Xavier vs. Temple February 5, 2009

Welcome to this LIVE blog of the No. 9/9 Xavier University Musketeers match-up with the Temple Owls. The game is being televised nationally on ESPN.

75:45 until tip-off: More than an hour before tip-off, you can already tell that this game is not like all the rest. The match-up and the presence of EA Sports producers has ratcheted up the fanfare. There are sheets of newspaper over ALL of the lower-level seats, which should make for an incredible explosion after the first XU basket. There are extra lights set up for the introduction, and the entrances warn that there will be "strobe lights used" as well. Hubert Davis and Jon Sciambi will be calling the game for ESPN. There is a rumor that there are over 20 NBA scouts in attendance as well. Few fans have arrived yet, so it is still to be seen whether the Blue and White Night marketing plan will yield a perfect rotation of Xavier colors throughout the Cintas Center. This is a special night for Muskie basketball!

31:34 until tip-off: The fans are starting to trickle in now, and there's a notable segregation of blue-wearing fans and white-wearing fans. The Blue and White Night is on its way to success. Xavier photographer Greg Rust is taking photos of the X-TREME fans for use in the Xavier Magazine. A better game could not have been chosen. So far, the fan signs that are visible read "Christmas is Overrated" and "Where is Erin Andrews?"

6:42 until tip-off: Stanley Burrell is in the house! He just walked in through the players entrance and the fans didn't miss it. He has a full head of black hair now, no more of the shaved look. Welcome back Stan.

1:00 until tip-off: Blue and White Night is a success to the tune of at least an 80% participation rate. Kudos to the Xavier marketing department for conducting a successful campaign and thanks to the fans!

Tip-off: Cintas Center is a madhouse. I'm sure it looks great on ESPN too.

First Half
19:10 - C.J. Anderson has gone at the Temple front court twice now with success. The Owls will have to be more physical to stop what many consider Xavier's toughest man on the floor.

15:23 - The student section is almost entirely blue, and they let Temple hear it after B.J. Raymond sank a three-pointer to give XU a 9-6 lead.

12:49 - Temple took the lead on a three-pointer, 12-9, and followed it up with a lay-up from Dionte Christmas. Sean Miller took a timeout, he doesn't like what he sees. The fans are waiting for the Musketeers to answer the Owl 10-0 run.

11:48 - The McAllister's Deli Feed Your Row Trivia Question went to Father Graham tonight. The question being "Who has the best student section in college basketball?" Naturally, Xavier was the choice, and the students roar. It was announced immediately after that Father Graham was sending 50 LaRosa's pizzas to the student section. What a great guy.

11:04 - Brad Redford hit from three feet behind the line on a wide open shot. The Owls must know that his range goes into the upper deck. Not to be outdone, BJ Raymond drained two straight treys of his own with a roar fit for March.

7:17 - The Owls came out of the media timeout and showed a full-court zone press. A coach will tell you the best way to deter a press is score off it on a fast break. The Musketeers made two swift passes to find Brad Redford for another trey. The Owls didn't return to the press after their next made basket.

5:02 - Nobody boxed out Derrick Brown, so he cleaned up a CJ Anderson miss with a slam. He's been looking for a dunk on several of the XU fast breaks now.

3:49 - BJ Raymond is on fire. He just hit his fourth deep ball on five attempts, this one coming as the shot clock wined down. The senior leads the game with 12 points, all on three's. Meanwhile, Dionte Christmas is 2-6 with four points.

0:58 - Derrick Brown dropped a three, pushing the Xavier shooting from behind the arc to 7-11. The 63.6 percentage is a reason XU is ahead.

Halftime - Xavier leads 38-34 at half time. Xavier is shooting 51 percent from the field while Temple is shooting 44 percent. XU also leads fast break points 13-2.

16:17 - That's three straight calls from the officials that the fans were none too happy about. A push by Brown, carrying by Anderson, and now a foul on Redford that let to a Temple old-fashioned three point play.

15:16 - Jamel McLean just had three straight physical rebounds for his team. The crowd definitely recognized, and when his third (an offensive rebound) was followed with a foul on the shot, the crowd nearly exploded when the lay-in went in-and-out. McLean will shoot two. Assistant Coach Chris Mack ran nearly across the court to tell him what a great job he's doing.

14:06 - BJ Raymond is giving the Cintas Center crowd and ESPN viewers a show. He's now 5-7 from downtown. Maybe the EA Sports crew can put an "automatic from beyond the arc" cheat in their next game for the Muskie senior.

9:26 - It's finally Brad Redford's game to shine. He's missed opportunities recently, going 0-8 in the previous three games. Tonight is a different story, as he is now 4-7 including a J.J. Reddick-esque trey off several staggered screens that brought the crowd to their feet and the Xavier bench running to congratulate after the ensuing timeout.

3:21 - The game has been well in hand for quite some time now. XU leads 74-59 at the moment. Three Musketeers are in double-digits, with Anderson and Brown at nine points. The performance has the feel of last season's balanced attack.

0:55 - The student section just orchestrated the first recurring fan wave this blogger has seen in four years at least. The lower and upper decks both threw their hands in the air at the right times, completing four successful rounds of the Cintas Center.

Final Score - Xavier 83, Temple 74. Check out www.GoXavier.com for the official recap of the game, statistics, and photos.