loss.

Kennesaw State has been one of the best stories out of this college hoops season, and they’ll be contenders for years to come when there are people like Abdur-Rahim leading the charge.

This crooked rim created chaos for NCAA tournament games and may explain Iowa State’s rough start

This doesn’t seem fair.

No. 6 Iowa State and No. 11 Pittsburgh had a delayed start to their first-round game in the NCAA tournament caused by a crooked rim at Greensboro Coliseum.

The Midwest Region game followed a wild comeback from No. 4 Xavier to survive an upset bid by No. 14 Kennesaw State. During the victory, with less than a minute left on the clock, Xavier’s Souley Boum missed a wide-open layup following a pass from teammate Colby Jones.

It was one of several crucial shots that didn’t fall for Xavier, who won the game despite the missed field goals. But the troubles may have continued into the following game considering Iowa State was not able to warm up as expected.

UPDATE: The NCAA issued a statement noting that Iowa State was offered additional warmup time but declined.

Although NCAA tournament officials made sure that the rim was level before the game finally tipped off, Pittsburgh was able to warm up before the game.

The Cyclones, however, were not. When the game finally started, Iowa State missed each of their first twelve attempts from the field and did not make any of their field goals until over ten games of game time had passed.

All five of the starters for Pittsburgh made field goals before a single player on Iowa State was able to connect. After trailing 21-2, the Cyclones went on a 17-4 run to cut the deficit to 26-19.

While we don’t know if this was the reason why the Cyclones had such a slow start, the two teams will switch rims at the end of the first half.

If the Panthers also struggle to connect from the field, it’s time that we all start to raise some eyebrows about whether or not the crooked rim was ever legitimately fixed.

Either way, however, it seems a bit unfair that Pittsburgh was able to warm up before the game but Iowa State was not given the same opportunity before tipoff.

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Xavier survives Kennesaw State upset bid on a very questionable non-call before the buzzer

Was this a foul on Xavier during its win over Kennesaw State or a smart non-call?

After nearly pulling off the incredible upset, the No. 14 Kennesaw State Owls couldn’t quite hold on against No. 3 Xavier on Friday in the 2023 NCAA men’s tournament.

After the Owls led by 13 down the stretch, the Musketeers mounted a ferocious upset and put the game on razor’s edge as the final moments winded down.

With Xavier up 68-67 with just a few seconds to go, Kennesaw State guard Terrell Burden drove to the basket and had his shot blocked by Xavier forward Jack Nunge.

Owls guard Spencer Rodgers snagged the rebound and got some contact from Musketeers forward Colby Jones and guard Jerome Hunter. However, the refs held the whistles on Xavier, and Kennesaw State couldn’t turn the possession into a game-winning basket.

Xavier would hold onto win and advance, 72-67.

Some folks felt that Rodgers got fouled on the sequence, but CBS officiating analyst Gene Steratore said that the officials were wise to let the play fall as it did.

After such an exciting game, nobody likes to see the final horn sound with questionable officiating souring the final result.

Kennesaw State had a lot to be proud of for the school’s first NCAA men’s tournament bid, but the ending will undoubtedly sting.

Georgia State hires former Georgia basketball star

The Georgia State Panthers have hired former Georgia Bulldogs basketball player Jonas Hayes as their head coach.

The Georgia State Panthers have hired former Georgia Bulldogs basketball player Jonas Hayes as their head coach. Hayes served as Xavier’s interim head coach as the Musketeers won the 2022 NIT.

Hayes played for Georgia from 2001-2004 and helped the Bulldogs make the 2002 NCAA Tournament. His named frequently came up as a potential candidate for Georgia basketball’s new head coach, but ultimately the Dawgs hired former Florida coach Mike White.

The Georgia State Panthers finished their 2021-2022 season with a 18-11 record. Georgia State won the Sun Belt conference tournament and made the 2022 NCAA Tournament before losing to top-seeded Gonzaga in the first round.

Jonas Hayes of the Georgia Bulldogs averaged 8.5 points and 4.9 rebounds during his college career with Georgia and Western Carolina. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

Hayes has previously served as an assistant coach at Morehouse, South Carolina State, Belmont Abbey, Georgia, and Xavier. Hayes coached at Georgia from 2013-2018 during the Mark Fox era.

Georgia State basketball’s official Twitter account announced Hayers’ hiring:

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Xavier vs Butler College Basketball Prediction, Game Preview

Xavier vs Butler prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Wednesday.

Xavier vs Butler prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Wednesday, March 9

Xavier vs Butler How To Watch

Date: Wednesday, March 9
Game Time: 4:30 ET
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
How To Watch: FS1
Record: Xavier (18-12), Butler (13-18)
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– Today’s Best Bet to Lock in Now

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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

Xavier vs Butler Game Preview, Big East Conference Tournament

Why Xavier Will Win

There’s the Xavier we all knew and loved – even if it was just for a day.

It’s been a harsh February going 1-7 before hanging 97 on Georgetown just to show that the scoring punch really is there. As bad as things were before that, it all started with a win over Butler – the Musketeers beat the Bulldogs twice.

Xavier might be struggling, but Butler has collapsed losing its last five games with the offense falling flat and way too many problems on the boards. However …

– Latest Polls AP | Coaches

Why Butler Will Win

Xavier is having a hard time shooting from the outside.

It might have nailed everything against Georgetown, but who doesn’t?

It’s been impossible for the team to get to 30% from three on a regular basis, and Butler has to use the break to own the inside. As is, the Bulldogs are good at guarding the three.

On the other side, the offense has to hit from the outside. This is a much, much different team when it’s making its threes. It takes a ton of them, but it doesn’t make them.

Get to 40% from three, and Butler doesn’t lose. But …

– Top 25 Game Previews, Predictions

Xavier vs Butler: What’s Going To Happen

Xavier has only allowed five teams to get to 40% from three.

Again, neither team is playing all that well, but Xavier is scoring and Butler isn’t. The defenses should take over, but the Musketeers will be far, far more efficient and will be a wee bit stronger from the free throw line.

Xavier vs Butler Prediction, Lines

Xavier 66, Butler 59
Line: Xavier -5.5, o/u: 131
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5

– CFN Latest NFL Mock Draft: Post-Combine

Must See Rating: 2

5: King Otto
1: Lost City

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2022 College Football Schedules: All 131 Teams

Xavier vs Providence Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview

Xavier vs Providence prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Wednesday.

Xavier vs Providence prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Wednesday, February 23

Xavier vs Providence How To Watch

Date: Wednesday, February 23
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: Dunkin Donuts Center, Providence, RI
How To Watch: CBS Sports Network
Record: Xavier (17-9), Providence (22-3)
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Xavier vs Providence Game Preview

Why Xavier Will Win

The Musketeers are struggling, but they’re shooting well.

They couldn’t hit anything in the loss to UConn, but before that they were more than fine long as they weren’t shooting threes. The extra passes and assists have been there, the free throw opportunities are coming, and the mistakes are kept to a relative minimum.

Providence is getting lit up from the field. Villanova went off from three in its win a few days ago, Butler shot well in its overtime loss, and teams are doing a good job of moving the ball around on the Friar D.

However …

– Latest Polls AP | Coaches

Why Providence Will Win

Xavier can’t stop anyone.

What’s the problem over this run of four losses in five games? The Musketeers are getting destroyed inside and out. UConn couldn’t hit a thing in the 74-68 Xavier win, and a few days later in the rematch went off from three.

St. John’s hit 54% from the field, DePaul was on fire at home, and back in late January, Providence was able to come up with timely threes to get by 65-62.

It’s normally a great defensive team that forces a ton of mistakes, but Providence isn’t turning the ball over lately – just 15 turnovers in the last two games – while doing a strong job on the offensive boards.

– Top 25 Game Previews, Predictions

What’s Going To Happen

The Xavier slide continues.

It has the ability to crank up the production and clamp down defensively, but the defense hasn’t been strong enough.

Providence finally showed it’s vulnerable at home with the loss to Villanova a few days ago, but this will be the opposite of the 89-84 game. This will be low scoring and a grind, but the Friars will be on the right side with the offense moving the ball around well.

Xavier vs Providence Prediction, Lines

Providence 67, Xavier 63
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
ATS Confidence out of 5: COMING

Must See Rating: 3.5

5: A shorter baseball season with more games that matter
1: Baseball season during football season

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2022 College Football Schedules: All 131 Teams