March 17, 2008

No. 3 Seed Xavier University Musketeers (27-6)

vs. No. 14 Seed Univ. of Georgia Bulldogs (17-16)

NCAA Tournament First Round

Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 12:20 p.m.

Verizon Center (20,674) • Washington, D.C.

 

COMPLETE XAVIER NCAA GAME NOTES/STATS PACKAGE IN PDF FORM

 

Television: CBS Television, including WKRC-TV 12 in Cincinnati. Craig Bolerjack will provide the play-by-play with analysis from Bob Wenzel.

Radio: 700 WLW-AM and XM satellite channel 173 with play-by-play from XU Hall of Famer and former Musketeer standout Joe Sunderman (`79). Analysis will be provided by Xavier Hall of Famer and XU all-time leading scorer Byron Larkin (`88).

Xavier Media Contact: Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations Tom Eiser -- email: eiser@xavier.edu; office: 513-745-3124; cell: 513-382-5565.

 

The X's and O's

 

• Xavier is making its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance and its seventh in the last eight years, including the 2007 NCAA Second Round. Xavier, which is making its 19th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, is 12-18 overall in 18 previous
appearances. Its best finishes were the 2004 Elite Eight and the 1990 Sweet 16. Xavier's first appearance was in 1961, although XU didn't return again until 1983. XU was 1-6 for its first six NCAA appearances but has an 11-12 mark since then.

 

• Xavier is making its ninth all-time appearance as an at-large team in the NCAA Tournament field, including 2008, 2007, 2003, 2001, 1997, 1995, 1993, 1990 and 1961. Xavier has earned 10 automatic berths by winning its conference tournament, including four through the Atlantic 10 (2006, 2004, 2002 and 1998) and six through the MCC (1991, 1989, 1988, 1987, 1986 and 1983).

 

• Xavier has advanced to at least the second round nine times in its history, including last season and eight of the last 12 appearances.

 

• Xavier, 27-6 overall and 14-2 in the 2008 Atlantic 10 Conference regular season race, won sole possession of its second straight Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship. Xavier is 12th in the final Associated Press Poll and 12th in the latest USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll. XU is ranked ninth in the latest RPI ratings for collegerpi.com (3-16-08).

 

• Xavier, 27-6, now has the second-highest total for wins for an entire season (27) in Xavier history. The school record for most wins in an entire season belongs to the 1989-90 "Sweet 16" team (28-5).

 

• Xavier, 27-6, has secured its third straight 20-win season and its 11th 20-win season in the last 12 years.

 

• Xavier fourth-year head coach Sean Miller is the 2007-08 Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year. The NABC named Miller last week as its 2008 NABC District 10 Coach of the Year. He is also a candidate for many National Coach of the Year honors.

 

• Xavier's seniors earned 2007-08 All-Atlantic 10 honors: Stanley Burrell (Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defensive Team and A-10 Third Team), Josh Duncan (Sixth Man of the Year and A-10 Second Team) and Drew Lavender (A-10 Second Team). Burrell is a candidate for National Defensive Player of the Year honors.

 

• Xavier is the only team in NCAA Division I that has six players averaging in double figures: senior Josh Duncan (11.7 ppg.), sophomore Derrick Brown (10.7 ppg.), senior Drew Lavender (10.7 ppg.), juniors C.J. Anderson (10.6 ppg.) and B.J. Raymond (10.3 ppg.) and senior Stanley Burrell (10.0 ppg.). Xavier takes advantage of that balance as evidenced by the fact that XU is 21-0 when four or more players score in double figures.

 

• Xavier holds the second-best record percentage-wise in March in NCAA Division I since 2001-02 (min. 25 games as of 3-16-08): Kansas (41-10 for .804) and Xavier (32-11 for .744) . The 2001-02 season was Sean Miller's first season on the Xavier campus, the first of three seasons as XU's first-ever associate head coach. Miller, who is in his fourth year as XU's head coach, is in his seventh straight year on the XU campus.