Coach: Sean Miller, four years at Xavier, three years in NCAA Tournament.
How they got here: At-large berth; West first round: def. No. 14 seed Georgia
73-61; West second round: def. No. 5 seed Purdue
85-78; West semifinals: fought off No. 7 seed West Virginia
79-75 OT.
They'll keep winning if: Taking down West Region top seed UCLA might be best described as a Love affair. If Xavier
can neutralize fabulous freshman forward Kevin Love and force UCLA to win without a big night from its big man, the Musketeers might soon
be loading up for San Antonio. The Musketeers are back in the Elite Eight for the second time in five years under Sean Miller (2004). They've
never been to the Final Four and, with two Elite Eight trips, hardly stack up to the UCLA tradition (21st Elite Eight appearance, two straight
final four trips). But Xavier does stack up rather well against this edition of Bruins from the paint -- Josh Duncan and Derrick Brown against
Love -- to the perimeter, where Stanley "Glove" Burrell has the ability to suffocate Darren Collison or Josh Shipp with his in-your-shirt
defense. Depth is also an advantage for Xavier as UCLA likes to stick with its starters who will likely go 30 minutes apiece barring foul
trouble. Xavier was 20-0 during the regular season when four or more players scored in double figures, including two games with seven
players in twin digits. UCLA had issues handling the pesky full-court pressure of Western Kentucky. Xavier will do more of the same and
hope UCLA responds with 19 turnovers as it did to keep the Hilltoppers in the West Regional semifinal.
Memorable moment: Freshman phenoms Michael Beasley (1-of-6 field goals) and Eric Gordon (4-of-12) flopped
against Xavier. The Musketeers upset then-No. 8 Indiana 80-65 in the Chicago Invitational Challenge final on Nov. 24 and handed Kansas
State its most lopsided loss (103-77) in nearly six years on Dec. 31.
Stanley Burrell
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Go-to guys: Pick your poison. Six players scored between 307 and 359 points during the regular season, with five
Musketeers averaging in double figures and four shooting at least 40 percent from 3-point range. Stanley Burrell was the A-10 Defensive
Player of the Year, Josh Duncan was Sixth Man of the Year and Drew Lavender earned second-team all-conference honors. There are four
1,000-point scorers on the roster.
Strengths: Scrappy. Pesky. Maddening. All those terms describe the Xavier defense. The Musketeers paced the
Atlantic 10 in field-goal percentage defense (40.6 percent) and scoring defense (62.2 points per game). The Musketeers were 22-1 when
holding teams to less than 70 points and 19-1 when outrebounding opponents in the regular season. They play team basketball and can
survive an off night. Five Xavier players average at least 10.1 points per game B.J Raymond, Duncan and Lavender all shoot higher than 81
percent from the free-throw line and above 40 percent from 3-point range.
Weaknesses: The Musketeers' balanced "one for all and all for one" approach could backfire if the clock is ticking in a
tight game and no one steps up to take the big shot. An ongoing concern is Lavender's sprained left ankle. The point guard averaged 5.2
points and 3.0 assists and shot 26 percent over the last six games of the regular season. His 18-point, nine-assist night against Purdue
should encourage Miller and Musketeers' fans.
Coach: Bob Huggins, one year at school, one year in NCAA Tournament.
How they got here: At-large berth; West first round: def. No. 10 seed Arizona 75-65; West second round: def. No. 2 seed Duke 73-67
They'll keep winning if: Balance is king for the Musketeers. West Virginia won't be afraid to use a zone defense for a possession here and there -- Xavier had 42 points in the paint against Purdue -- but the Mountaineers are all about man-to-man defense. West Virginia has shown the ability to penetrate and create offense consistently and needs to have options available -- Alex Ruoff and Da'Sean Butler have been solid in the postseason -- when Xavier doubles Joe Alexander.
Memorable moment: The surprising thing about the Mountaineers season is how good it could have been -- the team barely missed out on a handful of upsets this season, including frustrating losses against Tennessee, Oklahoma and Georgetown. Because of that, playing well down the stretch was critical, and a March 3 victory over Pitt at home was probably the final stamp the team needed on its NCAA Tournament resume.
Joe Alexander
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Go-to guys: Joe Alexander was on fire down the stretch for the Mountaineers, and is the most reliable offensive weapon. Darris Nichols has been around forever and runs a smooth and efficient point, and Da'Sean Butler and Alex Ruoff are also dependable.
Strengths: Joe Alexander has developed into a top scorer and gives this team a weapon it wasn't sure it had in October when practice began. The Mountaineers have a balanced scoring attack and a point guard in Darris Nichols who doesn't turn the ball over and has extensive tournament experience. The team plays tenacious defense at all times, a Bob Huggins trademark.
Weaknesses: WVU struggled for much of the year in close games, and has had a lot of bad breaks go against it late. Stopping Alexander from scoring makes the offense a lot less dangerous, and though the team in general is a good free-throw shooting squad, there's usually at least one good option for opponents to hack late in games.
