2004 NCAA Tourney - Xavier vs Louisville

[SkyWalker]

Does anyone remember this game?

Last night's game very much reminded me of it. Big half time deficit, big comeback, big X win. Often teams come from significant deficits to tie the game but can't get over the top. Last night and in 2004, X turned double-digit deficits to double-digit victories.


http://espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=244000026

[GoMuskies]

Yup, I was there. Louisville people were very upset with Pitino after that one (Louisville had been ranked as high as #2 or #3 earlier in the year). They went to the Final Four the next year and things seemed to be smoothed over.

The Miss. State game two days later was more fun.

[drudy23]

Of course we remember it...it was part of The Run. It was a very late game and I remember laying on my couch thinking "well, the season is over", and then Lionel took over...fast break dunk out of nowhere energized the team and got me off of my couch.

[THRILLHOUSE]

Of course we remember it...it was part of The Run. It was a very late game and I remember laying on my couch thinking "well, the season is over", and then Lionel took over...fast break dunk out of nowhere energized the team and got me off of my couch.

I also remember Dedrick Finn having a huge 4 point play

[bobbiemcgee]

I was there and remember the utter amazement of the fans around me, as if to say.."who are these guys?" Same with the Miss. St. game. Their big lug Center couldn't believe us.

[drudy23]

How friggin awesome was Chalmers during the last month of that season? May be the best display of dominance we've seen in a Xavier uniform. Not saying he was the best ever, but he turned into a different player his last month.

[Smails]

Box Score...


http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/scores104/104079/20040319NCAABXAVIER----0nr.htm

[xubrew]

I would love to get a video of that game. A friend of mine had the VHS tape, but it broke before I could convert it to DVD. It's not available on the NCAA Vault site yet, and I don't think they have any immediate plans to update their library.

[muskiefan82]

I liked the part about Pitino making his players watch the first half of the X vs. St. Josephs game when X went off on the #1 team in the country. That game is still one of the most amazing things I've ever seen from an X team.

[Lamont Sanford]

I liked the part about Pitino making his players watch the first half of the X vs. St. Josephs game when X went off on the #1 team in the country. That game is still one of the most amazing things I've ever seen from an X team.

That was in the first round of the A-10 Tourney up at UDump. Pimpinthebox and I left work early to hit that Noon tip-off. It was great beating the #1 team in the country on UDump's home court with all the red sweater vests rooting against us.

[Juice]

That was in the first round of the A-10 Tourney up at UDump. Pimpinthebox and I left work early to hit that Noon tip-off. It was great beating the #1 team in the country on UDump's home court with all the red sweater vests rooting against us.

That was one of the most fun X games I've ever attended. People were mocking the St. Joe's hawk for much of the game.

[bourbonman]

Heck YES, I remember that UofL game. Of course, right during Lent, so I was wearing my Xavier sweatshirt loud and proud as I served as the cashier at the parish Fish Fry and all the UofL fans having to look at that. LOVED IT!

[Pablo's Brother]

That was in the first round of the A-10 Tourney up at UDump. Pimpinthebox and I left work early to hit that Noon tip-off. It was great beating the #1 team in the country on UDump's home court with all the red sweater vests rooting against us.

I had a breakfast meeting at the Golden Nugget in Dayton that day. Martelli, Jameer, Delonte (with neck tat) and their big center with the 'fro were having breakfast. I guess I just missed a Xavier fan who saw the STJU crew on his way out. He stopped, went right up to them and screamed: "YOU ARE GOING DOWN TODAY! XAVIER IS GOING TO WIPE THE FLOOR WITH YOU! WE OWN THIS CONFERENCE! ST. JOE'S IS GOING DOWN TODAY!" He then calmly walked out. People there could not believe it. None of them thought it would happen and all the UD fans eating were sure we would get smoked. I just said "you never know." Never met the XU fan - but I have to give him some stone cold Nostradamus props. If I saw him today I would thank him. Part of me wonders if he got in their head and helped us beat St. Joe's. What a game!

[paulxu]

Have you ever met DC?

[Cincypunk.org]

I had a breakfast meeting at the Golden Nugget in Dayton that day. Martelli, Jameer, Delonte (with neck tat) and their big center with the 'fro were having breakfast. I guess I just missed a Xavier fan who saw the STJU crew on his way out. He stopped, went right up to them and screamed: "YOU ARE GOING DOWN TODAY! XAVIER IS GOING TO WIPE THE FLOOR WITH YOU! WE OWN THIS CONFERENCE! ST. JOE'S IS GOING DOWN TODAY!" He then calmly walked out. People there could not believe it. None of them thought it would happen and all the UD fans eating were sure we would get smoked. I just said "you never know." Never met the XU fan - but I have to give him some stone cold Nostradamus props. If I saw him today I would thank him. Part of me wonders if he got in their head and helped us beat St. Joe's. What a game!

That is kind of a shitty thing to do to a bunch of college kids eating breakfast before a game IMO.

[chico]

That was one of the most fun X games I've ever attended. People were mocking the St. Joe's hawk for much of the game.

It was for me as well. I went with a friend who was a UD fan and he just sat there not saying a word, just awestruck. It was one of the best Xavier games I've ever attended. They just flat our boat raced that team. Jameer Nelson got his a@@ handed to him by Chalmers.

[JK04]

Remember driving with 6 other friends in a minivan overnight to Orlando to make that game after the idea was hatched at Dana's the night before. And then thinking the trip would end too soon when they were down 14 with about 16 minutes left in the game, before X hit a couple 3s on back to back possessions to start the comeback and continue the run to Atlanta. Skipping class to go to the St. Joe's tourney game was a great decision. That game and beating UD for the title 2 days later were the only two chances I had to rush a court in celebration.

[SlimKibbles]

Heck YES, I remember that UofL game. Of course, right during Lent, so I was wearing my Xavier sweatshirt loud and proud as I served as the cashier at the parish Fish Fry and all the UofL fans having to look at that. LOVED IT!

I gave myself March Madness dispensation (like I do every year when there is a conflict with Lent) and ate way too much food that was bad for me while watching games all day long at Willie's in Covington. The game was kind of fuzzy because I'd been drinking all day but I remember X was down a bunch but came back and won kind of handily. That was a long day.

[Nigel Tufnel]

I will never forget the Ville/MSU games because I was "on the clock" with the birth of my first child. Couldn't have too many cocktails while watching in case I had to drive to the hospital. It wasn't easy. Luckily, my oldest, who wears X gear pretty much every day, was born on March 22, 2004. I'll never forget watching Sportscenter highlights over and over again of X crushing MSU in the delivery room while the wife was bitching about something or the other...apparently she was uncomfortable or in pain....which I thought was completely impossible watching the highlights of the game. Yes....my son was born in a delivery room with the tv showing Sportscenter X over MSU highlights....I thought/think it it was a good omen.

[Kahns Krazy]

That is kind of a shitty thing to do to a bunch of college kids eating breakfast before a game IMO.

It's only shitty if it doesn't work.

[Pablo's Brother]

It's only shitty if it doesn't work.

This is why Kahns is the straw that stirs the drink. Public reps.

[X-Fan]

I haven't shared this story too often about the '04 X/Ville game, but I didn't see any of the second half. With X down like they were at the half, and after suffering through the NCAA Tourney disappointments of '98-'03, I turned the game off at half time and went to bed (I truly had a migraine). To my bewilderment, shock, and amazement I was woken up by my Sister and Dad calling me after the game ended to see if I could believe the comeback! After getting MUCH deserved crap from them for going to bed, I got up and checked out the highlights!

Needless to say, I was glued to the TV for the Miss St game, and distinctly remember this wonderful feeling coming over me when Dedrick Finn hit another 3pt Dagger in the 2nd Half and realizing X might finally get back to the Sweet 16! Next day my Dad, Sister, and I quickly agreed we'd all be driving down to Atlanta for the Texas game, and as they say the rest is history. To be there, with my sister (both life long fans) and Dad (X grad who took us to games since we were born) as X advance to the Elite 8 for the first time is something I'll never forget. Man, what a great time.

[Xavier]

I gotta say (no offense to you, X-FAN) I am surprised at how many here have said to turn games off at half time or record the game and check the results prior to watching. It just seems weird to me, thats all.

[X-Fan]

I gotta say (no offense to you, X-FAN) I am surprised at how many here have said to turn games off at half time or record the game and check the results prior to watching. It just seems weird to me, thats all.
Ha! No offense taken! This is VERY rare for me. If I recall I was exhausted anyway (which is what caused the migraine) and this was the last straw. I'm a night owl and never go to bed early, so that tells you how bad I was feeling. I can't imagine turning off a NCAA Tourney game...heck I even watched all of the X/Baylor game in 2012! ;-)

[sgarcia]

I was in Vegas with some other Xavier friends. We were losing badly, we were drunk, probably had lost hundreds of dollars already and we all decided to switch seats and whoever had a hat on put it on backwards. We went on a huge run, the boos kept flowing and a lot of people were wondering why a group of guys wouldn't stop yelling and jumping up and down. The run continued and was punctuated by those of us who bet the over in the 1st half of the Xavier/Miss St game and watched Finn hit a half court shot at the buzzer to hit the over. It was glorious.