NCAA Second Round, West Region: (3) Pittsburgh vs. (6) Xavier

• Non

  

  Sunday, TBA
  
  Xavier defeated Minnesota 65-54
  
  Jordan Crawford carried the load offensively with 28 points. No other Xavier played reached double figures but Jamel McLean had 14 rebounds.
  
  Pitt used a balanced attack with six players in double figures in an 89-66 win over Oakland.
• Non

  

  This will be in the late threesome Sunday.
  
  Approx. 5:10 start
• Swamp Fox

  This should be a good one. I'm going to go with the Panthers by 7. I'm not even sure why, it's just a feeling.
• Mulva

  

  I have Xavier in this one, and almost picked them into the Elite 8. They have a very good team.
• CinciX12

  

  Our guards are a little better than Pitt's. I think they focus too much on Crawford and Jackson and Holloway have good days and X ends up taking one. One I didn't think we could get before our performance against Minny.
• Non

  

  tipping off at 5:08
• Terry_Tate

  

  I think Xavier wins. Pitt has done nothing to really impress me(even though I honestly haven't watched them play that much). I just think Jordan Crawford will be too much to handle.
• killer_ewok

  

  Good luck, Panthers.
• Non

  

  Pitt needs the big guy McGhee to have a good game.
  
  They ask more of him than he's capable. He's very limited but played a strong game in the first round.
  
  If he doesn't give them something, they're too much relying on the guards.
• THE4RINGZ

  

  Pitt will try to step up the physicality of the game and look to pound inside on both ends of the court
• CinciX12

  

  THE4RINGZ wrote: Pitt will try to step up the physicality of the game and look to pound inside on both ends of the court

  If they do that they will lose. X has a ton of big guys to beat them up down low. X has Kenny Frease who is essentially worthless other than being an expert in bad passes and not getting rebounds to give us 5 fouls.
  
  We need a fast start, lets get some confidence out of the gate.
• Terry_Tate

  

  That might have been the lowest trajectory on any 3 I've seen made. No idea how that just went in.
• Non

  

  7-7
  
  looked like an even matchup the first four minutes
• Non

  

  although I think Love with his agility could dominate
  
  if he is assertive enough
• CinciX12

  

  X games are very predictable. When Frease goes in (#32) we will go down by 5, he comes in for Love, and then when Love comes back in we play better. That will happen. Mark it down.
• CinciX12

  

  Fucking Frease..here we go. As I type he does something well though.
• Terry_Tate

  

  Hahaha. The reverse jinx on Frease. Comes in and makes a nice pass. Watching Frease run the court makes me laugh though. Just head down and chugs it. No matter how fast he goes always seems to be the slowest person.
• CinciX12

  

  I didn't watch any of Pitt this year. It really seems as though we are carbon copies of each other though right now.
• Terry_Tate

  

  Crawford just seemed to do too much.
  
  Good call by the refs for not calling it anything but a regular foul. Just a good hustle play. Looked much worse than it was.
  
  And Brad Redford is in. Watch out for the long bombs. And is that all he does is just shoot 3's?
• Non

  

  Pitt is very perimeter oriented this year.
  
  Not like they've been in the past where they've had the offensive player in the post like Blair, Taft or Aaron Gray to a degree.
  
  The inside players don't have any post moves.
  
  The guards play bigger than they are but they're still relying too much on them.
• CinciX12

  

  Redford's defense is VERY suspect. Always has been. X fans are divided into 2 camps on playing him.
• Terry_Tate

  

  By the way, I don't think Xavier could ask for a better coach than Chris Mack. Pure Xavier guy, seems to be a really good coach, and I don't see any way he ever leaves Xavier unless it's due to poor job performance. After all the previous coaches leaving has to be nice as an X fan to have a pure Xavier guy as coach.
• Terry_Tate

  

  And sure enough, Redford in and hits a dagger. Doing his job very well.
• CinciX12

  

  Terry_Tate wrote: By the way, I don't think Xavier could ask for a better coach than Chris Mack. Pure Xavier guy, seems to be a really good coach, and I don't see any way he ever leaves Xavier unless it's due to poor job performance. After all the previous coaches leaving has to be nice as an X fan to have a pure Xavier guy as coach.

  Couldn't have said it better myself.
  
  Where the hell is sherm. Probably drinking somewhere haha. I feel alone.
• CinciX12

  

  Holy hell did you Redford just do that?