Miller on facing alma mater: ‘About winning’
GREENSBORO, N.C.– Xavier coach Sean Miller still squirms when he thinks about the last time– the only time, actually– he has actually coached versus his alma mater.Miller, a Western Pennsylvania local and former point guard at Pitt, last took on versus the Panthers in 2009 in what would end up being his last game at Xavier prior to leaving for Arizona. The Musketeers had a good group and took 1-seed Pitt to the wire in a Sweet 16 face-off, only to see their competition dreams end in a 60-55 loss.Fourteen years
later on, Miller remains in his first season back at Xavier, and it’s that sting of a loss that suggests more going into Sunday’s matchup against 11-seed Pitt, even more than any affinity for his alma mater.Editor’s Picks
“I’m much older [now],” Miller stated of this weekend’s rematch with Pitt. “I would say as much as I love Pitt, it has to do with winning the game and getting to the Sugary food 16. I have a soft area for them, and I’m sure it’s no various for them, however you get to this round, the prize is so substantial for your team and your university that that’s my focus.”
Miller bet Pitt from 1987-88 through 1991-92, averaging 10 points and 5.8 assists a game during his career and helping on among the school’s most renowned plays, an enormous dunk by Jerome Lane that shattered the backboard against Providence in 1988.
“The something about that play,” Miller said, “is nobody can ever implicate you of not playing. Every [January] you advise them that you a minimum of could dribble and pass.”
Miller really participated in a ceremony to induct Lane into the Pitt Hall of Fame in 2015, he said, and he has actually remained near the university– though he stated Saturday he had never ever come close to taking a training task there.Miller fulfilled his
wife at Pitt and still has various friends and family in the area, however he stated Sunday’s game is all business.Xavier won its first-round game against Kennesaw State after erasing a 13-point second-half deficit, while Pitt fought through a First Four game before stifling Iowa State on Friday. Miller stated his team will require to shoot far much better than it did versus Kennesaw State if it wants to prevent the upset.”My hope is we can play much better and be more
constant, “Miller stated.”We had some really good minutes [against Kennesaw State] however we weren’t as consistent as we wanted to be.”Xavier hasn’t made it beyond the 2nd round of the competition because 2016-17, which is also Miller’s last trip beyond the 2nd round as a coach, then with Arizona. “What I remember about [the last time coaching against Pitt] is that they carried on and played Villanova,”Miller said. “We were a play away from doing the same thing. The tournament, why it’s so fantastic, is if you advance, it’s the greatest feeling in the world. … That’s why we need to make it through, why we have to be at our best. “