Musketeer Madness

We've got a few days to kill, so I started thinking about my best and worst memories of Xavier in the tournament. I welcome your additions.

Worst Memories:

10. Losing a heart-breaker to Michigan in round 1 in 1989, only to watch them go on to win the championship -- the second year in a row Xavier got stuck with the eventual champion in round 1.
9. Missing about 18 three-pointers versus UCLA in round 2 in 1997.
8. The second-round no-show versus Oklahoma in 2002.
7. The second-round no-show versus Maryland in 2003: Bye, bye David West.
6. Losing star PG Jamaal Walker to an injury right before round 2 in 1991, resulting in a loss to UConn.
5. Losing on a last-second shot to Washington in round 1 in 1998 (brutal!)
4. The Lincoln Ambush: After a great season in 1988, Xavier was hoping for a favorable seed at a site close to home. Instead, they got shipped to Lincoln, Nebraska to play Kansas. Some of the X players joked that all they knew about Lincoln were the cornfields. Really not a negative comment, but after the Enquirer posted a headline that read "Exiled to Lincoln," the locals were none too happy. Xavier was absolutely abused by the fans from the moment they took the court, culminating in Byron Larkin -- one of the most prolific scorers in NCAA history -- getting mock-cheered as he headed to the bench for the last time in his college career. Kansas won by 13 en route to the NCAA championship.
3. The Oden flagrant foul/Lewis buzzer beater/OT debacle in 2007.
2. Losing a double-digit lead to Texas in the 1990 Sweet 16.
1. Chris Duhon in the 2004 Elite 8 sticking his knee out and hooking Chalmers as he drove to the hoop and getting the worst charging call ever. X is denied 2 free throws and Duke hits a three the other way, and a few minutes later X is three points short of the Final Four.

Dishonorable Mention:

11. Waiting on pins and needles for my first Xavier tournament game ever in 1986, only to realize the game was already on and almost over, with Xavier down by 17 to Alabama.
12. Watching the 2001 disaster versus Notre Dame with my friend who is a Fighting Irish fan.


Best Memories:

10. Pete Gillen is born June 20, 1947. There would be no tournament memories of X without this man.
9. The Lincoln Revenge: In 1991, three years after Nebraskans verbally assaulted the Musketeers for two hours over the aforementioned harmless comments, the Nebraska Cornhuskers enjoyed arguably their best basketball season ever, earning a Top-Ten ranking and a #3 seed in the tournament. Their first-round opponent: their cornfield-loving friends from the North, the 14-seeded Xavier Musketeers, who promptly ended the best Cornhusker season ever with a stunning upset.
8. Xavier returns to Indianapolis in 1993 -- the site of their '90 Sweet 16 run -- and pounds my school at the time (Tim Floyd's University of New Orleans) and in fact takes #1 ranked and #1 seeded Indiana to the wire in round 2 before falling by three.
7. Xavier turns a double-digit deficit into a double-digit victory versus Louisville in round 1 in 2004.
6. Xavier turns a double-digit deficit into a double-digit victory versus Georgia in round 1 in 2008.
5. Skipping out of school at lunchtime in 1987 to watch the 13-seeded Musketeers upset the #4 Missouri Tigers.
4. Despite memories of a 9-point collapse against Ohio State the year before, Xavier overcomes a lost 10-point lead to defeat Purdue in 2008 to earn its third trip ever to the Sweet 16.
3. Aaron Williams pulls down the final rebound as the Xavier Musketeers upset Mutombo, Mourning and the 3-seeded Georgetown Hoyas in 1990 to reach their first Sweet 16 ever.
2. 14 years after blowing a double-digit lead versus Texas in the Sweet 16, Xavier exacts long-awaited revenge on the Longhorns to earn their first Elite 8 trip ever.
1. Xavier beats Bob Huggins and then the #1 seeded UCLA Bruins to earn their first trip to the Final Four in 2008.

I have not been around XU basketball as long as you, so my memories are more recent.

Best: Dedrick Finn's 50-footer at the end of the first half in Orlando in 2004 to break #2 seed Mississippi State's backs.

Worst: The same year in Atlanta: the refs caving to to Coach Cry's incessant whining and calling two fouls on Anthony Myles in six seconds to foul him out with 12 minutes left.

I don't think I would call XU's effort in 2002 against a very good and eventual Final 4 Oklahoma team a "no show". XU played with them for most of the game and Oklahoma was damn good that year. Now the 2003 game against Maryland was somewhat of a no show, certainly it was for Chalmers. Good list overall though.

Not top/bottom 10s and not in order...

Best Moments...

1) Elite 8
2) Sweet 16 (1990)
3) Sweet 16 (2008)
4) Beating Mizzou in 1987

Worst...

1) Agaisnt IU (forget the year) where we got screwed on the inbounds pass in Indy
2) The meltdown last year
3) Up double digits agaisnt Texas at the half in 1990 only to squander our chance to go the Elite 8
4) Washington in DC, last minute tip in. What a dissapointing season!

The original post is perfect. My personal best moment happens in every game where Xavier beats a BCS team. The one camera shot of the players from Missouri, Texas, Georgetown, etc. with the “who are these guys?” look. Priceless.

XU grad of '95 and LOOOONG time lurker/reader of the board - you guys are great! Reading the post of the best and worst Tourney moments brings a question to mind for the posters...I have a fairly big collection of old XU tourney games and Shootouts, but many of mine were lost to water damage during "the flood" of the last 2 weeks. Does anyone out there have most/all of the tourney games in a personal collection? I have most of the more recent games and Shootouts but unfortunately lost some of the vintage stuff from the 80's and 90's. I have a DVD recorder and could even burn tapes to DVD in exchange for a copy to keep for myself. If this isn't the forum for this type of request, my apologies. Look forward to reading the comments leading up to Thursday! Go Muskies!