I wrote early this week that we here came into our hate of UC from our Dad, a longtime Xavier fan who watched along with the rest of this tonight. He was the first postgame text I sent tonight. Hope you enjoyed that one, Dad. Xavier gave us more reasons to love them, UC played their part as well.
NIL doesn’t change rivalries
Tre Carroll said the first thing they showed him on his recruiting visit was a video about the Crosstown Shootout. This game didn’t lack for venom. It started with barking, stares were exchanged, and it seemed like Filip Borovicanin was looking for a reason. UC was their usual pretend tough guy selves. They committed stupid fouls, preened after baskets that didn’t tie or give them the lead, and complained about the rare calls they didn’t get. They also completely ignored the rules against running without dribbling.
The game simmered without ever bursting into a full on fight. At the end, though, Tre Carroll, who had been almost studiously keeping his cool all game, absolutely let it eat. His circuit of the court started with high fiving fans, transitioned into screaming into a camera, then was a 94 foot Zip Em Up full of frenetic energy. As Coach Pitino tried to keep the crowd calm so Jovan Milicevic could shoot, Carroll seemed determined to tear the roof off the Cintas.
Yeah, these guys know. These guys care.
Tre Carroll is now a Xavier legend
Take a scroll through Twitter and you’ll see Jack Nunge, Edmond Sumner, Tu Holloway, James Farr, and countless others (these guys all still care, too) calling Carroll a legend. Dropping a 30 spot and scoring the last two absolutely vital field goals in the Shootout will do that. Carroll just would not be denied tonight. He was his usual spinning self as he used his left and right hand to get to the rim or drop in hooks. His shot wasn’t falling, so he went where Xavier players fear to tread: the paint. Inside the arc he was 13-18. Everywhere else, including the line, he was 2-11. No matter, 30/7/1 and a win in his only Crosstown Shootout.
A team effort
Sure, Tre Carroll won the plaudits and took the victory lap, and he well deserved it. But as even he said, this was a team game. Malik Messina Moore cannot buy a three pointer right now, but he hit two massive mid range jumpers when Xavier needed them. He chipped in six assists and no turnovers. All Wright was only one of two players on either team to shoot multiple free throws and make them all. He had a very quiet 6/5/4 without a turnover against constant pressure. Jovan Milicevic never hit his pace but still scored 12.
Filip Borovicanin hit the single biggest shot of the game. Xavier had blown a 13 point led and trailed by two when their big man stepped, barely, behind the arc and added 18% win probability with one massive dagger of a three pointer. He went for 12/2/4. Anthony Robinson grabbed five boards. Pape N’Diaye played more than anyone thought he would and absolutely sent two shots and chipped in a three point play. Bad (shooting) Roddie showed up, but his energy and nerveless free throw shooting paid off.
The program is fun again
I’ve said before that something hung over the Musketeers last year. The team was good and the guys were likable, make no mistake, but the weight of expectation and something undefinable kept the games feeling strained and more like a chance for strain than an opportunity for fun. This is by no means a criticism of those players, just one of those undefinable things that can pull a season down.
These guys are not constrained by such a thing. There is a joy around this team that is fun to watch. Roddie Anderson, The Lone Survivor, is a live wire. He’s liquid mercury on the court and feels like he’s probably that friend who is the first to a party, the last to leave after he helps clean up, and the most fun the entire time. The Serbian speakers talk to each other in their own language and play the game in a European way in the best possible way.
All Wright is fearless. Malik Messina Moore disappears and then pops up to make great plays. Anthony Robinson yells. Isaiah Walker tries to make every play. Pape N’Diaye arrived at the best possible time.
And that brings us back to Tre Carroll. He was the Chief Fun Officer at FAU. I figured that meant he’d be something along the lines of Roddie on the court. He’s not, though, he’s almost quiet when he plays. On the bench, though, he’s pointing to teammates, winking at cameras, talking to everyone, waiting for his chance to play some more.
I said earlier this week that hate is worthy of experiencing as the antithesis of love. Love is better, though. Tonight, these guys, this team, reminded us all of why we love college basketball and Xavier in particular. This program is special. You don’t find this other places. Happy Shootout Day to you, Xavier Nation. Once again, we’re fun. Once again, we run this city.