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I'm curious tho. The very early preseason rankings that came out includes Xavier in the top 10. This was before they lost 3 bodies to transfer. Now were those bodies that great? Who knows. We never really got a chance to see them play. But it sure doesn't help

If both teams stay healthy all year. I can see us both having pretty similar seasons finishing close in the rankings
 
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Are we watching for college success, or NBA potential? At least for this upcoming season, I'll take Caupain over Sumner easily. Not sure who I'd pick if both were seniors, since you can't compare that yet, but Caupain is more ready to win now. Proven leader who gets more assists, turns it over less, and has a better jumper. Trevon Bluiett is an absolute stud and I'd say he's the best out of UC & X combined, but Sumner isn't there yet. He's still a relatively raw athletic freak.
I think you'll see Evans close the gap on Bluiett this season. TC and Sumner are different players but play the PG. Both have areas to improve and both have strengths.
 
I'm curious tho. The very early preseason rankings that came out includes Xavier in the top 10. This was before they lost 3 bodies to transfer. Now were those bodies that great? Who knows. We never really got a chance to see them play. But it sure doesn't help

If both teams stay healthy all year. I can see us both having pretty similar seasons finishing close in the rankings
I'm predicting right now we beat X this season.
 
Lol.....I'm sorry but I have to agree 100% with Jacob. There's no comparison between Sumner and Caupain. If we had Sumner, I would feel a ton better about matching up with Xavier. Let's put it this way, even if Cumberland has earned the starting nod, KJ will have to start and play most of the game because Caupain couldn't guard Sumner in a phone booth. And then Troy would have to guard Macura and that wouldn't happen either. It's our home game and our only hope is that Xavier keeps losing players to jail or purgatory or wherever.

No coach in UC history has ever lost 4 straight to Xavier, so the odds say we should win. My eyeballs say differently. By the end of December, we'll have a much better feel than we have today.
 
I'm predicting right now we beat X this season.

Dang!!! I hope you're right. It's my least favorite game every year because I can't stand losing to them. Plus, I take little satisfaction when we do win because, in my old brain, that's the way it's supposed to go.

That said, for the past 10 years plus, beating those guys means a quality OOC win.

I really want to beat them this year - at home.
 
Lol.....I'm sorry but I have to agree 100% with Jacob. There's no comparison between Sumner and Caupain. If we had Sumner, I would feel a ton better about matching up with Xavier. Let's put it this way, even if Cumberland has earned the starting nod, KJ will have to start and play most of the game because Caupain couldn't guard Sumner in a phone booth. And then Troy would have to guard Macura and that wouldn't happen either. It's our home game and our only hope is that Xavier keeps losing players to jail or purgatory or wherever.

No coach in UC history has ever lost 4 straight to Xavier, so the odds say we should win. My eyeballs say differently. By the end of December, we'll have a much better feel than we have today.
I like Sumner's game better as well. My point is they are two completely different styles but play the same position. I was hoping Sumner would stay in the draft. I have always felt TC was more of a Combo guard then PG but then he shows up like at UCONN and well..... Think you may be underestimating our talent a bit. We will be X!!!
 
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Dang!!! I hope you're right. It's my least favorite game every year because I can't stand losing to them. Plus, I take little satisfaction when we do win because, in my old brain, that's the way it's supposed to go.

That said, for the past 10 years plus, beating those guys means a quality OOC win.

I really want to beat them this year - at home.
we are going to do it.
 
Sumner isn't relied on as heavily as we rely on Caupain. That's why the stats aren't there. Caupain should be a better shooter hands down, but needs to be more consistent with the jumper himself. Sumner is perfect for what they do, and he was a huge part of a 2 seed team as a FR and why they are Top 10 coming into this year. I like Caupain, but we're 2-6 in the postseason with him getting the most minutes at PG and haven't been seeded nearly as well. He has to deliver this year.

Our freshman Jacob Evans did more in 1 tourney game then sumner did in 2 combined. Also Evans single handedly brought his team back in the game. Sumner lowered his shoulder and ended up losing the game for his team and did nothing to help them in their 2 tourney games.

Sumner is getting all the hype because X was good last year but he is not yet a star by any means. And when we play him, I want to play physical D on him. Evans had a very good freshman season and only started in the back half of it but bc we underachieved as a team, he gets less hype.

Sumner didn't shoot well. Turned the ball over a lot and in no way has the NBA type body that Evans has. And i know they technically play different positions but I'm comparing freshman vs freshmsn and just showing how if your team doesn't perform you won't get the same hype as you will if they do .
Evans was one of the best in the country at protecting the ball and I truly believe if TC wasn't around, Evans could easily be a Pg (I think he played pg in high school years).

As for Xavier vs UC... 1. I think we beat them this year 2. They do have the better overall team, but people are really forgetting how great James farr was for them last year. He is the reason they won't a bunch of games with his great rebounding and the way he turned into a great post scorer. They won't miss Reynolds but Farr imo was the reason Xavier went from good to great last year. And I'm game against Wisconsin, Farr barely played , had just a few rebounds and only 2 points and they lost, to a team that plays maybe slower than we do

When we play Xavier, the guy I fear is Myles Davis. Xavier seniors always play extremely well against us and that's the guy that worries me. We intimidate blueitt and shut him down , just like we always do on most teams topscorers , but i can see Davis causing us issues
 
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I count that game as a loss on are schedule

I don't think it's fair to count any game a loss on UC schedule but maybe Duke (if we play them). We have shown the ability in the past few years to compete with every team. We have been blown out only a couple of times and even the few times we have lost by double digits some of those teams we have beat during the season (Temple 2 years ago we blew out and they blew us out. Houston Last year and SMU during the SK year).

UK in the second round 2 years ago I'd say was the only game going into I didn't expect to win. I would feel the same about Duke this year, but still won't be surprise if we make that a game and hopefully squeak out a win. Basically I don't think it's fair to mark a game like Xavier as a win but I understand the optimistic thinking and having good vibes, but it's def not fair to assume we lose either. That's ignorant.
 
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Check out @JonRothstein's Tweet: https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/770225162469990401?s=09

2017 tourney in the Cayman Islands. Featuring Iowa, Wyoming, UAB, UC as the headliners. Nice location, yawn on the opponents besides Iowa.

UAB has been one of the top CUSA teams for a while. Under the current coach, they have been on a steady rise. 15 wins the year before he was hired, then, 16, 18, 20, and 27. Wyoming has been up and down, but all-around, the tourney opponents are pretty decent.
 
I don't think it's fair to count any game a loss on UC schedule but maybe Duke (if we play them). We have shown the ability in the past few years to compete with every team. We have been blown out only a couple of times and even the few times we have lost by double digits some of those teams we have beat during the season (Temple 2 years ago we blew out and they blew us out. Houston Last year and SMU during the SK year).

UK in the second round 2 years ago I'd say was the only game going into I didn't expect to win. I would feel the same about Duke this year, but still won't be surprise if we make that a game and hopefully squeak out a win. Basically I don't think it's fair to mark a game like Xavier as a win but I understand the optimistic thinking and having good vibes, but it's def not fair to assume we lose either. That's ignorant.

I assume that Xavier will beat us. Based on recent outcomes, current rosters, and style of play. I obviously hope we win. Being at home should help.
 
I count that game as a loss on are schedule

Waite better be right about this game being a win. No Bearcat coach in history has lost to X four straight times. Only two have ever lost to them 3 straight times and Mick has accomplished that feat twice. If he loses this year, the naysayers might have a melt-down.
 
Waite better be right about this game being a win. No Bearcat coach in history has lost to X four straight times. Only two have ever lost to them 3 straight times and Mick has accomplished that feat twice. If he loses this year, the naysayers might have a melt-down.

As much as I hate losing to X and I do more than anything, to be fair X has been a top program under Micks tenure. While I'm not excusing any losses to them, none of them were upsets or bad losses (in terms of rankings). X gets off on beating UC. We for whatever reason don't treat the game the same way and that is the number one reason we struggle so mightily to beat them. I sadly assume that game is a loss anymore too. Mick needs to raise the level the team treats this game because not only do we go in playing a team wanting it more than us anymore were playing a team usually more talented than us. That's a recipe for disaster. Now we can argue recruiting and it's valid, but X has elevated it's program admirably in the past ten years and mick has a much tougher task in beating X than any coach in history. With all that said, for the love of God, BEAT X, ugh
 
As much as I hate losing to X and I do more than anything, to be fair X has been a top program under Micks tenure. While I'm not excusing any losses to them, none of them were upsets or bad losses (in terms of rankings). X gets off on beating UC. We for whatever reason don't treat the game the same way and that is the number one reason we struggle so mightily to beat them. I sadly assume that game is a loss anymore too. Mick needs to raise the level the team treats this game because not only do we go in playing a team wanting it more than us anymore were playing a team usually more talented than us. That's a recipe for disaster. Now we can argue recruiting and it's valid, but X has elevated it's program admirably in the past ten years and mick has a much tougher task in beating X than any coach in history. With all that said, for the love of God, BEAT X, ugh

X has definitely elevated their program and it has been much easier for them to do that with us stuck in the mud and spinning our tires under Mick. We let them storm past us and now reeling them back in will be a task. Based on what I have seen, I don't think Mick is up to the task. Our trend line is level or slightly declining since the Sweet 16. Nothing in the foreseeable future says anything will be different for our program. Again, all you have to look at is recruiting to understand that.
 
X has definitely elevated their program and it has been much easier for them to do that with us stuck in the mud and spinning our tires under Mick. We let them storm past us and now reeling them back in will be a task. Based on what I have seen, I don't think Mick is up to the task. Our trend line is level or slightly declining since the Sweet 16. Nothing in the foreseeable future says anything will be different for our program. Again, all you have to look at is recruiting to understand that.
I'll say it again. We will beat X this year. Mark it down.
 
X has definitely elevated their program and it has been much easier for them to do that with us stuck in the mud and spinning our tires under Mick. We let them storm past us and now reeling them back in will be a task. Based on what I have seen, I don't think Mick is up to the task. Our trend line is level or slightly declining since the Sweet 16. Nothing in the foreseeable future says anything will be different for our program. Again, all you have to look at is recruiting to understand that.

I don't disagree with any of that. My point solely was comparing Micks success vs. X vs. Past coaches isn't fair.

As an example and I don't know this to be 100 percent true, but if Tuberville beats Miami this year I'd venture to guess he'd be the first coach to bring home four straight victory bells.....
 
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