If not for the way Paul Scruggs finished on Thursday, scoring the final eight points – including a dunk with 25 seconds left that will live on for a long time – in Xavier's 71-65 win over No. 19 Ohio State, Jack Nunge would have likely secured the headlines and the lion's share of praise.
And if it wasn't Nunge, then it could have been a handful of other Musketeers that made winning plays to get the Musketeers to 3-0.
Head coach Travis Steele has been telling anyone who'd listen that it would be different guys on different nights, and Xavier needed them all at different times on Thursday.
There were key plays and impactful moments that the Musketeers shared, and it was that shared effort that allowed Xavier to build a lead and keep it without ever trailing Ohio State. It started with defense, was enlivened by rebounding, and finished with a fifth-year senior who was playing in his 121st career game in a Xavier jersey, saying, "It means a lot, and this win was for us, but it was also for the alumni. We won this game for them."
Here's a look at the moments that mattered and the plays that helped Xavier hold off Ohio State in front of a sold-out Cintas Center crowd that lived up to its reputation.
More:Justin Cage talks about his Xavier Hall of Fame induction, last game against Ohio State
More:Paul Keels, Ohio State's play-by-play announcer, comes home to Xavier this week
Big game, big Jack
With Dieonte Miles battling foul trouble all night, Nunge was on the floor for 31 minutes and he picked up a lot of new Xavier fans with his performance.
The 7-foot Iowa transfer from Newburgh, Indiana, played a nearly flawless game and his length, toughness, skill and intelligence were unmistakable.
Jack's journey: Through grief and adversity, Nunge finds fresh start with Xavier basketball
Nunge's help defense in the paint and his ability to contest shots without fouling were major themes in Xavier's success.
With around 13 minutes left in the game, Xavier was stuck in a nearly three-minute scoring drought as Ohio State was mounting one of its first second-half surges. Ohio State's E.J. Liddell made a nice post move on Jerome Hunter and looked to have a clear path to the basket, but Nunge stopped him with a two-handed block.
When Xavier got down to the other end of the floor, Colby Jones found Nunge under the basket and the big man, who only returned to live-action a few weeks ago after a season-ending knee injury last season, finished through traffic with a bucket and the foul.
A few minutes later, Adam Kunkel drove the basket and his shot bounced off the rim. Nunge tried to tap the offensive rebound back in twice but missed both. He went back up, grabbed a third offensive rebound and drew a foul on the put-back attempt. When a media timeout stopped play, Steele went over and tapped Nunge on the head, then asked the crowd to make some noise in appreciation.
In 31 minutes, Nunge posted 14 points, 14 rebounds, six of which came on offense, and three steals. He made two clutch free throws with two minutes left to give Xavier a 63-56 lead, and on the game-sealing play, Nunge deflected Ohio State's inbound pass with five seconds left, which allowed Scruggs to grab it, draw a foul, and make both free throws.
The word Steele used to describe Nunge was "incredible," and that may have been an understatement.
"I've been on Jack since high school," said Scruggs, who shared some real estate with Nunge on the Indiana high school basketball scene. "And just to see his improvement, it's crazy.
"... My senior year with him here, man, I'm happy."
Colby cheese
Just over five minutes remained when Jones did something that Xavier fans can now almost expect with regularity from the sophomore.
Xavier led 54-49 and Ohio State's Zed Key was at the foul line. His shot skipped off the front of the rim and Jones went up over 6-foot-8 Kyle Young, timing it perfectly, and grabbed a rebound, one of his 12 in the game.
When the ball made it down to the other end of the floor, Ohio State was still in its two-three zone – a scheme that worked well at keeping Xavier's offense out of the paint and on the perimeter – and Jones was posted in the middle of that zone. Scruggs fed an entry pass into Jones, who circled left, dribbled down to the baseline, and swung a pass underneath the basket to the opposite corner, where Nate Johnson squared up and hammered home an important 3-pointer.
Not only did Jones rebound out of his mind, but he passed the ball well, came up with two steals and two blocked shots, and he spent a large portion of the game defending Ohio State's forwards, who all had a noticeable size advantage.
Johnson delivers
It was only a matter of time until Johnson got it going. After a quiet first two games, the fifth-year senior went 5 of 9 from the floor and 2 of 5 from 3-point range to provide 12 points, but it was his help defense that stood out.
Johnson was active defensively and he was busy blocking out when shots went up. Xavier outscored Ohio State by a team-high 10 points when Johnson was on the floor.
Johnson was Xavier's best 3-point shooter last season, and with the perimeter struggles persisting this season, he's a guy they need to knock down shots and he did that in a big spot on Thursday.
Kunkel's contributions
It's probably not a line Kunkel's going to like very much – 2 for 8 from 3-point range – but that should be the only thing he's upset with from his performance against the Buckeyes.
Kunkel played with max effort for the 23 minutes he was on the floor and he scored eight of his 10 points in the first half which breathed some life into the Musketeers early.
Kunkel had four assists and no turnovers. His passing has become a major component of Xavier's offense when it's operating as it should be.
The Cooper High School product who transferred to Xavier from Belmont made a play in the first half that says a lot about his progression from last season to this season.
A Xavier turnover led to an Ohio State run out in transition and Kunkel was a man on an island against a two-on-one fastbreak from the Buckeyes. Kunkel cut the opposition in half perfectly, stepped up into the passing lane and deflected the ball back where it came from. He dove on the floor and got the loose ball.
Kunkel plays with fire and a high level of skill. If he can find some consistency with his jump shot, he'll be a very valuable piece of the puzzle.
Odom's overture
With about 10 and a half minutes to play, Xavier led 46-38 and Scruggs was on the bench with three fouls. Kunkel made a crisp pass to Dwon Odom in the corner and, without hesitation, Odom charged at the basket, cut into the middle of the lane and hit a floater.
After an Ohio State 3-pointer made it a 48-41 game, Odom pushed an outlet pass from Nunge and just as he looked like he was about to settle the ball out past Xavier's 3-point line, Odom crossed over to his right hand, raced right down the middle of the lane, and laid it high off the glass for back-to-back buckets.
It was an important evening for Odom, who struggled in Xavier's first two games. He looked calm, comfortable and confident on Thursday in a big game. Odom made smart passes, attacked when it was there, defended at a high level, and only turned the ball over once. If Odom, who finished with eight points in 18 minutes, can do that more often, he gives Xavier another guy who can defend and score in double figures on a nightly basis.
Toughness
Xavier's toughness was questioned after the season-opener against Niagara.
There were no questions about toughness on Thursday. The Musketeers handled themselves appropriately in that respect on the glass, defensively, and maybe most importantly, with the lead.
The rebounding and defense were excellent. But Xavier's ability to play with a lead was the most impressive thing to come out of the win over Ohio State.
At a number of junctures, the Buckeyes punched and Xavier punched back. Most of the second half was played inside a single-digit margin and over the final three and a half minutes, Ohio State made it a one-possession game on four different occasions and Xavier had an immediate response each time to extend the lead.
The ability to play with a lead and respond when push comes to shove is a promising sign for the Musketeers.
Source link
