Pat Forde's Classic UD best/worst scenario

[A10fan]

Funny he mentions X in both scenarios.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3992254&sportCat=ncb

Dayton (11)

Best Case: Team that went 12-1 in games decided by six points or less finds a way to win two more white-knucklers, upsetting West Virginia and dethroning Kansas on last-second shots by Chris Wright. Brian Gregory takes mentor Tom Izzo and former employer Michigan State to the wire before losing in Sweet 16. People in Dayton finally quit pining for the glory days of Don Donoher. Xavier is upset early.

Worst Case: The Flyers, who finished the season 5-5, clang free throws and fail to handle West Virginia on the glass in the opening round and are quickly ushered out. Team that lost five games by double digits makes it a sixth. Dayton fans go back to reliving the glory days of Don Donoher and wondering why it can't be like that anymore. Xavier makes Final Four, says it is too good for the rest of the A-10.

[kyxu]

That's pretty good. Seems like Forde has his finger on the pulse of the XU-UD rivalry.

[Muskie]

His Xavier Best/Worst case is just as nutty.

[coasterville95]

If you want a lot of humor to help you get amped up for the big dance this is the piece for you. Just try to read it without busting out laughing. I especially like our best case scenario. "So let it be written, so let it be done!"

Big East swaps Xavier for DePaul, love it.

[wkrq59]

Forde always was good for a laugh

[X-band '01]

What, Ohio State and Dayton wins weren't included in Xavier's worst-case scenario?

[coasterville95]

Forde must have known we would already be puking at "Miller cathes the first thing out of Boise to Virginia!"

He must know every in story - for our scenarios he nailed the whole Mid-Major thing pretty well. He must also have heard Cronin whine since he included the big about the Big East is so impressed they take us and drop DePaul. For Huggins they bring up the mustard suit.

Oh what the heck, its not premium content so here is what he has to say about a certain local team of interest:

Xavier (4)

Best Case: Wearing warm-up shirts that say, "We Ain't No Stinkin' Mid-Major," Musketeers rediscover their pre-February mojo and blast through the bracket to the Final Four. They handle Portland State and Florida State, shoot the lights out to shock Pitt and then avenge a 2004 regional final loss to Duke. Somewhere, Romain Sato is smiling. Loss in Final Four to North Carolina is no shame. Big East, which clearly isn't tough enough, is so impressed it pulls a Catholic school switcheroo, dropping DePaul and adding Xavier. Sean Miller signs another contract extension.

Worst Case: Xavier team that refuses to be called a mid-major loses to a mid-major, upset in Round 1 by Portland State after traveling west into a geographically disadvantageous draw. Musketeers team that wobbled to a 5-5 finish once again cannot close out a close game, losing its last four decided by five points or less. Miller hops the first thing smokin' out of Boise to take the Virginia job.

Portland State (13)

Best Case: Jeremiah Dominguez, all 5-foot-6 and 160 pounds of him, becomes the cherished cherub of March when he leads the Vikings to the Sweet 16. The dangerous squad that upset Gonzaga and brings a six-game winning streak into the Dance stuns Xavier in the first round and then gets past No. 12 seed Wisconsin in Round 2. The Vikings are blasted in Beantown by Pittsburgh in the Sweet 16, but who cares?

Worst Case: Dominguez and his undersized teammates realize this isn't the Big Sky Conference anymore when athletic Xavier starts dropping alley-oop slams on their heads. Vikings are posted up, pounded down and picked apart in a game that's over by halftime. But at least it's a short trip home.

[gladdenguy]

If you want a lot of humor to help you get amped up for the big dance this is the piece for you. Just try to read it without busting out laughing. I especially like our best case scenario. "So let it be written, so let it be done!"

Big East swaps Xavier for DePaul, love it.

I would not want to trade places with Depaul and be in that league. No thanks.
The Big Least is a joke right now.
Wreck that league and split some teams up, then I would be in. Right now, I prefer the A-10.

[coasterville95]

What, Ohio State and Dayton wins weren't included in Xavier's worst-case scenario?

Good point let's amend:

Best Case: <all that Forde said plus> Dayton Flyers are so traumatized by Huggins mustard suit that they crash and burn before haltime, blames loss on food poisoning from pre game meal causing half their team to be ill for the eighth time this season. Ohio State gets cocky, only sends the bench players in the van from Columbus to UD Arena for presumed opening round scrimage vs. Siena, tries to hurridly rush the starters to UD Arena at halftime but officials won't allow them to enter for arriving at the game late. Inexplicably, both UC and UD sign their coaches to long term contracts.

Worst Case: Ohio State still upset at missing the NCAA's last year responds by taking a National Championship, partly becuase Florida wasn't there to stop them yet again. Cocky, obnoxious Ohio State fans are worse than ever. Meanwhile, Dayton squeaks by West Virginia by one point, after West Virginia has their star player suffer a leg sprain during the pre game shootaround causing him to miss the opening game. Sure, Dayton gets blown clean out of the gym in the second game, but obnoxious, delusional, insufferable Dayton Flyers fans get to pound their chest for a whole year about how they have clearly passed us as a program yet again. Dayton proceeds to sign 5 Mcdonald's All-Americans for next season and Brian Gregory encouraged by his NCAA win spends the summer in Basketball Coaching camps and actually learns how to coach. What's worse? UC announces they have hired a real coach.