Xavier Basketball: How Far Will They Dance in 2010?

Alex KingMar 7, 2010

It seems apparent that the 2009-2010 Xavier Musketeers will be headed for March Madness yet again as Selection Sunday approaches. Boasting a 23-7 record facing tough non-conference teams such as: Cincinnati (winning a classic Crosstown Shootout at the Cintas Center 83-79 in double OT), Butler (Musketeer fans don't talk about that game, period, but despite the refs decision to roll the time off the clock it was an exciting game to watch), Wake Forest (An OT classic as well. Back and fourth game with WF getting the W), Marquette (First game of the Old Spice Classic. Marquette was a much tougher team then than they are right now), and a convincing victory at Florida. Big Atlantic 10 wins included Dayton and Richmond at home, and Charlotte and Saint Louis University on the road. Saint Louis had previously defeated Dayton at home, who was the pre-season favorite to win the A10. Dayton, who had been ranked at the start of the season, reminded everyone that it's not how you start in college basketball, it's how you finish. They finished 7th in the standings, but can still make the tournament at 19-11 if they can perform well in the A10 tourney (although losing to SLU at home certainly did not help their case).

Strong nonconference play, in addition to earning a share of the Atlantic 10 regular season trophy with the 19th ranked Temple Owls gives Xavier a ton of momentum heading into the Big Dance. No matter who they play, or how far they advance in the 64-team showdown, they will be an exciting team to watch. As the Atlantic 10 tournament approaches, Xavier expects to be up close and personal as college basketball comes to a close for the year. GO MUSKIES! Here's to hoping that XU senior Jason Love's (seen above) season ends with a bang.