Musketeers Beat: As Xavier Readies For Providence, Sean Miller Looks To Inspire His Team To ‘Another Level’

CINCINNATI — Sean Miller knows his team is still growing.

And part of the process is knowing that you’ve got some growing up to do.

That was the biggest takeaway from Wednesday’s 80-75 loss to No. 4 UConn at Cintas. The Musketeers proved to themselves that they can fight, overcoming a 10-point deficit to the defending national champions and taking a 52-51 lead five minutes into the second half.

But like a trip to the top of the mountain, the Musketeers were blown over by a gust of wind from the Huskies and couldn’t enjoy the view at the top.

UConn scored the next 10 points as Xavier appeared somehow entitled to stick with the big dogs just because they fought and clawed to take their only lead of the game.

Players were jogging back in transition, allowing easy layups and open looks at 3-pointers. Xavier fought for a good 10-minute stretch of game clock to erase a 32-22 hole and take the lead. But in just three minutes, UConn was back up 61-52.

“I thought that segment that I’m talking about,” Miller said. “Everybody felt it. Our fans, their bench, their players, our bench, our players, they broke it open right there. So we’ll take a look at that part and try to be better. But that’s the thing you always have to be razor sharp on because it’s hard enough to beat them guarding them 5 on 5 and in the half court, them scoring when you give them those transition baskets.

“We had one (segment) in the first half where we missed a free throw, they advanced it past on the left side, and the guy got an and-one on a layup. Again, you could watch 500 college basketball games it’s hard to get a breakaway layup on a missed free throw. So, transition defense. That’s that’s where I thought we really erred.”

Xavier big Abou Ousmane felt it and didn’t mince words after the loss.

“I think because we picked and choosed when we wanted to play hard,” Ousamne said. “There was a little stretch in the second half where we gave up I don’t even know how many specific points. And it kind of looked like we kind of gave up out there, which we talked about in the locker room. So, once we do that, that’s the first thing we got to do. Fix that and we’ll be fine.”

The Musketeers are now below .500 for the second time this season at 7-8 (1-3 in the Big East). The road definitely doesn’t get easier as they travel to Providence for a Saturday 2 p.m. ET showdown with the Friars, who themselves are coming off a 75-73 loss to St. John’s Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.

“Playing hard at this level, being a hard-play team, not just saying it but actually you are that, there’s another level to that and a number of our players have to get to there,” Miller told me. “There’s no doubt in my mind, and we’re moving in that direction. But you know, that’s where I come in. The standard is the standard, and that’s what we’re going to do. But again, a lot of things (Wednesday) we take away and move forward to Providence, and we feel good about. And there’s things that we have to fix, in particular, really look at that segment of the game: who didn’t get back who was why why did that happen? And learn from it. Make sure that that doesn’t happen again.”

Quincy Olivari, the transfer from Rice University in Houston, had a chance to witness the championship mettle of UConn up close and personal well before Wednesday night. The player who has kept Xavier afloat with his scoring prowess, including 24 against the Huskies, watched the Huskies as Final Four staff worker last year in Houston.

What was his biggest observation?

“There is another level to college basketball, a whole ‘nother level to national champions,” Olivari told me. “I actually had the chance to work in the Final Four last year and I got to see up close what that looks like, see what their practices are like, see what their huddles are like, just how they go about their business and it’s another level.

“They’re a well-coached team, Hall of Fame coach (Dan Hurley), and they bring back a lot of experience from that from that run. So another level, that’s all I can, another level to college basketball.”