Xavier 16

On Sunday afternoon, you A-10 honks will see the battle for 1st place when the Xavier Musketeers (17-6, 8-1) take on the Duquesne Dukes. Xavier and Michigan State are the only two teams to make the last 3 Sweet 16's. At this point, only one of those appears to have a chance to extend that streak. Heck, Xavier is all of 10 points away from having 3 straight Elite 8 appearances.

Xavier currently has an RPI of 20 with a SOS rank of 28. Their best wins have been in conference, though they do have a win this week at Georgia and a home win against Butler. They have a bad loss at Charlotte and a road loss to Miami (OH). Miami (OH) could rep the MAC in March.

KenPom likes them offensively, 33rd in AdjO but they stand only 93rd in AdjD. They stand 95th in scoring and 83rd in FG%. They are not prolific beyond the arc, shooting only 33% and making 6 a game. They protect the ball okay (40th) and shoot well from the line (30th). They're steady as they go type team offensively.

On the other side of the ball, they're 131st in scoring defense and 62nd in FG%. Not terrible, hardly spectacular. They're on the plus side when it comes to rebounding (69th) but don't create steals (267th) or block shots (202nd). Like so many other things, they're okay guarding, 104th in team fouls per game. They have some deficiencies and aren't great at anything. But they are winning games.

Tu Holloway is THE GUY. He leads the team in nearly every category, including a nifty 21 ppg. Sophomore G Mark Lyons, 13.8 ppg is Holloway's running mate and Sr. F, Jamel McLean is the steady inside presence, averaging 11.5 ppg with 9 boards per game. He also shoots 54% from the field. Those of you that watched Xavier in Milwaukee last year probably remember Kenny Frease, the Xavier C. The Junior is an important cog for Xavier. In their losses, Frease has found foul trouble or was largely ineffective. If you're watching them in March, if he's not involved or in foul trouble that could be a bad sign for Xavier as could a bad shooting night from Holloway. One or the other or a combination of both spells doom.

I always like Xavier and they have a chance should matchups fall in place for them to reach another Sweet 16 but I don't think this team is as good as the last few. They'll be worth paying attention to as the regular season winds down.