Xavier's preparation for the Atlantic 10 conference tournament will be quite different this year.
"Our guys have never gone to the Atlantic 10 tournament a hungry team," coach Chris Mack said.
For the past six years, even predating Mack's tenure as head coach, the Musketeers have packed for the A-10 tournament with a NCAA Tournament berth almost assured. Xavier has made six consecutive appearances in the Big Dance, one of just 12 schools to accomplish that. In addition, the Musketeers have made 10 of the past 11 NCAA Tournaments.
But this season Xavier needs a victory, or possibly two, to earn a seventh straight berth. By most accounts, the Musketeers are firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
"We've got to be ready to go on Friday night," Mack said.
The Musketeers finished third in the A-10 and earned a first-round bye. They face the winner of Dayton and George Washington on Friday.
Xavier has had mixed success against both GW and Dayton. The Musketeers escaped with a 59-58 win at GW on Feb. 1. They split two meetings with area rival Dayton, losing 87-72 at UD Arena on Jan. 21 and outlasting the Flyers 86-83 in overtime on Feb. 18. So regardless of the opponent, Friday night's game will be a challenge.
The Musketeers gutted out a win over Charlotte on March 3. The outcome provided some hope for the postseason, thanks to the efforts of senior center Kenny Frease, who has been a force of late. Frease had 18 points and 12 rebounds against the 49ers, and he averaged nearly 15 points and 10 boards in his last four regular-season games.
It's been a perplexing season for Xavier, which started 8-0 and was ranked as high as eighth in both major polls. Then came the brawl with crosstown rival Cincinnati in December, and the Musketeers haven't been the same since. Curiously, Xavier also hasn't performed well when it counted most, losing games at Memphis, UMass, Temple and Saint Louis that would've helped bolster its NCAA Tournament resume.
Frease says the Musketeers are prepared to begin anew this week at the A-10 tournament.
"We've been able to put a lot of things behind us," he said. "We started this season really well, and now we have to start the new season (postseason) really well."
NOTES, QUOTES
Musketeers remain a force at home
--With its victory over Charlotte in the regular-season finale, Xavier improved to 13-3 at home this season and 162-21 at Cintas Center since it opened in 2000.
--Freshman G Dezmine Wells was selected the Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week for the week of Feb. 20-26 after averaging 12.5 points in a loss at UMass and a win at home over Richmond.
BY THE NUMBERS: 8 -- Xavier tied a season low with eight turnovers in the March 3 win over Charlotte. The Musketeers also had eight turnovers in a win over Saint Joseph's on Jan. 18.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I got a bunch of needles out and put some adrenaline in and went around the room and injected as much as I could in the allotted time at halftime." -- Xavier coach Chris Mack, speaking to the Cincinnati Enquirer about his approach at halftime with his team trailing Charlotte 37-30 on March 3.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
THIS WEEK'S GAMES:
--vs. Dayton-George Washington winner, Atlantic 10 tournament quarterfinals, Atlantic City, N.J., March 9
KEY MATCHUPS: The Musketeers earned a bye in the conference tournament, so they'll play the winner of sixth-seeded Dayton vs. 11th-seeded George Washington. Xavier defeated GW by one point in Washington on Feb. 1, and it split two meetings this season with area rival Dayton.
FUTURES MARKET: Senior F Andre Walker, a graduate student at Xavier, transferred from Vanderbilt just in time to be part of one of the Musketeers' most tumultuous seasons in recent memory. However, Walker's experience and steady presence could prove invaluable for the Musketeers in the postseason. Walker had a season-high four steals in the March 3 win over Charlotte.
PLAYER NOTES
--Senior C Kenny Frease scored 18 points in the March 3 win over Charlotte to become the 50th member of Xavier's 1,000-point club. Frease enters the postseason with 1,017 career points.
--Senior G Tu Holloway scored 24 points against the 49ers to move into the top 10 on Xavier's all-time scoring list. He finished the regular season with 1,706 career points for 10th place, trailing Brian Grant (1,719) and Steve Thomas (1,722).
