College
Xavier happy with seed
By Paul Dehner Jr., CNATI.com Posted March 14, 2010 11:16 PM ET
Chris Mack saw about what he expected. When you are in the position Xavier has found itself every selection Sunday for the past five years, that is a good thing.
The Musketeers were announced as a six seed in the Midwest bracket of the NCAA tournament on Sunday night and will play Minnesota in Milwaukee on Friday at 12:25 p.m.
"I think that is about what we expected," Mack said. "I don't think there is a huge difference between a 5,6,7, sometimes it depends on where they want to place you. I felt a six seed is about where we would land."
There was even an extra bit of good news as the game being placed on Friday provides an extra day of preparation for a coaching staff that will be up preparing Sunday night "until we can keep our eyes open," Mack said.
Plus, landing in Milwaukee will be good news for a fan base thrilled it doesn't have to travel to Boise, Idaho, as the Muskies (24-8) did last season where they beat Portland State and Wisconsin.
Xavier eventually moved on to play Pittsburgh in the Sweet 16 and lost in a heartbreaker, 60-55.
So, when a possibly second round matchup popped up against three-seeded Pitt in the second round, well, it brought a little extra spice to the draw.
"We know they are in our bracket, our main goal is to focus on Minnesota, nothing is guaranteed," Jamel McLean said. "Minnesota is our prime objective. Hopefully we see Pittsburgh and we will take that game from where we left off last year."
With this being Xavier's fifth-consecutive season playing the NCAA tournament -- and ninth in the past 10 years -- some of the circumstances were old hat around the Cintas Center.
A player like Jason Love, who has spent the past four seasons enjoying a 6-3 record in the Big Dance, being able to be a part of it one final time didn't go without recognition.
"It's such an honor to be in it," Love said. "Not many teams get to experience it and I have been able to experience it all four years here."
This run will begin against Minnesota (21-13), a team many thought could be on the outside looking in at 5:59 p.m. on Sunday.
The Golden Gophers made one final push toward a selection with a 69-42 blowout win of Purdue in the Big Ten tournament. Though, considering the win came without star Robbie Hummel, who is out for the season with a knee injury, it has an asterisk.
Purdue scored 11 points in the second half.
"We were impressed by it," Dante Jackson said. "But I don't know if it is a fair assessment."
The Golden Gophers led the Big Ten in 3-point shooting, steals and blocks this year and also beat Michigan State in the tournament.
They also beat Butler in a preaseason tournament, who Xavier fell to, 65-64 in a wild game in December.
Minnesota's leading scorer is Lawrence Westbrook (12.5 ppg), followed by Blake Hoffarber, who is hitting 47.7 percent from 3-point range in 174 attempts.
"They have some perimeter players that have some wild 3-point percentages," Mack said. "They are really talented from the perimeter."
Outside of that, Mack wouldn't pretend to know a quarter as much as he will as the time Xavier takes the floor Friday afternoon. So, no surprises as of yet.
But what Xavier did winning 12 of its last 14 games allowed for a night to let the teams fall where they may.
"It's a good draw," Jackson said. "I really don't think seeds mean as much it is just about how well prepared your team is and players you have."
Categories: College, Featured Stories, Men's Basketball, News, Xavier Musketeers
Tags: Chris Mack, Dante Jackson, Jason Love, Xavier
Comments (1)
GO XAVIER!!!!!
I just thought I would post a meaningless comment.
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