Xavier Musketeers: 28-4, 15-3 in the Big East Conference
Head coach: Chris Mack (9th season)
Players to watch: Trevon Bluiett (19.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 43.1 3P%), J.P. Macura (12.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.4 SPG), Quentin Goodin (8.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 5.0 APG)
Season recap: After mounting an Elite Eight run as an 11-seed, Xavier carried its late-season success into the beginning of this season. The Musketeers spurted out to a 15-1 start, with the lone blemish against an up-and-coming Arizona State team in the championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational. Following that loss, Xavier would go on to win 10 straight, including victories against then-No. 16 Baylor and then-No. 11 Cincinnati.
While the Musketeers mostly avoided bad losses, they found their kryptonite in fellow top-five team Villanova. In its only two games against a top-10 foe, Xavier folded, dropping the two matchups by a combined 39 points.
Despite playing in a weaker conference, the Musketeers took care of business during conference play, finishing one game ahead of the Wildcats with the league’s top record at 15-3.
How they make a run: Xavier continues to dominate offensively, playing like the team that averaged 85 points per contest in the regular season. Senior Trevon Bluiett picks up from where he left off in last year’s tournament, staying hot from the perimeter and making the Musketeers impossible to defend.
How they falter: The defense folds for the Musketeers like it did when they allowed Villanova to shoot better than 60 percent from the field in their last matchup. That will not fly against the nation’s best offenses in the tourney.
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Digital Strategy Director for Vol. 115, Michael was previously Sports Editor for Vol. 114 and Assistant Blue Zone Editor for Vol. 113. Michael is a senior majoring in Statistical Science and is interested in data analytics and using data to make insights.