Basketball is back! The Cintas will be rocking tonight whne the season finally tips off.
The air has chilled, the sun has started setting at 5pm, the holidays are just around the corner, and college basketball has entered the fold to carry you through all of it. Xavier’s season kicks off tonight against the Tigers from Texas Southern. I’m too excited for this to start, so let’s end the preamble.
Team fingerprint
Under head coach Johnny Jones the Tigers’ identity has been a little all over the place. He has guided them to three tournament berths in his six seasons, so perhaps his adaptation has paid dividends. One consistent theme has been that his teams tend to sell out more defensively to force tough shots and turnovers. This has led to the obvious drawback of being leaky on the boards. On offense, offensive rebounds are also the game plan since these guys, historically, cannot shoot worth anything.
The players
The Tigers have two returning starters and a couple of transfers that are likely to be contributors. That being said, I have no clue how these dudes are going to line up tonight, so here’s some stats about some dudes.
Combo guard Jaylen Wysinger is the returner with the highest usage rate from a season where he mainly featured off the bench. Wysinger averaged about 6 per game and was not particularly efficient while doing it. Two big men also rejoin the Tigers in Kenny Hunter and Grayson Carter. Hunter swatted everything near the rim, regardless of whether that thing was an orange sphere or not. Carter did not block as many shots despite bringing more size to the equation.
One of the newcomers to the roster figures to be a big factor for Texas Southern. Alex Anderson comes in from Incarnate Word where he was a high usage guy with subpar efficiency. He does not love the three ball, and does most of his damage inside the arc and at the free throw line. He is also a fan of diming up teammates and opponents with equal regularity. What a nice guy. The other guy I could see starting is Jaylin Jackson-Posey, who fled the sinking ship that is New Mexico State. He is about the only dude on the roster who resembles a threat from deep with his career 33% mark.
Three keys
Win the battle on the boards – This can be a key for every game. One historic way that Texas Southern could threaten is by getting second chances and extra possessions. Seeing a frontcourt that controls the glass would be a welcome change in the Cintas.
Push the pace – Breakneck pace has become a staple of Miller’s second stint with X. Texas Southern fell towards the middle of the pack nationally when it came to adjusted tempo. X came in 31st in the same category. It’s not rocket science, just run them to death and get the easy ones.
Get the win – This game should not be tense. It should not be interesting. It should just be fun for X fans everywhere. Basketball is back and let’s hope our boys start us off 1-0.
Want more? Have a listen to our season preview.