Modern day run started in 1983, now 8 Sweet 16s and

[Xavier2005]

I started buying season tickets in 1978. Xavier had not been to the NCAA Tournament Dance since the 1960s. X fans were supporting Xavier long before the modern bandwagon fans jumped on board. Xavier made their FIRST modern day start in an NCAA tournament in 1983. Most of us in the old days just wanted to have X in the Dance....no other expectations. Then it became well they need to win in the first round. Then, much later it was gee X has to get to the Sweet 16. Now, the modern day X fan wants the Elite 8 and or a Final Four...that is the new hope for X. Xavier is now appearing in their 8th Sweet 16. As an old timer behind X my own expectation is still just make The Dance and then let us see what the X Men can do. Yes, we would love an E 8 or a FF, but we all should know that is a tough task to accomplish for any team. Go X Men...one game at a time. Just make the Dance and we fans will enjoy the ride to where ever YOU take us. The season is already a success and the rest is just gravy.

[SC in DC]

No offense, but X didn't dance in the '60's. But agree, that this is awesome! Go X!

[Pierre Dracot]

No offense, but X didn't dance in the '60's. But agree, that this is awesome! Go X!

No offense you are incorrect. They played in the 1961 NCAA tournament. (I'm sure that Jack Thobe, for one, would appreciate being remembered for this accomplishment.)

NCAA Tournament appearances
1961, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

[Murph85]

I love this type of post as I am an old timer as well. I remember sitting in class with Eddie Johnson who was one of the first big man recruits in the early 80's. At that time the dance was the ultimate goal of the program but as it has been described by Father Graham the program is like a jet that continues to climb A little higher each year. We have had a few minor setbacks but we are knocking on the door to pass Nova in our league and to make the final four.

Not greedy here but just making the tournament now would be like settling way too low. We have the facility, the league, the coach and lots of success to build on. The best, or at least highest rated, recruiting class ever coming in next year. The Cintas is being expanded as well.

It is going to happen. We will be playing in the final four within three years. I plan on being there in a huge block of X faithfuls watching history be made.

[xu koop scoop]

Villanova has 1 Sweet 16 in past 5 seasons. Also 1 Championship. 4 Big East Titles & 3/4 ? Big East Tourney Championships. I am on oldtimer who
started buying season tix when Byron Larkin was playing at the Gardens. I relished the old home and home over 2 years with rivalries like Miami & Dayton and hope the team schedules home and home with them again as well as NKU. Rather see these teams than Oakland or Lehigh or Winthrop,etc... Sad to see XU become as snobbish/afraid/too RPI oriented as Ohio St ,Kentucky, Louisville,etc... who will only schedule schools that won't hurt'/hinder their RPI or Strength of Schedule. I want us to have some Big East regular season titles as well as BE Tourney titles. If Villanova hadn't won that title last year & instead lost in the Finals - their reputations would still be way above ours - the same way Kentucky in SEC & Kansas in Big 12 is above all others in their Conferences - they win their leagues virtually every year. Being at top in your league consistently I imagine gets you as many or more great recruits than your fnishes in the NCAA - unless you repeatedly make Final Fours.

[SC in DC]

My bad! I got there in 1963 and they were good , but got progressively worse during my 4 yrs and sUCked for a long time after that til Staak got there. Didn't realize 61 was a tourney team, only heard about the 58 NIT.

[SC in DC]

OK, so I checked it out to refresh my geezer memory, and somewhere I do vaguely now remember that we did lose a game before I got there. Well, it was to that Bball power Morehead ST 71-66. That year also, UC won it all beating THE osu. And ST. Joe's won the third place game (yes, kiddies back in the day they made the losers play) 127-120 over Utah in FOUR overtimes! How's that for a history lesson, and No I don't think Phil was the coach!

[Pierre Dracot]

OK, so I checked it out to refresh my geezer memory, and somewhere I do vaguely now remember that we did lose a game before I got there. Well, it was to that Bball power Morehead ST 71-66. That year also, UC won it all beating THE osu. And ST. Joe's won the third place game (yes, kiddies back in the day they made the losers play) 127-120 over Utah in FOUR overtimes! How's that for a history lesson, and No I don't think Phil was the coach!

Thanks for the detail.

[gym from delhi]

Just to add one more Geezer comment, perhaps Gundun will agree, but still my all-time favorite X team, and woeful underachievers, was the 63-64 squad, featuring C Pelkington, F's Geiger and Williams, and G's Thomas and McNeil. Never forget the 90-88 loss in Schmidt to 6th or 7th ranked Villanova, or Steve's 50 point outburst at the Gardens. Just an impressionable 8th grader, I guess.

[gundun]

Bob Knight who saw that team at Schmidt while scouting Canisius thought we should have been a TOP 10 if we had any discipline. He also said that Bryan Williams was a cancer and he wouldn’t be starting for him. (Make your own judgment here.)
For the record, Steve had his 50 against Detroit in the Fieldhouse and had 45 against UC at the Gardens.
That was a great team for that era, but two games stand out in my mind. Number 1 was the loss to Central State at home just after we beat a good Tennessee on the road. Coach didn’t let Ben Cooper and some other person play that game for a small infraction. Besides he thought a half-court defense would slow them down and keep us out of foul trouble.
The second game was at Louisville. We could taste post season but we blow the game. I won’t go into details, but it was a case of egos. After one star singlehandedly got us back in the game the other went into a funk.
That was a great team and the interesting thing was that our point guard was playing with only one eye due to an injury his freshman year.