Xavier

While injuries in recent seasons have dropped a team a seed line few have hovered over a region like the right quadriceps injury to Syracuse center Arinze Onuaku. The Orange were rightfully rewarded for their overall body of work, giving them a one seed. However, how much were the penalized for the fifth-year senior’s injury? Thought by many to be a lock along with Kansas and Kentucky, Syracuse was actually slipped in behind Duke and all the way out to Salt Lake City.

Xavier Musketeers

Atlantic 10 Conference (24-8, 14-2)

 

 

Talk about making an impact. Darington Hobson's first season of D1 basketball was certainly a memorable one. The CollegeHoops.net High-Major Player of the Year led New Mexico to an MWC title by averaging 16.2 ppg, 9.3 rpg, and 4.5 apg. He's joined on the High-Major First Team by guards Jordan Crawford, Jimmer Fredette, and Randy Culpepper, as well as WAC Player of the Year Luke Babbitt.

 

Dayton

UMASS

Rhode Island

Richmond

St Bonaventure

St Louis

Temple

Xavier

Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest - 16.0, 11.0, 1.5)

Luke Babbitt (Nevada - 21.3, 9.7, 1.9)

Jordan Crawford (Xavier - 19.7, 4.8, 2.8)

Sylven Landesburg (Virginia - 18.1, 5.2, 2.9)

Greg Monroe (Georgetown - 15.4, 9.5, 3.6)

Isaiah Thomas (Washington - 17.4, 4.4, 2.6)

Klay Thompson (Washington St - 21.1, 4.8, 2.5)

Willie Warren (Oklahoma - 16.2, 3.5, 4.2)

Elliot Williams (Memphis 19.2, 4.3, 3.9)

Other (Davis, Ebanks, English, Fortson, Green, Rosario, Thompkins, Walker, White)

College basketball is in full momentum mode now with dozens of games each week that have major implications on the NCAA Tournament. All of the games below matter in a big way.

Florida vs Mississippi St - 1:30
-- In most bracketology projections, Florida has been left out of the field in recent weeks while MSU has been in. That could all change this weekend as the Gators host  an MSU team that has lost 3 of 4. Its conceivable that only 1 of these two teams make the dance, and that this game is a strong deciding factor.

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When looking at a map of the Division I college basketball programs, the East Coast is peppered with the vast majority of the schools who belong amongst the nation's elite. Smaller conferences with smaller rivalries abound out East. One league reigns supreme in terms of consistent production, and that’s the Atlantic-10. This season, five bids is not only a distinct possibility, at this junction in the season, it’s almost likely.

One of the biggest games of the day tips at high noon in Morgantown when West Virginia hosts Syracuse in a matchup of Top 10 teams. Both are coming off of routine victories over teams expected to finish in the bottom portion of the Big East standings, avoiding the pitfall of looking past the task at hand. The Orange are one of the nation's best offensive teams, leading the country in field goal percentage and assists per game. Wesley Johnson received a good deal of praise for their early start but truth be told Jim Boeheim's got weapons throughout the rotation.