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Xavier
Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................
First of all, they were supposed to get here. The Musketeers went 21-12 last season and reached the second round of the NIT, and five of the top six players returned from that team. So make no mistake, Xavier was supposed to get here. But then, those kinds of expectations have crushed other teams in similar situations (see: N.C. State), so credit coach Skip Prosser for taking this team where it was supposed to go. Credit center David West, too, for becoming the building block. Xavier began the season with a 5-2 record, but that was a misleading mark in that the Musketeers lost to the only two "name" opponents in that stretch, Wisconsin and Princeton. The season may very well have hung in the balance when Xavier played Dec. 14 at city rival Cincinnati and won 69-67, triggering a six-game winning streak that saw the Musketeers roar into the Atlantic 10 schedule with momentum galore. Inside the conference, the only teams to beat Xavier have been Massachusetts (twice) and St. Joseph's once. The Musketeers' most impressive victory of the season probably came against St. Joe's in their first meeting, an 86-73 spanking. Player to Watch He was one of the best -- and most surprising -- freshmen in the country last season, and now David West has become one of the best -- and most surprising -- players in the country, period. The 6-foot-8 center is among conference leaders in scoring (17.7 points per game), rebounds (11), field-goal percentage (55.0) and blocks (2.1 per game), and according to Temple coach John Chaney one of the best two players in the league (along with St. Joe's Marvin O'Connor). With the Ball Maurice McAfee keys a fairly balanced attack that spreads the bulk of the points among six players -- himself, West, Romain Sato, Kevin Frey, Lionel Chalmers and Lloyd Price -- as well as the location those points come from. West scores in the post; Sato, McAfee and Chalmers score from the perimeter; and Frey and Price score in between. McAfee is an even more potent scorer than his 9.4 average would suggest. Last season he averaged 15 points. Defending the Ball Although the Musketeers aren't terribly big, they have forced opponents to try unsuccessfully to beat them from the perimeter. Teams attempt 23 three-pointers per game against Xavier, and make just 30 percent of them. Still, Xavier isn't the most aggressive defensive team you'll see, forcing 15 turnovers per game and getting about seven steals per contest. Though only 6-8, West is a premium shot blocker, averaging 2.1. His presence, and opponents' poor shot selection, combine to keep foes' overall field-goal percentage at 39.8. Seed Analysis Exceeding the Seed Playing to Expecation Falling Short BRACKETOLOGY SCORE: 1.333 (1.000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding) Bracketology Report The Musketeers are a good bet to "exceed their seed," having done so four times in eight NCAA trips since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Xavier scored two of the biggest upsets in tourney history as a double-digit seed in 1991 and 1987. The only time Xavier has fallen short of its seed came in the school's last NCAA appearance (1998), when the Musketeers were nipped at the buzzer by Washington.Roster
 NCAA Basketball Championship Week It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |  |
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