Why Sim Bhullar is Perfect for X

This has nothing to do with basketball.

Anyone who has either (a) seen the film Miracle, (b) watched any meaningful sporting event brought to you by ABC/ESPN, or (c) watched any Winter Olympics coverage since 1980 while living outside of Russia and the former Soviet republics knows the story of the 1980 US hockey team. The parallels between that team (or at least the Disney-fied version that came out on film) and mid-major basketball schools could be drawn pretty easily; we may even do that here depending on how long/boring the summer turns out to be. My focus right now is a little more narrow.

In the early stages of the movie (again, I was negative five years old in 1980, so my reality is based on grainy footage and a Disney script), Herb Brooks is agonizing over which players are going to be invited to have the opportunity to play for the US team. An assistant - who probably exists only as a plot device - points out to Brooks that he hasn't selected the best American players. Brooks responds, "I'm not looking for the best players; I'm looking for the right ones."

Sim Bhullar to Xavier

Our little big guy

According to Alex Kline of The Recruit Scoop, Sim Bhullar has committed to Xavier for the 2012 season. Rumor had swirled around Xavier and Bhullar for quite some time but this is the first thing that indicates a real commitment, with Brian Snow of Scout.com also confirming. Bhullar is, literally, a huge catch for Chris Mack and Xavier. Standing 7'4" and weighing nearly 340 pounds, Bhullar is one of a select few humans that make Kenny Frease seem light and agile. There is some tape on Bhullar, and we have a bit of breakdown of it after the jump.

Wake Forest Suspends Prosser Classic

Or not

Fresh off the news of the addition of Purdue to the schedule comes a somewhat more disturbing announcement. The ten year series between Wake Forest and Xavier will suffer a one year hiatus this year. While these things always have two sides, it's clear that Coach Mack thinks the majority of the blame lies with Wake. Jeff Bzdelik of Wake said "neither team" could agree on a date for the game this year. From a strictly basketball standpoint, this won't hurt Xavier. Emotionally it is a bit of a disappointment that Coach Prosser won't be getting his due notoriety this year.

Xavier Adds Home-and-Home With Purdue

Xavier announced today that they are beginning a home-and-home series with Purdue. The series will open sometime this December at Cintas, which will be a great game for the Muskies. Purdue has been seeded 6th, 5th, 4th, and 3rd in the last four NCAA tournaments, a trend that statisticians tell me cannot continue for beyond the 2012-2013 season. Purdue has also finished the last four seasons no worse than 23rd in the Pomeroy rankings. Landing such a high-profile and tough opponent is great news for the Xavier basketball program; kudos to Mario Mercurio and his staff for getting this done.

Xavier and Purdue have some regular season history together; most recently in 2002 when X knocked off Purdue at Cintas. Xavier also played - and defeated - Purdue in the 2008 tourney. Thank Kyle for the fact that this is now more clear than it was. Xavier looks like adding one more non-conference game to the slate for next year, but this one may be it.

Xavier Adds James Farr

Farr on his way to X.

Multiple sources have alleged that 6'9" forward James Farr has committed to play his college ball at Xavier, but Brian Snow seems to have pulled the scoop first. Farr is a lean lefty who came into high school on the wrong side of six feet tall. As he grew the better part of a foot, he continued to keep the small man skills that have now allowed him to be a big-time D-1 recruit. ESPN describes him as having a good enough jump shot to play pick-and-pop and a good face-up game on the block. Most sources agree that Farr needs to add bulk, but his skills, effort, and upside are universally praised.

Shootaround

Are you getting sucked into Spring? Working out for bathing suit season (it's too late)? Have you quit thinking about college basketball? Are you out shopping with Mike Leake? Don't worry, we've still got all the news and you don't even have to rip the tags off!

What if he had stretched defenses all year?

- Eamon Brennan has a remarkably interesting story in the what if scenarios in college ball this year. For Xavier we have to wonder, what if Brad Redford hadn't gotten injured? We probably would have missed the Rundown, but a shooter to spread defenses would have been massive all year.

I Blame Derrick Brown

Derrick Brown, with his head at the rim

With the deadline for declaration to the NBA draft quickly approaching, Tu Holloway's future at Xavier is still up in the air. While it seems obvious to the fan base that Tu should return for his senior year, it's never easy to get into the mind of a player in Holloway's situation. The lure of NBA fame and fortune - or even a six-figure salary for playing ball overseas - is sometimes overwhelming to the sensiblities of a young man. In a situation like this, I am forced to do what any logical person would: blame Derrick Brown.

Brown came onto the scene at Xavier as a super-efficient dunk machine of a freshman. That season he averaged almost two points per shot attempt, due in large part to the fact that most of his shots were attempted from within the cylinder. As he matured, Brown added an effective (if not especially pretty) jump shot to go with his sensational athletic ability. He averaged almost 14 points per game as a junior and connected on 39 of 90 threes. With highly touted Indiana transfer Jordan Crawford eligible to play the next season, Brown appeared set to help lead Xavier deep into the tourney as a senior. Then he left.