Here at Rose Hill Gym, the abrasive, aggressive Lyons re-emerged. After scoring his first points, on an and-one layup with 16:46 left, he stared down Fordham fans behind the basket. After a made three a few minutes later, he pointed at a few Rams fans sitting in courtside seats nearby (after making a big 3-pointer in the second half, he would turn and make the "three goggles" in the direction of Fordham's bench). Also in the first half, he got into a verbal exchange with a few Rams fans sitting across from the Xavier bench, clapping a few times in the face of a student, Maxxie Goldstein, and asking her -- according to Goldstein -- "Are we gonna go?"

 

And then there was the moment where things nearly spun out of control. With 11:08 left in the first half, Lyons stole the ball from Fordham reserve Lamount Samuell and was fouled before he could lead a fast break. It was not a hard or cheap foul, but Lyons followed Samuell upcourt to talk trash about the steal, and Lyons put his face within inches of Samuell's, to ensure that the entire message would be heard. (Lyons said he was saying "Gimme that," wanting the ball back, but there seemed to be a good deal of profanity mixed in.)

 

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/luke_winn/01/07/xavier.mark.lyons/index.html#ixzz1j6v7KOOm

Zip em up...

Right now, Bracketology as both X and Cincy as the last 4 in...no way they meet up.

LaSalle is currently leading the Atlantic 10... Xavier, it's up to you to save us from this world turned upside-down.

Xavier should be ashamed, this basketball team is an embarrassment to anyone who ever went to or especially played basketball at Xavier.

Sad.

Xavier should be ashamed, this basketball team is an embarrassment to anyone who ever went to or especially played basketball at Xavier.

 

Overreaction.

 

I'd worry more about supporting a team who has players that fail multiple drug tests, get arrested , and do not graduate at a high enough rate.

 

Which X player falls into any of the above?

Xavier players don't get it, and neither do Mack or their fans.

Xavier players don't get it, and neither do Mack or their fans.

 

X has chosen to play their style and not worry about pundits. The beauty is that if they go too far there are systems/rules in place that will punish them. They're not asking for any special treatment. They're not saying "we're above the rules." They're saying "this is how a few of us play." I've got no problem with ANY player who talks trash on the floor because they have 3 options: back it up, get embarrassed, or get punished by an official. Lyons thinks he can back it up. If an official thinks he needs to be whacked then that's the chance you take. Boogie talked trash. I was all for him. Lyons thinks he needs to talk in order to play his game. I'm all for that as well.

 

We can talk when X players destroy a guy's face with a cheapshot when he's not looking. Talk is as old as the hills. Suddenly it's the plague of basketball?

Overreaction.

 

I'd worry more about supporting a team who has players that fail multiple drug tests, get arrested , and do not graduate at a high enough rate.

 

Which X player falls into any of the above?

 

Difference, we kick our players off the team when they misbehave. We don't ignore the problems and hope they go away like Xavier is doing.

Difference, we kick our players off the team when they misbehave. We don't ignore the problems and hope they go away like Xavier is doing.

 

Please tell me you're not equating selling/buying drugs and failing drug tests with a fight and some words that offended some.

 

Come on.

^Everything Xavier's basketball team does is a direct contrast to the "higher standards" X tries to tell people they hold themselves to. They're a fraud and have been exposed as such.

Not really a Xavier fan but if it's a slow day when you resort to write about trash talking in college basketball.

^Everything Xavier's basketball team does is a direct contrast to the "higher standards" X tries to tell people they hold themselves to. They're a fraud and have been exposed as such.

 

What basketball higher standards do you speak of? Have they been caught cheating? Grade scandals? Punching a horse? Tying a guy up and whipping him? $1000 air packages?

 

I've never heard any X fan say X players do not play hard/tough/aggressive basketball. I've never heard Mack say he wouldn't recruit anyone who "talks." X says you will come to X and play hard and graduate.

 

If "higher standards" refers to graduating then they are not frauds. X doesn't recruit choir boys and has never said they do. Where's the fraud?

They're frauds in the sense that the university preaches the "higher standards" at X compared to other places. Then they turn around and let their basketball players act like thugs, with little to no consequences. The whole "higher standards" thing at the University is a complete joke. It doesn't exist. Sure, other places (UK, UC, etc.) do the same stuff, but they don't try to act like they're the "goodie goodie, wholesome" school that X tries to portray.