Xavier Basketball: Tu Holloway and Musketeers Making Noise in AP Top 25

Possibly the biggest surprise from the new AP Top 25 is the fact that the Xavier Musketeers are now ranked No. 8 in the country. They are the only team that is not from one of the six major conferences ranked among the top 18 teams in the country.

The Musketeers are taking the college basketball world by storm after two impressive comeback wins. After cruising through their first four games, they were challenged in their last two and came out on top.

In a game on the road against the No. 19 Vanderbilt Commodores, the Musketeers went down early but found a way to tie the game after a few threes from point guard Tu Holloway. They then won the game 82-70 after outscoring the Commodores 16-4 in overtime.

Then, at home against the Purdue Boilermakers, the Musketeers faced a 19-point deficit before coming back to win 66-63.

The Musketeers have faced some good teams and have come away with tough victories. They have faced adversity and overcome it to prove that they are indeed a top-10 team.

This team is led by juniors and seniors. They have four seniors, three of whom make huge contributions every night. They also have five juniors, two of whom are top-five scorers. Their only major contributor who is not an upperclassman is freshman Dezmine Wells.

Led by guards Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons, this team is in good hands. These two combine for over 35 points and 7.7 assists per game.

However, this team is not led solely by stars. This is a true team that relies on contributions from every player every night. They are No. 10 in the country in rebounding thanks to every player contributing.

No one player has more than 6.7 rebounds per night (Travis Taylor), and that mark is a full rebound higher than everyone else on the team.

The Musketeers are an experienced team who consistently makes the NCAA tournament. They have made it six straight times and 10 of 11 after 2000.

Under Xavier grad Chris Mack, this team has won roughly 75 percent of their games in his three full seasons.

The team made the Sweet 16 twice (2009, 2010) and are 4-1 in the first two rounds of the tournament during the last three years. They also went to the Elite Eight in 2008.

Mack's style of play is a favorable one for the Musketeers who appear to be buying into his theories. He is keeping this team ready for anything, and they will surely be one of the teams that goes deep into the NCAA tournament this season.

The typical argument against teams in mid-major conferences like the Atlantic 10 is that they do not have competition in conference play. However, the Musketeers still play a tough non-conference schedule and will be ready come tournament time.

This team is one of the best in the country despite their relatively easy schedule. They deserve this top-10 ranking, and they are on the cusp of becoming one of the best teams in the country.

Along with the team, Holloway is considered among the favorites for National Player of the Year recognition. The most sought-after individual-award in college basketball could be Holloway's if he keeps this pace up.

Holloway is averaging 18.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game this season. He is not doing as well as we expected, yet he continues to work hard and appears to have a lot of room for improvement. If this is the case, he will be a finalist for National Player of the Year honors.

Holloway is not only a great passer and prolific scorer, but he also is a leader and comes up in the clutch.

Holloway is the heart and soul for the Musketeers. As long as he does well the team does well, and he has put the team on his back in the final minutes of games.

Demonstrated by his three consecutive threes in the final two minutes of their game against Purdue Holloway is clutch. He dropped 21 points in the game and helped erase a 19-point deficit.

Holloway is the complete player, and he will be considered among the best in the country by the end of the season.

Both the team and Holloway are making noise in the college basketball world, and I cannot wait to see what this team does next.

Josh Schoch is an aspiring sportswriter dedicated to bringing you everything related to college basketball, college football, the NFL, NBA, MLB and much more. Follow him on Twitter.