Wednesday, March 01, 2000
Xavier fighting for NCAA life
A-10 showdown: Muskies, Bonnies both on bubble
BY MICHAEL PERRY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — Here is what's at stake in tonight's Xavier-St. Bonaventure basketball game: The loser probably will need to win the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament to get an NCAA Tournament berth. If not, the NIT awaits.
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XU at ST. BONAVENTURE
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• When: 7:30p.m. today
• Where: Reilly Center (6,000), St.Bonaventure, N.Y.
• Records: Xavier 18-9 (8-6 Atlantic 10); SBU 17-8 (9-5)
• TV: Channel 64
• Radio: WLW-AM (700)
BY THE NUMBERS
• 6 feet, 101/2 inches: Average height of players who have hit Kevin Frey in the head (Simon Ogunlesi, Garrett Bragg)
• 270 pounds: Average weight of same two opponents
• 6-8, 230: Frey's height and weight
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The winner will be in position to be the third team from the league to get to the NCAA — should the selection committee take a third A-10 team. And that's barring a conference tournament upset. Temple and Dayton are considered locks.
St.Bonaventure was No.58 in Tuesday's Ratings Percentage Index, Xavier No.72. Both teams are on the NCAA bubble.
The Musketeers have 18 victories, including one over No.2 Cincinnati, and are in third place in the A-10 West by a half-game behind George Washington, which defeated Massachusetts on Tuesday night.
The Bonnies have 17 victories, including one over No.5 Temple, and are in second place in the A-10 East, a half game ahead of UMass.
“This is it,” SBU coach Jim Baron said after his team defeated St.Joseph's 83-74 last Saturday. “It's showtime down the stretch.”
XU has won four of five against the Bonnies since joining the A-10.
St.Bonaventure started this season 12-2 and after beating the Owls appeared NCAA Tournament-bound, but it has gone just 5-6 since Jan.15. It has received top-25 votes every week since Dec.5 but has yet to break into the poll.
If the Bonnies get to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1978, it will be largely thanks to senior Tim Winn.
The 5-foot-10 point guard all but won the St.Joseph's game for the Bonnies, scoring 16 of his 22 points in the second half and finishing with five assists, three steals, a season-high eight rebounds and just two turnovers.
Winn is one of the best players in the Atlantic 10. He is quick, a steady leader and makes good decisions. He is dangerous on the offensive end and considered one of the league's top defensive players.
“I really think he is as important to their team as (Pepe) Sanchez is to Temple,” XU coach Skip Prosser said. “He plays like a four-year senior starter, and really everything goes through him. He's the catalyst for so much of what they do.
“The team really feeds off of his energy, his enthusiasm. He carries himself well. He just plays, he doesn't emote overly so. He's one of those guys who lets his game speak for itself.”
The problem for the Musketeers is they can't focus too much on stopping Winn. For one, it's difficult to deny him the ball since he always seems to have it in his hands.
And, he has several capable teammates, including a veteran frontline of senior Caswell Cyrus — the three-time league leader in blocked shots — and junior Peter Van Paassen, one of the most improved players in the Atlantic 10. Those two combine for 22.9 points and 13.3 rebounds a game.
Xavier did a good job against Winn last season at the Cincinnati Gardens, holding him to 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting and forcing seven turnovers.
This is the first time Maurice McAfee will play the majority of the game against Winn.
“He's one of the elite point guards in the Atlantic 10,” McAfee said. “I'm looking forward to it. It'll be a good challenge. I don't fear anybody, but I respect him. I've just got to play my game and try to contain him.”
Winn leads the Bonnies in scoring, assists, steals, 3-pointers, free throw shooting and — despite his height — is third in rebounding (4.0 a game).
He is the only player in St.Bonaventure history to amass 1,000 career points (1,325), 400 assists (421), 300 rebounds (374) and 300 steals (301).
“It's incredible,” Baron said. “... All you need him to do now is pump gas. He's doing it all. He's one of the best to ever come through here, in my opinion.
“Defensively he's just a terror. He has a tremendous passion and he'll do whatever it takes to win. He's been a real pleasure to coach.”
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