6 Seed in the West

[X-Fan]

A few thoughts on X getting a 6 seed in the West:
Fantastic that X got such a high seed in a season that many X fans would consider a "down" year. Tell me that X gets a 6 seed after the Creighton loss and I would have called you crazy.

Yet another benefit for X from bring in the Big East. First the bump in revenue, recruiting, exposure, and schedule strength. Now we get into the "whole picture" stuff. The committee saw the record vs Top 50 teams, playing in the 2nd toughest conference, with the top 10 SOS.

The 6 seed has been VERY interesting for X over the years. 1990 was iconic and established the program. 1998 was the big letdown and defined the Prosser Era. 2010 was a great young team going out like Gs. 2011 was a good team getting bumb rushed. What a mix.

What a contrast beteween this year and 1998! I consider that one of X's better teams and this years team gets the same seed! Crazy!

Looks like X has fair to favorable seeding/spot in the bracket. Games will be tough, but it could have been much harder.

Great job guys! Let's Go X!!!!

[waggy]

Didn't one of the pundits have X on the bubble? I think the lowest on bracket matrix was 11.

This seed and bracket is about as good as X could expect.

[RealDeal]

http://www.goxavier.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031515aaa.html

[xu82]

Now we a win to prove we deserve it. One at a time. I'm not greedy... yet.

[BandAid]

http://www.goxavier.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031515aaa.html
What a bunch of goofballs. They were yelling just to yell.

[spursy]

A few thoughts on X getting a 6 seed in the West:
Fantastic that X got such a high seed in a season that many X fans would consider a "down" year. Tell me that X gets a 6 seed after the Creighton loss and I would have called you crazy.

Yet another benefit for X from bring in the Big East. First the bump in revenue, recruiting, exposure, and schedule strength. Now we get into the "whole picture" stuff. The committee saw the record vs Top 50 teams, playing in the 2nd toughest conference, with the top 10 SOS.

The 6 seed has been VERY interesting for X over the years. 1990 was iconic and established the program. 1998 was the big letdown and defined the Prosser Era. 2010 was a great young team going out like Gs. 2011 was a good team getting bumb rushed. What a mix.

What a contrast beteween this year and 1998! I consider that one of X's better teams and this years team gets the same seed! Crazy!

Looks like X has fair to favorable seeding/spot in the bracket. Games will be tough, but it could have been much harder.

Great job guys! Let's Go X!!!!
Great write up! Very excited to see what we do.

[mohr5150]

To be very honest, I think it was a stretch putting us as a 6 seed. I'll take it,, though. I thought the best case was a 7 and more than likely an 8. Those wins against Georgetown and Butler were huge in this decision.

[D-West & PO-Z]

To be very honest, I think it was a stretch putting us as a 6 seed. I'll take it,, though. I thought the best case was a 7 and more than likely an 8. Those wins against Georgetown and Butler were huge in this decision.

I think we were A LOT better off than most of us thought before even the BE tourney. I think Lunardi's prediction that even before the Creighton game we were in no matter what was accurate. We had a great SOS and a lot of top 50 wins even before the Butler and Georgetown wins.

I think we were very deserving of the 6 seed looking at our final resume.

[X-band '01]

2 wins in New York were a huge boost. Imagine if Xavier pulled off the impossible last night and beat Nova.

[BandAid]

Stewart Mandel Posts the Committee's 1-68 List (https://twitter.com/slmandel/status/577241949364625409)

We are the last 6 seed. The two six seeds ahead of us? Providence and Butler. It's like the committee got to the Big East and was like: What the hell, they're all the same. Just pick a line and we'll stick them all there.

Also: vd is the very last at large. I should've cheered for UConn - would've been more fair to Boise St.

[D-West & PO-Z]

We were lucky MSU didnt win today, probably would have knocked us down to 7 seed.

[SemajParlor]

We were lucky MSU didnt win today, probably would have knocked us down to 7 seed.

This is true. Heard the commish say that MSU would've moved to a 6. Seeing that we were 24 def would have knocked us to 7.

[smileyy]

We are the last 6 seed. The two six seeds ahead of us? Providence and Butler. It's like the committee got to the Big East and was like: What the hell, they're all the same. Just pick a line and we'll stick them all there.

Yeah...there's Villanova, then 5 more teams, then the bottom 4. Georgetown, Butler, Xavier and Providence are all in the 22-28 range of Ken Pomeroy's rankings.

[Xavier_Musketeers]

Who would we rather be playing of the two teams? I would definitely want Ole Miss. BYU is second in the nation in scoring, but they both have pretty shaky defenses

[sgarcia]

Stewart Mandel Posts the Committee's 1-68 List (https://twitter.com/slmandel/status/577241949364625409)

We are the last 6 seed. The two six seeds ahead of us? Providence and Butler. It's like the committee got to the Big East and was like: What the hell, they're all the same. Just pick a line and we'll stick them all there.
Also: vd is the very last at large. I should've cheered for UConn - would've been more fair to Boise St.

I think they did the same thing with the Big 12. KU is the worst 2 seed with Iowa St, Baylor and OU all 3 seeds.

[paulxu]

When I look at Dance Card, he seemed to have everything pretty well in hand.
He was off on the 2 teams either side of the cut line, but had us at 21 and we came in at 24.

Except for Temple and UCLA. Right now he's probably trying to figure out how the Bruins slipped a worm into his program.

http://www.unf.edu/~jcoleman/dance.htm

[bleedXblue]

I really hope we get at least 2 through to the Sweet Sixteen.

I want to shut up that ass clown hack Gottlieb.

[bleedXblue]

Also wanted to say the GT is not a 4 . I don't see them getting through to the S16.

[Masterofreality]

The Big East got Big Respect. Now we have to all win games to justify it.

Suck it ESPN, and Catholic hater Gottlieb too. The Committee gives the league it's props although the four letter network does it's best to demean and ignore. Thank Gawd the Committee pays little attention to polls.

The AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC? NO ONE respects them. SMU was left out last year and only two teams this year. SMU is a 5 as a conference champ, no Tulsa and SucKS is, well, SucKS with Kentucky right over the wall if they happen to luck out and beat Purdue.

[Xville]

I think we got a tiny bit overseeded....but I thought a 7 before the bracket was announced, so I mean splitting hairs here.

Of the teams in the Big East, here is the way I see things going down...not that what I say means anything, but it doesn't mean anything less than the crackpot "experts" on CBS or ESPN.

Villanova---championship game
Butler---Elite Eight
Providence---Sweet 16
St. Johns---round of 32
Xavier--round of 32
Georgetown----upset

It may be because we beat Georgetown 3 times, it may also be because they are a consistent underperformer in the tourney, or it may be because I think that their coach is living off his father's success. Whatever it is, I'm not impressed with Georgetown and definitely don't see them making it out of the first weekend.

Of course now that I say that, you might as well pencil them into the Elite Eight.

[kyxu]

I think we got a tiny bit overseeded....but I thought a 7 before the bracket was announced, so I mean splitting hairs here.

Of the teams in the Big East, here is the way I see things going down...not that what I say means anything, but it doesn't mean anything less than the crackpot "experts" on CBS or ESPN.

Villanova---championship game
Butler---Elite Eight
Providence---Sweet 16
St. Johns---round of 32
Xavier--round of 32
Georgetown----upset

It may be because we beat Georgetown 3 times, it may also be because they are a consistent underperformer in the tourney, or it may be because I think that their coach is living off his father's success. Whatever it is, I'm not impressed with Georgetown and definitely don't see them making it out of the first weekend.

Of course now that I say that, you might as well pencil them into the Elite Eight.

Xavier has been a pretty trendy pick to be upset by BYU.

[D-West & PO-Z]

My first crack which will be tweaked has:

-Nova championship game
-Georgetown Sweet 16
-Butler Sweet 16
-Providence Sweet 16
-Xavier Sweet 16
-SJU out in first round

[Xville]

My first crack which will be tweaked has:

-Nova championship game
-Georgetown Sweet 16
-Butler Sweet 16
-Providence Sweet 16
-Xavier Sweet 16
-SJU out in first round

If our conference has 5 sweet 16 teams in, that would be a huge win for the conference....i don't see it happening, but would love it.

[paulxu]

My first crack which will be tweaked has:

-Nova championship game
-Georgetown Sweet 16
-Butler Sweet 16
-Providence Sweet 16
-Xavier Sweet 16
-SJU out in first round

ESPN would crash and burn.

[D-West & PO-Z]

If our conference has 5 sweet 16 teams in, that would be a huge win for the conference....i don't see it happening, but would love it.

Yeah same. I feel pretty good about Nova and I feel a lot better about Georgetown getting to Sweet 16 than most.

[Xavier]

Don't have my bracket infront of me-- but I think I have:
Nova in the NC game
Providence and Gtown Sweet 16
Butler/X round of 32 (I was going to have Butler in sweet 16 but I like ND. Wish they had a different 3)
St. John's out in first round.

[BandAid]

Not many have someone who can handle Josh Smith. Stain is the number one reason we match up so well against Georgetown.

[GoMuskies]

I'm not seeing 5 Big East teams in the Sweet 16. 1 is more likely than 5 IMO. I see 2 or 3 as the likely case.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I picked Butler over ND because I dont trust Mike Brey to get it done. I think they could lose to Butler or Texas if they beat Butler.

Xavier is a heart pick.

Nova and Georgetown I feel good about.

Providence I picked because of Dunn, great guard play can do wonders. Also Henton can light it up.

SJU is the only team I have flaming out. Obekpa injury will hurt.

[Xville]

i could definitely see Providence and Nova meeting in the elite eight...Oklahoma is a pretty weak three in my opinion and Virginia's best player, Justin Anderson, doesn't look healthy still to me...Oklahoma could beat anyone, but they could also lose in the first round. I know you can say that about a lot of teams, but they lost to Creighton, K state twice, washington but then beat Kansas and Iowa St. They are pretty schizo....again though you can probably say tat about any team outside of most of the #1s and #2s

Kentucky has a virtual cakewalk to the Final Four in my opinion. Usually the NCAA tries to make it very hard on Calipari...that doesn't seem to be the case this year. Maryland could maybe keep it to 10-15...Notre Dame would get destroyed as their inside game is very weak. And, we all know what happened to Kansas the last time they played Kentucky.

[SemajParlor]

Xavier is my only sweet 16 pick from the Big East- and that's because I like Georgia State over Baylor as my big first round upset. Nova's getting bounced by NC State in my opinion. Too much reliance on outside shooting. (See Creighton)

[Xville]

Xavier has been a pretty trendy pick to be upset by BYU.

yeah ill be rooting hard for Ole Miss in that game...I think Byu is a matchup problem for Xavier.

[Xville]

Xavier is my only sweet 16 pick from the Big East- and that's because I like Georgia State over Baylor as my big first round upset. Nova's getting bounced by NC State in my opinion. Too much reliance on outside shooting. (See Creighton)

I haven't seen Georgia State play but I know that RJ Hunter is a legit NBA prospect, Ryan Harrow (if he is healthy) was good enough to be on Kentucky, and Kevin Ware was good enough to play at Louisville. They could definitely beat Baylor, with that said if they could beat Baylor, they could beat X as well.

This is going to be a really fun tournament..can't wait.

[LadyMuskie]

This is going to be a really fun tournament..can't wait.

I agree with this. Even if all the games go chalk, they should be fun games to watch.

[SemajParlor]

I haven't seen Georgia State play but I know that RJ Hunter is a legit NBA prospect, Ryan Harrow (if he is healthy) was good enough to be on Kentucky, and Kevin Ware was good enough to play at Louisville. They could definitely beat Baylor, with that said if they could beat Baylor, they could beat X as well.

This is going to be a really fun tournament..can't wait.

I've seen them play a few times - that trio can pretty much play big minutes on any team. They get bodied on the boards and have 0 depth though. Quite honestly I'm a little biased just because I want to see Baylor lose of course - but this reminds me of that Ohio team that knocked off Gtown. Remember Armon Basset - transfer from IU? Kids (and especially upper classmen guards) who have been there before in big time moments are a tremendous asset to mid majors.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0wwOI2Ljos

[THRILLHOUSE]

I picked Butler over ND because I dont trust Mike Brey to get it done. I think they could lose to Butler or Texas if they beat Butler.


Yeah, I know Notre Dame is hot right now but so hard to trust Brey. Notre Dame hasn't gotten past the first weekend since 2003. But of course I'm not trusting Rick Barnes either, so who knows what will happen there.

[BandAid]

Yeah, I know Notre Dame is hot right now but so hard to trust Brey. Notre Dame hasn't gotten past the first weekend since 2003. But of course I'm not trusting Rick Barnes either, so who knows what will happen there.

Butler should be able to at least ugly up/slow down their offense.

[markchal]

Butler should be able to at least ugly up/slow down their offense.


I actually think Texas is a bad matchup for Butler and they lose first round.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I think Texas is a bad matchup but I will believe they win a game when I see it. Rick Barnes is pretty terrible and Texas has talent but you have to win games. I would trust Butler way more.

[sirthought]

Texas' defense and the strong teams they've matched up against this season, they should be able to handle Butler. Of course, Butler constantly surprises me, but the up and coming stars on the Texas squad will fight hard to prevail.

Georgetown will give Smith and Smith-Rivera the big green light to take over. I see them going to the sweet 16, although Utah's size will be a real challenge.

Providence is a tough team I like. Oklahoma is a great team hard to overcome, but I have Providence meeting Villanova in the sweet 16.

Xavier will have to really play their best. BYU scares me with the outside shooting. Baylor has great rebounding and defense. Hopefully, XU shooters are rested/healed enough to get back to form with scoring better.

[Xville]

Although Nova is a great team, they really scare me in terms of making it past the sweet 16 based on two things: 1.) their reliance on outside shooting, and 2.) they haven't beaten anyone on the top 3 seed line....their best wins are at home against Georgetown and on the road against Xavier, Butler and at Providence. Those are all good teams, but they aren't great teams. I think solely because of them, I'm going to fill out two brackets....one of them going to the championship game, and one of them losing after the first weekend. Either of those could easily happen with them. And yes, I'm a wuss for filling out more than one bracket.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Texas' defense and the strong teams they've matched up against this season, they should be able to handle Butler. Of course, Butler constantly surprises me, but the up and coming stars on the Texas squad will fight hard to prevail.

Georgetown will give Smith and Smith-Rivera the big green light to take over. I see them going to the sweet 16, although Utah's size will be a real challenge.

Providence is a tough team I like. Oklahoma is a great team hard to overcome, but I have Providence meeting Villanova in the sweet 16.

Xavier will have to really play their best. BYU scares me with the outside shooting. Baylor has great rebounding and defense. Hopefully, XU shooters are rested/healed enough to get back to form with scoring better.

Providence and Nova cant meet until Elite 8

[THRILLHOUSE]

I think solely because of them, I'm going to fill out two brackets....one of them going to the championship game, and one of them losing after the first weekend. Either of those could easily happen with them. And yes, I'm a wuss for filling out more than one bracket.

You probably take walks in softball as well. Be a man and stick to one bracket!

[Xville]

You probably take walks in softball as well. Be a man and stick to one bracket!

Definitely would never do that. I have the patience of a 4 year old so even if its a ball im swinging away.

[SemajParlor]

I actually think Texas is a bad matchup for Butler and they lose first round.

Agreed. For what it's worth the March Madness predictor on FiveThirtyEight actually has Butler as the underdog.

[THRILLHOUSE]

Agreed. For what it's worth the March Madness predictor on FiveThirtyEight actually has Butler as the underdog.

Pretty sure Vegas has Butler as the underdog as well.

[SemajParlor]

I guess history has shown that Butler being an underdog isn't usually a problem come March. For some reason I think Texas wins. The beauty of this tournament is who the hell knows what will happen.

[X-Fan]

Although Nova is a great team, they really scare me in terms of making it past the sweet 16 based on two things: 1.) their reliance on outside shooting, and 2.) they haven't beaten anyone on the top 3 seed line....their best wins are at home against Georgetown and on the road against Xavier, Butler and at Providence. Those are all good teams, but they aren't great teams. I think solely because of them, I'm going to fill out two brackets....one of them going to the championship game, and one of them losing after the first weekend. Either of those could easily happen with them. And yes, I'm a wuss for filling out more than one bracket.
Nova has some good wins outside of the ones you mentioned.
They beat VCU and Michigan when they were at full strength and I believe both were ranked. Same thing goes for their win against Syracuse before they started to mail it in. They also creamed a few decent teams like Illinois and Temple.

I am less worried about Nova's supposed reliance on the 3. It's not like they don't have very good big men, or the ability to get into the lane. Against X in the BE Championship, when their shots weren't falling, they plugged in Josh Hart and went to the hole relentlessly. Also, they go a SOLID 8 deep, with almost every guy a threat to score from deep. Shut down Pinkston, then you get to deal with Kris Jenkins. I felt really good about this team last year, and they got shocked in the Third Round. They have tremendous offense, play great D, have Senior leadership, and have a great coach. I just can't see them not making the Final Four.

[waggy]

I like Butler. They don't beat themselves usually, and they defend very well.

[smileyy]

I like Butler. They don't beat themselves usually, and they defend very well.

Yeah, I like them a lot, outside of 2-3 games per season.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I like Butler. They don't beat themselves usually, and they defend very well.

Yeah I think Butler beats Texas and has a chance to upset ND.

Texas played in the toughest league but they didnt perform well. I'll take Butler's results over Texas' talent.

[Xville]

Nova has some good wins outside of the ones you mentioned.
They beat VCU and Michigan when they were at full strength and I believe both were ranked. Same thing goes for their win against Syracuse before they started to mail it in. They also creamed a few decent teams like Illinois and Temple.

I am less worried about Nova's supposed reliance on the 3. It's not like they don't have very good big men, or the ability to get into the lane. Against X in the BE Championship, when their shots weren't falling, they plugged in Josh Hart and went to the hole relentlessly. Also, they go a SOLID 8 deep, with almost every guy a threat to score from deep. Shut down Pinkston, then you get to deal with Kris Jenkins. I felt really good about this team last year, and they got shocked in the Third Round. They have tremendous offense, play great D, have Senior leadership, and have a great coach. I just can't see them not making the Final Four.

Michigan is not a good team (just because they were ranked at the beginning of the season doesn't mean they were good...florida was also ranked at the beginning of the season) and neither was Syracuse. I think UK has a cake walk to the final four, and I think Nova actually has a really easy draw as well. Their #4 Louisville can't score, thir #3 is Schizo in Oklahoma, Virginia hasn't been the same team the past two weeks but with all of that said, Villanova is going to have to prove in the tournament that they are at the elite level their seed says they are...that's why they play the games. All I am saying is I am not completely sold on them, and just because they were able to do the things they did against Xavier, doesn't mean they can against better competition.

With all of this said, I hope that Villanova is cutting down the nets in Indy..if it isn't going to be Xavier....anyone besides UK or Duke and I am a happy camper.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Michigan is not a good team and neither was Syracuse. I think UK has a cake walk to the final four, and I think Nova actually has a really easy draw as well. Their #4 Louisville can't score, thir #3 is Schizo in Oklahoma, Virginia hasn't been the same team the past two weeks but with all of that said, Villanova is going to have to prove in the tournament that they are at the elite level their seed says they are...that's why they play the games. All I am saying is I am not completely sold on them, and just because they were able to do the things they did against Xavier, doesn't mean they can against better competition.

Most "experts" think Nova has the toughest draw.

[GoMuskies]

They should. I think Nova was the clear 4th #1 seed.

[X-Fan]

Yeah I think Butler beats Texas and has a chance to upset ND.

Texas played in the toughest league but they didnt perform well. I'll take Butler's results over Texas' talent.
I am having a lot of trouble filling out my bracket. I want the Big East to do well and shut up ESPN SO bad that I'm struggling to be objective.

Butler doesn't do anything to "wow" you, but they do whatever it takes to win. For that reason I think they beat Texas.

I'm also struggling with getting past ND's propensity to fail in the Tourney. ND was the HOT team back in 2011 and got dismissed by a defensive minded FSU team.

It's a weird feeling that I want others in the conference to win so badly. I so used to not giving a crap about anyone else in the A10 and just wanting X to dominate. I'm sure after another season or two I'll get the hang of it.

[D-West & PO-Z]

They should. I think Nova was the clear 4th #1 seed.

I thin Wisconsin was the 4th 1 seed.

I do think Nova has a tough draw.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I am having a lot of trouble filling out my bracket. I want the Big East to do well and shut up ESPN SO bad that I'm struggling to be objective.

Butler doesn't do anything to "wow" you, but they do whatever it takes to win. For that reason I think they beat Texas.

I'm also struggling with getting past ND's propensity to fail in the Tourney. ND was the HOT team back in 2011 and got dismissed by a defensive minded FSU team.

It's a weird feeling that I want others in the conference to win so badly. I so used to not giving a crap about anyone else in the A10 and just wanting X to dominate. I'm sure after another season or two I'll get the hang of it.

Yeah I am clearly having ahrd time being objective with 5 BE teams in the sweet 16 my first attempt at the bracket. I really think Nova and Georgetown get there. Then I think Providence would be next and I think XU and Butler could get there or lose their first games. I think both will win at least one though.

[THRILLHOUSE]

They should. I think Nova was the clear 4th #1 seed.

Nova was the 2nd 1 seed:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CALGfooUsAAB5HB.png

[GoMuskies]

Nova was the 2nd 1 seed:


Really?!? That's kind of puzzling. Among other puzzling things done by the committee.

[THRILLHOUSE]

Really?!? That's kind of puzzling. Among other puzzling things done by the committee.

They haven't lost since January. Don't think it's that much of a shock that they are #2 on the "s curve".

[XUFan09]

Texas' defense and the strong teams they've matched up against this season, they should be able to handle Butler. Of course, Butler constantly surprises me, but the up and coming stars on the Texas squad will fight hard to prevail.


Butler's defense has actually be more efficient on the year, but Texas has a better offense. Both are primarily defensive teams, though, so I don't expect it to be high-scoring.

[X-band '01]

The Big East got Big Respect. Now we have to all win games to justify it.

Suck it ESPN, and Catholic hater Gottlieb too. The Committee gives the league it's props although the four letter network does it's best to demean and ignore. Thank Gawd the Committee pays little attention to polls.

The AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC? NO ONE respects them. SMU was left out last year and only two teams this year. SMU is a 5 as a conference champ, no Tulsa and SucKS is, well, SucKS with Kentucky right over the wall if they happen to luck out and beat Purdue.

Would you expect less in a year where Syracuse banned itself from the postseason and UConn was relegated to the NIT? That's where most of the Mothership employees went to college.

[DoubleD86]

6 seed isn't too bad for a disappointing year where the Coach lost the trust of the fan base and the program proved that changes need to be made...

[Xavier]

Well, I think when post season hopes are dependent on a win in the last game of the regular season- it is a disappointing regular season. But Ive said it all along, I have I expectations.

[xavierj]

Well, I think when post season hopes are dependent on a win in the last game of the regular season- it is a disappointing regular season. But Ive said it all along, I have I expectations.

Post season hopes don't go from hinging on one game to a 6 seed in a week either so maybe you were just a tad out of touch. Play a schedule like DAyton and you would think Chris was awesome. Most would think he is somewhere in the middle between mediocre and good.

[X-Fan]

Well, I think when post season hopes are dependent on a win in the last game of the regular season- it is a disappointing regular season. But Ive said it all along, I have I expectations.
It should be abundantly clear by getting a 6 seed that X was already safely in before the Creighton game. WE made the Creighton game a must win. It's a whole perception vs reality thing.

[XUFan09]

It should be abundantly clear by getting a 6 seed that X was already safely in before the Creighton game. WE made the Creighton game a must win. It's a whole perception vs reality thing.
Yup. It's interesting that Xavier would almost definitely have been in with 18 wins and a first-round conference tournament loss. Props to Lunardi for emphatically saying that. After some weak years, he's been really good the last few years.

[XUFan09]

6 seed isn't too bad for a disappointing year where the Coach lost the trust of the fan base and the program proved that changes need to be made...
The fanbase as a whole lost trust in him? That's an excessive exaggeration if I ever heard one. A divided fanbase? Much more accurate.

[D-West & PO-Z]

It should be abundantly clear by getting a 6 seed that X was already safely in before the Creighton game. WE made the Creighton game a must win. It's a whole perception vs reality thing.

Exactly. The must win @Creighton was made up by the fan base and local media to some extent. Lunardi said several times before that game XU could not win another game all year and they were in.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Well, I think when post season hopes are dependent on a win in the last game of the regular season- it is a disappointing regular season. But Ive said it all along, I have I expectations.

As others have said you must have been out of touch.

[XUFan09]

As others have said you must have been out of touch.
I don't think he was out of touch with the original thought process. He just hasn't updated for the current circumstance.

[markchal]

As others have said you must have been out of touch.

Stop with this, you're being absolutely ridiculous. There were a million people on this board and around the country who called that a must win. Even Chris Mack himself and the seniors said it was a must win. It was a must win.

[XUFan09]

Stop with this, you're being absolutely ridiculous. There were a million people on this board and around the country who called that a must win. Even Chris Mack himself and the seniors said it was a must win. It was a must win.
But it wasn't a must win. I even believed it was at the time, but I am not going to continue to latch on to that notion in the face of new evidence.

I was wrong, Mack was wrong, the seniors were wrong, and the majority of the fan base was wrong.

[XUFan09]

If one needs further evidence beyond the fact that bubble teams don't move up that quickly to 6 seeds, consider Oklahoma State:

17-13 record (!)
SOS similar to Xavier's
Worse top 50 record
Just one fewer bad loss (3 total)

And they got a NINE seed. Xavier was in the tournament, even if they finished with only 18 wins.

[markchal]

But it wasn't a must win. I even believed it was at the time, but I am not going to continue to latch on to that notion in the face of new evidence.

I was wrong, Mack was wrong, the seniors were wrong, and the majority of the fan base was wrong.

Right, but for Dwest&Poz to say Xavier was out of touch for thinking that before the game is lunacy, because literally everyone thought that. The only person who didn't think that had no idea how many losses we had.

Several bubble teams choked in the conf tourney and if we had lost to Creighton, we'd have another bad loss on our hands and potentially could've missed out on two of our biggest three wins of the season, so it's impossible to know how things would've shaken out.

Either way, it doesn't matter because the team put together a strong week and put itself in a great position.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Stop with this, you're being absolutely ridiculous. There were a million people on this board and around the country who called that a must win. Even Chris Mack himself and the seniors said it was a must win. It was a must win.

Out. Of. Touch.

Especially because he still holds that opinion to be true even though giving our seeding it clearly isnt.

If he really thinks we had a disappointing season and almost didnt make the tourney he is out of touch. He is especially out of touch because he still holds that opinion to be true even though giving our seeding it clearly isnt. We got a freaking 6 seed! We had the most top 25 wins we ever had in a season BEFORE we even picked up two more in the conference tourney. We were in the tourney win or lose to Creighton and win or lose any games in the BE tourney. Just because "a million people" thought it was a must win doesnt mean its true. As '09 said they were wrong. I was always under the thought of one more win we were a lock but that we still had a fantastic resume compared to teams on the bubble. The committee obviously liked what we did. I think too much stock was put into the bad losses by some than the good wins.

[markchal]

Out. Of. Touch.

Especially because he still holds that opinion to be true even though giving our seeding it clearly isnt.

If he really thinks we had a disappointing season and almost didnt make the tourney he is out of touch. He is especially out of touch because he still holds that opinion to be true even though giving our seeding it clearly isnt. We got a freaking 6 seed! We had the most top 25 wins we ever had in a season BEFORE we even picked up two more in the conference tourney. We were in the tourney win or lose to Creighton and win or lose any games in the BE tourney. Just because "a million people" thought it was a must win doesnt mean its true. As '09 said they were wrong. I was always under the thought of one more win we were a lock but that we still had a fantastic resume compared to teams on the bubble. The committee obviously liked what we did. I think too much stock was put into the bad losses by some than the good wins.

This is a cop out because you said it in past tense, like he was crazy for thinking that before Creighton when it's literally what we all thought. Second, this is a straw man argument. He never said it was a disappointing season, he said it was a disappointing regular season. Whether you agree or not, it's not a hard position to understand. We lost 12 games, including a handful that we absolutely should've won, we didn't see much growth in some players and the OP admitted he had high expectations for this squad (I didn't originally because of so many new faces).

Also we don't know what would've happened if we lost to Creighton, there was so much up in the air at that point and we picked up two of our best wins of the season in the tournament.

[LadyMuskie]

I think disappointing is the wrong word to use for the regular season. Frustrating is a better word. This team lost games that there was no reason to lose. And frankly, we won games that based on our losses, we should not have won giving hope for the next game, which we may have lost or almost lost due to the way we played. The team has very little consistency, very little static identity. Even in the tournament, we couldn't count on the same players each game. That's unusual for a Xavier team. Whether it was Burrell's defense or Lavender's offense, for example, there was always one consistent thing you could count on when you watched Xavier play. This year, we see players light up the court for 3 games and then disappear for the next 6. Myles Davis was incredible for a good stretch of games, and then couldn't hit the ocean from the beach. Remy Abell plays like an all-star defender and then suddenly either isn't playing or couldn't have defended Stevie Wonder. Anyone can have an off night, but that is not what this was. This team was frustrating and confusing all season.

Take voting for the awards for the players. Looking at those awards and thinking back, you really could have chosen just about any player for any of the awards. Sometimes they were great, other times they looked horrendous, and still other times they were just so-so. No one stood out consistently - good or bad.

I have absolutely no expectations for Thursday. We could win by 20 points or lose by 20 points. Neither outcome would be surprising. Based on the formulas and computer models we are not overseeded. However, based on our actual play, I can see why some are scratching their heads.

[markchal]

I think disappointing is the wrong word to use for the regular season. Frustrating is a better word. This team lost games that there was no reason to lose. And frankly, we won games that based on our losses, we should not have won giving hope for the next game, which we may have lost or almost lost due to the way we played. The team has very little consistency, very little static identity. Even in the tournament, we couldn't count on the same players each game. That's unusual for a Xavier team. Whether it was Burrell's defense or Lavender's offense, for example, there was always one consistent thing you could count on when you watched Xavier play. This year, we see players light up the court for 3 games and then disappear for the next 6. Myles Davis was incredible for a good stretch of games, and then couldn't hit the ocean from the beach. Remy Abell plays like an all-star defender and then suddenly either isn't playing or couldn't have defended Stevie Wonder. Anyone can have an off night, but that is not what this was. This team was frustrating and confusing all season.

Take voting for the awards for the players. Looking at those awards and thinking back, you really could have chosen just about any player for any of the awards. Sometimes they were great, other times they looked horrendous, and still other times they were just so-so. No one stood out consistently - good or bad.

I have absolutely no expectations for Thursday. We could win by 20 points or lose by 20 points. Neither outcome would be surprising. Based on the formulas and computer models we are not overseeded. However, based on our actual play, I can see why some are scratching their heads.

This is a really great post to sum things up. That inconsistency hurts us at the end of games too, because I still have no idea who should be taking our last shot. You really don't know who is going to show up but when this team is locked in, they are very dangerous and a lot of fun to watch.

[Xavier]

Out. Of. Touch.

Especially because he still holds that opinion to be true even though giving our seeding it clearly isnt.

If he really thinks we had a disappointing season and almost didnt make the tourney he is out of touch. He is especially out of touch because he still holds that opinion to be true even though giving our seeding it clearly isnt. We got a freaking 6 seed! We had the most top 25 wins we ever had in a season BEFORE we even picked up two more in the conference tourney. .

I admit, I was likely out of touch- Just like Coach Mack. But, I still think it was disappointing. Lets look at the facts as you said- We finished with More top 25 wins then ever before. Great season, right? Well, we never sniffed the top 25 and we finished in the bottom half of the league. If someone told me we would have more top 25 wins then ever before- I would be disappointed they ended up finishing in the bottom half of the league and never came close to a top 25 ranking.

Hell, anytime a healthy X team finishes in the bottom half of the league I will be disappointed. Is that too high of expectations? Apparently.

Ladymuskie may be right, frustrating could be a better word

[D-West & PO-Z]

I admit, I was likely out of touch- Just like Coach Mack. But, I still think it was disappointing. Lets look at the facts as you said- We finished with More top 25 wins then ever before. Great season, right? Well, we never sniffed the top 25 and we finished in the bottom half of the league. If someone told me we would have more top 25 wins then ever before- I would be disappointed they ended up finishing in the bottom half of the league and never came close to a top 25 ranking.

Hell, anytime a healthy X team finishes in the bottom half of the league I will be disappointed. Is that too high of expectations? Apparently.

Ladymuskie may be right, frustrating could be a better word

Frustrating I can 100% agree to.

[XUFan09]

Right, but for Dwest&Poz to say Xavier was out of touch for thinking that before the game is lunacy, because literally everyone thought that. The only person who didn't think that had no idea how many losses we had.

Several bubble teams choked in the conf tourney and if we had lost to Creighton, we'd have another bad loss on our hands and potentially could've missed out on two of our biggest three wins of the season, so it's impossible to know how things would've shaken out.

Either way, it doesn't matter because the team put together a strong week and put itself in a great position.

Based on where we finished seed-wise, I can guarantee we would have still been in the tournament. You said that some bubble teams "choked" during their conference tournaments. That same thing is said every single year, because most of them really didn't choke; they just weren't that good to begin with and inevitably some of them lost.

Even if every single bubble team won (an absurd proposition to begin with, but let's just go with it), Xavier still would have made the tournament. There were about 8 bubble teams worth mentioning heading into the conference tournaments. Xavier finished 22 spots ahead of the last team in. Oklahoma State, the team I mentioned before with 17 wins and a similar SOS to Xavier, finished 12 spots ahead of the last team in. By simple math, Xavier was in the tournament even if they lost to Creighton and then lost to Butler. Their seed would have suffered, for sure, but they were in the tournament.

[xu82]

Let's hope our friends from the Big East win a bunch of games so people don't point at those wins as inflated victories. Win and they all have to shut up! (Until the next time...)

[LA Muskie]

I will gladly admit I must have been out of touch. Because I thought Creighton was a must win. And it obviously was not. Glad to know I'm not in unique in that description though.
I'm also very glad we beat Creighton. And Butler. And Georgetown. I like being a 6 seed.

[Backyard Champ]

Based on where we finished seed-wise, I can guarantee we would have still been in the tournament. You said that some bubble teams "choked" during their conference tournaments. That same thing is said every single year, because most of them really didn't choke; they just weren't that good to begin with and inevitably some of them lost.

Even if every single bubble team won (an absurd proposition to begin with, but let's just go with it), Xavier still would have made the tournament. There were about 8 bubble teams worth mentioning heading into the conference tournaments. Xavier finished 22 spots ahead of the last team in. Oklahoma State, the team I mentioned before with 17 wins and a similar SOS to Xavier, finished 12 spots ahead of the last team in. By simple math, Xavier was in the tournament even if they lost to Creighton and then lost to Butler. Their seed would have suffered, for sure, but they were in the tournament.

This may be a silly statement because I'm not sure if conference tournaments come into play with sos, but I'd imagine if we didn't play Villanova and Gtown, our SOS would not have been as good. And going 2-5 in the last 7, and finishing 18-14 probably would have been detrimental. At best it would be play in game, IMO.

We really need it to be Thursday.

[markchal]

Based on where we finished seed-wise, I can guarantee we would have still been in the tournament. You said that some bubble teams "choked" during their conference tournaments. That same thing is said every single year, because most of them really didn't choke; they just weren't that good to begin with and inevitably some of them lost.

Even if every single bubble team won (an absurd proposition to begin with, but let's just go with it), Xavier still would have made the tournament. There were about 8 bubble teams worth mentioning heading into the conference tournaments. Xavier finished 22 spots ahead of the last team in. Oklahoma State, the team I mentioned before with 17 wins and a similar SOS to Xavier, finished 12 spots ahead of the last team in. By simple math, Xavier was in the tournament even if they lost to Creighton and then lost to Butler. Their seed would have suffered, for sure, but they were in the tournament.

It's a pointless argument that no one can win, so no, you can't guarantee we would've been in. With that sort of collapse down the stretch, especially with how important the eye test appeared to be (ridiculous how much the committee favored that), I don't think losing t Butler and CU would have us in. I agree with the poster who said play-in at best. But who cares, because this team finally started winning some close games so the rest is irrelevant.

[XUFan09]

This may be a silly statement because I'm not sure if conference tournaments come into play with sos, but I'd imagine if we didn't play Villanova and Gtown, our SOS would not have been as good. And going 2-5 in the last 7, and finishing 18-14 probably would have been detrimental. At best it would be play in game, IMO.

We really need it to be Thursday.
Minor change in SOS, about 4 spots. Still top 15.

[XUFan09]

It's a pointless argument that no one can win, so no, you can't guarantee we would've been in. With that sort of collapse down the stretch, especially with how important the eye test appeared to be (ridiculous how much the committee favored that), I don't think losing t Butler and CU would have us in. I agree with the poster who said play-in at best. But who cares, because this team finally started winning some close games so the rest is irrelevant.
Actually, the eye test would help Xavier with the St. John's road game and the Villanova home game, despite the losses. It would not have been viewed as a collapse, just losing tough games close in the last stretch with a bad road loss in the middle.

Fun fact: That 18-win OK State team that's comparable to the theoretical Xavier team we keep talking about? They went 1-6 down the stretch, much worse than a theoretical 0-3. And Xavier had a much better non-con SOS, along with better efficiency rankings. Once again, OK State got a 9 seed.

[Xavier]

Haven't looked into OK State, guessing they had similar sub 100 losses?

[XUFan09]

Haven't looked into OK State, guessing they had similar sub 100 losses?
Three instead of four for Xavier.

[X-Fan]

I admit, I was likely out of touch- Just like Coach Mack. But, I still think it was disappointing. Lets look at the facts as you said- We finished with More top 25 wins then ever before. Great season, right? Well, we never sniffed the top 25 and we finished in the bottom half of the league. If someone told me we would have more top 25 wins then ever before- I would be disappointed they ended up finishing in the bottom half of the league and never came close to a top 25 ranking.

Hell, anytime a healthy X team finishes in the bottom half of the league I will be disappointed. Is that too high of expectations? Apparently.

Ladymuskie may be right, frustrating could be a better word
Don't make me repost my take on this team being overly young/inexperienced and how that affects their consistency! :-)

Your points are valid. It was a strange, frustrating, great, and unusual season. That X wound up in the BE Finals, and a SIX seed in the Tourney is that much more incredible. As the saying goes, I don't care how you get there, just get there. Start of this season, you tell me X will be a 6 seed, I take that. I probably had higher expectations, but I knew we'd have growing pains with 5+ new faces.

IMO, this season and last season were all about transitioning to where the program wants to be. That we did it without missing The Tourney IS an huge. Do I want the same inconsistency next year? NO. But I get it this year. They're just building toward the elite program X will be very soon.

[Caveat]

Let's hope our friends from the Big East win a bunch of games so people don't point at those wins as inflated victories. Win and they all have to shut up! (Until the next time...)

Usually I'm against the whole "rooting for my conference" stuff, but it would be really nice if the Big East could pick up a few Ws and send a few teams through to the S16.

If for no other reason than to see the faces at ESPN when they're forced to discuss the conference on shows other than PTI.

[XUPhilly04]

Usually I'm against the whole "rooting for my conference" stuff, but it would be really nice if the Big East could pick up a few Ws and send a few teams through to the S16.

If for no other reason than to see the faces at ESPN when they're forced to discuss the conference on shows other than PTI.

I'm sure now ESPN will be predicting that Ole Miss will lose to Baylor. This morning on Mike & Mike, both Mikes picked X beating Ole Miss for their annual "sheet of integrity", where the loser has do something embarrassing. Former terrible VA Tech coach, Seth Greenberg, tried to talk Golic out of the pick, stating X could lose to Ole Miss. Mike & Mike not willing to bet against X when something is on the line.

[markchal]

Start of this season, you tell me X will be a 6 seed, I take that. I probably had higher expectations, but I knew we'd have growing pains with 5+ new faces.

IMO, this season and last season were all about transitioning to where the program wants to be. That we did it without missing The Tourney IS an huge. Do I want the same inconsistency next year? NO. But I get it this year. They're just building toward the elite program X will be very soon.

No question, I knew having so many new faces would bring growing pains, but I do wish we had started to put it all together quicker. I dont feel like we were playing our best at the end of the reg season. I'm pretty happy with the momentum we have now, but would feel a little better if not for Myles six game slump.

I knew inconsistency would be a problem, I just didn't think it would be such a problems it in our upperclassmen. But, thanks to this last week, I think this team has exceeded my expectations from the start of the season, and they did that by doing something we haven't done much of until the end of the season, closing out tough games.

And now we are in a good position to get some great tournament experience for our younger guys and hopefully send the seniors out right.

[Xville]

I believe that any win at this point is gravy for this team. I think Mack has done an incredible job with this group to get it into the position that they are currently in. This was not the most talented Xavier team any of us has ever seen, and I think to get into the tournament with a decent seed is a great coaching accomplishment. I believe that the main talent on this team lies in the underclassmen, so any tournament experience they can get this year is going to help tremendously, and will help build toward what I believe to be some of, if not the best team Xavier has ever had. This is just the beginning for what Xavier is going to be able to accomplish over the next 2-3 years.

[markchal]

I believe that any win at this point is gravy for this team. I think Mack has done an incredible job with this group to get it into the position that they are currently in. This was not the most talented Xavier team any of us has ever seen, and I think to get into the tournament with a decent seed is a great coaching accomplishment. I believe that the main talent on this team lies in the underclassmen, so any tournament experience they can get this year is going to help tremendously, and will help build toward what I believe to be some of, if not the best team Xavier has ever had. This is just the beginning for what Xavier is going to be able to accomplish over the next 2-3 years.

I thought that coming in because I expected an 8. I think there's a little more pressure to win as a 6 and hold up our end for the conference. But I agree with a lot of what you're saying. I hope we can get LA Jr 5 minutes or so in this game because of that.

[boozehound]

This is honestly about what I expected for this season before it began: A rough start with some baffling losses followed by consistently improving play throughout the season. I was hoping we would do a little better throughout the middle of the season, but we finished the regular season (and conference tournament) strong. I'm thrilled with a 6 seed.

We were 6-2 against Top 25 teams in a very good basketball conference. We aren't going to win 25 games in a rebuilding year in the Big East - this isn't the A-10. This is a new conference and every game is losable. So far, I'm enjoying it.

[Xavier_Musketeers]

I have seen so many websites about Xavier that are so incorrect. One of them said we average 61.4 points a game so we will get outscored by Ole Miss, but we actually average 73.6. Another website said we only have one senior Andrew Mitchell and our lack of experience won't win us the game

[Musketeer_15]

For whatever this is worth, Kermit the Frog from the Muppets has Xavier in the Final 4!

http://games.espn.go.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/2015/en/entry?entryID=289225

[GIMMFD]

For whatever this is worth, Kermit the Frog from the Muppets has Xavier in the Final 4!

http://games.espn.go.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/2015/en/entry?entryID=289225

If this happens I'm streaking across the greenspace, mark my words.

[paulxu]

If this happens I'm streaking across the greenspace, mark my words.

I'm going to do it right now to keep you from editing it out of the interwebs.

[GIMMFD]

I'm going to do it right now to keep you from editing it out of the interwebs.

Think they would expel a Senior with a month left until graduation?

[LadyMuskie]

Think they would expel a Senior with a month left until graduation?

Your choice: expulsion or one on one reflection session with Luther Smith. Your move, Senior.

[GIMMFD]

Your choice: expulsion or one on one reflection session with Luther Smith. Your move, Senior.

I'll take expulsion.

[LadyMuskie]

I'll take expulsion.

You have learned well. We have nothing left to teach you here.

[xu82]

Think they would expel a Senior with a month left until graduation?

Some kids in my sons class got expelled during orientation. That would have saved you a lot of time and money. I recommend green body paint. Kermit could pull this off!