Shady Springs Region: (1) Greg Ostertag vs (4) Keith Van Horn

On to the East we move as the first matchup of the Shady Springs, WV Region features a clash of two of the absolute whitest big men that have ever graced the league. The winner will advance to play the winner of Wednesday's matchup (#2 Jeff Horncaek vs. #3 Jason Kapono) to determine the winner of the Shady Springs Regional. Once again, we remind you the votes should be based off of ability to play fundamentally sound basketball, goofiness, upside, and most importantly, token white boy swag. A poll will open up on the right hand column for the next seven days. At the end of the week, the player with more votes obviously moves one step closer to the title.


Greg Ostertag
(click name for highlight video)
College: Kansas
Years in League: 1995-2005
Teams: Jazz, Kings

Oh. my. goodness. Where to begin with Greg Ostertag. The crafty one seed out of the Shady Springs regional is the first player featured in the tournament who quite frankly swings and misses on the concept of talent. Known around the league as "Postertag" for getting posterized so many times in his career, this 7'2" menace rocked the #00 with pride for the majority of his career alongside many other great whites in Utah. From his laser precision flat top to his tattoo of Fred Flinstone dunking on his calf, Greg Osterag practically screams white. One columnist noted after a game in 1999, "You couldn't slide a credit card under 'Tag's' vertical leap." Averaging nearly as many turnovers as points throughout his career, Ostertag will be remembered as perhaps the whitest man to not only play in the NBA, but to ever step foot on this earth.



Keith Van Horn
(click name for highlight video)
College: Utah
Years in League: 1997-2008
Teams: Nets, 76ers, Knicks, Bucks, Mavericks

Keith Van Horn is just one of those guys who was born to be a token white guy. He grew up idolizing Billy Cunningham, and he certainly made the Kangaroo Kid proud with the way he played the game. While he never played for the elite teams in the Mormon State (Cougars, Jazz), he did spend his collegiate career at Utah. He was drafted second overall and was a solid player in the league, averaging 16 points and 7 rebounds during his 11 seasons. His most important contribution, though, has to be his socks. Nothing brings out the whiteness in a player more than a good pair of knee highs. He is also known for gracing the cover of NBA Jam '99, which every self respecting person owns. Ever since he was stepped foot on the hardwood, Keith Van Horn- and his socks- did everything necessary to make certain that he would forever be remembered as a white boy legend.

VOTE!!

Provo Region : (2) Chris Mullin vs (3) Toni Kukoč

Our second matchup of the Provo Regional brings us a battle of 90s swingmen with the legendary Chris Mullin taking on The Croatian Sensation, Toni Kukoc. These two left-handed sharp shooters practically define white boy swag, but in a battle for the best, one player will have to pack their bags. The winner will face either John Stockton or Steve Blake in the West Region final. We remind you the votes should be based off of ability to play fundamentally sound basketball, goofiness, upside, and most importantly, token white boy swag. A poll will open up on the right hand column for the next seven days. At the end of the week, the player with more votes obviously moves one step closer to the title.

Chris Mullin
(Click name for highlight video)
College: St. John's
Years in the League: 1985-2001
Teams: Warriors, Pacers

Straight out of Brooklyn, no I'm serious, Chris Mullin was one of the most dominant players in the league when he stepped on the court. After winning the Big East player of the year award 3 straight years at St. Johnny's, Mullin took the league by (red) storm with his pure left-handed stroke. As if his flat-top wasn't enough to elevate him to ultimate bro status, Chris also battled through alcoholism in the early stages of his NBA career. Meanwhile, he won two gold medals for the US of A, including 1992 on the dream team, and along with Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond he made the Golden State Warriors a relevant squad. Fittingly, Mullin spent the latter portion of his career as an Indiana Pacer where he continued to overcome his obvious lack of speed with hustle and above all else, white boy swaggin. Bottom line, whether it was the bottom of the bottle or the bottom of the net, Chris Mullin did work.



Toni Kukoc
(Click name for highlight video)
College: None (Croatia)
Years in the League: 1993-2006
Teams: Bulls, 76ers, Hawks, Bucks

Dubbed "The European Jordan" while playing professionally in Italy, Kukoc came into the NBA with some pretty high expectations. These were so high that he signed a 5 million dollar offer to promote Microsoft before he even came to the states. While he didn't really meet these expectations, he was pretty funny to watch on the court. Kukoc was among the first 6'11 guys to decide he wanted to play on the perimeter and shoot threes, and he looked very goofy doing this with limbs flying everywhere. He also trademarked the oversized wrist band look, which somehow never really spread. His whiteness carried far off the court, however, as he was the Croatian national table tennis champion of his age group at one point. While Kukoc's talent may have been questionable, his swag was undeniable.

That's all folks, now VOTE!

This matchup concludes the first round of the Provo, Utah-West Regional, tomorrow we will move East to cover the first matchup in the Shady Springs, WV-East Region.

Provo Region : (1) John Stockton vs (4) Steve Blake

Our 1st matchup out of the Provo, Utah-West Regional features a clash of new school and white boy point guards. The winner will advance to play the winner of tomorrow's matchup (#2 Chris Mullin #3 Toni Kukoc) to determine the winner of the Provo Regional. We remind you the votes should be based off of ability to play fundamentally sound basketball, goofiness, upside, and most importantly, token white boy swag. A poll will open up on the right hand column for the next seven days. At the end of the week, the player with more votes obviously moves one step closer to the title. Without further ado, our first matchup...


John Stockton
(Click name for highlight video)
Played at Gonzaga from 1980 - 1983. Drafted by Utah 16th overall, and played his entire career (1984-2003) with the Jazz. He and Karl Malone are recognized as the greatest duo to ever run the pick and roll. 10 time all star, 2 time first team all NBA, NBA 50th Anniversary all time team, 2 time Olympic gold medalist. 19,711 career points, 15,806 career assists, and 3,265 career steals. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009.

Playing his career right around the time that NBA execs realized that they were better off signing athletic black guys, Stockton made a statement to the league that white men were here to stay. He is the godfather of white men in the league, and paved the way for modern day superstars such as Mike Miller, Kyle Korver, and Steve Blake. He played his entire career in Utah, and is worshiped all over the state. Visitors can check out his statue in front of Energy Solutions Arena while driving on John Stockton Drive. Not only was Stockton one of the greatest basketball players ever, but he was arguably the whitest. In the early 90s, Michigan's Fab Five revolutionized the basketball world with their long, baggy shorts. This quickly caught on, and by the middle of the decade, just about everyone in the NBA was wearing them. Not John Stockton. He was dominating opponents with fundamentally sound basketball while wearing short shorts in the middle of Mormon country. Not sure how you get more white than that.

Steve Blake
(Click name for highlight video)
College: Maryland
Years in the League: 2003-present
Teams: Wizards, Bucks, Nuggets, Blazers, Clippers, LA Blakers

While Steve Blake clearly doesn't match the talent level of Stockton, his swag is undeniable. After leading the Maryland Terps to a national title in 2002, Steve was drafted by the Wizards where he undoubtedly took some swag tips from Agent Zero Gilbert Arenas. His NBA career has been highlighted by a pair scuffles with NBA big boys Dwight Howard and Andrew Bogut, and he stuck it to the assist king Mr. John Stockton himself when he recorded 14 assists in the 1st quarter of a game back in 2009. All the while, Blake has pulled the ultimate bro-king move by wearing ankle socks his entire NBA career, and his lack of tats, sleeves, arm bands, etc only solidifies the fact he lets his white boy swag speak for itself.

There ya have it, now VOTE!

Tourney Time

It is a question that has tormented society since the dawn of time. It has started wars and ruined friendships. It has been discussed by philosophers, professors, and scout team wide receivers. Debates about this question have taken place in stadiums, on television sets, but mostly in the St Xavier Student Council Office. Of course, the question I am referring to is who is the greatest white basketball player of all time? Unfortunately, since there are just too many white basketball players to track down, we had to narrow it down to the past twenty years. Today at lunch, an elite selection committee met in secret to create a bracket of white players. After an hour of arguing, fighting, and throwing tantrums, we emerged happy with sixteen contestants. These heroes will be sent off to the four regions: Provo, Utah (West), Shady Spring, West Virginia (East), Richmond, Virginia (South), and of course, Mack, Ohio (Midwest). The Final Four will square off in legendary Farmer City, Illinois, where a king will be crowned.

The way that this tournament will work is that every day starting this weekend, Burnside and I will each write a persuasive article as to why each player deserves to advance. We will base these off of ability to play fundamentally sound basketball, goofiness, upside, and most importantly, token white boy swag. A poll will then open up on the right hand column for the next seven days. At the end of the week, the player with more votes obviously moves one step closer to the title. In the event of a tie, me, Burnside, and KFW (or since KFW will obviously no-show, most likely a selected representative from the student council office) will hold a special vote to determine the winner. This will continue until one man is left, who will be crowned champion of the white men. I'm looking forward to it as we are making history here at Mack Is Berning.

You got Jimmered, Among Other Things

Last night marked the first time since 2005 two top 10 teams from non-BCS conferences faced off, and the game did not disappoint. As myself and head coach KFW stumbled in the doors, battered and bruised of course, after yet another intense practice in preparation for the road to a CYO state title (yes, that exists) we both headed downstairs to the man cave to watch the sensation that has been sweeping the nation: Jimmer Fredette. Before I proceed, I would once again like to thank Xavier for being in the Atlantic 10 as it led to the purchasing of the channel CBS College Sports which made the viewing of last night's game possible. I knew somewhere down the line playing at LaSalle would pay off considering even a double digit win there drops the RPI like a rock. Anyhow, back to this Jimmer character. At 6'2" 195 lbs (and whiter than wonder bread) he is hardly a menacing figure when you look at him. When you watch him though, it really is jaw dropping. The young Mormon has unlimited range, doesn't like to miss from the foul line, and is just a natural scorer. He shoots nearly 50% from the field (42% from distance) and finishes around the cylinder tremendously as well. Last night's 43 points against the 4th ranked San Diego State Aztecs has certainly put him in the national spotlight. Most importantly though, he is helping his fellow Mormons (and random black dude) win some ballgames. BYU is 20-1 and I sure as heck wouldn't want to face 'em come tourney time. There'll have to be a medical staff nearby if Bill Raftery is on the call when Jimmer and the Cougars are NCAA Touramnet bound. Bottom line, scoot over Ben Woodside, there's a new great white hope ballin' it out west.

As for those other things...oh yeah our very own Cincinnati Bengals are crumbling in the national spotlight. What else is new? I could honestly not care less what happens this offseason because with Mike Brown in charge, and the Steelers and the Ravens in your division every year, I'm not seeing these guys get back on track in the foreseeable future. Carson has one of the fattest paydays in the league over the next four years, and he's willing to throw it all away if he has to play for Clown Brown any more. I'd say that's a pretty good indication this franchise is inshambles. Do the Bengals draft another franchise QB, or will they actually be able to make a splash in the free agent market? These will be questions the'll have to be addressed along with whether or not to ink Chad to the final option year of his contract. The drama queen himself just couldn't stand not getting his name in the papers for a couple weeks, so he went ahead and changed it. These guys aren't even professionals, and if you ask me I'd can all their asses. Add to that Jonathon Joseph and Ced Benson could be packing their bags here shortly, and yeah, needless to say the Bengals are in trouble.

On the bright side Cincinnati, the Muskies and Bearcats (yuck) are rolling through their schedules in preparation for some post-season runs, and the Redlegs' pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in 20 days! Aside from swapping the aging Orlando Cabrera with reigning World Series MVP Edgar Renteria, the Reds have maintained the bulk of their roster and look to build on a year that the excitement back to the Nasti. I recently just swiped an oversized stack of straight A tickets from the principal's office, so I'm sure ready to roll. Well that's about all I got today. As a second semester senior, this will be the most effort I'll have to put into anything all week. No rents, chicks beer, senior year...Burnside upouttahere.

Muskies Midseason Report

17 games in and many more to go, the 2010-11 Xavier Musketeers have shown flashes of just about everything possible through the first 2+ months this season. Coming off a traditionally slow start, which featured 4 double digit losses during a 4-5 stretch, (not to mention some OT thrillers with perennial powers Wofford and IPFW) and of course the end of the nation's 2nd longest active home win streak, Xavier has bounced back in a big way with a very strong start to the A-10 schedule. And THANK GOD for the Atlantic 10. I see no reason to panic at all at this point as this Xavier team is in a great position to run the table in the A-10 for the 5th straight year and get a tourney bid. Last year's team was in the exact 12-5 position before it stumbled at Temple, the Muskies next opponent, and the victory over Dayton at home for the God knows how many times in a row should let Xavier Nation exude a collective sigh of relief. While watching the game with our long lost colleague Kevin Frey Wannabe last night, he commented that Chris Mack run teams are unlike anything Xavier basketball has ever seen. These guys enter attack mode and don't look back, and this is something that certainly bodes well as the remainder of the schedule features teams Xavier should be able to beat. So now, let's take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly as the 2010-11 Xavier Musketeers season marches on.


The Good
Tu Holloway. Tu Holloway. Tu Holloway. Have I mentioned Tu Holloway? While recording the 1st triple-double in Xavier history since David West himself did so in 2002, Holloway is not messing around this year. Along with Nolan Smith, Tu is the only player in college basketball to average 20 points and 5 assists per game. Simply put, he runs the show. As was evidenced in the Crosstown Shootout, this team goes where Holloway goes. He tends to decide when he wants to score, exhibit A: last night's 22 point 2nd half performance. As Byron Larkin once said, "this young man has a phenomenal pair of onions on him." Although I don't recall Byron tossing out a "no homo" before or after the statement, regardless, Tu is a competitor, and I do not believe he is going to let this team achieve anything less than they're capable of as long as he's running the show. The front-court has also surprisingly been a strong point for the Muskies this year. Jason Love's departure left a major question mark as Kenny Frease would now be the big man on campus, and Jamel McLean's early season facial injury didn't help calm any nerves either. But both of these big fellas have had some big time games while establishing themselves as quite a duo amongst the trees. Bottom line, if this duo stays healthy, Xavier should have no problem dominating the post for the remainder of schedule and in to March.

The Bad
Xavier's bench features a single player, Jeff Robinson, who averages more than 1 point a game. Needless to say, depth is an issue for this squad. With only 8 active scholarship players, (no, Griffin McKenzie does not count) Xavier has to lean on their starters for 30+ minutes a game. Most notably, Holloway has logged an average of 38 minutes a game. It would be optimistic to say this won't catch up to these players sooner or later, but the bottom line is that if this team suffers even a minor injury to another contributing player, there will be some big time issues. Xavier fans can only hope the 6-8 Jordan Latham will not be getting stuffed by the rim come tourney time, and that walk-on Kevin Feeney won't have to match up with Nolan Smith one of these days. Also, there has been a disturbing trend as of late where senior guard and the supposed leader of this team Dante Jackson has neglected to record any statistic for prolonged periods of time. When he's not clanking threes off the SIDE of the backboard, he seems to be hypocritically coaching up his teammates to make plays while he continues mysteriously vanish in various spots on the court. I'm all for Tu dropping 25 a game, but it would be nice if Dante could, you know, actually help his team on occasion.

The Ugly? Mark Lyons jumpshot. Yeah, that's about it...although he continues to defy the laws of physics while shooting a respectable 35% from distance.


Looking Forward
It's the beauty of the Atlantic 10. Every year Xavier labors through a brutal non-conference schedule, only to be greeted by their mid-major friends of the A-10. There is nothing that tells me this team can't win a 5th straight regular season title. Xavier still has their fair share of tests remaining though, most immediately with pre-season favorite Temple. Expect the 'Tas to be rocking on Saturday, as a win over the Owls would indicate Xavier is once again the team to beat atop the Atlantic 10. Road tests against Richmond, Charlotte, Dayton, St. Louis, St. Joe's, and the always pesky Duquesne Dukes remain for the Muskies, not to mention a trip to Athens, GA to face the Georgia Bulldogs who have caught everybody by surprise with their 13-4 start, including a win over Calipari's UK Wildcats. To say the schedule is basic would be a lie, but to say Xavier hasn't run the tables with similar tests year after year would be equally as faulty. Overall, Xavier is already slotted in as a 12-seed in the latest bracketology, so as long as this team stays healthy and Tu Holloway continues to compete every night, expect Greg Gumble to announce the Musketeers from Xavier in the field of 68 (sorry, that sounds weird) on Selection Sunday.

NFL Final Four

With apologies (once again) for the delay of posts, I thought that the conference championships deserved a mention on MIB. I'm admittedly not a huge NFL fan, but due to Burnside and KFW going MIA (just like the Bearcat's win streak) I am forced into the role. Granted, it's nothing like March Madness, but anytime I hear the words "Final Four," I am intrigued. After further review looking the the matchups, though, I am actually very excited to see these games.

Starting in the AFC, we have two teams coming off of emotional wins against division rivals. The Jets beat the Steelers earlier in the year, and with a win would become only the 9th team in the Super Bowl era to knock off the Steelers in both the regular season and the playoffs. I honestly just don't see that happening. I know that this is Cincinnati, but you do have to respect Pittsburgh because they flat out win ballgames. They have arguably the best run organization in pro sports, and as a result, they are once again in this position, nothing new. Polamalu is back who along with James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley forms the best defense in the NFL. The run stopping is particularly impressive, allowing only 62 yards per game on the ground. They won't go untested, though, as LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene make up one of the best backfields, combining for over 1,500 rushing yards on the season. Mark Sanchez has elevated his game, but he still needs to cut down on his picks, especially against this defense. However, I will never be able to trust a quarterback who takes sloppy seconds from Turtle, so I'm going with Pittsburgh. Fuerto's Pick: Steelers 28 Jets 10.

I think the NFC will have the better game as the Bears and Packers just hate each other. The story of the game is at the quarterback position, where two of the best in the game will line up. Jay Cutler is not given nearly enough credit, as he has played as well as anyone in the league the past 5 weeks (minus week 17). He has Matt Forte in the backfield, and two very underrated receivers in Johnny Knox and former Vanderbilt teammate Earl Bennett. It won't be easy though, as the Packers line up with a nasty defense headlined by linebackers Clay Matthews and AJ Hawk. Another player to watch is Tramon Williams, who had huge interceptions the last two games. Cutler is a great QB, but he has thrown 16 picks. He has to avoid mistakes if the Bears want to go to the Super Bowl. On the other side of the ball, Aaron Rodgers is one of the best in the league, and you gotta respect a guy who banged Erin Andrews. They do have to get the ground game working, but with Julius Peppers, Brian Urlacher, and Lance Briggs on the other side, that won't be easy. The X-Factor could be the return game, as Green Bay gave up a kick return touchdown to Atlanta last week, and Devin Hester has a good return every once in awhile. I think that this game is much tougher to call, and even though I love Aaron Rodgers, I gotta go with my boy Jeremy Piven (huge Bears fan) and take Chi-Town in a close one. Fuerto's Pick: Bears 17 Packers 13.

Mark Cuban & College Football

Once again, we reach the end of the college football season, and once again it is time to watch the ridiculous bombardment of meaningless bowl games which will ultimately lead up to a championship that may or may not tell us who the best team in the country is. Fortunately, the sports world's favorite billionaire Mark Cuban believes he can help out. As you already know, Cuban is exploring the possibility of giving a much needed revamping to college football. The plan, which would install a 16 team playoff, would be very tempting to schools mainly because of the average fan's interest, Cuban's deep pockets, and most importantly his willingness to spend his money. Bowl game execs could even benefit off of this if their games were used as the tournament. For example, the Champs Sports, Sun, Capital One, Chick-fil-A, Holiday, Insight, Gator, and Hawaii could be used as first round contests. The Outback, Cotton, Orange, and Sugar would be quarterfinals, and the Rose and Fiesta would be semifinals leading up to the championship, which would still rotate stadiums. This also solves another problem by eliminating all of the ridiculous bowl games that ruin the prestige and tradition of playing in the postseason. It should be an honor to play in a bowl game, not something for 6-6 teams to do. With that said, I believe their should some sort of second tier NIT-style tournament so that 32 to 40 teams can play in the postseason, which is about the number that should.

While many people say this idea would cheapen the thrill of the regular system, I have a plan for that. The tournament field should be chosen by a selection committee like in basketball. They will take account of factors such as strength of schedule, non-conference wins, and road wins, not fan base, tradition, and number of tickets sold. With this playing a role, teams would have to schedule higher quality teams out of conference to build attractive resumes. So, essentially, it's good bye Wofford, hello TCU on the schedules. This would also keep out teams like Connecticut, who won a conference weaker than the WAC, and Ohio State, who beat as many current top 25 teams as the St Xavier Scout Team.

Basically, the point is that it is time for college football to evolve. Steps were made in 1998 when the BCS was formed and in 2007 when the BCS Championship Game was put in. Now, it is time to go for a fully democratic system which will tell us who the best team is.

Teams like Boise St, Nevada, BYU, TCU, and Hawai'i deserve a chance to prove that they are the best. Maybe they get smacked around, and maybe they shock the country, but they shouldn't be denied the opportunity because they aren't as profitable as someone else. At the very least, I can guarantee that any of those teams can beat UConn. If college basketball had the same type of system, Butler would have played the #3 team from C-USA on ESPNU and then been done. Look where they ended up after the tournament. The bottom line is that every team deserves the chance to prove themselves in the regular season and postseason and not be handicapped by the size of their fan base or number of tickets sold. It's time for the NCAA to evolve, and if Mark Cuban has to be the one to start it, let him start it.

Feast Week Recap

Happy Thanksgiving from Mack is Berning. It is very clear that I have a lot to be thankful for right now: The Jazz are in first place, Kentucky just got ran off the court, and Intramural Basketball season is right around the corner. But most importantly, college basketball is finally hitting its stride. Early season tournaments are some of my favorite games of the season. There's no other time to see big time non conference games on sick neutral site courts, other than March, of course. So, from the opening tip-off with Bill Raftery letting me know Michigan St was going mantoman, to the trophy awarding after the final buzzer, this has pretty much been a perfect week. I'll go through what I have learned from the first stretch of college hoops.

#1 Duke is still the team to beat.

Things were looking a little dicey when the Blue Devils couldn't seem to put Marquette away, the same Golden Eagles team that struggled earlier with juggernauts like South Dakota and Wisconsin-Green Bay. They turned it around, though, by putting a beatdown on a very solid Kansas St squad in what was essentially a

home game for the Wildcats (Kansas City). If Kyrie Irving keeps playing like he is now, and Mason Plumlee continues to control the paint, I definitely see Duke riding Kyle "Andrei Kirilenko" Singler to a repeat as NCAA Champions.

#2 The Big East is still on top. Everything started at the Square, where Pitt was crowned champs of the 2K Sports Classic. It wasn't exactly what E. Gordon Gee would call a gauntlet that they ran through, but they beat solid teams in Rhode Island, Maryland, and Texas. What impressed me the most about the Panthers was their rebounding. No team crashes the boards harder than Pitt, particularly Nigerian freshman Talib Zanna. Georgetown looks solid also, having beaten Old Dominion on the road and North Carolina St in the final of the Charleston Classic. Interesting fact is that the Hoyas are ranked in the top 25 of 3 Point % but 244 in free throws. Next up is Villanova, who really impressed me in the NIT Season Tip-Off. The Wildcats are just a well-coached, fundamentally sound basketball team that takes care of the ball, knocks down their free throws, and boxes out the shooter. As you know, I really respect that brand of basketball. Finally, we have UConn, who made a big time statement winning it all in Maui. The Huskies edged out a very good Michigan St team, and absolutely annihilated Kentucky in the final.

Kemba Walker emerged as a true leader of this team, and they will go as far as he takes them. There were talks about Kemba possibly being the best player in college right now, and rightfully so with his 30 PPG. Personally, though, I'd have to pick Jimmer Fredette of the Mormons, but regardless, Kemba is a hell of an athlete, and Connecticut has the horses to hang with anyone, and could be one of the big surprises of the season.

Changing of the guard on the West Coast? One team that did not rise to the occasion this week would be the Zags, who got exposed defensively in losses to San Diego St and Kansas St. Unless they step up the pressure on D and have someone emerge as an offensive threat other than Steven Gray, it's gonna be a sub-par year in Spokane. It's going to have to happen quickly, too, as Illinois, Washington St, Notre Dame, Baylor, Xavier, Oklahoma St, and Wake Forest loom ahead on a brutal non-conference schedule.

While this is bad news for the Bulldogs, it is great for the team that blew them out of the gym in last years WCC Championship, oh yea, and advanced a round further than them in the NCAA Tourney. The Saint Mary's Gaels lost big man Omar Samhan, but have playmakers all over the perimeter with Clint Steindl, Matthew Dellavadova, and the superstar, Mickey McConnell. Saint Mary's can go shot for shot with anyone in the nation, and is claiming its spot among the top mid-major programs. The Gaels have chances to prove themselves against Texas Tech, San Diego St, Vanderbilt, and of course the Zags, before they try to make another run in the NCAA Tournament.

2010-11 Xavier Musketeers Preview Take II

With the season opener only 3 days away now, the anticipation for the upcoming Muskies season is greater than ever...or is it? After last season's heartbreaking exit, many naive fans saw Crawford returning along with everybody but Love, as well as the best recruiting class in Xavier history. Crawford has since wisely decided to go pro, and let's just say the top recruit is ineligible. Add to that their only proven big man is out the first month or more of the season, and the team's sparkplug's ACL is in shambles, and it has now become safe to say Xavier Nation is scurrying to pull the fire alarm. In a nightmarish series of events, the 2010-11 Xavier Musketeer Basketball team is essentially in shams. Oh and did I forget to mention a 63-61 loss to D2's finest the Bellermine Knight last weekend? Big ups to former Visi Vike Nick Holmes for puttin the clamp on Freaser burn, but come on gents, that's real shitty. This team will start the year with only 9 scholarship players active, 3 of which who have never played a minute of college basketball, and two others who go by the names Andrew Taylor and Jeff Robinson, respectively. If the preceding thought does not have Xavier Nation scared shitless, then hats off to you for your Holloway-esque sized balls...and your Justin Martin-esque sized brain. Yet despite all of this, I am here to provide Muskie faithful with a glimmer of hope. So without further (Freddy) ado, your 2010-11 Xavier Musketeers.


The Backcourt...
What's this? A bright spot? Believe it or not, there are some. First and foremost, at least some people on this team know how to win. Dante Jackson will look to surpass Jason Love as the winningest player to ever don a Muskie Uniform with 25+ wins this year, and Tu Holloway knows a thing or two about big games. These two players will be absolutely crucial for this team to have any success. With Redford catching the injury bug, and Justin Martin apparently just being a dumbass, it looks like Mark "Cheeks" Lyons will be the other guard Xavier will lean on. I personally can't stand his lack of composure around the cylinder or his broke ass j-work, but it looks as if I'll have to get used to Cheeks dropping 13 or so a game. The vital signs on Jay Canty seem to be decent, so hopefully he can do the #11 some respect and step up but that is to be continued at this point. And how could I talk about the back court without mentioning its bread and butter: one of the Bomber's and westside's finest, Johnny Mazza. Look for the rainmaker to be activated say around February 19, when the always tough Fordham Rams pay the Cintas Center a visit.


The Frontcourt...
Uhhh...ummm...yeah. With Jameezy McLeezy out 3-6 weeks, the PF and center positions are of obvious concern. But Burnside, small forward is also included in the front court. Yeah you're right, I just now realized that...Back to the action, it looks like Kenny Frease and Andrew Taylor will be the starters until further notice. If Frease hasn't had a Jason Love-esque transformation over the off season in his game, feel free to throw the towel in. I'm optimistic, probably more-so stupid, that this will be the case, but it's usually by year 3 Xavier big men really take off. (Unless your Brandon Cole and you get exponentially worse...but that's a different story) On any other Xavier team, I'd say Jeff Robinson and Griffin McKenzie aren't yet ready to contribute, but there doesn't seem to be much of a choice. You know what you're going to get with Taylor in there. Smart play, white boy D'in it up, possibly 2 layups a game, but that's all we're really looking for at this point. Jordan Latham seems to be more raw than....something that's really raw, but between him, Griff, and Robinson, somebody is going to have to grow up real quick. Heck I think Xavier greats such as Charles Bronson and Boubacar Coly would be looking at playing time on this squad. Needless to say I'm slightly concerned. With Jamel back hopefully in time to take a shit of the Slutler Bulldogs, expect a different story, but until then, get ready to break a few remotes and rupture a view blood vessels, Muskie fans.

The Good...
Butler, Temple, Florida, Wake Forest: 4 games that could very well define the season for the Muskies, all played at college basketball's third rowdiest arena, the 'Tas. Look for Xavier to steal at least two of these games. Note I did not feel the need to put Dayton on that list as a win in Cincy for the faggot flyers would be a sign of the Apocalypse. I would say jinx, but I've been pulling that stunt for 29 years now. On another good note, let's see here, oh yeah Xavier plays in the freaking Atlantic 10. The league has gotten much better as of late, but let's not forget who has won this league the 4 years running. We can only hope the trip to Spokane to take down little brother Gonzaga can prepare the Muskies for brutal trips to the likes of St. Bonaventure and St. Joe's. Let's also not forget Xavier historically tends to actually try in the A10 tourney and bring home some hardware when necessary. Bottom line, this program has been doubted too many times to count, and proven haters wrong con frecuencia. (MIB en Español? Probably not) These guys love playing underdog, and we can only hope last Saturday can be a major wake up call that you lose when you play shitty.

The Bad...
A10 or not, the schedule this year for Xavier is arguably harder than Squints around Wendy Peffercorn. No doubt this squad will be road tested with trips the afformentioned Spokane to face the Zags, a trip across town to the always rowdy 5th/3rd Arena (lolz, no homo), along with conference trips to Charlotte, Rhode Island (who last night proved they were a force to be reckoned with)Dayton, Richmond, and SLU. And how could I forget the dreaded trip north to Oxvegas to face the never tough Miami Redhawks. Odds of Patrick Berning being in attendance? I'll give it a zebro. Ok, ok, I'm done. For any other negatives, simply direct your attention to this entire article.

Am I excited for the 2010-11 Muskies? Obvi bro. Although I am likewise concerned, this isn't the first time. I see this squad grinding out a 23-12 record, winning the coveted A10 tourney, and yeah doing stuff like that. In the meantime, I'll shift my focus to what I do have control of, a Visitation Viking CYO title. With KFW at the helm, there's no doubt that when it comes to making bread he's got the keys the bakery. Alright that's about all I got. Stay golden ponyboy, and S'GOOOOO MUSKIES!!!