Xavier win streak bringing confidence back

Xavier appears to be regaining its confidence, although coach Chris Mack insists that's something the Musketeers never lost."Our kids are confident all the time," Mack said. "Sometimes we have to tell them not to be so confident. Guys are just playing. That's all I ask of them, to play hard. And it starts with our defensive intensity."The Musketeers stretched their winning streak to three with a victory over St. Bonaventure on Jan. 14. There were no marquee wins in that stretch, but after losing five of six in the wake of the brawl with Cincinnati, Xavier just needed to experience success.Whether it was a loss of swagger or focus amid the public scrutiny following the fight is uncertain. But clearly something change for a couple weeks for this Xavier team that began the season 8-0 with impressive wins over Butler, Vanderbilt and Purdue."We just took our foot off the gas pedal," forward Andre Walker said. "We just have to play a complete and solid 40 minutes. We're playing with more of a sense of urgency now."There's no question that defense has been the key to Xavier's resurgence. The Musketeers held three consecutive opponents under 40 percent shooting, and to just 27.7 percent from 3-point range.Until someone beats the Musketeers, they remain the favorites to win the A-10. Mack believes the burden of the December brawl is a thing of the past and his kids are performing as if they've already moved on."They feel like the microscope has been pushed aside now," Mack said.NOTES, QUOTESMack is back after knee surgery--Xavier coach Chris Mack had surgery Jan. 8 to repair a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. The injury occurred in practice Jan. 6 when Mack was attempting to dunk during a team-building exercise. He is coaching with a brace on his left leg that prevents him from standing for long periods.--Assistant coach Kareem Richardson has rejoined the coaching staff following lung surgery. During Richardson's absence, Xavier grad and NBA standout Aaron Williams served as a temporary assistant coach. Williams scored 1,073 points in his Xavier career, then played for nine NBA teams before retiring in 2007.BY THE NUMBERS: 42 -- Consecutive victories for Xavier at home vs. Atlantic 10 Conference opponents through Jan. 14.QUOTE TO NOTE: "People were putting the fork in us two years ago, and people were putting a fork in us last year. We're going to be fine as long as we stick to our system and believe in ourselves. We're heading in the right direction" -- Coach Chris Mack, on his team's resurgence after it had lost five of six games.THIS WEEK'S GAMES:--vs. Saint Joseph's, Jan. 18KEY MATCHUPS: Xavier has won three straight in the series, including a 20-point win at Saint Joseph's last season. Sophomore Langston Galloway is the Hawks' second-leading scorer. He scored 11 points in the loss to Xavier last year and is shooting 51 percent from 3-point range. Junior G Carl Jones is coming off a 16-point performance in a loss at UMass.--at Dayton, Jan. 21KEY MATCHUPS: One of the nation's fiercest rivalries is renewed at UD Arena. Xavier swept the regular-season series last year but is looking to avenge a one-point loss in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament. Chris Johnson, who was averaging 10.3 points through Jan. 14 and energizes the Flyers offense, missed one game and did not play in the second half of the Jan. 14 win over La Salle.FUTURES MARKET: Junior F Jeff Robinson scored a season-high 13 points in the Jan. 14 win over St. Bonaventure. He scored 12 in Xavier's previous win over Duquesne. Xavier coach Chris Mack said he isn't surprised by Robinson's recent contributions, especially because of Robinson's strong finish last year. "I'd love to keep Jeff out of foul trouble," Mack said. "When he's on the floor for stretches at a time, he brings a tremendous offensive-rebounding presence. He's finishing around the basket. He's earned the time he's getting now."PLAYER NOTES--Senior C Kenny Frease left the Jan. 14 win over St. Bonaventure early in the second half with an ankle injury. Frease appeared to roll his right ankle four minutes into the second half. He was expected to be re-evaluated to determine his status for the Jan. 18 game against Saint Joseph's.--Senior G Tu Holloway moved into 17th place on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,478 career points. He began this week trailing Gary Lumpkin (1995-99), who was in 16th place with 1,507 points.--Junior G Brad Redford, who returned this season after sitting out last season with a knee injury, appears to be finding his stroke. Redford scored a season-high 10 points and hit two 3-pointers in the win over St. Bonaventure.