Wednesday, March 15, 2000
Xavier gets another chance
Muskies faces bad memory in Marquette
BY MICHAEL PERRY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Xavier assistant coach Mark Schmidt, who prepares the scouting report for Marquette, watched tape of the Musketeers' first game against the Golden Eagles and said it was like seeing two different Xavier teams.
The first half, XU shot 56.5 percent from the field and held Marquette to 25.9 percent shooting. Xavier had only six turnovers and led by 16 points.
The second half, XU shot 26.7 percent, Marquette 53.3 percent. The Musketeers had eight turnovers and only forced six. Xavier lost 65-63.
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MARQUETTE at XU
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• What: National Invitation Tournament, first round.
• When: 7:30p.m. today
• Where: Cincinnati Gardens (10,100)
• Records: Marquette 15-13, Xavier 20-11
• TV: None
• Radio: WLW-AM (700)
• Tickets: $18, $15, $11
BY THE NUMBERS
›6: Previous NIT appearances for Xavier.
• 14-5: XU's all-time NIT record
• 54-3: XU's home record the past four seasons.
• 77-8: XU's home record in Skip Prosser's six seasons as coach.
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“It's frustrating because we know when we play well how good we can be,” Schmidt said, “and when we play bad how bad we can be.”
The rematch is 7:30 p.m. today at Cincinnati Gardens in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament.
Over the past four seasons, the Musketeers have faced 15 teams a second time after losing the first meeting; they avenged the first 14 before losing twice this year to St. Bonaventure.
XU has won 30 of its last 31 games at the Gardens and captured 25 in a row against non-conference opponents, dating back to a 99-90 loss to Cincinnati on Jan. 17, 1996.
Coach Skip Prosser said Sunday that the biggest question facing his team was how badly did it want to keep playing? He's been happy with the answer.
“I think we've had two much better workouts than we had last year at this time,” he said. “I think we'll play hard. We just have to sustain it.”
The Jan. 2 loss at Marquette was the first of three times Xavier would blow a double-digit second-half lead. Schmidt called it “a microcosm of the season.”
What he saw in the first 20 minutes: A Xavier team aggressive in its full-court press and on the offensive end. Good decisions and solid half court defense on Marquette's top threats Brian Wardle and John Cliff (they finished a combined 10-of-25 from the field with 27 points).
What Schmidt saw after XU led by 18: A Xavier team that took quick shots, tried to go one-on-one too often, stopped looking to pass the ball inside and stopped boxing out for rebounds.
“We forgot what got us the lead,” Schmidt said. “When we don't show poise and teams make runs at us, we fall apart. Give them credit, they played hard in the second half and we didn't.”
Now in the NIT, both teams begin a second season of sorts. The winner advances to face the winner of tonight's Michigan-Notre Dame game at a site yet to be determined early next week.
The other four teams in Xavier's quarter of the bracket: Bowling Green, Brigham Young, Southern Illinois and Colorado. The Musketeers could not meet former coach Pete Gillen and his Virginia team until the finals or consolation game. The Cavaliers play Georgetown tonight.
While Xavier went on from its loss at Marquette to go 3-5 in January, the Golden Eagles were in the midst of winning six of seven games that put them at 11-4.
“It was very much a springboard for our season,” Marquette coach Tom Crean said. “I don't think there's any way we beat a South Florida on the road or a DePaul on the road if we don't win the Xavier game.
“... The players just really got better the entire year. Their improvement has been fantastic. Their attitude has been fantastic. The thing that's really made it fun for me is to watch them come together, not just on the floor ... but really come together as a unit. For all them to have the opportunity now to experience postseason is great.”
Coming off a 14-15 season, Marquette's 15-13 record and postseason berth is considered a nice accomplishment for Crean, in his first year.
“I know our players are excited to be playing,” Crean said. “I don't think it's situation where they breathed a sigh of relief just because they're in. I think they're really looking forward to seeing what they can do.”
X FILES: XU sophomore Lloyd Price returned to practice Tuesday after missing two days. Asked whether Price would play tonight, Prosser said, “I don't know yet.”
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