Banter on the Parkway

Xavier dispatched Winthrop, but the start of Big East play could hardly have gone worse. We break down a bad loss, the problems with the offense, and try to find a way back into the at large race for X.

Want to spend an hour talking about Xavier winning the Crosstown Shootout again? We did.

One Q3 loss is bad, two can doom a season. Xavier looked good against Houston but somehow dropped two potentially season ruining games to Oakland and Delaware. We discuss those, your questions, and how this team can win the Shootout in this episode of Banter.

Things started late and poorly, but Coach Miller rallied X for two crucial wins. We recap those three, talk rotations and depth, and try to figure out what's going on with Abou Ousmane in this episode of Banter.

Xavier punched with Purdue gamely for all but a stretch of the first half and in doing answered some questions about a callow team. They get a chance to kick on this weekend in their MTE. We discuss that, Ed Cooley losing a lot, and Pitbull in this episode of Banter.

After two games you can't ask for more than two wins. Xavier isn't in top gear yet, but they're winning with a team that is just coming together and getting to know each other. It's good so far, but a seriously stern test awaits.

It's finally time to start talking college basketball again. Xavier is back, but not at all how you remember them. The Musketeers have completely retooled under Coach Sean Miller after losing 10(!) players from last season. We'll break down the roster and talk about how we see it playing out in our season preview episode.

Xavier went back to the Sweet 16 where... things could have gone better. Still, this season was a return to doing what Xavier does. The train is back on the tracks. We discuss that, name an MVP, talk about the impact Sean Miller had, and break down what we know of the roster. There's all of that, and plenty of discussion of the NCAA tournament that gave us more great moments, on the season fin...

There are only 16 teams left in the NCAA tournament, and Xavier is one of them. This episode focuses on that pivotal Xavier-Texas matchup, how Xavier can win it, and where the danger lies. We'll also look at Xavier's last two wins, coaching changes galore, and preview the other seven games as quickly as we can. Have you remember to tag Coach Miller in your favorite transfer's announcem...

It's nearly a full hour of breaking down every game Xavier could possibly play both this weekend and all the way through the region. We get into all the detail we can fit in that time, and talk about why every team terrifies us on this episode of Banter.

It's the most wonderful time of the year! We break down each region and tackle the favorites, players to watch, the best matchups, and which teams you can pick to spring big upsets. We leave no stone un-turned in the first of our two preview specials.

There's less than three hours until tip, and we've got the perfect way to fill half of one of them. We talk about how these teams got here, how to defend Marquette, and the one number that will decide whether or not Xavier walks away with their first ever Big East Tournament Championship.

It's March! This episode we focus on Xavier and the Big East tournament. The Musketeers haven't won a game here since 2019, but are poised to do so this season. We break down the loss of Zach Freemantle, the emergence of Cesare Edwards, and what impact that has on Xavier's chances of a deep run. We'll give our predictions for the tournament, the awards, and a piping hot take about Providence on th...

The Musketeers capped off the month that has tripped them up recently by hammering Seton Hall on the road. That leaves X in a great position entering March and gives us a chance to peak ahead to the conference tournaments. There are big comebacks to discuss, Nate Oats being a coward, Fran McCaffery doing God knows what, and your questions on this episode of Banter.

Xavier is down to six players and has dropped three of four. The Musketeers are fighting fatigue and their own propensity for throwing the ball to the wrong team. We've got three game breakdowns, a discussion of Cesare Edwards, why being good at basketball means you can do crimes, and how Mick Cronin can't wait to tell you Die Hard is his favorite Christmas movie. All that and all your questions o...

Xavier lost against Butler in large part because of their own efforts, but also due to the stylings of a tragicomic officiating crew. We know 15.2.a, but they evidently don't. You will know it better after this pod. Souley Boum is getting tired and Xavier is struggling over the last seven. We discuss whether either is worth worrying about. There's that, some NSFW hazing at New Mexico St, yet anoth...

Losing Zach Freemantle wasn't a good thing, but Xavier grabbed two more wins in his absence. Jerome Hunter stepped up, Colby Jones, just kept being himself, and Souley Boum iced the wins. There's our breakdown of that, players punching fans, a bizarre clash in Iowa, and more Bison Dele chat that you probably bargained for. Throw in your questions and you have this week on Banter.

It wasn't a great end to the week, but Xavier still sits in a really good spot... unless Zach Freemantle is hurt. He may be, which puts the Musketeers February in jeopardy. We break down each power conference to see how strong they are and where that could put X, answer questions about the (lack of) depth, and get into the ridiculous schedules refs choose to work on this episode of Banter.

Xavier had their worst week in quite some time in losing to DePaul before playing badly enough to lose but getting bailed out by it being Georgetown. The Musketeers defense is still a serious problem and the offense can't be electric every time. We tackle all that, a travesty in New Mexico, Brad makes a bold prediction about Georgetown, answer your questions, and finally clear the air on the "nucl...

Xavier is on fire right now. We break down two big Q1 wins, talk about Souley Boum and Jack Nunge, and get into where this team is in bracketology and why that's different from last year when we were in close to the same place. There's all that, your questions, the Darius Miles tragedy, cursed arenas, and why we think Pat Kelsey would be the perfect coach with just one little rule change. That's a...

Xavier has ripped off a 5-0 start and has one of the best offenses in the nation. The defense and depth, though, are not nearly so good. How do teams that profile like X get on at the pointy end of the season? We'll discuss that, Zach Freemantle, and answer all your questions on this episode of Banter.

Xavier knocked off UConn in a huge Q1 home win. Resume burnished, the Musketeers now sit 21st in the NET, where the Big East is rising rapidly. Georgetown remains a whole landfill fire, College of Charleston is, somehow, ranked, and the Big East is breaking into tiers. We discuss all of that, onanism (?), Jerome Hunter, and yell loudly about Dylan Sinn in this episode of Banter.

Xavier hung on against St. John's to get to 3-0 in the Big East. The all access broadcast was amazing, but most of what Xavier Nation wanted to know after the game is how someone's voice can get that high and how Xavier can avoid the fatigue that seems to be catching them at the end of games. We'll get into that, the emergence of Jerome Hunter, the struggles of the freshman, answer your questions,...

Xavier is 2-0 in the Big East, but does that mean what it used to? The Big East is a bit weaker this year, but the Musketeers look primed to make a serious run at contention. That could depend on how far the offense can carry them, because the defense is a real area of concern. We'll get into all of that, the player of the week, whether the World Cup final was the best championship we've seen, and...

The only way to upstage a Shootout win is with news that Xavier's coach has been found not guilty in the IARP investigation. Xavier remains squeaky clean, the best program in town, and in the premier basketball conference in the nation. Souley Boum is the latest Xavier transfer to exceed expectation, we break down the Big East so far, and our outro... could use some work. All that, Chris Beard, Fr...