Xavier to Face Old Dominion in Paradise Jam Final

It hasn't always been pretty, but the Muskies have made it to 4-0, heading into the Paradise Jam final against fellow don't call us "mid" major, Old Dominion.

Both teams have NCAA aspirations that don't hinge simply on winning their league tournaments in March, and picking up the win tomorrow would be a nice chip in each team's pile.  The Monarchs advanced after narrowly edging Clemson, 61-60, while Xavier survived an unbalanced offensive night and held off the Seton Hall Pirates 57-52.

Xavier got just 25 points from players NOT named Tu (formerly, Terrell) Holloway.  The same group combined for 10 of 28 shooting.  Holloway has shown early on this season that he should have been included on the 50-man Naismith Watch List, averaging 27 points, 6 board and more than 5 assists.  While Holloway's play has been unquestionably superb, if Xavier can't find someone else to help carry the offensive load this season, it's hard to see them winning games when their schedule begins to escalate, which it will VERY quickly. 

Call me "Tu" but give me three.

The obvious candidates is sophomore Mark Lyons, though he is hampered somewhat by the similaraities in his and Tu's game, as well as some poor shot selection.  Junior seven footer Kenny Frease's game has improved each season, but is still far from a reliable consistent post scoring option.  Dante Jackson is more of a defensive player and occassional spot up shooter and Jamel McLean is a freakish athlete, but limited on what he can do with the ball.  If one of the above doesn't begin making more significant offensive contributions, Chris Mack might have to experiment deeper on the bench to find some offensive balance.

For Old Dominion, the Paradise Jam Final represents another important chance to stack an automatic bid-worthy chip in their favor.  Their first opportunity narrowly slipped away as they lost their opener to Georgetown (who won their tournament, beating Vandy and Minnesota). 

The game tips tomorrow night around 8:30 tomorrow and can be found on MOST Fox Sports affiliates.