By Paul Casey Gotham
Setting: The Virgin Islands Sport & Fitness Center in St. Thomas is the site for the 2010 Paradise Jam tournament final. Blaine Taylor and his 3-1 Old Dominion Monarchs square off with Chris Mack and the 4-0 Xavier Musketeers.
Plot: It’s the Colonial Athletic Association versus the Atlantic 10 when these two schools meet. ODU and XU combined for a 3-2 record in last year’s NCAA tournament. Old Dominion beat Notre Dame 51-50 in the first round before falling to Baylor 76-68. Xavier knocked off Minnesota 65-54, trimmed Pittsburgh 71-68 before losing to Kansas State in double overtime 101-96.
Sub-plot: Old Dominion defeated St. Peter’s and Clemson to advance to the tonight’s game. The Monarchs lone loss of the season was a 62-59 season-opening decision to Georgetown. Xavier beat Iowa and Seton Hall to get to the finals.
Flashback: The Monarchs hold a 3-2 advantage in the series. The two teams have not met since the 1973-74 season.
Old Dominion has made 10 trips to the NCAA Tournament.
Seven different coaches have led the Musketeers to a total of 21 NCAA tournament appearances including Eight Eight showings in ’04 and ’08. Xavier and Michigan State are the only schools in men’s division one basketball to reach at least the Sweet Sixteen each of the last three seasons.
Foreshadowing: Eight Monarchs have gone on to the National Basketball Association including Dave Twardzik and Chris Gatling.
Seventeen Musketeers have suited up in the National Basketball Association including current stars Derrick Brown, Jordan Crawford, James Posey and David West.
Conflict: The good news for Musketeer fans is that Tu Holloway is establishing himself as the best point guard in the country.
The bad news for Musketeer fans is that Tu Holloway is establishing himself as the best point guard in the country.
Holloway leads the Muskies with 27 points and four assists per game. At times Sunday night, his teammates were content to watch as their point guard wielded his way through the Seton Hall defense. The Pirates identified this and made Holloway do extra work. By rotating players and employing a full-court press, Seton Hall whittled away at a ten-point halftime deficit. When Jeff Robinson knocked down a jumper with little over a minute to go in regulation, Seton Hall moved within two points of XU.
Xavier outlasted Seton Hall, but the precedent has been set. The Muskies can expect opponents to force Holloway’s hand, and his teammates will need to step up to the challenge.
The challenge increases when considering that sharpshooter, Brad Redford, is lost for the season, and forward, Andrew Taylor suffered a knee injury. Xavier’s short bench creates a dilemma.
Seton Hall backed into a 2-3 zone which frustrated Holloway’s dribble penetration. Rather than using quick passing, the Musketeers locked into penetrate and pitch mode. Seton Hall’s pressure wore out XU.
Fans can expect Old Dominion to use the same tact. Blaine Taylor has gone 10 deep on his bench, but his Monarchs do most their scoring around the rim.
The Monarchs have a +10 rebounding margin to begin the season. The Musketeers are minus one in the rebounding category. The Monarchs will want to play this game in the paint.
Ben Finney, Kent Bazemore and Frank Hassell have combined for over 36 points a game thus far. The trio has hit just seven shots from behind the arc. Hassell leads the way with 11 boards, and Finney adds six a game.
Trian Iliadis leads the Monarchs with six trifectas. The junior is connecting at a rate of 50 percent.
Jamel McLean and Kenny Frease will shoulder the burden in the paint. Playing with goggles to protect a fractured eye socket, McLean leads the Muskies with with 11 boards per game. The senior is grabbing almost two offensive rebounds a game and score seven a game. Frease gets six rebounds and scores just short of double digits at 9.5 per game. The 7′ junior has developed a jump hook that will give opponents fits.
Sophomore, Jeff Robinson has been a welcomed surprise. The 6’9″ forward has as many offensive boards as McLean and is scoring almost nine a game.
Xavier hits 33 percent from long range while holding opponents to 29 percent. Old Dominion hits 36 percent from behind the arc, but allows opponents 38 percent. The Musketeers will need to exploit this.
Dante Jackson and Mark Lyons will have to become more involved in the Musketeer offense. Both have shown themselves capable in the past. Jackson is Xavier’s most versatile player. At 6’5″ he is able of defending smaller players on the perimeter. At the same time, he can neutralize bigger players in the post.
Lyons lacked focus late in Sunday’s game. He looked tired and almost threw away a couple of passes. Xavier will need to count on the red-shirt sophomore to execute late in games.
Resolution: The second half of Sunday’s game was a wake-up call for the Musketeers. Old Dominion is an experienced bunch, but the X-Men are more talented. This will be a two-possession game with Xavier’s free-throw shooting proving the difference.
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